Introducing myself - Small changes, big effect!

kaz0705

Might be worth looking into LoveFilm or Tesco DVD rental then- think Lovefilm are doing £17 cashback and 30days free trial- worth doing just for 30days and then you've got almost 3 blockbuster rentals from the cashback!

We generally buy though- Play or whatever are pretty cheap for the older sets (or amazon to get the 'used' ones)... Means now that we've just finished season 8 of 24, we can go back to one (started over a year ago so I've forgotten everything anyway). I heart Jack Bauer. :-)

I tend to go out most with my friends but always use vouchers. All Bar One have been good this year; often have 3 starters and a bottle of wine for £15. That's an evening sorted! (we should split it and share but generally we all have a voucher each!). Boyfriend works shifts so it's easy to just stay in when we actually see each other.

*KT*

I don't really go out much at all. My boyfriend has a few people that he sees occasionally for nights out. We don't really socialise out together very often, so like you, when we spend time together we tend to stay in. It's easier but also cosier somehow.

I'm pretty sure I've done the lovefilm free trial before so have been staying away from that. I'd need to check. If I haven't, that sounds like a good plan!

I'm still trying to get into the swing of what is going to work for me. I know that we go through phases, just now it's rental boxsets. (I'd rather not buy because I don't like the clutter... I know that someone is going to jump in with buy it cheaply and sell it on then... That might be an option in the future but I'm still trying to get rid of what I already have!) I'll keep looking for cheaper options too...

*KT*

I've been quiet a few days. My work sent me on a first aid course (good to get everything from them before the closure!)

Monday - had to take the car in and when we arrived we found out that lunch wasn't provided... Parking £15.80 (I nearly cried there and then) Lunch was a pub lunch ~£7. I was thinking that it was going to be a ridiculously expensive week and mostly unavoidable, and just when I was starting to be more careful with my money and thinking carefully about anything I was spending. Totalling that up for the week and I was thinking about all the other areas I was going to have to miss out on the rest of the month because of it.

Tuesday - I drove a different way to the first aid centre and found a closer car park that was £6 all day! (nearly £10 saved.) We found a cafe the does panini and coffee for less than £5. Still not ideal but better than the day before.

Today - I went to the same car park but because I was getting the last space and it was a tight squeeze the guy told me it would just be a fiver (did he not realise that my car was taking up exactly the same amount of space as the day before?! - I wasn't about to argue!) Lunch less than £4.

I'm not perfect but I've proved to myself this week that thinking about spending makes a difference. A month or two ago I wouldn't have thought twice about going to the same expensive car park the whole week, spending around that £7 on food each day.

Total estimated spend for these 4 days the old way - £91.20
Total estimated spend for the 4 days the new way (One bad day and then lesson learnt) - £52.80
Difference = £38.40! That's money in my pocket this week that wouldn't have been there otherwise.

But... Room for improvement. Had I known about the cheaper car park and brought food with me - <£30 (including bread and fillings). I can't take away from what I've done though. I'm proud of myself this week. That difference saved pays for the wax booked on Friday with some to spare. I feel proud.

Verbatim

Will work re-reimburse you? It's so difficult though to have to shell out first and then wait to get it back the following month.

*KT*

No work reimbursement unfortunately.

Managed to get parking for only £5 again today. Not sure how much lunch will be but that should be under a fiver again too.

ShAnE

Hi *KT* your story sounds quite similar to mine, but bit by bit i'm slowly getting there. I only started last month but have got addicted to saving/paying off my debt. It sounds like you've had some low points, but from what i've read there have been a few high points which all seem to be leading in the right direction.

Why not take lunch in tomorrow? You may say, well it's only one day, but it's £4 saved, (maybe £0 saved after buying bread, ham and cheese etc, but then you'll have almost an entire loaf of bread left and the fillings, you could make your BF a nice cheese and ham toastie on Saturday for lunch then at no extra cost.
Just a thought.

*KT*

Went shopping at the supermarket last night. I got lots of essentials (and new underwear, none of my socks and pants were fit for "if I got hit by a bus" any more - and I just got enough, not every single piece I liked). I stuck to my list and offers. I got some stuff for baking so I can batch make snacks to take to work to get me out of the vending machine habit.

I needed everything from meal basics to salt and pepper.

£86 and that was enough food for the rest of the month, I'll just need about another £15 on fresh stuff later on. And about £20 spent was on underwear (seriously, it was desperate!)

Right, time to get this day started!

*KT*

I'm so annoyed!

Friday night I had this fantastic night I had set a limit of £40 for food and drinks for both me and bf. He got suitably drunk and we had our first (and possibly last) take away of the month. It was a lovely night out playing snooker with bf, his dad and his dads friend. It was my first time playing and I won for bfs dad and I playing doubles against bf and dads friend by potting the pink! It was the only shot all night where they just left me to it. I stuck to my budget and all was well... until... Driving back to dad in laws place I hit an almighty pot hole.

Saturday morning I came out the the car to find that the pot hole had completely burst one of the tyres. I knew it hadn't felt quite right driving back to mine on Friday night but just assumed it was because the roads were wet, not because all the air was seaping out of one of my tyres. My car has an awkward size so nobody had budget tyres, remoulds or part worn ones. I had to order in two new front tyres (on closer inspection the non-burst front tyre had an egg) The cheapest I could get was £30 each.

Damn £60 that I really could have been doing with not spending. I can see things getting tight again till pay day...

Roll on the day where I have savings and this kind of thing is 'no big deal'!

Yargo1

Oh no! that really does suck KT. sorry to hear that. Like you say while we are in debt these things can really mess everything up.

hope you dont have to struggle too much till payday x

*KT*

Ok, so tonight I've started to look at my proper written down budget, found it a tad too scary so added a couple more things to my ebay portfolio instead.

none of my stuff seems to be selling though. I think I'm doing something wrong. I had 2 sales back in october and then nothing since. Nothing sold from my amazon listings either. I'm beginning to think my stuff is just rubbish or I've had seriously poor taste in the past.