Budget or bust........again

XSpender

Update on today's planned tasks:

Washing and drying - almost all done, 1 load left
Dog walk - sorry pooch you got neglected today
Make a cake for lunches (coffee as I have run out of cocoa and only have plain choc in) - done
Make my last Christmas cake:Tdone
Buy stamps and post cards - must do tomorrow
Change the beds- nope
Make a shepherds pie with pork mince (first ever attempt with pork) - sausages instead as out at DBIL
Make a start on clearing some of the junk out of the garage and take a trip to the tip (depends on hot rough DH is)DH too hung over to be much use today

My plans went a bit astray as we arranged to visit DBIL and DSIL2B to exchange gifts. I have wrapped some more presents today and had a good tidy up downstairs. DH is working away and late back Mon and Tue and I am away Wed night and late back Thurs and Fri evening we are travelling down to DM for the weekend so I need to wrap the rest of the presents, sort out the stuff we are taking and tidy/clean because on Christmas Eve we are out to lunch so have to do the food shop in the morning first thing.

XSpender

This is going to be one crazy week. It is every year so don't know why I get so stressy and it all needs doing in the week before Christmas:eek: I have just spent an hour and a half wrapping presents and making to or rows lunches. Did a shop tonight some gift bits, some Christmas food and lots of ready meals as DH is now working away until Thursday night and I am away Wednesday and thursday:eek:

The good news is the PPI money went in this morning so I have paid off w0nga early and saved £20 and that is the last one I am ever getting. I want to transfer the £3000 out I a saving but if I put it in my ISA and take it out again I use up that allowance. I will have to put it in one of the very low interest e savings accounts I have until we open the limited access ISA in DH name.

I have 3 Christmas cakes to ice between now and Friday, wrap the stocking fillers and buy a couple of bits for DH to open. So far he has got a marm1te mug set from Mr S in the sale and some m&s aftershave, I will get him some mars bars and a copy I
Of the hobbit and that will dofor him.

I am looking forward to out shopping morni g on Saturday in York.i am desperate for boots and work shoes and work bottoms.

XSpender

Christmas has been and gone and so has a big chunk of the PPI money. A little bit more than I wanted but we all have clothes to last us well into the warmer weather and DH has had his birthday present now instead of Feb. I will be able to transfer £2300 to the ISA and I am planning to make another £200 to add to this by the end of Jan. Not sure how but there is a garage full of the junk that was in the loft that really needs shifting.

I already have 3 bin liners of clothes for the money per kilo fella down at the local shopping centre. I am going to sort out the airing cupboard too as it is full of old bedding that won't get used and it should weigh more than clothes so I will hopefully get a bit more money for it. I am hoping to raise £30-£50 this way.

I have decided to simplyfy my goals for 2013 and then set monthly goals to achieve them, breaking it down into bite size chuncks should keep me motivated.

Here goes:

Goals for 2013

1. Settle the secured loan in full by 11.12.13
2. Complete the 3 qualifications I am currently undertaking through college/work
3. Start running again
4. Eat more fruit and veg. With my health condition I should be eating 8-9 day not 2-3!
5. Clear the HP and bring the Electric/Gas up to date, £209 and about £300 respectively
6. Do not use W0nga or go overdrawn (i dont have an overdraft facility). I have savings for emergencies now:)
7. Spend qualilty time as a family every week:kisses:
8. Cut unecessary spending through better planning of gifts, making and sticking to a budget and avoiding waste
9. Maintain then reduce the food budget aiming for £350/month by the end of the year
10. Something else that is bound to come up in the year;)

Goals for Jan 2013

1. Save £2500 in to an ISA. PPI money and to make/save another £200
2. 12 NSDS
3. Exercise 14 times this month. I am going to start a 5k running programme which starts with run/walk as I damaged my back running a marathon and need to take it easy. I get free gym membership through work so will be doing some cross training and treadmill sessions there.
4. Take lunch to work 20 out of 22 working days
5. Achieve £400 food budget. My food budget month for Jan works on child benefit payments so this months will end on 13th Jan. I need to do a bit of work to make sure I stay within budget but there is lots of food and drink left over from Christmas.
6. All outstanding assignments to be completed by agreed submission dates. I have 5 pieces of work to hand in:eek: with the earliest due 9th Jan and the latest 22nd Jan.
7. Family times. Plan 5 occassions when we spend quality time together this month to include painting and modelling, playing in the park, bike riding and walking, a birthday party at an activity centre and swimming. I may set a budget for play activities for DS as I think sometimes the cost puts me off.
8. Persuade DH to cancel Skye movies and sport
9. Look into cancelling NHS annual scrip card as it is not working for me

I am still unsure when I start my new job. A colleague has told me the pay rise works out about £50 extra/month which will just get saved. DH thinks his branch move and promotion should happen 7th Jan but he has not has a definate date and no indication of what his package will be. I am working out my 2013 budget based on our current earnings as most of DH rise will get banked towards paying off the loan.

DH needs new glasses urgently as he is well over due an eye test and I have dental treatment due in Jan. I just don't want to use anymore of the PPI money so may put off my teeth until later in the year. I have managed without the crown for most of this year so I don't think another few months will make that much difference.

XSpender

The PPI money is getting nibbled away at as we bought new pillows and a duvet yesterday from £stretchers and a lamp shade form N3xt. We have had the same one the previous owners left 6.5 yeas ago, bought a £12 orange one last month to match our new decor and we all look like we have been tango'd. This is a neutral shade instead.

I did buy a pair of trousers from N3xt but they are the same as a pair I bought last week but had been reduced from £55 to £25 (when I bought them) and now to £16. The other pair will be going back to be swapped for something else. I have a budget for new work clothes as mine are getting very scruffy and I need to preset a better image in my new role.

It looks like we will be putting £2000 in the ISA and anything left over wil be going in to the easy access saver. The 'good' news is that the £50 I allocated for tonights meal will be going in to the ISA too as it has been cancelled due to the restaurant messing up the time of our table. We are having a meal at home instead ad I have everthing in except a bottle of red for DH and a bag of salad.

I have been practicing my Jan goals this week and have taken lunch to work Friday and today. I have had breakfast at work today but our toaster has broken so that is my excuse;)

I am accepting an ivitation to a party for DS this week although it is a boy from his nursery class who I don't know so I won't know anyone there but he shouldn't not go because of that. DH has a hair appoitment so cannot come with me. We all had a big pillow fight yesterday....does that count as family time LOL?:)

I have found 4 gifts that can be regifted during the year and got DS PJs for next christmas half price in the sale. We don't buy for many outside our immediate family so don't feel the need to buy loads of sale items for gifts.

DS did get one toy I wish he hadn't opened as I can't see him playing with it TBH. It would have made a good party gift:o

I was going to joint the NSK Jan challenge but I feel it is a bit had core for me and I have been a bit put off by th argey barg going on between that thread and the NSD thread. I will just watch both from the sides or this month.

I am so looking forward to getting home and transferring the savings into the ISA and easy saver to start my goal of paying off the secured loan. I might have to do it at work this afternoon if I can't resist the temptation:D

XSpender

I was hoping for a NSD today to start me off on my jan goals but spent 50p putting air in my nearly flat tyre:mad:

We took the dog for a walk/DS for a ride on his new balance bike so I am ticking the exercise box today:)

Only managed to transfer £2050 into my ISA as I want to leave a bit of a buffer in the CA this month. Only another £15.5k to go until the secureds cleared;)

I spent my NYE reading my new-to-me copy of the Tightwad Gazette. My god that woman is a bit extreme but it is good entertainment and I found some of her articles about attitudes to money interesting.

All food was eaten at home and nothing was thrown away. We even managed to eat a whole bag of salad over the last 2 days when usually the last 20% goes slimy and has to be chucked.

Small steps to start us off

I decided in the end to join the NSD challenge and have signed up for 12 NSDs.

I need 3 birthday cards over the next 2 weeks, 2 from us and one from DS. He got paints for Christmas so I will get him to make one for grandad instead of buying one. I have one in that will do for my sister so just have to by one. Why I haven't thought of getting DS to make cards before I don't know.

Off to bed as I have a late shift tomorrow.

XSpender

Not achieved a NSD again today. DH decided to upgrade his phone :eek: so I spent the 10p on a cup of tea at work that I had been avoiding spending all day.:rotfl: also spent £10 on groceries off the shopping list. I am putting together a list for the weekend on mysupermarket to last us until the end of my GC month which ends on 13/1. I appear to be doing pretty well on the food budget this month which is good as anything left is going in the pot to feed The Beast (otherwise known as the Secured loan);)

No exercise or quality family time tonight as DS was asleep by the time I got in from work at half 8. We are trying a different routine with DS bedtimes as he isn't going to sleep until later than I think he should be. DH did bedtime tonight and it worked much better.

DH got quite a good deal on his phone and has already started to sort out some stuff to eBay this weekend to cover the cost of the new hone down payment and I am finally going to put DS coats on too.

XSpender

Still no NSD but I am really thinking about my spends (when DH is not in tow;)) and have spent much less at work on food and drink and have only overspent a little on the food shop but on some bits that will get used. I am still well under my food budget.:)

DS had his hair cut today at the hairdresser DH goes to and she has done a lovey job and at £8 it is only £2 More than the barbers that DMIL was taking him to that butchered it last month:eek:

I have drawn up an A4 sheet so I can tick off my Jan targets and so far I have achieved:

5 out of 5 breakfasts at home not work::D
4 out of 5 lunches taken to work and I only bought a plain jacket pot at 75p and took my own filling.
Family time x 2 so far this week including a planned walk with friends tomorrow
Exercise x 2 including walk tomorrow

Gave the house a real good sort out and clean today so only need to finish the washing, the ironing and clean the kitchen and bathroom and we are all clean and tidy. Sounds loads when i list it lime that:rotfl:

We are planning to spend some time sorting the garage out tomorrow as it still contains the contents of our loft from when we had the insulation fitted. A couple of trips to the tip, a nice pile for eBay and a few bags for the cash per kilo fella and I will be happy.:D. We are meeting friends for a walk/kids on bikes/dog walk first thing so will tackle the garage after that.

DH also wants to buy some bulbs and a strip Light to fix the light in the garage, the garden security light and the oven also needs a bulb. Funny how things always come in threes;)

Had a letter from barclayl0an today saying thanks for your complaint but you don't have PPI on the secured loan. !!!!!! I know that, we didn't complain about the secured its DH unsecured loans we sent the form off about. I am so annoyed I feel like they are just fobbing us off. DH has only ever had 2 addresses, it can't be that hard to check his deatails:mad: DH is going to send them the info request that costs a £10 just so we can find out once and for all.

DH says he doesn't want to cancel sky movies even though once again there is bu&&er all on.:mad:

I have a start date for my new job but DH start date could be Monday or may be not. They haven't mentioned his new package either.

Took some curtains and a chair pad to the upholster today. I know it is more cost effective to take curtains up yourself but I don't know how and they have been pinned up for at least 6 months so enough is enough. .

XSpender

Had a good sort out of the stuff in the garage that used to be in the loft today and realised that there really isn't anything of any real value left to sell.:(. We sold all our stuff a couple of years ago when we entered into our IVA.

I took loads of old clothes, bedding and curtains to the kilo fella and got £20.97, much less than I thought I would get but it was not earning me anything sitting in the loft and realistically I haven't the time or the inclination to eBay for the small returns I would earn.

We did manage to take 2 big car loads of rubbish to the tip and also have planned to finish clearing the garage out next weekend.

DH has some audio equipment to sell and we have decided to sell our video camera as we don't use it. I also have a couple of larger children's items I am going to sell on a local Facebook page.

I volunteered for 4 hours of overtime on Saturday, on unheard of opportunity in my job:T. That money will be going straight to the pot to feed the beast.

Had a bit of an epiphany today about 'stuff' when I was chucking so much of it away and finally understand how little we really need. My loft is empty, my airing cupboard is empty and my garage will soon be empty. Do I feel deprived? No, not in the slightest. I am with William Morris on this one;)

DH and I also looked at how much DS got for Christmas and how we could have spent so much less on him and not deprived him of anything.

We were in the village we want to move too today with some friends who live there and have agreed that we are going to have a frugal 2 years to allow us to save for the house we want. We are not going to get to the knitting your own yogurt stage as we still want to enjoy our quality of life with a couple of weeks in a caravan each year and some new clothes and family treats but will be cutting back in theses areas and others.

XSpender

I still haven't managed a NSD and it is getting very frustrating:mad: I have spent a grand total of £1.89 today on a cup of tea and 8 rolls of kitchen roll. I am going to try for one on Thursday and a max spend of 30p each on Wednesday:) Friday DH will no doubt want some beers so won't manage one then.

Had breakfast at home today and brought my lunch in so that's 2 more ticks in the box for my mini January challenge:)

That's all from me today as I have noticed I am writing very looooooong boring posts no one would like to read, even me!:rotfl::rotfl:

XSpender

DH branch move finally happened today. It is quite a big promotion and I am really proud of him:kisses3: I am sure there will be a pay rise involved but is has not been discussed with him as yet but he thinks it will be a significant increase on his basic and also that his bonuses will be much bigger.

I still have not managed a NSD as we had a chippy tea and a couple of beers to celebrate.

I have managed to get a lot of my course work done over the last 2 days which has really helped my stress levels. I am back at college tomorrow after the Christmas break and will not be handing in the assignment that is due:o. There is no class the week after and I am away with work the week after so it will be 3 weeks late.:eek: I may try and submit it by email to get it in quicker if I can.

No other money saving news to report today:)