Handbags & Gladrags – Confessions of a Recovering Spendaholic

savingholmes

I missed the mentalist - hope I get to catch up soon! Swinstie glad you had your half day and that you are still getting super organised! Have a great day tomorrow

Swinstie73

Totals @ 1 May 09: (last month)

£5,094 - Loan
£5,275 - CC1
£560 - CC2 (Had added to but paid over £200)
£70 - CC3
£0 - Catalogue - paid off yeah! - Total £10,999

Had a bit of a blip and added but my new totals on 22/5/09 are as follows:

£4,949 - Loan (yeah under £5K)
£5,200 - CC1 (paid less so could pay more to CC2, which had went up)
£400 - CC2
£0 - CC3 (all paid off - will wait til next month to see my £0 balance and will cancel) :j
£40 - Catalogue - but it was paid off last month - Total £10,589

Not much planned for this weeked, OH is on his way down, so been to shop for some food for dinner, garlic bread, milk, bread, eggs etc., so only spent £4.95 of my food budget. Will update spreadsheet, put money in all my wee jars and see if I can live of that for the month - £350 to be exact.

Well have a nice weekend everyone, forum is down tomorrow so can maybe concentrate on something else, and working on Sunday for 5 hours, so not much time to myself but hey ho, needs to be done! x

laura2481

Well done hon! :T:T:T

Swinstie73

Hi Everyone,

Just a wee update from me, as laptop about to die on me and I can't find charger, ha!

Been working from 3pm til 8pm today so a bit more money in the pot. Working next Sunday too, quite enjoying it and as they say every little helps. I will get this debt paid off by next Sept. Told OH last night that I was on a budget, we went out and I put £20 in the kitty, so didn't spend a penny more, I've got a night out next Friday (already budgetted for) and he is standby on Saturday so should be a low spend.

Didn't get to the supermarket tonight so don't have anything for lunch, will take in some cereal for brekkie and buy some soup then go for some lunch stuff tomorrow night.

Well night all, laptop beeping at me x

savingholmes

Hi Swinstie - well done on working the extra hours - you will soon start to make inroads into your debts!

Swinstie73

Well a quick update before head for the night - at work just now and it's been so quiet! No laptop for me tonight, decided that a few times a week will suffice - aye right it will probably be switched on before I even have time to close the front door, ha!

Anyway, getting eyebroos waxed tonight, £2.50 special (i.e. sister does them), then it's home for some lasagna and chips then the supermarket for some vital ingredients - need to have dinner beforehand so don't buy as much.

Will get some lunch stuff for the next few days, should have enough for dinners from the freezer at least until the weekend.

Have a plan for sis's birthday night on Friday, it's in the Holiday Inn which I believe is quite expensive, so I am going to buy some small bottles of tonic water and re-fill one with some vodka (I have about 5 bottles at home) and no I am not an alcoholic (yet)! I will take this and a bottle of tonic water then buy bottles of tonic water and use with my vodka - should only spend about £10 (I hope)! Seriously I am not paying Holiday Inn prices - I will probably be thrown out right enough but hey ho!

Well off now to get myself home, as everyone else is gone and I am sitting here talking to myself, time to go! Byeeee x

urg123

Hey Swinstie

It makes sense - hotel prices are ridiculous. My one bit of advice is don't get sucked into rounds - that was always the hard part for me.

I know what you mean about the laptop. I think I need to ration myself with it too. I sit here not watching tele, not really doing much on the internet, - in fact not doing a whole lot of anything!

Need to get some ironing done so may stick in a DVD and do 15 mins (I'm using a timer a la Flylady) to keep me motivated.

Back to work tomorrow - yeach!

urg x x

Swinstie73

Hi Urg,

Well it will be my mum, aunt and other sis's so I have already told them today that I am taking my drink with me (they just kind of looked at me as if I was daft), and they don't drink much (it's my sis whose B'Day it is and myself who are the tipplers)!

Well I have been to get broos done, went to the supermarket, only £23 and that included 3 birthday cards and loads of staples (food staples, not the metal things you put in a stapler), ha! Got all my meal plans for the week (night out includes dinner on Friday) and some lunches for the week. Only just started but I think putting money in jars beforehand and working my money in reverse might actually work for me. I'm more conscious of how much I'm spending, although don't want to turn into a miser!

Watching Britain's Got Talent inbetween trying to do dishes and get stuff sorted for tomorrow, if I can get gym stuff and something to wear, I will be happy! Off to bed at 10.30pm, really need to try for an early night, not sleeping too well.

Also got cheques for overpayments to credit cards written out, can't believe I am down to 2 cards - that is a first for me!

Well night all xx

urg123

Hi Swinstie

Well done on being so organised. I am off to do the same. Have just finished my budget for the next month - not really going to attack the credit cards as much this month as my income has gone down (no lodger) and am planning mum's 60th so will be spending a fair bit on that.

Good luck for the next week.

urg x x

Sun_Addict

Hi Swinstie

Well done on getting your debt down :T

I've got to wait until Friday to see what I can pay off but I don't think it will be too much as OH hasn't earned much this month and we have holiday spending money to save for so this is the priority really for the next two months. After the holiday I should be able to plough more into getting the debt down.

I don't blame you for taking your own vodka out with you. I've thought of doing this before on holiday as the local vodka is usually awful as well as expensive. I thought about filling an empty water bottle with it and sneaking a tot into my diet coke.;)

I've got this week off work so will actually have time to read and post more on the threads this week (and update my own of course!). I have plenty of stuff to do to keep me occupied as well so hopefully not much spending will be going off this week.

Have a good day!