Ecoelle's 'this time next year we'll be millionaires' thread

ecoelle

I normally try to only shop once a week, but i got a double discount at work over this weekend, so i went up friday and saturday to buy reduced items which then had an extra 20% off, i'm stocking the freezer while the foods really cheap to then use up over the holiday season. Thought it would save us money. I think we have enough in now for me to not need to get anything this week other than maybe some bread later in the week.

ecoelle

Well after buying nappies i was all spent up, but today is another day and the start of a new financial week so
£40.00 starting in the pot
Co-op - £2.36

£37.64 left for the week.

I've sorted today's tea, we're having sausage and mash and gravy, think i might make it toad in the hole, and i'm doing enought mash to then use the remainder tomorrow with some fried onion and sweetcorn to make potato cakes, we'll have them with baked beans and something out of the freezer like burgers or vegi fingers or something. So i need a plan for the rest of the week. I'm off out tomorrow night on the works xmas do, i'm driving so won't be drinking and have offered a few of the girls a lift, they have said they'll get me a drink in return so shouldn't be too expensive.

ecoelle

Had a really nice night out with work. Only cost me £2 and a won a box of chocolates on the bingo:)

Spends
Wilkos-£1.10
Farmfoods-£10.50
Co-op-£2.64
Total - £14.24

Total left
£23.40

Off to Aldo tomorrow and also to do some special food shopping, but this is coming out of the £40 i have saved seperatley for special occasions

horsechestnut

Was the £2 for Bingo out of your entertainment budget or was it out of Housekeeping? If so write it down, because that is how money gets "lost" and you don't know where you have spent it!
Tesco have got Mary Berry Christmas Cake kits for £3 or Christmas Cupcake version for £2.50, if there is a store near you and you like Christmas cake. You need to add Butter (or margarine) and 4 medium eggs, it also mentions orange & lemon but you can omit these; I just added lemon juice as that is what I had in the cupboard. It makes a good sized 8 inch cake. Got 2 yesterday and made them last night; one for me and one for my daughter.
Hope that is of some help.

ecoelle

Well, hmm, yes...ok, so the budget went a bit out of the window over Christmas and now i feel a bit disheartened. I have been to the library though and taken out some books on thrifty living, and money know how. Not entirely sure that the attempt to save 400 a month is going to be possible. In fact i think it's no where near possible:(

Between now an May i will now be earning £501 a month, due to being on SMP, and hubby will be getting around 1100, so a total of 1600. Just added up our monthly spends and on average it's coming out at £1586.54. This includes everything though, so if we stick to budget from now til May we should come out about even as to where we are at the moment. Then when i go back to work i will still be earning about what i'm getting now as i'm only going back part time. So this will be our long term earnings from now on basically, until baby is entitled to free nursery care, when i will be able to do more hours.

Not sure where to go from here. I think we need to seriously look at where we can save money, but i really don't know how we are going to do that.

*goes off for a cuppa*