September's Shiny, Sparkling, Super-Saving, Debt-Busting Diary!!

september09

Hi all and thank you for all your brill responses!:money:

I have thought long and hard about this and decided what to do.
First and foremost I will follow the guidelines set out below;

* Keep a spending diary
* Always shop with a list
* Only go into tesco/asda/wilkinsons when I specifically need something (not just to browse, ending up with a trolley full!)
* Only use the mobile phone when necessary (use home phone and email instead)
* Make a packed lunch for work (not buying something costing £3.50 - £5 per day)

And so on. I think you've probably gotten the idea by now.
If I can get used to this and discipline myself this way there will be no need to either open a 2nd account or only use cash.
I am quite positive this will work for me. I'm feeling very focused today.
In other MSE news;
This weekend was a tough one. Me and DF sat down and went over my budget.
We did it from yesterday to the 26th November. Yes, that's right. 2 paypackets.
The reason for this is that at the end of paypacket 1 I was still in the overdraft, so we carried on to paypacket 2.
We included all bills, debt repayments, a haircut, a birthday pressie to myself, and mobile phone top ups.
We did not include any shopping (food or otherwise) or socialising. The result was that at the end of the 2 paypackets (26th Nov) I am, hypothetically, £228.43 CREDIT.

This means, then, that from today untill the 26th November I have £228.43 to spend on Shopping (food and otherwise) and socialising.
This does not worry me, though, as I am having NSD's untill thursday, and we have worked out that our 'essentials' for the next 9 weeks should
total approx £86.60. I'm not planning on doing any ''spending socialising'' only ''MSE socialising''.

Hence leaving me about with £141.83 for shopping/any small spends for 9 weeks. Me and DF think this is do-able.

Doe's that make sense or just a load of waffle?

Next on our agenda was meal planning.
We worked out there was 67 dinners needed today - 26th Nov.
We have meal planned (from raiding our cupboards only) 25 meals. Then we ran out of things to plan with!
So, realistically, only 42 meals to buy, starting 16th Oct.

Can you tell we were on a roll?!?!:rotfl:

So thats our budget, taken a little further than you might expect .

bisselljk1986 - Thanks for my birthday message! Not doing anything too special. Having dinner at my mums thursday,
my friend's round on friday and me and DF are having a MSE birthday weekend for me!
I'm on countdown to Christmas Eve and its 13weeks on my birthday!
Only 8 weeks to go?! Bet you're getting excited? I'll keep popping into your diary to get updated.

Moneytroubles - Thanks for popping in! I just had a dig out of my statements and a quick ring round for my
APR's. Easy really it was just getting round to it that I found difficult!:)

Anyway I will update my To Do List in a mo. Enough waffling for now.

x

september09

september09 wrote: »

* [STRIKE]Write out a meal plan using most, if not all, of what we have in the cupboard. Also do a weekly shop.[/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]Do studying(/homework!) from my evening course that I take at college. [/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]Declutter part of the house and sort the garden. [/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]Look at the budget and decide where I can save/cut back/make more money. Try to get this in order, together with DF's. [/STRIKE]

Tada. All done. :T

wannabedebtfree_2

Show off!!!!

Aniya

september09 wrote: »

Tada. All done. :T

AWESOME! :j:j:j


And not long now until your birthday Yippeeee.

BEAT_THE_DEBT

i am impressed well done .x

claire0788

Well done on all that stuff September ! When I plan meals I know for a fact that ill not want what I planned to have and Ill grudge making it. I just buy a few things for meals and have them when I feel like it instead.

september09

Thanks guys!

So as its the birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D this thursday I have to take some ''treats'' into work. Stupid outdated tradition. :mad:

But would I let this mess up my budget? No Sir!

I raided my coin pot for 75p and was determined to fetch treats for 14 people with it this morning, to save for thursday. Forward planning and all that.

Off I trot to tesco and I found in the new ''managers specials'' a pack of 16 choc wafer biscuites for 70p. Bargain! So I bought those and they are resting in works fridge with my spare 5p all ready to go back in my change pot.

A job well done I'd say. :T

I've also come to terms with the fact that I'll know what I'm opening on thursday and that there's only 3 things.
I decided to plough £44 to the budget and £26 of it has gone on pressies I chose (from DF).
Getting 3 dvd's to open on the morning - some films Ive wanted for agesssss..and a perfume that I ordered from Avon comes on the day after my birthday. So thats OK. Got a few cards to open and some nice days planned. Thats the main thing. Will just be a lovely 4 days of celebration! Hehe.

x

Aniya

Very impressed with your 'Managers Special' and also very worried that it reminds me of Supermarket Sweep... :embarasse Haha!

I think you're doing brilliantly y'know... Who says you can't enjoy your birthday the MSE way! It'll still be very special :beer:

september09

:rotfl: Good old Supermarket Sweep!

Thank you. I am feeling quite proud of myself. :T

BEAT_THE_DEBT

i had the nicest b day this year much better than other years i appreciated everything! Which i am ashamed to say i did before but not really if you know what i mean? Cant wait for christmas to get smellies now thats a first!!