Finally seeing the right track getting closer

MuffinTops

So today hasn't been an NSD or LSD, but it's been within budget. It's due to a lack of organisation at home, but I'm getting better with that every day so I'm not worrying. I also noticed I get these resentful feelings as the zip of my purse starts opening. Those feelings increase a little as I put my hand in to pick up the cash and then I begrudgingly hand the money over. I wouldn't be surprised if I have a snarl on my face either!!!

OK maybe I'm exaggerating but the resentful feelings are true and they'll be a real push for me to get myself sorted and preparing healthy foods at realistic prices every day.

Although I managed to spend money today, I did save my friend some money. I went with him to have a nose around the gym he was joining and when they told him the astronomical fee - to fill out the joining form - he just nodded!!! EEK!!! So I said that I thought that price was too high and needed to be reduced. They cut it by 50% without question! Just shows you really, doesn't it? We've become a bartering country now.

I've sold 2 more items which are packaged up and ready to go to the Post Office on my way to work tomorrow. I've also arranged to have the larger item that sold at the weekend collected on Thursday, so all going strong there. I'm getting a bit obsessed so I may have to start nailing things down that I know I logically need to keep.

The business idea I'm pushing forward with had another follower set up on Twitter. This one is a local journalist so I need to start looking at other twitter feeds to find out the sort of format used when updating. I've never used it before and only signed up for the business so I'm feeling a little out of my depth. But nothing great was ever achieved in a comfort zone (I don't think ) and it's this comfort zone I'm sick of anyway so I just need to get familiar with a few posts and go for it.

That's it for me really. Tomorrow is a lunch out that was prearranged a while back, but again, it'll be within my daily budget so I'm not worrying. After this one I just have a lunch booked for Friday and then no more "outings" that aren't linked to Christmas shopping. Present shopping has it's own budget so those days should just be coffee stops at the most.

I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone for posting messages on here. They're such a lovely boost.

MuffinTops

Well, today I've had a little rethink on daily budgets etc. This is because I think that if I'm paying out for train fares every day then NSD days are going to be few and far between, which isn't going to help me psychologically.

So, I think I'll create a separate travel budget where I credit my oyster card at the beginning of the month based on how many week days there are (regardless of bank holidays, days booked off etc). My calculation being as follows:

(Week days in month) X (Upper end of cheapest 1 day fare which is £5). So in December it will be £110.

That way I can then reduce my daily budget to £10 which will only need to include fares if I've not biked much. I feel really happy with that now.

Today is a LSD. The lunch we have planned is in a place that sells food I really don't like so I'll just get a coffee or cold drink and buy a cheap sandwich on my way back. I wish I'd checked the place online yesterday as I could have brought lunch in with me, making today a fares only day! Never mind. It was that realisation that actually made me rethink the train fare situation so it all turned out great in the end.

This morning I posted the 2 packages that sold yesterday and am now constantly checking my inbox hoping for something else to have sold. I should probably check the rest of my things are still at the cheapest price.

I will bike home tonight, thereby saving a potential £5.80 and I can already notice that my surplus pot is getting better.

Happy DFW day everyone! _party_

freebyfifty

You are doing really well. You seem to be really focused at the moment.
It'll take much willpower to go to an eaty place and not eat when everyone else is, I know I couldn't do it

It's a good idea to keep a seperate budget for seperate things. I have grocery and petrol only but at the moment I have a Christmas one. Anything I spend out of them doesn't count in my weekly spends challenge.

Hope you get your items sold. (I now have 33 things listed on ebay :eek:)

Have a great lunch x

LondonGirl252

MuffinTops wrote: »

Well, today I've had a little rethink on daily budgets etc. This is because I think that if I'm paying out for train fares every day then NSD days are going to be few and far between, which isn't going to help me psychologically.

So, I think I'll create a separate travel budget where I credit my oyster card at the beginning of the month based on how many week days there are (regardless of bank holidays, days booked off etc). My calculation being as follows:

(Week days in month) X (Upper end of cheapest 1 day fare which is £5). So in December it will be £110.

That way I can then reduce my daily budget to £10 which will only need to include fares if I've not biked much. I feel really happy with that now.

Today is a LSD. The lunch we have planned is in a place that sells food I really don't like so I'll just get a coffee or cold drink and buy a cheap sandwich on my way back. I wish I'd checked the place online yesterday as I could have brought lunch in with me, making today a fares only day! Never mind. It was that realisation that actually made me rethink the train fare situation so it all turned out great in the end.

This morning I posted the 2 packages that sold yesterday and am now constantly checking my inbox hoping for something else to have sold. I should probably check the rest of my things are still at the cheapest price.

I will bike home tonight, thereby saving a potential £5.80 and I can already notice that my surplus pot is getting better.

Happy DFW day everyone! _party_

Good idea on the Oyster card, mine is a season ticket so thats sorted. you're right if you include that, you'll have no NSD's and that's not helpful as it'll get quite monogamous.

Well done so far, you sound really motivated and doing well! Post xmas it'll get easier... thats what Im hoping anyway!

MuffinTops

So, yesterday I did manage to sit at lunch and not have anything. I did eat a few bits of fruit before I left, but I really wasn't keen on the place that was chosen and the others love it there so it wasn't too difficult watching them eat. I did have to buy a sandwich for myself on the way back though.

I biked home after work and got caught in an absolute downpour. I don't mind getting wet, I'm quite happy cycling in the rain, but I had forgotten my waterproofs so I was feeling a bit scratchy and uncomfortable by the time I got home. I was also bitterly cold! But a warm shower soon sorted that out.

THEN (that's right, there's more!) I cooked myself a proper evening meal with plenty left over for work lunches! I really enjoyed it too and have plenty left for the rest of the week. Great stuff.

MuffinTops

Today I still haven't managed an NSD! I need to work harder on those as although they're not so easy at work, the things I spend my money on seem to be more habit than needed. A can of drink at lunch or a coffee. Something that's just not necessary if I plan ahead. I'm not going to be hard on myself though as I can feel I'm growing and getting more organised and the fact I'm taking small steps forward means there's no culture shock or feelings of deprivation. Tomorrow will be better!

But even though I spent money, I also saved some. I had a £6 voucher I didn't know I had from the Tesco voucher claim site. So I amended that to a £10 clothing voucher (they added the £1 back to my clubcard balance) and bought some socks and tights that I needed. My Mum also changed some of hers up but only found a couple of things she liked so she bought me a dress with the outstanding vouchers! Isn't that lovely? So I really did well.

I ordered some christmas presents too (out of christmas budget so not being included in spending day) and have updated my spreadsheet to show the "actual" spend next to my estimated.

Oh, and another item has sold today so that has now been packaged up and will be posted tomorrow morning.

I now need to thoroughly analyse my spreadsheet and make a decent payment on my cc. I can't believe that in just one week of becoming more aware of what I spend I've drastically reduced what I spend!

freebyfifty

Hey Muffy,

Thought I'd drop by


You are doing really well, is it only a week????
Little steps are the way to go. Cutting back drastically will just make you miserable and resentful and then (if you're anything like me) you'll think 'oh s0d it, I will just treat myself' and away we go again!!!!!!

Can you not take a jar of coffee and some milk into work? Or maybe a can from the supermarket? Or is it all vending machines?

Well done on not eating at lunch :A My willpower wouldn't have stood it. I'd have had something, so now I just don't go when they announce a work lunch or night out I'm such a miserable moo and as my excuses were getting more and more unbelievable I just ended up telling them that I am skint and will always be skint if I keep giving my precious pennies to Mr Weathersp00n, who really has enough of his own

It'll all be worth it when we are millionaires


Ohhhhhhh and I stand before you in awe........cycling.......in the rain........me and my bike would have caught the bus :rotfl:

debtfree2015_2

Hi Muffin

as freeby suggested - it might be cheaper to buy your cans from the supermarket in a bulk pack - if you can downgrade a brand that would help even more.

Are you in an office - can you make your own coffee? I kept my cup, and a small stash of teabags, sugar cubes etc in my drawer at work, made it so much cheaper. I did try to bring in a flask, but tea tasted funny - might be ok with coffee though?

Try online surveys too for vouchers, - I got a free pair of jeans today from dorothy perkins sale section, with a voucher I made from the surveys!

MuffinTops

I think the suggestions to take coffee into work are the way to go, so I have found a nice mug in the house I don't use and will take that in with me. Work provide milk and hot water (and in the free area some dirt tasting coffee which is why I tend to buy one) so I just need to take a jar of instant in with me. I'm trying to cut down drastically on my caffeine intake as it makes my hyperactive so I will get a cheapish decaf. Cheaper decaf coffees sometimes retain the chemical taste though, so I won't risk going too cheap and then having to throw it away. False economy and all that!

Today I miraculously stayed within budget. I organise departmental lunches sometimes at work as well all work in our own little sectors/worlds and don't often have a need to communicate with each other. So I like to create a nice social gathering and it has the added bonus of being something we all have in common for a while. So, now that I am "financially challenged" I chose a really nice but very much cheaper restaurant. Everyone loved it I'm pleased to say. I also used to just split the bill by the amount of people in the lunch but recently a few people have mentioned that they don't find that fair (very understandably) so I also worked out each person's food and drink amount and sorted it individually! So my lunch out cost half of what it normally costs! I was really pleased with myself.

I've also been wearing my new cheap socks! For me, wearing new items is a really big deal as I have this feeling of not doing shiny new things justice so I put them aside somewhere safe for when I feel I can! But today I decided that I bought them to wear and wear them I will so wooh - lovely soft and warm feet!

CC bill needs paying and so I need to tally up my extra income from selling things and add that as my overpayment. So far it's just over £70 so my new over payment is £20 more than my standard payments (which are now increasing). I'm really excited about that.

On a bad note, I had a huge DD come out for an energy supplier I felt I'd been really messed around by. I'd gone through the price comparison sites and had selected them but every week I'd get a letter saying "we're sorry you're cancelling" so I'd phone or email to say I wasn't and all would be fine for another 5 to 10 days when I'd get another "we're sorry you're cancelling" letter. In the end I panicked and selected another energy provider. So the huge DD from them was a cancellation charge. When I called them they told me that I'd changed supplier to one I have never contacted or considered and that's why it kept showing up that i was cancelling. This new company took over the supply of my energy in October until yesterday when the company I did contact took over. So I'm in a bit of a head mess about sorting that out as I've had no correspondence or anything from them. The only way I knew about it was from the phone call I made today!

I have a job I really hate and have to fight for every penny I get (no payrise in 3 years due to the economy situation) so having someone just come along and try to snap some of that up is really upsetting. I'll have to contact them and fight it out, but I can't see them refunding the cancellation charges I've incurred because of them. In fact, the man I spoke to from my original supplier told me their charges are £100 cancellation fees! I'm pretty confident I won't have to pay that, but what can I do about the cancellation charge from the company I had wanted to change to. It's such a mess!

But, the last week or so have helped me get things straight and I'm now more aware so that's a bonus. I just really don't feel comfortable with having to untangle this mess where I'm the one who'll get chased for payments I shouldn't have been given.

The original supplier who were charging me had the good grace to give me some time to find out what's going on though. The fella I spoke to was very kind and helpful. When customer service is that good it makes things so much better.

I think that's what scares me more than anything. When you call and get the rude person (usually female for me) who couldn't care less what your situation is and talk down to you. I physically shake on those calls and genuinely have to make them on an empty stomach.

Oh dear, I've really gone on tonight! I've been reading other threads and those ones are really flowing and quite captivating. I think my problem is I'm not used to being so open about things and I never ever discuss money with anyone. My parents will happily tell me all their bills, how much is in the bank, how much they earn or earned as does my sister and a lot of my friends. Money for me is something that I just can't discuss. It makes me so uncomfortable. So maybe when I feel more relaxed about discussing money then my posts will be a bit more entertaining to read! Gulp!

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday evening! I'm so glad the weekend is finally here! Wooh!!!!

LondonGirl252

Hi Muffin!

Well done on organising the cheap lunch and it's nice when you organise something that everyone enjoys. I dont bother anymore as a) its expensive and b) SOMEONE always moans!

Well I enjoyed reading your posts! Don't worry about spilling it all out its YOUR diary and that's what its for! However it helps you to dump it all down and figure it out is the way to go! It's good you have this now to talk about your money and get feedback, I don't talk to family about money too much and it really helps having everyone here to keep me on track!

Sorry about the energy stuff, I'm afraid I have zilch experience in that so don't have anything useful to add

Hope you have a lovely weekend x