SusieT78 Debt Free Diary

Another NSD today.
I've also made my meal plan for the week commencing 11th September including the recipes and shopping list, which is very organised for me.
The snack rationing is going well as I'm the only one that knows we do have other snacks hidden away.
All quiet on the surveys front, but I suppose most of the market research firms close at weekends. I have had 1 PA survey this weekend but it was only 70p.

I appreciate this is probably the most boring diary on the forum, and I haven't actually paid of any debt yet, but writing everything down is definitely helping me be more organised and it's making my head feel much clearer.

Running totals:
September groceries/toiletries/cleaning: £140.60/£340
September Petrol: £20.01/£100
September NSD: 2/30
2017 Paypal Birthday/Xmas fund: £40.30
2017 Quidco cashback: £7.24

doingitanyway wrote: »

I did this too. I began my diary in January but I did not start reducing debt until March/April. I think this debt process needs some time to get your head straight. I now realise I was reducing spending and stopping the debt from growing first. You will soon start to reduce debt at your own pace.

Oh and don't discount your NSDs it shows you are changing your mindset

Thank you for your lovely reply. It sums up perfectly where I am at the moment.
I think I just need to remind myself that one day our circumstances should change for the better and if I'm very good at budgeting when that happens then any extra income can all be thrown at the debts as I'll be used to living within my means.

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I've had one more NSD, which is just as well as yesterday was a big spend day getting school uniform and shoes sorted and a top up shop for perishables and non prescription medicine.

School uniform and shoes spend: £56.50 and there's still a few more uniform items I need to get this week. Also, both kids need new non school shoes too as their old ones have holes in and their feet have grown so further spending is likely this week. Clothing/shoes savings pot was only at £30 so currently has a negative balance of -£26.50, but this should average out over the year.

Top up shop spend: £18.61 (£12.20 was medical). I'll keep the medical stuff in with the grocery spend for now, but if I'm struggling towards the end of the month I'll take it out of the prescriptions pot. I've managed to spend 47% of the groceries budget in the first 6 days of the month, which is quite worrying but as I don't need to do another weekly shop until 11th September, it still leaves me with about £60 a week, which should be doable. Reading the diaries alot of people spend a lot less for a family of 4, but I'm not sure if they are including toiletries and cleaning too in their budgets.

I've put another £9.99 of petrol in the car too. What's in there now needs to last until the 10th/11th September if we're going to stay within budget.

The £6.79 from PA has arrived into Paypal and the £4.63 via Mastercard from Swagbucks, other than that is been a quiet few days on the survery front across all companies I use.

Running totals:
September groceries/toiletries/cleaning: £159.21/£340
September Petrol: £30/£100
September NSD: 3/30
2017 Paypal Birthday/Xmas fund: £51.72
2017 Quidco cashback: £7.24

Hope everybody had a good weekend!
We met up with a friend and her children, she had a pass for a local playcentre which would get all the kids in free so that was a nice treat for the kids.
Then we went to see relatives and the kids were spoiled with loads of chocolate, so they were happy.
I've only managed 1 more NSD since last time I posted. I do seem to do a lot of top up shops, but only things that are on my shopping list, so, I'm trying a new tactic. I've been and bought a load of frozen meat from Iceland this morning, and this afternoon I'm doing my perishables shop in Aldi, but will get some frozen chicken fillets too as they're better value in there. I should then have enough meat to last to the end of the month. I'll only need to top up on perishables then. I'll meal plan around what meat I have left for the rest of the month. I'm hoping doing it this way keeps me within budget.

It's been a bit quiet on the surveys front, but weekends always are.
I did take part in an online focus group (off the back of a previous survey I did) and got a £15 Amazon voucher for that though.
I've also requested another payout from Quidco of £8.96

Running totals:
September groceries/toiletries/cleaning: £229.06/£340 (67%)
September Petrol: £58.48/£100 (58%)
September NSD: 5/30
2017 Paypal Birthday/Xmas fund: £61.35 plus £15 Amazon voucher
2017 Quidco cashback: £16.20

Thank you doingitanyway. I find your posts very inspirational, both on my thread and on your own. You seem to perfectly understand what I'm feeling.
I'm less angry with myself than I was at my lightbulb moment. I was stupid with my finances but I can't change the past, only try to do my best with the future, which I'm at least trying to do.

Since this morning's update I've been to Aldi and spent another £45.09, which leaves me with £65.85 to last the next 2 and a bit weeks. But, as I won't need any more meat £30 a week should be perfectly doable.
I think I'm going to join in with the Grocery challenge on the Old Style board next month, with the aim of knocking £10 a month off my shopping. Then hopefully in 6 months time my shopping budget will be reduced to £280 a month and I can start making some headway into debt repayments.
It will be a challenge as if I'm honest I'm struggling with a budget of £340, but it's early days. I've just bought what I wanted when I wanted without much thought up until last month, so at least my mindset has changed and I'm tracking every penny, and I'm determined to come within budget, don't really have much choice!

I also got a couple of surveys done on MySurvey this afternoon so have been able to request another £5 payout, but I don't add it to my totals until it arrives in Paypal.

Running totals:
September groceries/toiletries/cleaning: £274.15/£340 (81%)
September Petrol: £58.48/£100 (58%)
September NSD: 5/30
2017 Paypal Birthday/Xmas fund: £61.35 plus £15 Amazon voucher
2017 Quidco cashback: £16.20

Time to go and pick the eldest up from school. I wish the weather would make it's mind up, we've had bright sunshine, hail stones and torrential downpours today, all within minutes of each other. Tempted to go in the car, in case it rains again, but that won't help with my petrol conservation plans!