XSpender - MFW in Training

XSpender

Thanks yukkibear and Michelle:)

I have re crunched the numbers and after the recent ebay sales and phone sale we need £600 to cover the nursery fees and our normal budget in March:eek: I won't get a full pay at the end of March but there will be enough to cover our budget and replace the savings:j

I could probably cut the budget by about £100 - £150 by going without my personal spending money (which I have done for the last 2 months) and cutting back on food shopping (which I find really difficult) and other bits of spending but I would really like to raise the £600 and make some savings so that anything left over can go back into the savings pot.

DH is trying to think of something to do together this weekend that is cheap and cannot be spoilt by the weather as the forecast is not good as he has a weekend off. We could have taken DS swimming (free) but as we are both full of cold it is probably not a good idea.

I was hoping to make a quick dash to Mr T irst thing this morning to spend the last £5.50 of my vouchers to preserve the cash as much as I can but DS has fallen asleep so I will have to wait a bit. I have costed it up on mysupe and it adds up to £21.99 including some ice cream on special offer as a treat for DH so I will be over my food budget again:mad: but only by about £4:). I am including the total I have spent as I am trying to stick to a monthly budget even though this month £70 of the spend has been covered by gift vouchers and club card vouchers. Next week I will need bananas and possibly formula. I am trying to stretch everything out so that I do not have to buy anything significant until after the 27th so it can fall into next months budget.:o

I checked a Mr S receipt from earlier in the week and my double points have gone on for Jan so I have £10 to spend in Sains. which I will save to use next month.

DS is stirring so I will get him up and make the trek to Tesc0.

SmlSave

Congratulations on the new job

XSpender

I have been a very naughty person this weekend and bought a new kitchen table and 2 chairs when I am supposed to be saving up and cutting back to pay for the nursey fees and to cover our outgoings before I receive my first wage. I saw a gorgeous table and 2 chairs which was just what I wanted on sale for £245 in the department store in town but bought almost the same set in 1kea for £73! The one I had originally had my eye on and mentioned a few weks back was awful and at £225 was not worth the money. It was so nice to eat my dinner last night without DS trying to pull the plate off my knee:D

Bought 144 tins of dog food in Tesc0 on Friday night which will last 72 days and saved £30:T Also got cereal on 3 for 2 and squash on BOGOF.

DH has offered to halve his personal spending next month and I will do without mine to meet the nursery fees

DH is out on his mountain bike this morning while I have a clean up, we have friends popping in after lunch then it is eebay eebay eebay all afternoon followed by the finance chat we have been planning to have since last weekend.

Right off to run the vaccum around and make a choccy cake for friends visit.

yukkibear

Good luck with ebay, I'm going to try and get some bits on tonight

Iris_Blue

We're all a loud to be naughty every now and again!

Well done on your new job and all the money saving you're doing. It's impressive, you're doing so well

XSpender

Thanks Iris:)

Within an hour of listing our bits on ebay we had 2 bids on one and a buy it now offer on another at 75% of the buy it now price we had put on, I declined that though. Another item has picked up a watcher today. Ooo I didn't realise how exciting it could be....got a whole week to wait until the end of the auctions:D

I had an email late Friday that I just spotted this morning from a job I had applied to week before last asking for previous salary details and start dates. It is permanant and the salary and co car package are simillar to what I was on at my previous job but it is also quite a bit of travelling like my previous job. I applied for it thinking that I would be able to find out at interview just how much travelling/nights away there is and if it would be too much with such a young DS. If I get an interview it needs to be before I start the other job as I can see it being very difficult getting time off when I have just started.

Not sure what my plans are for today; a bit of housework, sort out some of the bits I am putting on ebay this week and sort out my wardrobe.

We are planning to list 3 items minimum per night this week but not start the listings until Sunday so I am hoping for a bumper week next week.

DS is at DMIL tomorrow so I need to make sure I have a plan of action so I don't waste my baby free time:)

XSpender

Well, the list 3 items a night idea hasn't happened but of the 6 items listed on Sunday 1 has sold on BIN, 2 have bids and 2 have watchers. Must get some more stuff sorted out to list on Sunday.

The big gas bill, stocking up on dog food and buying a kitchen table have thrown my budget out a bit for Feb and March. I need to raise £550 for nursery fees and a further £150 to cover the shortfall in our income when my JSA stops and before I get my first wage. Car tax is due too and I will have to get 6 months unless DH bonus is quite a bit bigger and we can afford 12 months. That is based on really cutting back this month. I would need another £250 to have our normal budget. So far I have raised:

£105 Eeebay:o

By the end of the month I will also have:

£55 Due from Mazuma
£215 Minimum amount DH bonus will be, it will be more than this
£130 Expected balance in account at end of month
£110 Eeebay sales currently listed (est)

So just another £85 for £700 and £335 for the £1000 I would need. The plan is to eeebay eeebay eeebay to make up the difference and DH bonus will be a bit more too. We have some more highish value stuff to sell and the house would benefit from a good clear out.

I am going to do the GC again this month and will set my budget really low I think. I have done a meal plan and costed out what I actually need and using my last few Mr T vouchers and a £9 till spit I should easily come in under £250. I should be able to do it, doesn't mean I will though, I have never done it yet:o This figure includes a takeaway and a bit of a contingency as well so it is do able.

DH is doing a weight loss challenge with 5 of the lads at work. They are all putting in £50 and the one that loses the most weight wins the pot. They did it a few months ago fo £20 each and DH won but a couple of lads never paid up:mad: Different ones doing it this time so the winner should get the money. I don't know why they don't put it in the pot before they start. The good thing is that DH will have to stay off the beer and this will save us a good £20 a week in March. He better win too, we can't afford £50:eek:

XSpender

Oh no disaster has struck:eek:

DH has found out it is not this month he gets this bonus it is next. There is another one he should have got too but probably won't because of an admin mess up. The bonus will be lovely when it come but I need it this month not next!! I now have about £350 to find (depending what my eeebay listings raise) to meet our very tight budget and £600 to meet the normal one. It's going to be tough:eek::eek::eek::eek:

The good news is I looked at our budget again for when I am receiving my salary and we can afford to raise the OP DD to £100 from the first of April without affecting the savings targets I have set:D This is all based on DH basic salary so any bonuses can increase the savings and OPs.

I will probably use a 'what I owe the world' figure for my signature once I am working with my 2 mortgage balances less savings. I am going to order a settlement figure for the secured loan today to cheer myself up as the last one was about 3 months ago.

I may chase the tax rebate as well and see when that is likely to be received. It would be great if it was in the next couple of weeks as it would really take the pressure off.

I am confident that we can raise the money we need without borrowing from anyone, taking back the OPs or using DS savings. We just need to get our finger out and hammer eeebay.

SmlSave

Very annoying news about the bonus! Lots of luck and money coming to you via ebay

XSpender

I had a call this afternoon from a company I had applied to a couple of weeks ago, the one who emailed asking for info on salary and start date, and I have been offered an interview for the week after next. If the job I have accepted starts on the 7th when it is supposed to do I don't know how I will get there.

This job is a lot more money and has a car, but it involves travelling, in fact is very much like my old job. I will need to see just how many over night stays they expect you to do as it may not fit in with having DS. I don't mind long drives as long as I am home. DFIL has offered to pick DS up from nursery whenever we want as he finishes mid afternoon.

Just think of the overpayments I could make earning 4-5k extra a year..........

Been a bit of a lazy moo today and not done much and I should really have been sorting ebay stuff out:o