ZiggyStardust's money diet!

ZiggyStardust_2

Hi everyone!

This is my online diary/spending account to try and get myself organised!

I'm going back to uni next month to do my teacher training and need to get our finances in order. Hubby has had some real problems with debt so need to start cutting back, setting a budget (and sticking to it!) and get a grip on our money.

My Current debts (payments all up to date):

amount owed in red

loan: £4000ish- repay £200 a month
Graduate loan- (originally £1500) £56 a month (finishes in November:j)
Capital 1- £190

Overdraft £1500- have had an overdraft for years now, want to get rid but going back to uni next month

Hubby's debt: around £10,000 are currently in process of sorting through and trying to sort (Around £1000 of this is from bank charges :eek:)

Please feel free to give advice/comment/say hello!

spiderdijon

Hellooo,

Just wanted to say good luck on your debt-free journey. Diaries really help! I started mine last month and it's such a good way to keep track of everything.

One thing that I have found works very well is doing a spending diary, it really puts things into perspective. Maybe you could do one of those for a month before deciding on a budget?

*Jellie*

Hey Ziggystardust! Welcome to diaryland and good luck with the debt busting.
What teacher training course are you doing?

ZiggyStardust_2

Have had a stressful week so have not been on here!

Sorry Jellie, I'm hopefully doing PGCE Secondary, just waiting for a couple of things to be sorted out!!!

Anyway, money wise..... I have been hounded by ARC to pay a debt for cancelling my gym membership a month early (bad, I know but was annoyed), have paid £80.00 and now need to pay the remaining (£100) I need to ring them back and make a payment but hate speaking to them Will do it in a minute!!

Anyway, cutting back isn't going too badly. Main problem is take away/eating out but that really has to stop and we are improving but feel we could cut down on food shopping more!

How much do people spend? There's just the two of us and spend over £50.00 a week, somethimes quite abit more, actually! I am veggie and have alot of fresh food so maybe that's why. Everything seems so expensive! Shop mainly at Morrisons as we have a 10% discount card (from family member) but need to check some other places out, I think!

Made £60.00 up from change (had loads of 20ps and coppers!) today and paid into bank so have made abit of extra cash

Hope everyone has a truly lovely weekend xx

ZiggyStardust_2

Ok, so have just found out that mobile phone company have been overcharging me for the last few months...spoke to them a couple of weeks ago and they credited my account with £20.00, but now they have finally gone through and found they have been charging me too much for my price plan :rolleyes: (charging me for messages that should have been free)

They've agreed that I won't pay my current bill until they go through my account thoroughly, reckon it will be about £80.00 but at least it will pay my next couple of bills I suppose!

Going to do a proper SOA in the next couple of weeks when I get uni finance sorted and know what I'm doing!!

Going to start trying to plan meals in advance and stick to it so we don't get tempted with take away or spending extra money! Any tips on this?

MrsPorridge

Hello Ziggy,

I meal plan by thinking of 7 evening meals - then I times that by 4 and then write a shopping list and stick to it. I then do batch cooking and freeze. Good standby meals are cottage pie, spag. bol etc., You just need to buy some mince, cook it with onions and I bulk it out with tins of chopped tomatoes, herbs and frozen veg (lots). I then freeze in separate bags. You can then make up your cottage pies topping with mash on top, add pasta for spag bol, use to top a jacket potato etc. I've just realised you are a veggie so how about using the above but substituting lentils or Quorn for the mince?

I have recently started shopping in Lidls and that has made a very big difference - I always avoided it thinking "I won't get all the things I need that Tesco sell", but that just isn't true.

I tend to buy a sack of potatoes from local farmers and they last for a good 6 weeks - I make jacket spuds, also potato skins topped with cheese and tomatoes and I make home made oven chips and oven wedges.

Good luck.

ZiggyStardust_2

MrsPorridge wrote: »

I tend to buy a sack of potatoes from local farmers and they last for a good 6 weeks - I make jacket spuds, also potato skins topped with cheese and tomatoes and I make home made oven chips and oven wedges.

That's a really good idea, I eat alot of potatoes and have never done this before! Will have to have a look tomorrow. Also going to have a look in Lidl, tried Aldi once but didn't have much fruit or veg but think I needed to go earlier in the day cos I've heard they have some great deals on these items.

Thanks for your tips! :A

ZiggyStardust_2

Money saved/made so far this week: :j

Spare change at home added up and paid into bank: £60.00

Working out I'd been charged too much for mobile bill: £20.00 so far, but will be more! (to be taken off phone bills)

Hubby sold an old, spare guitar: £50.00


Going to start proper food/general budget tomorrow for when we go shopping so will hopefully make savings there!

Fire_Fox

ZiggyStardust wrote: »

How much do people spend? There's just the two of us and spend over £50.00 a week, somethimes quite abit more, actually! I am veggie and have alot of fresh food so maybe that's why. Everything seems so expensive! Shop mainly at Morrisons as we have a 10% discount card (from family member) but need to check some other places out, I think!

Are you both vegetarian or just you? Do you cook from scratch much or do you get convenience foods? You could analyse your next groceries receipt and work out how much is spent on what - eggs and dairy, meat and fish (if your OH has it), junk and ready made foods, fruit and veg etc. I found this really enlightening.

Also look at what you are throwing away, and consider getting some vegetables frozen as it's cheaper; ditto dried fruit. There is a really good thread by Weezl74 'Eat Healthily on 50p per day' which has links to lots of cheap vegetarian recipes.

ZiggyStardust_2

Hi Fire Fox

My hubby eats meat and we cook some stuff from scratch. Problem is that hubby doesn't like much veg :rolleyes: we do try and have similar meals but would be so much easier if we ate the same stuff! Do find being a veggie abit restrictive ( although have been one since I was 5) as I do eat mostly salad/veg stuff- if I ate meat we could perhaps make food last longer (if you know what I mean!)

We don't buy junk snacks from the supermarket and do a healthy shop but that just means we end up paying more if we fancy something from the local shop anyway :rolleyes:

Thanks for the tip on the thread, will definately check that out! :A

ZiggyStardust_2

Feel really tired today! Have so much housework to do and can't be bothered! Finished my job in a school in July and have been off for a few weeks (before uni ) which has completely changed my bodyclock!

Have sent hubby out with a shopping list whilst I tackle the washing. It's a beautiful day so will try and drag myself out for a walk in the woods. Am trying to lose abit of weight and feel more healthy, plus get out of the house. Plus, it's free :money: