Earthgirl gets back on track!

EssexHebridean

Your mealplan sounded delish -hope you enjoyed eating the meals! We've rather falen by the wayside this week as I've not really eaten much at all and poor Mr EH has been fending for himself. Will be trying to get back on the wagon as it were Monday and Tuesday though - both days will need to be fairly quick meals as we have cooking of christmas stuff to do in the evenings too.

Well done on that OP - that's brilliant and what a good end to the year too. Nice to make targets and then hit them as well! Sounds to me like you've done the right thing with the supermarket too - if you can make up the shortfall with tutoring and enjoy nthat more than that was the decision made for you really, wasn't it! :T

SmlSave

runs round in circles signing (badly)

signing! I meant singing...

earthgirl

Well I haven't posted for ages, which is really really bad! If I don't post its normally cause I am spending money!

I haven't done too badly though, despite PIL having no connection to the internet, I have managed to go through the 'Christmas week' without falling too much by the way side!

Income

I have still got two payments from my supermarket work to OP, but tutoring is really quiet at the moment, so Jan OP of £1000 will be hard!
I have been working really really hard on our small business :T so I am quite pleased with myself. I have created a fab marketing strategy and plan, and made a calendar with all the tasks on it. I need to do this as I am terrible for making strategies etc and not sticking to them! Anyway Ive already started the tasks for jan.

Outgoingings
New years eve I am cooking for 12 :A but we are all paying so it should be a cheap night!

I've done a quick freezer and cupboard check and I should be ok for a few weeks so the shopping bills should be low. I am bulk cooking every day to create some quick meals for when I am back at work so I avoid takeaways!

BUT my impulse buy :eek: of a trip to Paris is coming up on Friday - what a stupid idea! Anyway its all booked so I am determined to enjoy it!and enjoy some time with OH. I will just make sure that I don't over spend when I am there.. our budget is £100 per day (the exchange rate is dire).

What is everybody else doing on NYE? I always dread having people over but it works out eally cheap if we all pay in (and I get to keep all the left overs!:rotfl: )

StuartGMC

Earthgirl
Don't be excessively hard on yourself about the trip to Paris; we all need some R&R so look at it as the reward for all the hard work you've done to achieve the financial position and treat yourselves. Just think what you can do to celebrate clearing the mortgage!

Hope that the business will also flourish in the present economic climate too.

We hope to have a friend and her daughter with us tomorrow if their health allows; have tended to go for smaller get togethers once we had dd, but have had family with us last few days this time, and my brother and wife deferred again as ill health not wanting to pass on anything! Either way, much quieter than when we younger when we would always celebrate in our local :rolleyes: but that'll come round again in a few years I'm sure.

earthgirl

Paris was fab! We both really enjoyed it and it was a great 'present' to OH who had never been and loved it!

It was sooooo expensive though! It took me a few days you get to know where the 'happy hours' and the supermarkets were to make food and drink cheaper. The best happy hour we found was £5.50 for a spirit and a mixer and the bar was completely packed!oh dear! Still it was worth it for the experience and the holiday feeling!

In the few days we were there for spending on food drink and entrance fees I was £130 over budget :eek: so January needs to be a cheap month!

To rectify this situation somewhat this week I will:

- complete one tutoring per night
- do my banking and make scheduled OP for jan, even if it means cutting back.
- get cheapest deal for car insurance
- no take aways
- free activities only next weekend - use voucher for free dvd rental and print off local walk route from internet.

Back to reality tomorrow - back to work oh well, it pays the mortgage I guess!

StuartGMC

Glad to hear the break was worthwhile. Remember it was about 30-40% more expensive just because of the exchange rate, so recalculate the overspend!

earthgirl

Disaster has struck. I was eating a toffee and managed to pull out a filling! AND half a molar! owww! Managed to get into the dentist and the crowing is going to cost me £200! I am gutted as I was trying to have a frugal month and get back on track, but now I will REALLy struggle to make it through Jan with a saving target of £500 and an overpayment of £1000 and car insurance to get.... I will do some banking on Saturday but it might be impossible to make my target this month, boo hoo!

Still it can't be helped and I will keep trying!

Today I've had a NSD and am going to do a tutoring and then have a meal made from leftover ingredients from the new year party. These will run out tonight, and I spent £20 last night on a weekly shop. Might have to reduce that down again next week!

Beans on toast anyone?

StuartGMC

My sympathies on the dental issue; however, do look at it this way, you seem to be accommodating the cost within your income this month not drawing down any emergency funds to pay for it, so that shows you have a good budget plan in place.

Don't scrimp too much on food, you need all those vitamins to ward off ill health and those calories to keep warm!

setmefree2

Bad luck about the teeth:cool:

SmlSave

Did you make that one yourself smf2? lol

Sympathies to you earthgirl, I hope the toffee was worth it! With back luck now the rest of this year has to be good to make up for it.