London Socialite Sees The Light

LondonGirl252

Hi all!!


Thought it was about time for me to check in again, I had a wonderful month off work and started my new job a couple of days ago. So far so good, my colleagues are nice and the work so far is interesting. Had the usual teething problems with IT which is holding me back but next week promises to let me hit the ground running.


In my time off, I spent a week back home catching up with friends and family, followed by a hen night in Paris which was great fun. Then the bf and I went to Crete for 10 nights which was blissfully relaxing followed by a hop over to Austria for a long weekend with a friend and her family and lastly a good friends wedding in Oxford. Phew, totally packed it in. Luckily most of that was budgeted and saved for but I do have to admit to over spending quite a lot on clothes this month and in addition I lost my fitbit health band at Alton Towers so that was £89 down the drain!


I don't think I would have done quite so badly if I had been checking my accounts and updating the spreadsheet (didn't look at it for the whole month) so this goes to prove that regularly updating my accounts and budgeting is the way to keep me on track!


Any way all is in order now and next month I shall just pay off the £558 left on my credit card and then I can focus on saving again, especially as I will have an improved salary from this month!


I've discovered a new favourite shop.... Hobbycraft!!! My bf and I went there to buy a LOT of teddy bear stuffing (I won an emourmous minion stuffed toy at alton towers but it was stuffed with polystyrene beads rather than soft stuffing) and we are now addicted. I am trying to use my addiction in a productive money saving way though! I bought blank greetings cards to start making my own birthday cards etc! I did my first one the other night for my friend who is leaving for NYC this week Im pretty pleased with it!


Other than money the other thing I need to get back on track is my fitness, I have barely exercised at all since I left my job and combined with a lot of good eating I am very much feeling the effects! However, I have my new fitbit band to keep me on track again and from next week I'll hit the gym again now that I know my routine for work!


I think that's all my new for now, I will try and catch up on everyone else's diaries later in the week


LG

LondonGirl252

Hey guys,


Hope all is well.


Just a quick update, new job is going well however they underpaid me this month taking £233 for a student loan which doesn't exist and I have to wait until next month to have it refunded which is a pain.


So money wise things are a wee bit tight again this month, but I have a budget and doing alright at sticking to it so far!


I'm struggling to update my money spreadsheet everyday like I used to, I used to do it at work before I started or at lunch but I the systems here won't allow me to put a personal spreadsheet on my PC.... I have tried emailing it to my work address, dropbox and a memory stick and all failed so it worries me that I'll over spend as that always happens when I don't look at it all the time


LG

mark55man

Hey LG - nice to know your company takes that stiff seriously.

How about loading your spreadsheet onto your tablet (if you are going to overspend without it then spending £100 on an android tablet is actually MSE :-)

Or Maybe use some of the £233 for that purpose

Erme

Brillliant idea mark

Yeah keep going LG. Sure these little nuisances (well being underpaid isn't a little nuisance but you know what I mean) can be sorted

Hugs

LondonGirl252

Cheers guys, I haven't done much money saving the last month at all, need to sort my credit card out again and with xmas coming up that will involve some serious thriftiness! I have some plans for pressies that mean I can put off some spending into the new year.


My BF only bought me an ipad this weekend for our one yr anniversary was so chuffed and totally shocked, he knew I desperately wanted one but was saving up and he totally spoiled me! I am a very lucky girl! So, this week will be all about setting up my online banking apps on there and getting my spreadsheet on there (there's an app called numbers which I believe should support it, just hope some of the formulas aren't too complicated!)


So I feel more positive now, that I can check my accounts and spreadsheet each day that I'll get my spending back under control. I have been putting WAY too much on my amex recently. It's not good at all.


The only good thing about amex spending is that I have now accrued enough airmiles for flights to Europe and back and I think for BF birthday I will treat him to a weekend in Edinburgh using these!


I do have some other news....


This week I confirmed my place in the London Marathon 2015!!!!!!!


Crazy!


I'm excited but nervous and currently enjoying the prospect of a new challenge and something to focus on! Training started last week, I am having to start very slowly as my legs are always prone to injury when I run, I have decent trainers and have had them checked out to be suitable for me. I have invested in winter running kit, so no excuses to avoid those hills runs on Hampstead Heath! The charity I am running for has sent me a great training plan for complete beginners (me) to follow and I am going to stick to it like glue.


This week and next week my runs vary between 1-3 miles with 4 runs a week.


The week after between 2-4 miles etc etc and gradually building up, always running 4 days a week.... 2 short runs, 1 interval training run and 1 long run.


Wish me luck!


Lg x

mark55man

Good luck with the marathon. My friend has done 3 - first was London his advice don't let the atmosphere make you go off too quick = wherever your training takes you in terms of target will end badly if you start too quickly. Besides its much more fun to be zooming past people at the end than the start


Sounds like your BF is a keeper :-)

kjp

Rather you than me for the marathon, but well done and good luck!

Sounds like everything is falling into place for you hoping the same happens to me on completion of CIMA!!

Ipad wise, I use an app called cloudon that's linked to my dropbox where my spreadsheet lives. I've a few complex formulas in mine and it works pretty much perfectly! And is free!

Enjoy your present!

Horace

Hello LS - glad to see that things are gradually clicking into place. Your BF sounds like a keeper. Are you still riding?

LondonGirl252

Hey guys!


Mark - thanks for the advice I will make sure I do that. I think I will plan to place myself towards the back of the crowd and potter along nicely!


The bf is a total keeper, he makes me very happy (not just when he buys me present too!)


Hey kjp, thanks for the app recommendation I'll download it later and have a go! How are your studies coming on? You must have exams soon? Good luck with them


Hi Horace, He Is I am no longer riding for the military, I had one too many near misses and decided to ride calmer horses! The downside to that is I now pay to ride and it is less often but I enjoy it 100% more now that I feel comfortable on the horse and not terrified of it!


Marathon training is coming along well, at the weekend I managed 4 miles which is the longest I have ran in a LONG time! This morning I did 2, I plan to do 2 more 2/3 milers this week in the mornings, then at the weekend myself and two friends are going to run 10k together.


The bf and I attended a lovely remembrance service in Windsor yesterday, he was marching with his regiment and their band which was lovely to watch and I enjoyed belting out a few hymns in church, getting mixed up on the lines despite having them in front of me... oops!


Money news - my credit card was used for FRAUD last week


They've spent about £500 of which I have had some refunded but not all. Luckily the bank picked it up as their next transaction was worth nearly £1k so I was pleased that didn't go through!!! Lloyds have been very good and quick about it so far, so hoping it will all be sorted this week.

allybee101

Sounds like things are going swimmingly (aside from the fraud - crappy fraudsters). Glad the bank have caught it and I hope you get your money back quickly. Do you have any idea how it might have been cloned?
Had a similar experience with my debit card but the two transactions were only about £20 each.
Hope the marathon training continues well!