*** This is Sparta ***

NinjaSavingKat

Buffy - why are you saving that much money ( £230 ) if you have so much debt left to go? How much do you have in savings..?

Just clarify for me - you have £460 left in the month after paying money towards what you want to pay towards..? Or altogether before payments are made - sorry I am a bit slow at this time of the night/morning..

Which has the highest interest loan or CC...? Questions questions questions (sorry).. but it's never too late - you are in and you are numbered. We are all here to help.

I think money needs to go to the debts first - fine tuck away £50 for emergencues but £230 is way to much unless you are saving to pay off car insurance in one hit as I am...?

You don't need £460 for the rest of the month do you really... what are you £30 a week spends on..?

Sorry for being a nosey mare but I think you have enough income etc to get rid of all of this within the year.. however only you know what you can and can't dooo. I am just pitching ideas.. it's all up to you!!

Buffythedebtslayer

Had I stayed in my job I aimed to pay it off by the end of the year. However now I have quit I need a cushion of some sort. The 230 is money for the dogs - vets/insurance and an emergency fund for possible unemployment.

And yeah it is 460 after everything is paid out - all payments gone by the 3rd.

I have Money set aside to buy a car (a cheap old car) if mine gives up the ghost. I would not manage to get to work without a car so for me it is essential and mine is close to retirement Honestly this is going to sound nuts but I essentially have the loan money in a savings account ready to pay for everything.

I took the loan out to cover my MA costs, a new car, work on the house and my op. Have paid the MA costs. the house costs go in July. Then last month I moved the majority of the loan on a 0% (I finally got an offer - 3 actually all at once!!)

The loan will be gone by the end of July (@500 a month plus the extra 27 or so quid) The CC is 0% till May 2014.

I have some sealed pot money I can count up to make up my daily payments on the CC and I will just have to cut back a lot.

Which is ok as I have a lot of work to do this month so will have to limit going out. I shall put the 460 in my spending account and try not to spend it!

xxx

I think I really spend without thinking. too sleepy now.

Mr.Cobes

Mr Cobes - .. Am glad you are giving the wine a break though - see we are great for your health too..... What did the family say when you explained what you are up too??.

Wine becoming ( became ) a habit..but because I am a ' I can ..I will person' and I found out I wanted another car...not need ..just want, that this post also came along just at the right time T Y.. As well as my austerity and frugality mode had kicked in.
This happened because of a ' special ' in the supermarket of buy 2 for £3 of sauce for Lasagne...I never buy this as I always make my own sauce from Passata ..white sauce from scratch..so better and much cheaper...so I was smarting from the £5.56 it cost me..it will have lasted 3 meals but still too much..

Family not really batted an eyelid, yet, if anyone pops in they are usually fed and watered...but if I am too stay within parameters this month, I will have to be ermmmmmm frugal ..is that the word..sounds better than tight as a etc.

I always have said to my kids, and anyone else who listens, look for the offers etc..argument back but it's only pennies in comparison..yes but they are your pennies !.
As an observation, seriously £50 ..£80,£90 for food shopping ..I am intrigued on some of the posts..I will obviously keep an eye on those posts and see how we compare...I must admit sounds impressive !

As can be seen I was a' joiner' in 2007, but these are my first posts..lurker yep...benefitted from the posts of others yep..directed those that needed too to here..yep...so who knows what I may bring to the table in a while..
New day ..c'mon yeh :T.. Best I can do at 5 30

Mrs_Toast

Good morning everyone, another lovely sunny day here so obviously I'm in a good mood

Here's my budget for June.

Food £120
Petrol £100
Entertainment £80
Planned Spends £68
Unplanned Spends £30

I have kept food the same instead of putting it up by £20 as I know I can do it for £30 a week. I just need to keep to the meal plan and use what's in the fridge/freezer first. Petrol has gone up this month but I wasn't budgeting it properly and we have 2 large car trips this month.

Yesterday as I said was a big spend day. Spent £100 on parts for DH's bike but that has come out of savings. £23 on groceries and shouldn't need anything else until next weekend. We spent £17.10 on our outing and we had a lovely day and this came out of our leisure budget. Today DH is taking DS to archery and I can get on with some baking and housework. Hopefully this afternoon DH can start on DS's new wardrobe as it needs sanding ready for painting.

Kat, you'll be pleased to know I have growth in my propagator :j I have sewn runner beans, tomatoes and pumpkins so hopefully we will get something. DS is so excited about the runner beans :rotfl:

wannabee_in_credit

Morning all,
Spend day for me today. Car needs it's gold and we need some groceries. We'll be shopping at Sainsburys as I still have one £9 off £60 voucher to use, and I'll get bonus points for using all 6 vouchers.
Is it really sad of me that the kids have a calculator each to total up the cost of the shopping as we go round? People must think I'm insane, but no harm in educating them about the cost of living.
Then, as it's back to work tomorrow, I can't really ignore my marking pile any longer. Ah well - I can mark in the garden if the weather holds.

Emzilla

Morning

Wannabee_in_credit - I don't think that's sad at all. I think that's a great idea to get your kids involved with the money saving and hopefully they will stick with that when they are older.

Today should be another SFD for me. I've got some more work to do and am going round to my mum's for my Sunday lunch .

I hope you all have a great day and that the sun is shining for you.

Emz xx

krustylouise

I don't think it's sad either wannabe_in_credit. My daughters 5 nearly 6 and I love ways of not only keeping her entertained, but teaching her the value of money and also help her with her maths. Great idea :-D

nearlytherenow

My first day yesterday was a NSD woo hoo! Will be spending today though but will be low as sticking to my £10 daily budget. Will report spends later have a good day everyone looks like the sun is out!

Moneymash

wannabe_in_credit, I have no children so I am the one with the calculator. However, I keep losing track of the total or what I've entered on to the calculator and have to keep starting again by separating items in my trolley. When I get to the till I am always over. Maybe I should borrow someone else's children to do it for me.

So yesterday was a SFD for me, easy as my big shop was only on Friday, my next spend day will be next Saturday, so fingers crossed for 7 SFD's in a row.

To stay on track with my food budget (and make this shop last two weeks) I have to eat sensibly and not for example eat all chocolate and ice-cream bought in the first two days, then go for a top-up-shop for more chocolate and ice-cream. I am rationing myself across all my food shopping, but it's making me scared to eat anything.

Yesterday I ate the remaining half pack of chocolate eclairs for breakfast, then two bowls of Frosties for lunch. I have decided that Frosties on special offer, compared to Crunchy Nut cornflakes on special offer I don't much like, because Frosties have a fine grainy texture. However when I compare Frosties on special offer to Tesco Value cornflakes that I add honey and raisins to, I love Frosties, I don't think I can drop a brand on cereal, but I will only get them on special offer.

I was going to have yellow sticker vegetable pakoras 89p for 6 for an even later lunch, but didn't I had a nap instead ( I work nights). I then woke up and didn't have time to have the pakoras for dinner before work. I took the pakoras to work, heated them in the microwave and ate 3 of them on my first medication round. I wasn't able to return to them until 2am this morning, I ate them cold, they filled me up and therefore I didn't eat the packed lunch I took to work. Now normally I would eat anything left over from work in the morning but I haven't I am saving that packed lunch for tonight.

If you are still reading this I am not fat and all the food talk is because all I am doing at the moment is working, sleeping and eating, or not it would seem... Actually I am living on the edge... finishing off the pakoras at 2am this morning meant I ate them two days after their best before.

CrazyCatLady1_3

Good Morning everyone

Hoping for more positive June, as May wasn't the best, although i did have £3.77 left from food budget by the end. 1st SFD y'day but will have to get shopping today, my sad wee fridge has 4 mushrooms, a tomato and half a carton soya milk left in it. Wannabe-in-credit, i think thats a great idea giving the kids a calculator. Abundant - glad you're back.