Two Pennies Left

Fortune_Smiles · 16 March 2014 at 7:33PM

I am loving the new (to me) version of Micr0$0ft M0n£y :T The budget facility is much more versatile than the one I'm used to. Much fun has been had putting in all my planned regular and irregular payments and seeing how the actual spend compares.

This month my budget tells me I have overspent on lilies:

Across-the-Lane-Neighbour has a special birthday this month so we have put some money towards getting her a lovely prezzie
a deposit needed to be paid on a Ball we're going to in June
went out yesterday for a meal with friends which was covered by this week's entertainment budget, but...
went out again today for a special Sunday lunch with friends to celebrate Mr F's new job

I have saved a bit on the fuel and food budgets but I think we will be staying in next weekend. If the weather stays this glorious perhaps a walk in the countryside and a picnic will suffice. I've admin work to do this week so that will help to redress the balance.

I'm still not sure how Mr F's pay is going to work out this month so I need to be a bit careful about spending.

I hope you've all had a fabulous weekend. Doesn't the sunshine make a difference. We walked to the pub and back today which is about an hour each way. It was lovely to see all the spring hedgerow flowers making an appearance - snowdrops, daffodils, lesser celandine, wood anemone.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles · 17 March 2014 at 9:11PM

Mr F's first day in the new job today. He had to go to Head Office so I dropped him off at the station this morning. All has gone well and he has been provided with all the tools of the trade. He'll have a hire car for the first few weeks, then a leaver's car for a couple of months until the end of it's lease, then he can choose his own car. HMR&C are never going to cope with that - 3 cars in one tax year :eek:

What's really handy is he is getting a printer. Ours has stopped working

And it's only 18 months old

We've been hanging on before replacing it in case he got one with the new job

I managed to shave about £40 off the food budget this week with Mr F being away :T So I've redeemed some of the overspend on entertainment.

Lots of admin work has been completed today. But... I am getting really bored with it now. It's only a few hours a week but the content of the job is getting increasingly complex and bureaucratic. I'm not enjoying it at all. It's nice to have the extra money - I don't put it into the budget so it's like getting a little bonus every once in a while. And I've exhausted my personal savings on the new laptop so I could do with replenishing that. But it's so dull, dull, dull, dull. I'm going to stick with it until Mr F has settled in to the new job (unless I lose the will to live). Having said all that, having Mr F at home more might mean I need the excuse to get out of the house :rotfl:

Happy Monday all

Fortune x

Getmeoutofdebt · 17 March 2014 at 9:53PM

Hi Fortune,

Glad Mr F's first day went well. He must be pleased. I find it always takes a little while to settle in and feel comfortable , to know what you are supposed do be doing and how to do it etc. It can be a bit nerve-wracking until you settle in so it's always good if it goes well to begin with.

Hope the boredom of the work you have been doing wears off soon! There's nothing worse than being bored in your work. I am really quiet at work at the moment and we spend most of the day sat in the office moaning that it is like groundhog day! Every day identical to the last. I certainly know what you mean about it being dull! But thats the price we have to pay sometimes to get our pay packet! It's the pay packet that makes it all worthwhile! :T

Gmood xx

rtandon27 · 17 March 2014 at 10:30PM

Happy First Day at the new job Mr F!

Good News on the printer Fortune!

Karmacat · 18 March 2014 at 10:01AM

Yep, definitely good on the printer, the T&C of the new job for Mr F sound good - sorry you're bored though, Fortune, thats never nice

it sounds like its the work itself thats boring, not the lack of it - that makes it extra difficult.

Keep going, though, just until MrF gets his feet under the table, then you can start on the next phase of The Plan

Fortune_Smiles · 18 March 2014 at 8:01PM

... none at all. Having an all-singing, all-dancing, fab budget tool with bells on doesn't seem to be helping me to reign in the lilies

The amount I will be able to save this month is going down by the minute:

met a friend in town today
£9 for parking :eek: There is a new parking system in the car park I use and I didn't read the fees properly or think about how long I'd been in town. If I'd got back to the car just 30 minutes earlier it would only have been £4.50. Kicking myself
friend bought me coffee and I declined a bun :A
picked up my second pair of glasses at last :T
picked up the framed portrait. So pleased with it. I chose a dark blue mount and it has really helped to bring out the colours
friend bought me lunch as an early birthday present Linguine with Chilli & Prawns followed by Bread & Butter Pudding with Ice Cream - nom, nom
bought a new top in Laura A$hl£y - £30 reduced from £60. It's for Across-the-Lane-Neighbour's special birthday party in April. I probably could have found something in my wardrobe that would do though
received a gentle reminder that I owed £201 on a weekend break I've agreed to go on with friends in the Summer :eek:

Thank you all for your sage advice on the admin job. I talked to my friend about it over lunch today and I know I'm really lucky to have such a flexible and convenient job. Up until now I have been using the money to buy things for the house or supplement other budgets. Mr F will be getting an increase in his personal spending as a result of the new job so I'm going to start keeping the admin money for me

It doesn't usually add up to much but, if it's all mine, that should help to keep me motivated and redress the loaves and lilies balance.

Mr F isn't back until Thursday and I'm still full from lunch so will forego supper tonight.

Please feel free to tut and wag fingers freely - it might help to keep me on the straight and narrow

Fortune x