Balancing not just the budget

RosaBernicia

I really want my savings pots back again am paying for Christmas basically out of the overdraft which is bad and scary but will be sorted when I get paid on Monday and Will Not Happen Again.

Have just spent £23 on a Christmas delivery of nice ready meals to a friend who is disabled and skint. Feel a bit bad as it's as much as I'd spend on family, but then again they don't need it as much and I feel I ought to do something that kinda shows I'm grateful for the ability to do it, even if it is via an overdraft facility!

Otherwise my shopping has all been sensible - presents hopefully well chosen and mostly from online, and no unnecessary ones as have decided with friends we'll do something fab together rather then spend the money on things. Wrapping from Wilkos as it was the nicest one I'd seen, cards from Oxfam nearly done.

Haven't really kept the budget thing up to date, partly as I don't know exactly what I'll get paid... but will sort it once I do. Might take the laptop up to the parents' place so can review it over Christmas.


Rosa xx

kerri_gt

RosaBernicia wrote: »

I read somewhere that cinemas make a lot of their profit on the food, rather than tickets, which is why they make stuff so expensive. Seems bonkers to me as I'd rather pay the going rate for a ticket and have decent food.

The class was a body balance type thing that mixed up t'ai chi, yoga, pilates and all sorts - I don't really understand why as I'm not sure it was better than doing one of the systems where everything is tried and test to work together. Anyway I haven't been back and am thinking what I should really do is just download the Couch to 5K stuff and go and run in the park. I have suddenly got the idea that I would like to be able to run, but am a bit terrified of it as don't really know where/ how to start!


Rosa xx

Yep, I read that about the profit too, but the food is so expensive I only buy it as a treat, so they actually make less from me and no doubt plenty who do the same, than if the food was slightly more reasonably priced.

Have a look online for running info, or do you jan a running shop near you? They'd be able to offer you some advise I expect.

RosaBernicia

kerri_gt wrote: »

Yep, I read that about the profit too, but the food is so expensive I only buy it as a treat, so they actually make less from me and no doubt plenty who do the same, than if the food was slightly more reasonably priced.

Have a look online for running info, or do you jan a running shop near you? They'd be able to offer you some advise I expect.

Cinema make nowt from me on food, I sneak my own in :rotfl: 'tis dark so unless they come round and search us with a torch nobody's going to notice, so even I think that's low risk enough!

Running shop might be a plan, there is one nearby, and the Couch to 5K I think starts you literally from the couch . I am having trouble motivating myself to go out in the wet and then to the gym, so if I just ran round the park 2 mins away instead that would at least save time - and of course money :money:


Rosa xx

RosaBernicia

I got my back pay :j:j

It has cleared the OD and I've just knocked £2K off the last high interest CC. :j

That leaves me with about £725 on the high interest CC, plus a few bits of Christmas shopping still to come through. I could clear it now, and still have about £400 above my usual budget, but have decided to think it through and get my accounts straightened up first. I can definitely clear it on January payday anyhow. And it's such a lovely feeling having a buffer in the account I'd kind of like to get used to it.

Then that will leave me with just the low life of balance CC, which after today's payment stands at about £5,780.

:j :j :j


Rosa xx

vasseur

RosaBernicia wrote: »

I got my back pay :j:j

It has cleared the OD and I've just knocked £2K off the last high interest CC. :j

That leaves me with about £725 on the high interest CC, plus a few bits of Christmas shopping still to come through. I could clear it now, and still have about £400 above my usual budget, but have decided to think it through and get my accounts straightened up first. I can definitely clear it on January payday anyhow. And it's such a lovely feeling having a buffer in the account I'd kind of like to get used to it.

Then that will leave me with just the low life of balance CC, which after today's payment stands at about £5,780.



:j :j :j


Rosa xx

That's great and what a fantastic time to come, just before xmas :beer:

Get a book on running from the library - very :money: it will probably advise you to decide your route, walk it out at first, then walk-run-walk-run until you are confident with running the whole route. Get an app for your phone (Map my Run, Strava etc) to track how far you are going and keep you motivated.

Can always ask me for loads of tips! Been running for 5 years now

RosaBernicia

polesalot wrote: »

That's great and what a fantastic time to come, just before xmas :beer:

Get a book on running from the library - very :money: it will probably advise you to decide your route, walk it out at first, then walk-run-walk-run until you are confident with running the whole route. Get an app for your phone (Map my Run, Strava etc) to track how far you are going and keep you motivated.

Can always ask me for loads of tips! Been running for 5 years now

Fantastic plan - thank you, will do that!


Rosa xx

RosaBernicia

Well everything's kinda settling down from Christmas now. I felt carp yesterday, probably a reaction to something or other with gluten in over Christmas, so that wiped out most of the day but I did get to the movies with a friend. Today I've tidied up the little storage shed and caught up on washing and ironing, cooked properly and made a list for Sainsbugs... the flat still looks a complete tip as I've missed two recycling collections in a row and can't bring myself to put all the accumulated extra in landfill. The collection is tomorrow though so then I can clear up and hoover properly. After that I must go round to the storage garage and fetch stuff out as it needs to be clear by next week. I already went through and split it into piles so what doesn't fit in here can just go to charity.

I've also been playing around with the budgeting software I'm trialling, finding my feet with that. It does make sense and I really like that you can put in transactions from your phone, so will see how it goes for the rest of the trial and may buy the full version. Am hoping they'll send me a deal at the end of the trial period

Going in to work tomorrow and probably Tuesday, but thinking of taking the Thurs and Fri off. I've done nowt about prepping for the psychometric tests in 2nd week of Jan so should spend some time on that. Annoyingly, someone else has got the most up to date versions of the practice texts from the library and they aren't due back until after I need them, so am thinking will just get last year's - there won't be enough difference to justify buying a copy.


Rosa xx

kerri_gt

It's quite therapeutic clearing up and getting back to normal after Xmas isn't it? Although remind me I said that come mid-jan :rotfl:

RosaBernicia

kerri_gt wrote: »

It's quite therapeutic clearing up and getting back to normal after Xmas isn't it? Although remind me I said that come mid-jan :rotfl:

Oddly yes... I love putting up all the decs etc, but somehow by the end of Christmas they begin to look cluttered and then I love taking them down again too :rotfl:

RosaBernicia

Sadly the garden looks a complete mess and will look even worse with the little potted Christmas tree added to it. A fence panel (and the post with it) blew down and that's besides having to stack pots up because there isn't a sensible space for them. I'll tidy it a bit when there are a few dry days and I can take greenery round to my friend's recycling bin. (There is a charge here for a garden waste bin and it isn't worth me paying it when I have a very small paved garden.)

I do want to move next year - looking forward to the job situation being clarified. I would like a decent size kitchen, a spare bedroom, a shed, some lovely neighbours, and a cat flap. (Santa, I know it's late but if you are still listening your help would be appreciated!)


Rosa xx