Finally reaching out for some help...

hp48910

If you wanna be mega frugal, only shampoo once and put the conditioner on before you wash yourself. You hair gets conditioned for longer that way and you can rinse all over at the end. You're saving on products, water, energy and time!!

Have a good day :O)

kerri_dfw

Hi HP, I do quite often do that as I like my hair to have a good condition I only put conditioner on the ends as well, my hair gets greasy easily otherwise.

I woke up at 4am and decided I really was meant to be up and out of bed, unfortunately I went to sleep at 1am so not sure what my body was thinking. I had some really weird dreams about ghosts and that an old ex boyfriend was dead eep. Looked at the mobile and realised it was 4am so went back to sleepybyes. I checked FB this morning and found that ex bf is not dead phew!

Decided I'd get into work a bit later this morning, so went to Next and took back the suit then to HSBC to pay in the cheque That's £34 back onto Vanquis and £31.62 into current a/c. I also spoke to HSBC in branch yesterday and I got them to remove the markers on my regular saver that were stopping me from transferring extra to that account. They think it was because I'd moved house, hmph!

I think I'm going to update the amount that goes by standing order to that account to be £100 instead of £25. It matures in September, and will then all be used plus interest to pay off Wescott in a lump sum. Seeing as I definitely manage to spend £75 a month on nothing, I doubt I'll miss the money and it's better to be putting it aside than spending it.

Have brought in lunch today, quinoa with veg. I'm hoping it was definitely organic quinoa as I forgot to wash it, oops! However, as most stuff I have in the cupboard is organic I think this was as well. I also have my flapjack and brownie

All in all feeling positive about today, should be a NSD. I'm hoping to use the slow cooker for the first time this evening

Just checked my online banking and I still can't transfer extra money from my bank a/c to my regular saver, so I've shoved it into my online bonus instead. £2.06 moved across

kerri_dfw

NSD blown, but I owe £39 from the birthday fund to a debt somewhere as I just bought my Mum the 3 step i + ii home & away gift set which was £78 reduced to £39 in debenhams. Ordered online with free delivery and will arrive next week to immediately go in the presents box. Which reminds me, must setup spreadsheet to record what I've spent on presents. Will do that now whilst I think about it Oh I did go through TCB so should get 3.03% cashback too

kerri_dfw

Just paid another £10 to Freemans as I have it on my c/c (which I pay off so not incurring interest). I'd rather spend it on paying back my debt than spending it needlessly. I don't need to buy anything this weekend, so now I can't I have £20 in my purse still as well, really impressed that I've not bought anything with that, even if I did allocate it all to the CK fabric that is apparently out for delivery and I might have to stay in work until 7pm for it argh!

Cherryjack

Hi Kerri :-) im upto date with your diary.. so glad the new place is nice and thats yv sorted the windows. Hope yr sis can not ask for more money this year xx maybe be good if you could suggest taking the bit she owes you.. and a bit more to put in a little savings for her if she struggles.. cus shes just getting herself in a rut really... or a link to martin money? weve all been there with money issues... some times mentioning yr skint can help aswell every now and again so she thinks yr struggling even if your not. You have your future to save for aswell.. Ive said to OH sometimes is best to make out you have no money at all so people dont expect.. thats my way forward lol :-) but of course birthdays and christmas can be special and treating yr mum and dad now and again isnt bad. xx

hp48910

Hope you weren't planning on eating your slow cooker creations tonight, unless you're making tomorrow's breakfast?! Those things take hours and hours and hours.........

kerri_dfw

I'm going to do the slow cooking on Saturday/Sunday instead I think, make a big batch of stuff to freeze.

I've just been waiting for the CK delivery which could have come anytime before 7pm and hasn't arrived. I'm so cross with the whole thing now, firstly that it was meant to arrive yesterday and now that I could be at home but have had to wait in work til silly o'clock.

However, I put my time to good use, I've made a really comprehensive spreadsheet that should definitely help me out. It has sheets for HSBC current account so I can see what gets paid to who. A sheet for Vanquis, a sheet to keep track of my debts, and a sheet to keep track of how much money is in my emergency pot. The emergency pot took the most amount of time as it details what has been spent on presents (£50 allocated to each person for xmas/birthday) and deducts that from the overall pot. Therefore I can easily see if I've spent more than is in the pot.

The aim is going to be to first put the pot back to being even again, I've bought presents so it's at -£68.50.

Off home, courier said they couldn't deliver which is rubbish as I've been here all evening argh!!! Going home to sulk!

kerri_dfw

Bank statement has arrived so I've gone through with a toothcomb and analysed it. I have taken off my house deposit, rent and bills that we already know about. Now the waiths and strays... it's not pretty. From Dec 1 - Jan 1 I spent the following:
£210.00 - cash (no idea what I spent this on)
£154.33 - travel (mostly travel to Wales and Bmth for Christmas, plus a rail ticket I bought the OH costing £37)
£131.59 - DIY (curtain poles which I have taken down since, xmas tree)
£218.61 - food (2 veg boxes)
£77.92 - clothes (running clothes)
£18.10 - toiletries (I think this was mostly presents for family)

I think that equates to about £400 that I could have spent paying back debt instead *gulp*.

Drastic changes can be made though, especially that food and cash one. New cash allowance is £20 a week so instantly saves me money there and if I don't spend it, it carries over. Not sure that travel can be reduced as my family like to see me. I hardly ever buy clothes so that will definitely improve and no more DIY needs to be done

This is all before checking what I spent money on with Vanquis as well, *gulp* I fear the worst is yet to come. How can one small person spend so much money? This makes me angry and a bit depressed really, I don't even realising I'm spending so much. £200 disappeared without trace and I didn't even go to the pub once last month.

ZTD

I know it's old advice, but keep a spend-diary. It'll nail down where your money is going.

kerri_dfw

Thanks Z I started doing that 2 days ago, helping to keep track of where it disappears to. I thought I was doing so well as well

Just checked through Vanquis online:
£75.56 - food
£26.52 - petrol
£30.05 - toiletries (no idea what though probably cold and flu medicine in there somewhere)
£142.81 - DIY (£50 on curtains, £28 on boxes, can't think what else)

Food definitely seems to be the killer for me though.