Cleggie's frugaltastic journey to financial freedom!!

cleggie

Afternoon all.
I am off to the SM in a bit to get the weeks shopping. I wont be bale to do i t tomorrow as i am planning on shutting myself at home all day and writing more of my dissertation, and i cant do it on Friday because i have dissertation meetings a day. I cant do it on Saturday, as we are off out to the zoo, and Sunday i never do it as i am busy getting me and the kids ready for the week ahead at uni and school.

So whatever i spend on food today will go down as next weeks (week 2) budget.
So, this week i was within my £60 limit
As long as i can do that every week, which i think i can, things should be fine!!

I have everything i need for meals and lunches, i just need snack stuff, eggs, milk and fruit. Hoping not to spend more than £40 this week.

PennyGrabber

Well done MunniMuncha for following that up - it's amazing how they think we're ok to be fobbed off about stuff like that. I mean, how hard would it be for them to employ someone extra to do that for them?!

Cleggie - well done on keeping on the right side of this week's budget. I'm floundering this month as I didn't get the cash out, due to the machine not working at, you guessed it, te£co!! Sounds like you've got a good day planned for Saturday, hope the weather holds out for you. Make sure you pack lots of food and drink so it can be a ms trip!!!

cleggie

Morning!
Just updated my signature with yesterdays spends. The £39.58 included £4 of Mr M saving stamps, as i normally round it up to the nearest £9 if poss, but not going over the £9 into the next £10 if that makes any sense?
I am saving these up so that either at Xmas or at some point during the year, i will have enough to do a really big shop and stock up on things.

Starting to get a bit worried about my unhealthy bank account. I get my CB this week, so that'll be for the car tax which is due at the end of this month, and i get my CTC on Friday which i shouldnt need to touch as i have done my food shopping for the week already.

I am also considering opening a natwest e-savings account and then putting any 'spare' money in there. Bu 'spare' i mean the change left from my grocery shop at the end of every week, and bits like that. It wont be very much, but it'll all help!
I already have my ISA that i transfer my CB into every month, and that pays for Xmas, car maintainance, car tax and MOT and birthdays throughout the year, as well as kids clothes shopping in the Jan sales.

cleggie

Hi!
I spent £8.76 in Mr T last night, i fancied a bottle of wine and got the kids some sweets.
Will add to my signature in a minute.

I am thinking about doing the 7 day Fiscal Fast (FF) this week. I think i will start off slowly though-2 days this week, 3 days next week etc.

I have received my chid benefit today, which will be left alone until i get my car tax reminder.

You all would have been proud of me yesterday!! Me and my friend went into Matalan, 2 different tescos, and all i spent was £10 on 6 bowls. My friend said that she doesnt know how i go into shops and not spend any money!!

Am panning on going for a nice walk this afternoon, as i found a lovely wood yesterday, near where we live. Its about 3 miles and its beside a river, its really beautiful!!

Today i will:
Check OLB
Avoid SMs

Have a good day everyone!!

cleggie

Thinking about posting a new SOA on the DFW board to see if there is any advice people can give me in regards to spending less/saving money etc, but i have forgotten how to do it!?!

rising_from_the_ashes

Cleggie, the SOA is here http://www.makesenseofcards.com/soacalc.html

Choose the MSE option at the bottom when you've completed it and then copy & past the text into a thread..... HTH

PS, you're doing brilliantly with your spends from your sig ... well done - the weekly budget seems to be helping a lot!

cleggie

Thanks Rising.
before i redo my SOA on here, i am going to do a written version of it and then try and work out where else i can save money. I am a bit nervous about doing it, as i am pretty sure that i have more coming in that going out. I cant use the excuse that i dont know where it all goes to:

-Lunch at uni (have started using sandwiches now, so should see an improvement)
-Not budgeting for petrol expenses. I use about £30 a week but never include it in any workings out.

I think that as well as the GC being weekly for me, i should also write down my weekly outgoings. I think that i can easily get my shopping bill down to £50 a week now that i am doing it weekly (i wonder why it makes such a difference from doing it monthy??), which means that £10 a week i can use to put petrol in the car.

I think that the biggest difference that i have made, is saving my CB every month, which will pay for xmas, car stuff and birthdays etc.

cleggie

OH
MY
GOD
!!!!

OK, so i have blown this weeks shopping budget:shocked: :whistle: BUT i have just managed to get the bargains of the century in Mr T!!
I got:
a grey pinstripe dress, reduced from £18.50, down to £2
2x long sleeve jumpers, reduced from £14 each, down to £1 each!:D:money::j:rotfl:
So, £4 in total for a dress and 2 tops!!

I am extra excited as i have been looking for a pinstripe dress for ages!!!

Including the clothes, i spent £23.60 :eek:. But i am still trying to think of this week as a reasonable success as its still loads less than i originally would have spent!

I got the shock of my life when i thought about putting petro in the car to get to uni next week £1.39 a litre!!!! OMG! I didnt bother at that price, although it wont go any cheaper for the time being, i know.

rising_from_the_ashes

cleggie wrote: »

a grey pinstripe dress, reduced from £18.50, down to £2
2x long sleeve jumpers, reduced from £14 each, down to £1 each!:D:money::j:rotfl:
So, £4 in total for a dress and 2 tops!!

I am extra excited as i have been looking for a pinstripe dress for ages!!!

Including the clothes, i spent £23.60 :eek:. But i am still trying to think of this week as a reasonable success as its still loads less than i originally would have spent!

I got the shock of my life when i thought about putting petro in the car to get to uni next week £1.39 a litre!!!! OMG! I didnt bother at that price, although it wont go any cheaper for the time being, i know.

Ahhh but that's only £19.60 on groceries and way less that you would've spent before:T - a bit envious of the clothes buys nearest Mr T to me that sells clothes is around 24 miles away and with the cost of fuel as you've mentioned ......just not worth a trip on the chance there's something I like & is well priced (and they actually have it in my size:eek:)


You made me think of the cost of filling my car .... it's got a teeny fuel tank (35 litres) and when I got it, it would've cost £35 to fill - that's now jumped up to £48.65:eek:.

:eek::eek:my old car had a 60 L tank and I went through one a week .... OMG that's £83.40:eek::eek::eek: I really feel for people that have no option but to use loads to get to/from work.

cleggie

Before i moved here, i very rarelt went to a Mr T, as my closest SMs were Mr M and @sd@, and i used to get jealous when i came on here and heard the bargains others got.
Now i have moved to a rural town, we have a massive Mr T less than 5 mins walk away anf the bargain you can get are amazing!!

I have a fiat punto, 1.2, and it costs me about £40 to fill, ut it used to cost me about £28 when i had a 1.2 Clio!! Itrs so so expensive, but being that i live in a small rural town (its hardy a town, its more like a village!), with a rubbish public transport system, i have no choice but to use my car to get anywhere, especially into uni 3 days a week.