The 9 year plan...hold onto your hats and here we go!

mineallmine

Wow EH that make up a month challenge is so close! Hats off to you.

The toiletries thread is going well (shame my PC cannot keep up with the all posts!). Feels good to buy stuff only when you need it. How logical is that.

Have noticed this buying stuff I dont need in a lot of areas. It's quite a can of worms.

EssexHebridean

Yes - I know I have a tendancy to do the same thing in other areas. Even things like foodstuffs - I have a jar of Rick Stein salsa in the cupboard that Mum and Dad brought us back from holiday in Padstow last year....I've been hoarding that! Ought to use it though - silly to just leave it there. I think in a way it's the thing of "When I've used it, I won't have it anymore!" which is totally flawed logic, I realise.

Karmacat

I've got a NR loan, and did actually read the letter when it came through - can't for the life of me work out which is the "good" bank and which not.

Still. Your financial news on the cc sounds great, EH, well done you - you sound really in charge of the money, knowing exactly where everything is.

EssexHebridean

Update time....

The challenge account has crept up again. Some travel expenses from work which I didn't expect to get for a couple of weeks came through lightning fast, and a quick end of month survey on the joint account netted a £50 surplus so that's gone over as well. I suspect that there is a small surplus in my own account - in fact - what the heck, I will commit now to taking £10 less from the bank this week so.....*trundles off to online banking*......there - that's another £10 gone in there. I'm not going to be so far short of the target I don't think - I have a smal Quidco payment due too - only about £28 but it all helps, eh!

Tesco CC statement appeared yesterday and confirmed that the interest free period runs out this month so I will write the cheque for that as soon as I've finished this post - I promise! I'll transfer the money across from the savings where it is sitting waiting over the weekend. When the next statement comes in showing the account clear I will write to close the account.

MrEH's car had it's service on Tuesday - £212 which included a tyre (one of those on it was in really poor condition - a Michelin would you believe, but crumbling away from the canvas in places - I'm glad he spotted it as you couldn't see it from the usual position - it was only when he spun the wheel with the car on the ramps that it became noticeable. Anyway, he had a correct size barely worn one from a van they had written off so he put that on and only charged me £15!) and the engine flush. The money is now transferred from the car account to cover that.

EssexHebridean

and in "other news"....!

Using stuff up from the freezer is going along nicely - by the time we go away we should certainly be in a position to turn off the second one. I will do a meal plan for next week on the same basis and get a bit more gone.

I'm also cracking on nicely with the using up toiletries challenge - my skin has never felt so pampered! I also sorted through all my samples & sachets and now have my toiletries bag stuff full of them to take away with us - it will be nice to bring it back mostly empty!

We've got a rugby club meal on Saturday night which should be fun - it's a buffet tpe affair at the indian restaurant not so far from here - £15 for the meal plus drinks etc. I'll drive though so MrEH will be paying for my soft drinks!

taxi73

You've done really well on the make up a month challenge.
Everythings sounding really good with you clearing your freezer,going away ,savings etc etc...well done.

mineallmine

Mmm that using up stuff in the freezer could be a challenge in itself! I have all sorts of odds and sods in there! Well done EH on your progress.

Lemon_Tree

we're constantly saying that we're going to use up the stuff in the freezer but it's always full to the brim, think we may just manage it this month coming as it's going to be tight so we're going to stick ridgedly to the grocery budget

EssexHebridean

*coughs*

Make up a month target achieved!

I had to call British Gas this evening as they'd sent me a letter saying my direct debit had been cancelled. In the course of the call it came to light that there had been no payment in January (Oop - that's where the £50 surplus in the joint account came from then - I was wondering about that!) but this is not a problem as we're in credit. Anyway, I took the chance to adjust the DD dates for leccy & gas to the other end of the month, which has the effect of me gaining another £52 as the next time a DD comes out now will be after my pay goes in - so that has been transferred to the challenge account! Also negotiated a £5 credit on the gas (1 months worth in this house!) as they had changed the terms of the direct debit discount scheme and not told us - it no longer gets applied to our gas account as we don't use enough. *rolles eyes*.

Just thought I'd pop in to tell you we'd done it anyway - have a good weekend all!

taxi73

Woohoo go you...great news that you made the money up.