Our attempt at being MF!!

CathT

Thanks QB, don't you find yourself wishing the months away! I must remember to have a life whilst overpaying!!

Spiggle

CathT wrote: »

... We NEVER stay on budget for food and petrol and although we have this set amount in a separate account we always end up using the other joint account at end of the month. Am definitely going to look at meal planning esp with colder weather approaching soups and stews/casseroles seem more appealing and I know DD will enjoy these meals.
...

Hi Cath,

We were really bad with food shopping. Pre March 2010 we would spend £600+ per month and have virtually no proper meals in that and there's only two of us! Then I joined the monthly Grocery Challenge (GC) on the Old Style Board and it really has been a godsend. Everyone there is hugely supportive, offers great advice and are never judgemental in any way. We have been managing on just under £240 per month for a while now which is great. (The August overspend in my sig was purely down to a single extra spend for my 50th birthday party.)

CathT wrote: »

Just so that he has his own money really and some sense of control cos i organise the rest of the finances! Sometimes he buys food shopping (often junk tho) but i suspect he wastes rather a lot. Might reduce him down to £150 this month and see what difference that extra £50 makes to my MF spreadsheet!

What does everyone else have for personal spends?

We really had a huge overhaul back in Feb/March (the way we were going we would have been bankrupt in a short time). The OH was mostly responsible for the stupid spending but I must also bear some responsibility for just leaving all shopping to him. Anyway, he gave me his bank card (he doesn't have a CC) and we set ourselves an amount of pocket money per week. Now this may make your DH's eyes water - we have £15 per week each in cash. We can spend it in whatever way we want with no comebacks or complaints from the other. OH (until he had a DVT recently) mostly spent his on his beers. Mine is accumulating nicely in my own bank account.

I should say here that my OH is 100% behind everything that we are doing. (He doesn't understand half of it but can see the big picture!) Firstly it was because he felt guilty about how much he'd been spending. But now it's because he can see the benefit. We eat better than ever before and don't squabble constantly about money (and I don't b**ch about our money being spent on his booze!)

Now we're OPing the mortgage (as you know from kindly commenting on my question today!) and he can see the huge potential benefit this will create. If we weren't doing the OP he would have to work until he is 67 to pay the mortgage off! There's no way I'm having that.

Anyway, I hope that helps in some way. Congratulations on your achievements so far and good luck with the future OP.

Take care,
Spigs

CathT

Hi Spigs,
Thanks for your post. You've done brilliantly with your food budget, what a saving! I have reduced our amount down from 450 to 350 (this also includes petrol, all in same account) so will see how we get on and hopefully come in under budget! We do seem to be making less trips to the supermarket lately tho and i think that's due to stews etc lasting for a few meals. Have just made tea for DD and myself (leftover rice for me and some stuff out the freezer and there is loads in there! including some frozen stew!) I think we will probably need another good shop in about 10 days but other than that can top up from local Co-op with bread, milk, fruit etc. I find that the need to keep in varied food for DD sends the food bill up.

I think a £15 budget would cause floods of tears for DH but I think in reality it is possible. I don't want to push it though as he lets me control all of the finances and i think i'm very lucky that he doesn't give me 'housekeeping' and keep all his wages as is the case in some households. Hang on a minute, we do that, just the other way round!!!

Debated whether to buy wine for tonight as my brain said budget, but then the rebel in me took over so DH is going to get some on his way home from work. He will probably end up buying loads of rubbish to go with it, think I will just pay him back for the wine!

Hope your OH is over his DVT. I am hoping DH doesn't inherit circulatory problems from his dad!

CathT

I was nosing around on OnePoll earlier and found a few links. Some of you mention daily clicks (is that where you get a quote or something and get a few pennies for it?)

Found a link through to a bingo site and OnePoll was offering £15 cashback so I deposited £10 which they matched. Won on my first game (isn't that a surprise) but nothing else so just ran credit down as was getting a bit bored of it. Only problem is I can't see how it has been tracked to my OnePoll account!
GRRR, think i've been swindled!!

Tbh, I'm still a bit confused by Quidco, everything is still 'tracked' and i feel like I will never get paid!

Also cancelled my switchover to EDF. I would rather wait and see how I get on with BG and when I do switch get some cashback for it!

taxi73

you are doing really well with the overpayments.
enjoy your wine x

CathT

Haven't updated for a few days but have been trying to save money! Decided not to switch energy suppliers but am unsure what my monthy DD is so can't update SOA. Am thinking it will be less than the £75 I've accounted for tho.

Opened a new Santander account due to new local branch opening and although I went through Quidco on 2/10 it still hasn't tracked, was worth £30 grrrr

Waiting for Music Magpie cheques £15 and Amazon money ~£30 to arrive and although i've already accounted for it and sent as OP think I will send it again as seem to be budgeting fairly well this month.

Have been trying to do the 'clicks' on TCB but not entirely sure I'm doing it right (i'm sure it's simple really!) I have had some links to surveys etc tho with cashback.

Sky box seems to be freezing a lot since I cancelled the cover - i knew this would happen!!!

Iris_Blue

Hi Cath,

I think Onepoll cashback site is a waste of time TBH.

If your looking for clicks the best are Fatcheese and topcashback, both of which don't mess you about and payout regularly. There isn't a whole lot of clicks about now but TCB is very good for xmas spending as well as the clicks. when did you start doing them ? The clicks track the next day normally, make sure you search for item and let the page load. On TCB it says one click a day on kelkoo but you can do it 5/6 times and it will still track

HTH

CathT

Thanks Iris. I have done a few clicks with TCB but mostly competitions. Have noticed the other clicks i.e Kellkoo but not completely sure how you get the money! I have clicked on the link which takes you to retailer - what next? nothing seems to track so I am missing a step!
Will have a look at Fatcheese too, not heard of that one.

Hope you're feeling ok today?

Iris_Blue

I'm good thanks!

It sounds as if your not doing the next bit.

kelkoo for example has a search bar which says " what you searching for?" say you typed in "Kettle" then hit "search". It comes up with a list of kettles. Say you then click on the first suggestion which on mine is a brevil one at Mr S's , click on the "visit Store" link and let it load Mr. S's up with the link to the kettle and that's it. You can do your next one. Close the page down.

On TCB I then click on the "kelkoo" page and load another one up. I do these on my "Earnings page" as all my clicks have been paid out at one time or another and are on there rather than going through the "No purchase offers" page. I hope that makes sense to you.

It becomes quicker over time, you cant keep clicking on the Mr S link if you kept searching for kettle or you wouldn't get paid out, my next search might then be silver kettle or black kettle or whatever, you need to change them slightly. Its hard to think of things at first to look for but it soon comes naturally.

There will be a referral link for Fatcheese on the referrals board if you wanted to give someone the chance to earn £5 for referring you? They charge you £5 per year when you start earning but it can be earned quite soon. I'm on £127.20 and I've not been with them a year yet. Maybe Quidco is better than that Im not sure.

CathT

Thanks for that Iris, i've got it now!

Will look into fatcheese, anyone here want to refer me????

Off to check your diary now to see if anything is happening!