Mrs. P's Diary

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi Mrs P how are you doing? You haven't written for a few days hope you are ok. I expect your glad you knitted that scarf!

MrsPorridge

Hi Mrs. Money Penny. I've had family visitors for two weeks:eek: Now, don't get me wrong I love them all to bits and it was great to see them, but now they've gone things can get back to normal and I can relax:j

I didn't meet my NSD target for October. Only made 10 out of 15. However, even 10 was a great achievement for me. I'm going to be a bit more realistic this month and aim for 11.

My Dad gave me some money when he visited and I did have a bit of a splurge on clothes, one dress (evening), one skirt (work), one jacket (work) and 4 cheap tops from Asda. The rest of the money will be spent on tyres for DH's motobike. I am also going to pay a bit off one of my credit cards. I suppose I didn't really need the clothes, but hey its coming up for Christmas and I don't have anything to wear.:D

On the plus side I have just listed six items on Ebay. Last month I made over £100 on ebay (and that was after I thought I had Ebayed everything in sight). It just goes to show, I have now found more items.:rotfl:

I also need to get back into a routine with my Wii Fit. I have "booked" the TV for 7pm each evening starting tomorrow. I aim to do 30 mins per evening. I was doing the mornings, but now its so dark I just cannot get up early:eek: I get up at 7 to get ready for work as it is.:eek:

I've done really well on my monthly grocery spending and batch cooking. This Saturday should have been my "big" shop as it was pay day on Friday. However, I had enough food left over to last me for another week so will postpone the big shop till next Saturday when I will only have to buy food for 3 weeks instead of 4.:T

I have decided to stop doing the payment a day challenge at the moment. I have budgetted for everything each month now and I am right down to the knuckle with nothing to spare. However, if I do have some money left over it will either go to my hols October 2009 savings or off the card. Managed not to use any credit cards now for 2 months.... Long may it continue.

MrsPorridge

A positive day today money wise - managed my first NSD of the month.:j

As regards Ebay my six items don't have any bids yet, but there are some "watchers" on two of the items. After paying all bills etc., I will be OK this month so any extra made on Ebay will go straight to paying off the credit card. I am aiming to pay off one of my cards by April.

Am feeling quite tired tonight so will skip the Wii Fit session (I am so unmotivated to lose weight). We still have chocolate left in the house after Halloween, a lack of trick or treaters this year - probably because it was so cold. Once that is gone it should be easier.:mad: I did do quite a bit of walking today rather than just sitting at my desk so I will count that.:rotfl:

MrsPorridge

Managed another NSD today. My second of the month. I feel that this target is far more achievable now.

Had an all day meeting at work and lunch was thrown in. Tonight had cottage pie for dinner.

Tomorrow night planning to have tuna spirals and ratatouille.

I am finding it so much easier now to do the meals plans. I plan for the whole month and then do my big cook up. Then each week I chalk up our meals for the week and its quite flexible so can change the day before if necessary as most of the meals are frozen.

Its very warm here today quite muggy (I thought it was my age but DS and DH are hot as well). That means I won't have to put the heating on. I must say the last couple of days I have had to put the heating on for about an hour each night, but I have put my washing on the radiators to dry so its doing double duty, even though it smells and looks like a laundry!!

Am aiming for another NSD tomorrow. I've prepared my packed lunch ready so there is no excuse and I don't need to buy any diesel till at lest next Monday, or Tuesday if I can eke it out another day!

Horace

Well done on the NSD today Mrs P - I haven't even gotten off the ground this month and I missed out by one day last month:rolleyes:

I have been busy with mystery shops and then listing my weekly shops (non-food items) on consumer pulse, I exchange their points for vouchers.:D I did do some christmas shopping today and spent some money on my amex card to get some cashback but the rest went on my normal credit card so I hope to get some piggypoints. It was also a great day for acquiring freebies so I will now be able to do a small hamper containing freebies (all of them are good sized bottles albeit small ones). I visited a local charity shop on Friday and came out with a lovely leather shoulder bag that had obviously never been used which cost me £1.50 - it is made from Indian leather so I shall package it up and send it to my mate who loves that sort of thing and has moved to the wilds of Wisbech.

I only have 3 gifts left to get and then that's me finished:D

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi Mrs P glad all is well. Well done on the NSD's I haven't managed very well so far. My lunch is already made due to the fact I had the dentist this morning had a filling cost £44.60 NHS so therefore wasn't able to eat my lunch today so will have my sandwich tomorrow.:rolleyes:

MrsPorridge

Horace - well done on being so organised with all your Christmas gifts. I have to say that the last couple of years I have really cut down on gifts for friends and family. I know that doesn't work for everyone, but it works well for us.:j

Mrs. MoneyPenny - I'm sorry to hear about the dentist. I always say that I spend a fortune at the dentist I suffer with my teeth - the bad news is I can't get an NHS one so have to go private:eek:

Am pleased to say I managed another NSD today. I might actually reach my target this month.

Tomorrow am having lunch with colleagues but it will be a very low spend - less than a fiver.:T

Had our pasta ratatouille for tea tonight and it was lovely. Put some grated cheddar on top for added flavour.

We are having sausage casserole in the slow cooker tomorrow. OH is in charge of our freezer and writes on whiteboard what is in it. I went to the freezer tonight and there are at least 3 meals in there which aren't on the board, which is a nice surprise.:D

Haven't done too well with saving for my Oct 2009 hols. I was hoping to get at least £100 saved by Christmas, but I'm not giving up on that and am going to try my best to get that organised now.

MrsPorridge

Today has been another NSD.:j

Two of the six items I listed on ebay have sold making me a total of £12. still its better than nothing and I will pay that straight off my Egg card.:j
I am disappointed that the rest didn't sell. I will leave it a week or two and re-list. I also found a couple more items and will list those on Sunday.

Am really tired tonight - am always extra tired on a Friday after the working week. Am just planning to collapse in front of TV or I may join Strumpet "virtually" in a pamper session.:rotfl:

MrsPorridge

I've had a very slight spending spree today.:j I bought three books for DS for Christmas - one was half price and other two were bogofs.:j

I also bought a dress and a skirt all for £6 from a charity shop. The dress is nice and sparkly for Christmas. What that means is that I can take the black dress I bought from M&S last weekend for £35.:T
So all in all I have actually spent negative money today!

Also got my savings organised today. I went into Abbey and DH and I have opened an ISA each. Then I went into Nationwide for information on their savings and next week I am going to open a savings account with them. We have had a savings account since the year dot and I have never really thought about it, but it is paying very low interest. Will only be saving a few quid each month but hey, its better than spending it.:A

Bought a money box contraption for 99p in the charity shop - it originally came from the Halifax. It has got lots of tube things on the outside one for £2 coins, one for £1, 10ps etc. I have emptied all the money from my "coppers" pot which I save pennies, tuppences, five pences etc in and am now going to use my new money box. You can also put notes in it. If I fill all the chambers up it amounts to £60 (and that's not counting the notes).

MrsPorridge

I'm staying in today so NSD no. 5.

DH went out to work early about 4am:eek: He's not getting paid overtime instead he will get two extra days over Christmas, which means we will both be off work for 2 weeks yay:j

Woke up about 9am and spent just over an hour in bed sipping tea and reading A Christmas Carol.

Done some houseworky things and sorted out meals for next week. Tonight we are having sausagement pie a recipe I got from the old style board. We will have that with roast veggies. DS and I had beans on toast for lunch - one of my favourite meals.

Tomorrow night we are having sausagemeat with pasta (already made just has to be heated) with hm pitta breads (dough cold rising in fridge ready). I have now used up all the sausagemeat I had in the freezer.

How come I can get loads done when DH isn't around?

Also done a load of washing and that is drying on the rads (turned off after half an hour). This means the house is nice and warm and most of the washing is nearly dry.:T

Sorted out clothes for work next week.

Added another £10 to my hols Oct 2009 pot.

Sorted out all my loose change into my new money bank from the charity shop! Alll my pennies and tuppences wouldn't fit in the new bank so I have changed them up for a couple of pounds and now my purse won't close properly! It should be fun next week when I come to buy something with all those pennies! But, I don't care.:D

Am now in the process of sorting out my pension. :eek: I have had quite a few jobs over the years and various pensions. Looks like I have four - although I think I have transferred two of them to the third one. Very complicated and I don't understand the paperwork. Will let DH have a look tonight and then maybe make some phone calls or write letters tomorrow. Reason I am sorting the pensions out is that I have now joined the pension scheme at work and think it might be better to have them all in one place. Did a pension calculator thing on the internet last week and was horrified to find that I have another 19 years at work.:eek: Plenty of time to pay those debts then.:rotfl:

I'm getting very organised with my money and its all thanks to MSE.

Am desperate for the day when I am debt free. I then plan to move over to the mortgage free wannabe boards and start all over again.:D