Alchemausterity

Karmacat

I think you might need a spending diary for a month!

No facepunches here, even tho I adore MMM

Alchemilla

I need to get Mr on board I think.

Karmacat

Definitely - spouses seem to take heart once you show them the Demotivator on here

HelenDaveKids

Sadly, I log every penny in a book. Doesn't stop spending but do know where it goes. My grocery budget hasn't been achieved once yet since I created it, on the positive though, at least it gives me something to aim at..

Alchemilla

I have remembered £167 to fix my car and £180 to fix the greenhouse roof. Neither was really frittering.

Alchemilla

Helen what about Dave's spending?

edinburgher

Al, you are rich - Is that after tax?

Alchemilla

Yes. *red faced smiley*

And we don't go out.

edinburgher

Well done both of you, that's like 1.5 Mr & Mrs Es :T

I'm sure you can make your money work harder for you.

pavlovs_dog

Alchemilla wrote: »

I have remembered £167 to fix my car and £180 to fix the greenhouse roof. Neither was really frittering.

I think we're quite similar in that we can live comfortably on our respective salaries, and as such, don't need to watch the pennies. When life gets busy (when ISN'T it busy, in our profession :cool:), it is easy to take your eye off of the ball because we know that things will tick along nicely without us having to do anything about it. It isn't inertia or laziness so much as needing as little extra stress as possible during term time.

I'm finding that a percentage of our free money isn't free after all because it is needed for things that I hadn't actually factored into the budget. But by paying ourselves first, the spare sum is much smaller, and as a result I keep a keener eye on where it is going, because once it has gone, the current account is empty.

Could you set up some DDs to make some of the free money work harder with minimal input from you? Built in OPs/ investments/ savings or whatever is on the radar for you and yours for example. I found running some simple sums very motivating in this regard... a lot of projects I had put on the back burner because 'we can't really afford them' ARE actually within grasp if I were just a bit more organised about it all.

Short term for example...

Moving... sorting out your mortgage and legal fees, stamp duty, removal service etc. By squirrelling money away now, could you soften the blow of a move when you find a buyer and a house?

Are there bits to do around the house that could make it more 'sellable'? Is the financial cost of getting a man in worth it when offset against the cost of your time in DIY?

Whitsun holibobs to recharge your batteries?