The teflon wagon

vintage43

Hi,
It all sounds sooooo familiar, just like me, we have our family xmas get together this weekend where we exchange pressies, we set a limit but I always go over it and one member of my family is so proud of herself that she manages to spend at least £4.00 less on everyone that it makes me cross! This year I have tried to stick to budget but again have gone over on each person by approx £5.00, £16.00 over on my Dad but he's worth it. Some of the hippier members of the family are getting a gift up to the amount then a preloved gift from Oxfam too, some of them think is is a great idea and are going to adopt it for next year. I know you shouldn't give to receive but it does erk me when you get a wish list from someone from Amazon and everything on there is over budget, I haven't got the cheek to do that, then they get your kids a second hand amazon cd! How can they sleep at night, suppose thats how they get the big house am I'm in a tiny cottage up to my eyes in debt. perhaps i should man up a bit!!! Rant over, sorry for that once i got started it all seemed to spill out. Anyway 1st December today so bring on the Christmassy feelings, i love it!
x

Bad_Weather

:hello: Miggy and vintage43!

I feel your pain Miggy! My walk to work Miggy involves passing 2 marks and spencers! I have to run the percy pigs and colin the caterpillar obstacle course every day! :iloveyou: percy and colin!

Vintage43 your post was just TOOOOOO familiar! I too always always spend over the budget and I always get stung! With friends EVERY YEAR! And this family member with the gift list! The cheek! But they make YOU feel like the cheap one when its them! Exactly like my mate who does things like that, asks for presents that cost £25-30 quid when she only spends £10-£15 on you - they have no shame! :mad:

Loving the oxfam idea! Thats REALLY good! I actually might suggest that to my mates for next year! :T

AND exactly they are in the big houses and I'm in a tiny flat up to my eyeballs in debt and buying them fab presents! WELL NOT ANYMORE!!! :mad:

I have manned up! The camels back has well and truely been broken! I have the rage i'm never spending a penny over budget on these people! I could go on and on... :mad:

On to more positive things! Tonight has been productive! I LOVE online shopping! :j

Set budgets this year have been set at £20 per person for entire family (except parents)!

Sister no 1 is getting married next year so she has asked that we can presents for this year and i just get her wee boys a token gift or some money, she said not alot as they have spent a fortune on them!

So she said put £5 in a card but I'm going to put £10 in! Either way that family budget has went from £80 - £20 - HIGH FIVE! :T

Got my brother and brother in law each a Reiss t-shirts for £20 each! They are really smart! DONE! :beer:

Got the mother in law her perfume online at Debenhams with 30% off! Got it for £27.90 instead of the usual £42! It was exactly what she asked for! Was also only going to get the 30ml but it was actually cheaper getting the 50ml on offer than the 30ml!!! Then said we should get her something else and the OH said just because we made a saving doesn't mean we need to buy more! Then it's not a saving! :money:

Got the father in laws present aswell. But he's still got £15 left in his budget so need to find something else... :huh:

Going to get Sister no 2 just a couple of things from H&M (she loves) and that will make up £20! I saw a bag at £25 and was like i'll just get her that but NO! My sister is fab with gifts so worried she spends more than the budget, need to really enforce her to follow it! I've asked to give me cash (along with OH parents) as i've saw a jacket in french connection i want to get in the sales

Also going to get the sister in law some stuff from H&M aswell. Both i know like H&M so aim to go sat and get them DONE!

We always over spend on the sister and brother in law. This year i am sticking to £20 budget!

I feel good! Feeling organised! Only got OH, Mum, Dad, FIL (1/2 present), Sis 2, SIL left!!! AND i know what i'm getting my sisters!

Got my dad some chocs and will prob give him cash and/or whisky!

Ohhh MY!! 3rd of December I'm planning to have pretty much everyone except my OH sorted for x-mas! I normally am running round 23rd dec still shopping! :rotfl:

Right im very tired night guys! Shopping online has tired me out!!!

Bad_Weather

The OH spent £10 of our food budget on dog food, onions, diluting juice, potatoes and yeh thats about it. :eek:

Had a rant at him, that i'm not making fricken meal plans and chopping up and freezing onions for him to blow the budget. Plus he borrowed £20 out of it to pay for his works xmas deposit! Think i will need to be hiding the food purse! :mad:

We're looking at a part exchange for our house, saw one in the OH's hometown. Not sure how i feel about this.... I am in love with the house but my gut feeling is not a good one. I think this is because i have dreams of moving abroad for a couple of years and am worried that if i commit to this it won't happen yeh know.

Plus it couldn't come at a worse time, i had my finances sorted. I've got an AMAZING excel sheet. Now i will need to change it...

Plus how can i afford to furnish a flat. We will have all the stuff from here, which FYI is good stuff but its only the equivalent of 1 bedroom furniture set and one 3 seater fancy leather sofa and a leather lounger (its a small flat). This would be a 4 bedroom flat....so i'm 3 bedrooms short of some furniture.

Right onto a bigger dilemma than moving house. WINE. :beer:

There is a wine crate deal for £49 bucks for 15 bottles. I've checked out some of the bottles and they look not bad at all, first 2 i checked were 6.99 in asda. OH said we shouldn't get it but i think over festive period we will be visiting so many peoples houses and dinners etc that we should, so we don't end up forking out for a bottle each time. :money:

Not sure what to do...he won't pay for it all as he doesn't drink that much wine so £25 will come out of food budget and £25 from me. I'd easily spend £25 on 3 bottles of wine myself. :beer:

How much do i want 15 bottles of wine for £49 bucks?!?! That IS the question. :rotfl:

Bad_Weather

OMG Quidco.

Why is this me just starting to use this. Its very upsetting. Yesterdays online purchases could have got me some cash

Live and learn... x

miggy

I have a wonderful MS idea for you - be teetotal over Christmas!

No?

Well, I have these mad ideas sometimes.

Quidco... ah well, think how much you'll save in the future. I have only just started using them too. Had to laugh at the Percy Pigs though - a couple of people around here have the same passion for them.

Bad_Weather

Teetotal? Your too funny miggy!

I know it's brilliant, going to get the pet insurance through it. Pondered sending some of the stuff back and then re-ordering through quidco but A) it's alot of hassle and they have P&P to pay to send back which wouldn't really make it worthwhile.

Non food/presents Spends this weekend:

£16.60 on Saturday (petrol and brekkie for me and the bro)
£20 approx today. On some vino, crisps, sweets, a pair of slippers (£4 -to keep my toes warm in winter), 2 funky bracelets from primark (£3 & £2.50). :eek:

Bought my sister and sister-in-laws presents. Both £19 quid under budget by £1! Technically i was over as 2 of the items were in the sale, but if i had bought full price i would have been well over! I didn't apply the boyfs logic that if the item is in the sale then a saving has been made. I made it up to the £20! :eek:

Very happy with my gifts, sometimes when i leave things last minute i grab something that costs £25 quid and I'm not really happy. But planning in advance and scouring the internet has meant that not only am I under/at my budgets but i'm happy with the purchases and really think my family will like them! :j

Took my bros top and got him one i think he will like alot better for £15 bucks, need to get him something else for a £5 though...

Also what i learned from shopping today is that in the cheap shops H&M and primark etc there is some really nice stuff. Now i USED to be a reiss, ted baker, french connection, jaeger etc kind of girl. But i think i should be really mixing these items going forward with some cheap items. Still not trying to buy any clothes but when i do I'm going to these places! Some lovely dresses from primark that if i mixed with some belts and shoes would be awesome! :money:

Also asked my sis, mum, oh's parents AND the OH for money! There are things i would want but only they go into the sale Or only if i get to pick myself!? So going to keep the money until Jan and see if i can get the stuff, if i don't i'll put it aside for later. Don't want to put it to debt as that i think will just push me over the edge and i'll end up going on a spending spree! :rotfl:

Things still looking positive.

Right night guys really tired so if i can be bothered i'm going to go and have a look at the pet insurance, got a quote but now going to go and try and get it through Quidco... decided that whatever presents i buy i'm going to start looking in the stores then come home and order online! It's the way forward!! :money:

Bad_Weather

So extra long update/rant/brain dump - the usual! I have to do this, I feel it's helping keep me on the wagon! :money:


Still being cheap, I've taken to picking up 1ps on the street! I figure if no-one sees me - it didn't happen! Anyone read woowoo's diary? She used to do this, I was impressed. Then she'd make the payments to her credit card or loan or something and it went right down, I'm just putting mine in a tin! Really need to get organised enough to get some mystery shopping or something sorted...

My other wealthy mate has just bought an amazing fancy flat in a fancy area. It is gorgeous. I'm green with envy (but a nice shade of green) . It's actually making me a little bit depressed - just due to my own situation. I want a flat that I really look forward to going home too.


I genuinely believe that if in getting myself sorted I'm going to be in a big house! I figure if I just continue to be SUPER smart and save/no debt/be cheap. I will clear my debt and then can start working on a bad boy deposit! Also if I can start saving for holidays etc then I won't be chasing my tail all year and will be able to live normally. Its a vicious cycle! Also need to break my clothes/spending addiction, I feel im starting to see the light. :money:


Decided I am going to go on my friends Hen in September. Wasn't going to as I go on holiday in October. And well you know the rest of my financial situation. But you know what I'm young and if I'm smart and put £50 a month away its not a big deal! That's what I've been doing for another friends hen and I haven't even noticed! Going to open another bank account (HSBC/RBS possibly) where I put money away for the hen and my holiday (hopefully £100-£200 a month). Needs to be a bank that's not my normal bank so I don't have easy access.


Yesterday took a day off from making lunch for me (still made OH's) and paid £2 for my breakfast AND lunch (soup). Cheap day but still £2 - that could have bought me a box of porridge! Been religiously making OH lunches in the hope to get him onboard with the "lets not waste money/food plan". He says he's noticed he's not spending as much but I don't know if he's just saying that to shut me up... :rotfl:


Today bought a tin of soup at 74p. Really nice tomato soup, thankfully I had my own bread as it would not have been enough. Also taken to stealing as many sweets from work as possible! Not so good for the waste line but I'm collecting my dues! Still refusing to buy any sweets for next year. :mad:


Tonight having turkey with some mozzarella and basil with some rice. Using up the turkey and the mozzarella (that went out of date yesterday).Getting really good at not wasting food - obviously there is still the odd thing - but mostly everything now is frozen/labeled or we make an effort to use it! Only food money recently has been on lunches! :money: Still got a freezer FULL - had a good look last night. Got 3 packets of casserole beef so need to think of a recipe for that other than a casserole...? Only should be buying fresh veg for the rest of this month I think. Also decided against the wine crate, just going to pick up my own deals in the shops when I see them! Got a great bottle from Sainsbury's down from £10.49 to £5.49 so deals like that.


Been thinking although the cheap friends and cheap people in my work who still really REALLY annoy me. But I also kind of envy them aswell. I need to be taking a leaf out of their book and I wouldn't be in the situation I'm in! I'm TRYING!!! If picking up 1ps and hoarding sweets like a hamster isn't trying I don't know what is! :rotfl:


Been thinking I might buy one of my mates birthday present in the January sales! Not sure what though...she's into lots of designer stuff...but is one of the ones who always gets you lovely gifts but its either less than or up to £20, so hers will be £20. And i'm not too bothered if its less, as long as it looks good. I'm clamping down on the presents this year can you tell by my 40 posts?!?! :eek: She is also the one who buys lots of classic designer items and mixes and matches so again need to try to do this with my current collection of clothes...again envy these people.


Erm what else can i make/babble about...

Bad_Weather

New phone contract - DONE!!!

Been meaning to do this for months ran out at beginning of October so i've had 3 months! Told you i had lost control. Been paying £46-£49 for last 2 months! Bill now down to £31 bucks - YEEEAHHH! Much happier and it's an iphone 4 and for 18 months.

Spoke to the mum about her christmas present think i'm going to go shopping with her and my sister to see what she wants!

Bought my secret santa an extra wee thing at 60p - I CAN'T HELP MYSELF PEOPLE!!! I moan and moan and MOAN about tight people but i JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF!!! I am officially 10p over budget!!!! I SWORE I WOULDN'T BE!!! x

miggy

Bad_Weather wrote: »

Also what i learned from shopping today is that in the cheap shops H&M and primark etc there is some really nice stuff.

I will now own up to two scarves, a snood, some jeggings and a floaty skirt when I last visited Primark! In fact my very favourite scarf was from there and it's had compliments because it's so darn pretty.

I wanted some of the little travel slippers but I didn't succumb. Didn't I do well?

miggy

Bad_Weather wrote: »

Going to open another bank account (HSBC/RBS possibly) where I put money away for the hen and my holiday (hopefully £100-£200 a month). Needs to be a bank that's not my normal bank so I don't have easy access.

Can you find an ISA where you could put your savings and leave it till the latest reasonable time (note I avoided saying 'the last possible minute' because that way trouble lies) to withdraw the cash? There might be one somewhere that would allow you to take money out after six months or something...? Possibly not a workable idea as I'm sleepy!