Here I go again :-)

Keeping_Positive

Sounds doable. Hopefully the car share will help out. Fuel prices are so scary at the moment. I can usually get my low personnel milage covered by expences but I am not so sure now. Ref socialing there has to be some budget for that so no cutting it out too much.

millionaire_in_training

yep but the whole £67 was on me . Didn't spend a penny on the kids :o:o

weeclick

petrol is scary! Cant believe how much we spend, but its needed for work so cant complain really - remember back in the day when petrol was 0.97p!! I used to think that was a high price!!

millionaire_in_training

:rotfl:I remember back in the day when there was a furore as petrol was going up to £1 per GALLON :rotfl:.Oh god I'm old !!

Spent £1 today so am :j with that. DS needed money for college. He wanted £2 but hey ho I only had £1 in my purse . I now have the grand total of £82 to do us until Monday so we are loaded . Would love to pay the £66 that would bring me up to the target I set myself for this month but I need £12 for school dinners and my freezer is empty now :eek:. Going to defrost it tomorrow whilst it is like this as it is rarely empty. I've told dd to make a list of meals she likes as she seems to be changing her mind about what she likes on a daily basis. It's doing my head in. I made a fabby chicken korma tonight and she ate it as if it was poison :mad:. Ok she has handed me the list now. Quite pleasantly surprised to be honest. Not quite as unhealthy as I thought. I have said to her that I would buy some quorn and I will bulk cook for her for lasagne and spag bol as I cant stand quorn. Why would you eat that when there is mince ??? She likes it though so I will be a good mum and get organised for her. She also likes chicken goujons and nuggets etc but I refuse to buy them. I will make some home made ones for her too and freeze them as well.
I have decided I am going to pay £32 to my ARGOS just now. I will be £34 short of my target but I will pay anything that is left in my account on Sunday night to it as well. I am not going to get too upset that I havent managed as I will pay the balance on payday as technically it will still be January. This is my first month of making a real effort again and I have paid £190.86 off of ARGOS:eek:. Wow am pleased with that as I hadn't actually counted it up until now. :D. I have just gone over my snowball and have realised that I have actually paid £20 more than I had thought so am only £14 off my target for the month. :j

the_harrys

Well done on the the Argos payments- January is such a tough month.

The school lunches seem to be quite expensive- would your DCs flatly refuse to take packed lunches? I'm lucky that my DCs don't really like the school food so it wasn't so hard to persuade them. It is a pain making them though. Does your DD cook- maybe she could make something she likes for you all. I know how frustrating it is to spend time on a home cooked meal for the DCs (in my case my fussy DS) to turn their noses up at it. I don't know why we bother

millionaire_in_training

Neither do I Mrs H :rotfl:. She has provided me with a list of food she likes so I can work from that for now. She is not interested in cooking unfortunately and I really enjoy it so I dont push things. Will need to start mind you as I want her to be able to cook if and when she leaves home and I dont just mean to heat something up .

January has been horrific money wise. 5 weekends in all and it just seemed to stretch endlessly on. At the moment I have a box of fish fingers, chicken stock, some sprouts, some cauli and 2 ice lollies in my freezer :rotfl:. My freezer is never like that so it goes to show what an effort I have made this month to use up what we had and not to buy any extra. I need to start stocking up in cupboard foods again so will start that from next week as this week will be done on a shoestring.
I have done a meal plan as follows :
Today - shepherds pie
SAT - Out for lunch ( mum paying) then toasties for dinner
Sun - Chicken casserole and trimmings
Mon - Chicken Burgers, fish fingers, chips and beans
Tues - Pasta and cheese sauce
Wed - Burgers, fish fingers, mash and veg
Thurs - Me( mums) Kids snack type things as they are home late.


Bit of a motley menu but tough :rotfl:Needs must and at least I know they will eat everything. Going to go onto ASDA site now and work out cost of my shopping
No spend today :money: so I am happy with that.

Kids would take lunches but the last time I did it I spent a fortune on buying food as they are big eaters. It worked out as a couple of pounds of difference a week and with all the effort, plus the fact that they would eat the packed lunch food for snacks :mad: I decided to just go with the school lunches. This covers breaks, lunches and drinks although DD has seen the light a bit with that and is now taking water in with her .

millionaire_in_training

ok I've checked and can do it for £24.18. I have £42 so should be fine. Might buy some pasta for cupboard.

Keeping_Positive

Wow Jan although tough has been a great month for you MIT. Such inroads into Argos. Heres to a great Feb.

millionaire_in_training

Thanks KP. I am pleased at what I have managed to be honest. It was a struggle but it will be worth it to get rid of this damn debt. My ds was asking me tonight if we were poor . Makes me so mad at myself for getting into this mess in the first place. But onwards and upwards is the cry :money:. I defrosted my fridge. Took me hours :o:o. Kids leave it open all the time and I absolutely hate defrosting it so I leave it until it has to be done and it takes ages. My poor hairdryer nearly died on me :rotfl:, But there was a wee bonus hiding under it of 2 pound coins and a 2p:T. Will defrost freezer in morning and see if I can find a tenner under that :rotfl:. Always optimistic .

millionaire_in_training

Freezer defrosting nicely at the minute. Had come onto computer to check if wages in yet but . Probably just as well tbh as I was just in the mood to hit ASDA and stock up whereas I can't now so will be sensible. I had £1.50 left in my account so have paid that to ARGOS. Oh well every little helps .