Millie's debt diary

mildredalien

Thanks freebyfifty, it is hard to balance being sensible and clearing my debts as fast as I can with having a life and an occasional treat!!

Went on to spend even more money yesterday haha It's weird that it FEELS WEIRD to spend money (even though it was pretty much all essentials). Anyway these were my spends - half of the actual costs as me and OH split food bills equally:

£12.50 - renewing costco membership
£12.39 - food at costco (including a bottle of mint chocolate Baileys for Xmas drinks.. mmmmm :beer:)
£15.80 - food shop for next weeks meal plan

In total last weeks food shopping cost me £43.54 plus a takeaway of £8.25. Considering some of that is for this weeks dinners I THINK I'm within budget... I had thought I might be well under but the weekends are still a spending problem haha

I need to sit down and plan our meals for the week later. The resourceful cook website is brilliant, but as DB works nights 2 out of 8 days, I need to figure out what to cook when we're both around and what to cook when he's not here!

I've also been invited to Derby for New Year.... it would be awesome to go (especially if DB can get time off), I'd get to see friends who I only see about once a year and I could stay with them... but it would be expensive. Not horrifically so but I'm pretty sure I haven't put 'New year blowout' into my SOA!! Gah, I'm going to have to keep a close eye on my bank balance before I decide on this one.

mildredalien

Meal plan for this week:

Tonight: bacon and broccoli pasta bake
Monday: toad in the hole
Tuesday: chilli pasta bake (leftovers for weds lunch)
Wednesday: beef and aubergine pasta (leftovers for thurs lunch)
Thursday: loaded mash
Friday: sausage and bean stew

mildredalien

Well yesterday was a LSD - just £1.10 for some mints from Boots (I was doing a presentation for work and realised that my breath still smelled like pumpkin chilli soup :P). today has been a NSD hooray! I was so tempted about half an hour ago to just order a pizza and a huge dessert and pig out for the evening, but managed to force myself into the kitchen to start cooking food before I actually did it.... decided on the beef and aubergine pasta tonight, it smells great so hopefully will help me to resist any further spending temptation! Mind you it's so grey and horrible out there I'm not that bothered about going outside

As well as sorting out my finances I'm also trying to get a grip on my eating habits/weight. I'm doing the 'NoS' plan, no sweets, snacks or seconds except on days that begin with S. I'm totally on board with it, such a sensible idea and I've never been able to stick with anything that involved counting calories!! That being said I'm not that great at actually sticking to the plan haha I'm hoping that keeping to a budget will help me avoid blowing money on takeaways and sweets, and that avoiding expensive snack/takeaway food will help with the diet!! Roll on Saturday mind, I'm having a proper chocolate craving....

mildredalien

Ugh I am losing motivation to eat to my meal plan, pasta again does NOT appeal and although I still have leftovers from last night I really don't want to eat beef and aubergine pasta for the 3rd meal in a row!!

Today won't be a NSD, I need to buy my mum and BIL birthday pressies! It's planned for in my budget though so all good

mildredalien

OK so today has been good and bad!

Good things
- Resisted buying takeaway
- ate food from IN the house, no more grocery shopping today!
- used topcashback to get cashback for the presents I bought

Not so good things:
- spent £42.75 on presents today :eek:
- realised that I've already spent over my estimated yearly budget on presents, and that's only for the last 3 months of the year!!
- ate a massive bowl of ice cream

*sigh* I'm keeping an eye on my bank balance, it's still looking relatively healthy despite the money on xmas presents. I'm hoping that I will be left with some at the end of the month to either throw at my debts or (slightly less sensibly) use for my trip away to Edinburgh at the beginning of December. Decisions decisions!

charlyze2

Ive just read your diary though and just wanted to say the your doing well.

very organised - i wish i was. I keep saying that today i will meal plan but it never happens.

my hubby also works 2 night shifts in 8 days and i struggle to find things to make that he can take to work - he never wants a full meal just snacks and that works out expensive.

I also noticed that you live in Wales - me too in bridgend.

Regarding Costco. i have been considering becoming a member is it worth it? do you find you make a saving.

Sorry to ramble on. please feel free to ignore me

charlyze2

mildredalien

Hi charly, don't worry I am queen of rambling! Thanks for the support, I am trying hehe!

I have been getting in to meal planning (resourcefulcook.com has been great to refer to) although don't always stick to them... it does help me buy food for a good few days which I am sure is helping with the budget - when I'd go out for food every day or so there was always something 'extra' in the basket! Fortunately my DB sorts his own food out for work - he's a creature of habit so has the same thing every single day! I'd go crazy.... I think he probably tops up with food from the local tesco (and KFC :P) on his breaks sometimes but he funds his own work food

I'm not sure if I make enough of a saving to justify the £25 a month it costs to pay for the membership, I don't go every week so it's hard to add it all up! Stuff is definitely cheaper there though than I would pay elsewhere, although I'm sure there are loads of people who are much better at bargain hunting than me! I think if you were buying some things in bulk regularly it would be worth it. I just like the cheap pizza slices :rotfl:

Fudgefund

Just read through your diary in one sitting - I love how you are keeping such a good record of everything. Your meal plans are really imaginative, my boyfriend gets the same five meals in a slightly different order every week. He can only cook one thing, so isn't in a position to say anything. What in heavens name is loaded mash? Sounds amazing. Good luck keeping off the snacks!

mildredalien

Hey fudgefund, thanks for stopping by!

I am trying, I find if I don't keep track of things they easily spiral out of control! My meal planning is all courtesy of resourcefulcook.com, I've just been picking the nice looking meal plans off there and trying to make them work. It's definitely helped keep costs down although I don't always stick to it (the last meal plan had 3 pasta meals for a week which was just too much for my liking!) Loaded mash was this one:

http://resourcefulcook.com/recipes/view/9hkgl-loaded-mash

Yum!

Yesterday turned out to be a NSD for me, as DB treated me to a giant pizza in celebration for passing one of my four submissions to become a qualified psychologist :j:beer: Today hasn't been quite so good:

£42 on petrol
£10 to DB for food/beers for tonight and to contribute to yesterdays pizza

We're still in a celebratory mood though as he had a job interview today which went really well and could mean a nice pay increase as well as non-shift working :T

Fudgefund

mildredalien wrote: »

Yesterday turned out to be a NSD for me, as DB treated me to a giant pizza in celebration for passing one of my four submissions to become a qualified psychologist :j

We're still in a celebratory mood though as he had a job interview today which went really well and could mean a nice pay increase as well as non-shift working :T

:beer: Congrats!

I had loaded mash for tea tonight... great for hangovers.