All my good intentions......

Learning2Budget

Its just struck me that in 3 months time we will be below £30000 which i know would still cause palpitations in some people but makes me feel a darn site better.x

curlytop12

well done so far,just look at those numbers coming down!

Learning2Budget

Well didn't achieve a nsd day today but managed to do a weeks food shop for £53 which compared to the £100 odd that i used to spend .....well its a miracle. That includes putting a fiver on the as*a xmas shop card. Planning to save enough to cover December food budget so that all my Christmas shopping will be paid for by Nov. including all presents.
Organisation makes life so much more bearable.

We are currently looking at upping our payments to cccs. i wanna be free of this burden before Im 40!!
L2B.x

Learning2Budget

Been a while. So have returned to keep my brain in the right mindset and stay positive!!
So far the cooker and washer have died on me in the space of a week. However in true mse stylee i used you*ube to find out how to take the cooker apart and instead of buying a new cooker have spent 48 quid on parts. Could still go horribly wrong but fingers crossed. Im a practical girl so we may get sorted. The washer has an insurance on it so just gotta wait for the repair man.

Updated our budget with cccs. Finally feel like we are getting somewhere. Initially we were told 15 years to pay it all off. Now its gonna be 9 years and hopefully when we don't pay nursery fees anymore it'll drop even more! 5 years and 4 months left to go.

I used a spreadsheet that someone kindly put on here and budgeting is far easier. Next to start when both get our wages is envelopes. Debit card will be put away once envelope money is withdrawn and we'll see if that works better.

Emergency fund is now looking semi healthy and i have 25quid put on my as@a Christmas saving fund.

Had a little splurge at start of month cos i needed new clothes....weightght loss from careful budget ie no chocolate runs to the shop. But it was all careful capsule wardrobe buying. So by the time we clear our dmp i will be slim, nicely dressed and debt free!!!

Right enough of my waffle......my head is on straight again.x

Learning2Budget

So its payday today and to reduce all temptation i am refusing to leave the house. I know even if i go for a walk i will end up near a shop and my resolve is low at the minute. On the plus side the house is cleaner than ever and the washer is working again.
L2B.x

Learning2Budget

5 days after payday and i had a little spend. Clothes sale in t***o and i succumbed. However for 11 quid i got lots of clothes for the kids that they actually needed e.g new pjs and socks and longsleeved tops. Pjs sets reduced down to a pound from 9, so it was well worth it and it came out the clothing budget that i have finally organised!

However cooker still on the blink despite me replacing parts so we got a takeout. Not impressed with myself but in all honesty its been a helluva week and i will just have to remember nexttime i feel weak to get a grip and ignore the take out menu.
Plus side the washer is now fixed so Im happier!

How do i get this moved up to the diary bit??????

Need to get a grip on myself again and am thinking if joining more challenges to keep me on the ball.
L2B.x

Wellyboots6

Is it worth throwing the takeaway menus away? I am thinking of doing that, but then OH sometimes like a takeaway when he comes round and he usually pays. If I threw them then I'd end up cooking with the food coming out of my food budget, hmmm.

How are you going about starting doing the envelopes? Its something I want to do but haven't got a clue where to start!

Whatever you are doing it seems to be working, the numbers are coming down

Learning2Budget

Cheers Katy. Waiting for oh to have his payday then gonna put money in envelopes. Wish it would come round faster cos Im eager to start. I have a phone app that is a budget planner that works in envelopes. So have put my spends on there fir the month and it has slowed me down normally id have blown the lot but Im being very controlled!
Food, petrol and clothing budget will be split into a car purse, piggy bank for clothing budget so i have to come home and get the money and go back out. Giving me time to consider a purchase instead of rash impulse buying and envelopes fir food. One for each weekend food money split 4 ways.
Dmp money goes up next month so hopefully that target will drop quicker.
L2B.x

Learning2Budget

I also have a post office budget card and i put 20quid a month on that so car tax is broken up monthly. Less painful that way!x

Wellyboots6

What is a post office budget card? That sounds like a great idea. Car tax always catches me out!