My 2009 Challenges & Debt Free Diary

Penny2myName

Dare I admit, I haven't even used my spending diary last month. Also been on another catalogue spending spree with sales (70% off) I used my commision to finally order the garden room I wanted, so instead of £329 its costing me £92 (wasn't in the sale) Also ordered wardrobes for my boys, but they were too large for their room, so got sent back, just waiting for them to be deducted from my overall balance. I have bought some shoes for daughter in sale £7 & £8, down from £30 and £35 repectivily (one pair is for her prom) Got myself an evening gown for £50 instead of £125, an evening dress for £16 instead of £75, pair of pink shoes at £7 instead of £30 so can finally wear my pink dress if occassion to wear it crops up (plus the £16 one) 3 pairs of jeans at £5.50 each instead of £19, a parker coat for £13 instead of £45, a halter neck summer dress for £26 instead of £99, a strapless dress for £33 instead of £99 (which I wore for my art show) boots each for me and my daughter at £12 a pair instead of £55 each, plus white shirt £24.50 instead of £35, printed blouse £15 instead of £35 and a skirt £20 instead of £45. Guess its cause of a combination of starting to have a social life and seeing someone that I want to be able to look nice for both situations. Added to the fact I will be starting a fashion degree, turning up in paint splattered jeans wont cut the cloth.

Total spend £260 Full cost would have been £820. I know this doesn't excuse it, but simple fact was I wanted these items and they were down to a price I was willing to pay (garden room not included in the total)

£1650.60 total debt outstanding now

Penny2myName

Other thing is I have been having my back garden sorted at £50 a day, for the amount of work that has been done each day, I truely do not begrudge paying that for the labour. Alot of materials used have been paid for by my sister, or are salvaged and recycled. Its also worth it for the stress that is taken of my mind over getting it sorted. Also I dont need to worry about covering the floors in my home now, as I am reusing and recycling my sister's laminate/carpets from her old home, and a friends laminate when she takes hers up in a few weeks. Also found a decent stash of paint at sister's old house, so that can help save costs of my decorating house throughout.

Penny2myName

Really wanted to do a stone carving course in summer holidays and transferred my savings over to main account to pay for it. Then decided this morning to the £150 to pay off some of my spending spree from earlier this month. If I have the £150 spare at end of the month, then I will do the course.

Penny2myName

BILLS
May 2009 £234.72
TOTAL FOR BILLS £234.72
CHARITY
May 2009 £4.00
TOTAL FOR CHARITY £4.00
FOOD
May 2009 £86.14
TOTAL FOR FOOD £86.14
HOUSEHOLD
May 2009 £25.47
TOTAL FOR HOUSEHOLD £25.47
CLEANING
May 2009 £3.29
TOTAL FOR CLEANING £3.29
JUNK FOOD
May 2009 £0.36
TOTAL FOR JUNK FOOD £0.36
TOILETTRIES
May 2009 £3.07
TOTAL FOR TOILETTRIES £3.07
TOTAL £357.05

Penny2myName

ANIMALS
May 2009 £17.51
TOTAL FOR ANIMALS £17.51
BILLS
May 2009 £234.72
TOTAL FOR BILLS £234.72
CHARITY
May 2009 £4.00
TOTAL FOR CHARITY £4.00
FOOD
May 2009 £86.14
TOTAL FOR FOOD £86.14
GLASSES
May 2009 £15.20
TOTAL FOR GLASSES £15.20
HOUSEHOLD
May 2009 £25.47
TOTAL FOR HOUSEHOLD £25.47
ALCOHOL
May 2009 £13.24
TOTAL FOR ALCOHOL £13.24
CLEANING
May 2009 £3.29
TOTAL FOR CLEANING £3.29
OTHER
May 2009 £8.36
TOTAL FOR OTHER £8.36
JUNK FOOD
May 2009 £0.36
TOTAL FOR JUNK FOOD £0.36
PATRICK CLOTHING
May 2009 £9.99
TOTAL FOR PATRICK CLOTHING £9.99
TREAT
May 2009 £2.05
TOTAL FOR TREAT £2.05
COLLEGE
May 2009 £1.52
TOTAL FOR COLLEGE £1.52
PATRICK FOOTWEAR
May 2009 £6.00
TOTAL FOR PATRICK FOOTWEAR £6.00
SERENA FOOTWEAR
May 2009 £14.00
TOTAL FOR SERENA FOOTWEAR £14.00
TOILETTRIES
May 2009 £3.07
TOTAL FOR TOILETTRIES £3.07
DEBTS
May 2009 £103.14
TOTAL FOR DEBTS £103.14
TOTAL £548.06

Penny2myName

Have been a bit lax in record keeping last two months, so trying to catch up on it all now.

Penny2myName

Well have just committed to driving lessons for myself and riding lesson's for my daughter. The driving lesson's are because I do have use of a car if I pass my test, and riding lessons to get my daughter around larger animals since she wants to work with them. Plus the fact my debts are now decreased from what they used to be, so I see no reason in not using some of the released money for actual activities on a regular basis. Plus I am 36 this year and would like to learn to drive before I get much older.
Driving lessons £18 for half an hour
Riding lessons £10 (deal struck with teacher where daughter will earn rest of the costs via mucking out and such like on a regular basis)

Penny2myName

Just gathered some of my first potatoes, even though slugs had fun of tops other week, still some fairly decent sized ones for new potatoes.:T

Penny2myName

Spending dairy and challenges seem to have totally flown out of the window for me, but debt is steadily going down.
Done £198 worth of clothes shopping for £60.60 today. of which £76 worth of accessories for £5 from Claires accessories. So I am defiantly making the money stretch still at least.
Have lots of matured shrubs and bushes in my garden now, which I claimed from a friend's garden as she wanted them all up, so garden is coming along at a nice cheap price still.

Penny2myName

Well everything went out of the window etc. But it is time to start anew, including a new budget. As from the end of the month, I will be a full time student, so incomings and outgoing will be totally different. Because of this chance of circumstances, I will be beginning a new diary with a new budget.
To sum up the past 9 months I have :-
1) paid off £3863.41 of debt (mainly via inheritance)
2) bough and wrapped majority of Christmas gifts, just got a few items left to get for my 2 sons.
3)Decorated daughter's bedroom
4) Decorated my bedroom
5)Decorated bathroom (but still needs tiling doing and floor laying)
6)Decorated downstairs toilet
7)Decorated kitchen
8) have decorating materials in for boys bedroom, stairs landing & hall, and Lounge.
9)Patio laid
10)pond dug out atleast
11)Raised veg garden sorted (not everything has grown though)
12)established shrubbery planted and garden segmented.
13) had 2 failed relationships in quick succession:(
14) Started driving lessons