Money-saving musings...

La_escocesa

On a positive note, I'm already £2k into my £3.5k target for 2010 - surely that means I can squash the £3.5 target and pay off at least £4k this year... Woo! Next year's target is £8k so I'll really need to up the ante, but the wedding will be behind us by then so surely poss...

Can't wait till payday to get more paid off!

jwil

Well done for saying no to lunch today, it is hard isn't it, but I find I do begrudge more those little spends these days and think I could be putting it towards the debts. I always make sure I go out if it is a special occasion, but not just for the hell of it any more.

Well done on getting the £2k done, that is great and we are only half way through the year, so £4k should be a doddle :j

I do find I count the days til payday now, as my payments all come out early in the month, so nothing seems to happen for ages!

La_escocesa

I know what you mean jwil – if it is a special occasion then folk tend to organise it a bit in advance too. Had I known I would’ve kept money back etc, but when it’s just a last minute thing it’s harder to justify. I would begrudge it too.

I daren’t say I’m aiming for an NSD today! It seems every time I do I jinx it and someone comes along with a collection box for something or other… I’m not going out for lunch, I’m going straight home after work…there should be no opportunities for me to spend!

I’ll check the state of my banking later tonight and hope to make a bit of a PAD to eggy weggy.

I also need to look at my spends credit card and see what still needs paying off that. Need to speak to OH to see what he’s paying off and check how much is joint/wedding spends that we can clear from the joint a/c (all bills will have come out of that now – will get a mini statement on the way home tonight). The rest of it will get cleared after payday.

La_escocesa

Can't believe I forgot that my min payment still had to come out - forgot that on the spends credit card it still takes the min payment even if you've paid off more than that in the month...

Ah well, am now £28 into my overdraft. Easily remedied next month though.

jwil

I find it quite annoying that if you make overpayments some ccs take that as your minimum and others still take the minimum, it is quite confusing sometimes! I never know which of mine does which. At least it's a bit more off the card, and you can pay back the overdraft quickly.

La_escocesa

Tell me about it - this is the first month I've been using this card as a 'spending' card - switched it for another so I could take advantage of a good balance transfer deal. Will try to remember next month! Or might even try and change the date the minimum payment is taken out - if it came out at the beginning of the month I would've seen it/remembered about it.

La_escocesa

So if all my NSDs go to plan there shouldn’t be that many more spending days left in June – just next weekend (cousin’s wedding).

I keep a spending diary on www.spendingdiary.com

It’s really helpful and produces lots of graphs/tables and reports you can download and shows me clearly which areas I need to cut down on.

Some categories this month have dropped a lot (boozing and meals out) but others are a lot higher than I wanted them to be!

Alcohol is £14.10 :A
Beauty products is £54.02 :eek:
Clothes £27.50 (But it’s a gorgeous dress I got for half price and it’ll be great for honeymoon too…)
Food £18.05 (not big shop or food for the house – just snacks and a take away )
Meals out comes in at £24.05

So…there are my top 5 categories! Also spent £30 on niece’s birthday present.

Next month there won’t be any clothes or beauty products! Seriously need to cut these chunks out.

Pippilongstocking

Hey there just popping in to say hello

La_escocesa

Hi Fay, nice to see you. :wave:

Please do pop in from time to time. I pop my head over your fence now and again - it always moves so fast! I can't promise my diary will be quite as exciting Just my random rumblings!

xx

La_escocesa

It'll need to be an NSW (no spend weekend) for me! I've got some cash from the joint a/c to go to the launderette but as I've said before 'not my budget'

I gave a bag of sheets and towels for a service wash , got another load on at home and another load that I'm doing myself at the launderette! Then got about another 2 or 3 loads 'in waiting' but that's stuff that I don't like to tumble dry at the launderette - I'll do them at home later today or...take them to the in laws and put them on their line...??? Might check...

Tonight's DFW treat is a pizza from the freezer and some wine, catching up with Desp Housewives on 4od and reading my book.

Looked around for some things to sell on ebay but think most things will be better going to the charity shop - some old mugs, the shoes that didn't sell on ebay, a photo cube photo frame thing.

Released my first book on Bookcrossing.com! Left it at the launderette Let's see what happens to it now... Oooh, exciting (saddo that I am :rotfl:)