Justifiably Unanimous Lockdown Yomp!!!

thriftylass

Hello again, sorry about that rant earlier. Food sorted me

Oh LAGL I keep fingers and toes crossed for the sale and hope you get your dream. We had to abandon our house buy (not the dream house for life but the one we really wanted for now) because our buyer let us wait and wait and then didn't have the money. Luckily by the time we had a new buyer the house we wanted to buy was still there. Hope you're equally lucky.

I think I have to organise my spreadsheets in a new way. I am always surprised how I overspend by so much till I realised bigger purchases like the new aerial I add to my extra spends whereas it should have come out of our joint savings. I logged it as a spend (as I physically spend it) rather than money not saved/taken out of savings. So for next month where we have to hire a skip etc I set up a separate house budget that doesn't count towards my spending. Hopefully that will also help me stay more motivated as I got really deflated early on with a budget balance that should be higher. Should've seen that one earlier. I also got a bit relaxed about keeping/checking/logging food shop receipt. Need to keep them again as I have the numbers in my spreadsheet but the total doesn't make sense, there must have been HH items and nappies etc in those bills.

karmachilovething

I'mmmmm baaaack!

Well OK, I've been back a week, but it's taken a week to catch up with the post! You've all been busy, and I don't want to miss anybody out but

Congratulations on babies and payments made
:T:T:T
Fingers crossed for dream homes
:):):)
And just keep going to you all!
:j:j:j

Howzat for my first cheerleading?!

So holiday was heavenly, we all came back with bigger beliies form all the pastries and pate and wine! And best of all is it's the first holiday in years (I honestly can't remember when, 13 years maybe) that I budgeted for and stuck to that budget! In fact I think the bank account has faired much better with me away! So I think I'm going to start piggy banking in a month or so. I think it could be an effective system for me.

And since I have got back I have had 6 SFDs in a row! :T:T Quite pleased with myself for that.

karmachilovething

Now I want to throw a small dilemma out to the group:

I have a very, very good friend who I used to live with. And while we were living together he was completing his PhD. He finished the PhD and got offered an amazing job in Australia, which he rightly took.

He's back in the UK for a few weeks, for two weddings, a general visit and his graduation. I'm joining him for his celebratory lunch on Friday (with other friends and family) in his college, so all sorts of swanky Oxford-ness!

So far so good (and cheap, I think he's shouting lunch bless him and we just need to cover the wine). But after lunch will be afternoon celebrations and no doubt (eventually) more drinks and clubbing. But I now live out of town so staying out and drinking is not so easy anymore

So my dilemma is this:
1. Park my car at Park and Ride, stop drinking earlier so i can drive home around midnight and not go dancing.
Problems with this: safety of using the Park and Ride at night, there is no safer parking in town that would allow me to park for 12hrs. There's a high rise, but I'd feel less safe there and it'll cost £25 for 12hrs :eek: P&R will cost about £5 for 24hrs
OR
2. Park out of town in residential area (free) and book a night at the youth hostel for £24. This is the safer option but will cost me more, because I'll be paying for hostel and also spending more on the night out (although that's within my control, how much I spend out)

To throw a spanner in the financial problem (!) I'm going on to a hen do on Saturday, which is on the far side of town from me, thus if I stay in town I save 20 miles of petrol - no small figure these days!

I want to do 2 because I know how much it will mean to my friend to have me there, and I won't see him again till next year if not later. But it doesn't feel very MSE!

What do people think?!

lotti379

karmachilovething wrote: »

I want to do 2 because I know how much it will mean to my friend to have me there, and I won't see him again till next year if not later. But it doesn't feel very MSE!

What do people think?!

I am not the one to listen to on this. See note above indicating pending confession time...

However, I would do (2). For the saturday hen do, have you factored in eating on saturday morning? And lunchtime come to that, is it a daytime do? If not then you would end up buying food which could well cost more than your petrol money would have!

I would be quite reluctant to be on my own in an out of town car park at midnight. :eek:

What would the difference in your overall budget be for going with (2) instead of (1)?

karmachilovething

lotti379 wrote: »

However, I would do (2). For the saturday hen do, have you factored in eating on saturday morning? And lunchtime come to that, is it a daytime do? If not then you would end up buying food which could well cost more than your petrol money would have!

I would be quite reluctant to be on my own in an out of town car park at midnight. :eek:

What would the difference in your overall budget be for going with (2) instead of (1)?

Ah I hadn't really thought about food, that would make quite a difference. In theory the hostel provides breakfast, tea and toast, would be fine with me, so . . .

Option 1: £5 for Parking, £5 additional petrol, £10 total
Option 2: £24 hostel, £5 lunch, probably another £30 in drinks and club entry (if I'm honest), so £60 total

That really puts things in perspective . . . :rotfl:

his_missus

karmachilovething wrote: »

So my dilemma is this:
1. Park my car at Park and Ride, stop drinking earlier so i can drive home around midnight and not go dancing.
Problems with this: safety of using the Park and Ride at night, there is no safer parking in town that would allow me to park for 12hrs. There's a high rise, but I'd feel less safe there and it'll cost £25 for 12hrs :eek: P&R will cost about £5 for 24hrs
OR
2. Park out of town in residential area (free) and book a night at the youth hostel for £24. This is the safer option but will cost me more, because I'll be paying for hostel and also spending more on the night out (although that's within my control, how much I spend out)

To throw a spanner in the financial problem (!) I'm going on to a hen do on Saturday, which is on the far side of town from me, thus if I stay in town I save 20 miles of petrol - no small figure these days!

I want to do 2 because I know how much it will mean to my friend to have me there, and I won't see him again till next year if not later. But it doesn't feel very MSE!

What do people think?!

Personally, I would do no.2 and find the extra money from somewhere such as reducing my shopping budget for a few weeks. It's not like you'll be able to go clubbing next month with your friend. Sometimes you have to put your well being (social life in this case) before being MSE BUT make it as MSE as you can, IYSWIM.

Happybeingme

Overdraft is gone!!!

2 more sfd's but am taking DS2 out to dinner tomorrow (he'd like pizza!) as his brother and sister are off to Thorpe Park for the day.

karmachilovething I woud also do no 2.

Good luck LAGL I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

xx

lotti379

karmachilovething wrote: »

Ah I hadn't really thought about food, that would make quite a difference. In theory the hostel provides breakfast, tea and toast, would be fine with me, so . . .

Option 1: £5 for Parking, £5 additional petrol, £10 total
Option 2: £24 hostel, £5 lunch, probably another £30 in drinks and club entry (if I'm honest), so £60 total

That really puts things in perspective . . . :rotfl:

BUT as his missus says, it's not as though you'll be able to go clubbing with your friend next month... however, by having all of our input you can reconcile yourself with how much it will actually cost!

Living_a_good_life

karmachilovething - could you park residential, stay to go out dancing and then get a cab back to your car? - Free parking should cover cab fare and then you can stay out late and get home?

Happy being me - thankyou Hanging on in there here - working my socks of - brilliant distraction, necessary and it pays!

Love LAGL xx

lotti379

Right.

Confession time.

I spent a grand total of £304.66 more than my salary this month.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

£110.04 grocery spends (HOW?! I haven't even been feeding Mr L this month much)

£69.28 Miscellaneous/fritter spends

£126.71 Clothes/clothes maintenance. Some needed stuff (e.g. running shorts and a new bra) and some wanted stuff.

I have paid a bit out for holidays, as we have a family holiday next month.

I haven't been taking this seriously at all.

EDIT - I've started a diary. I'm going to clear my debt, and run a marathon. Yep. Positive Mental Attitude!