Comfy cushion - a savings diary

atush

Well at least we know how you got into debt lol. Holidays.


But now you save for them (and are treated to them) you'll be OK going forwards.

WantToBeSE

Morning all

Got some overtime last week, and was also refunded some money that i was owed, so my savings have had a boost and i have managed to save £200 now.
Slow and steady wins the race 'eh!

ShootForTheMoon

Good work on the overtime WTBSE!! :T And you're right, slow and steady is the best way!!

That's where most of my savings money comes from too - have had a busy summer in my line of work, so have been trying to make hay while the sun shines!!

Quick update from payday from me:
Managed to put £300 in the ISA as I have done every month since becoming debt free and also put £400 in the holiday pot - which I'm chuffed with!!

Also had a letter this week saying that I was owed £240 from a deposit on a student property from 2007 - that I had completely forgotten about!! :eek: Just goes to show how irresponsible / clueless I was with money!
*hangs head in shame*
Anyway, that cash should be deposited back into my account this week and will boost the holiday savings to £1000 and I'm going to treat myself to some new clothes with the rest for my Birthday!!

Hoping my lucky streak will continue and have another productive month! Already got some overtime under my belt to be paid next month, so finger's crossed!!

Hope everyone is well and savings are mounting up slowly!! xxx

WantToBeSE

Thanks SFTM, every hour counts i guess!
I dont have overtime at all next week, so wont be able to save too much, but the kids are back to school too so our food bill should half!

anoncol

I've found putting all my accounts into GnuCash, a free accounting program, has really helped identify where all my money goes each month. You can make your accounts as complicated or as simple as you like in it too. I started simple, but have been adding more complexity as i've been learning it.

You can do graphs showing a break down of month by month where your expenses are. Very useful.

dreamdreamer

I use a similar program called You Need A Budget. Not free (one off payment I got it on sale because I found it really easy to use) but probably the best £30 I've ever spent, it must have saved me hundreds now!

I'm feeling a bit bleurgh about my savings right now, I've only got 8hrs of overtime booked this month and my schedule is so chocabloc that I can't fit anymore in, I literally don't have a free day before October! I normally do about 40hrs a month so that's gonna be a blow come November.

Add in that the hoover has just packed up and I'm not amused this week! Hopefully OH will be able to fix it, he's good with stuff like that.

I'm trying to mitigate these things as best I can. I've just sold an old mobile for £50, I found 30 euros in a drawer that I'm going to convert back (we're not going to Europe any time in the next 18 months, minimum) and I'm still waiting for £200 cashback from Virgin Media.

WantToBeSE

My savings have taken a beating today, as i had to buy my son a laptop. He is doing a GCSE in Computer Science, and cant do it without a laptop.
However, i went onto eBay on the spur of the moment and won the bid for a great laptop for £106 Should have cost at least £220, so am really pleased with that bargain..

So, savings are back down to £100.

lilian1977

Hello everyone

My DD to First Direct came out today, only managed another £25 (minimum deposit) but up to £50 now so not too bad. Hoping to up this a bit when we get our remortgage sorted but we'll see....

Hope everyone else is doing well x

ShootForTheMoon

Great stuff Lillian!!
I really need to start looking at the First Direct regular saver - am I right in thinking you have to have a current account with them too though??
What do you think of them??

Now I have the hang of "piggy-banking" I think I'm loads more disciplined with money and planning ahead - it could be a good way of maximising my savings.... Hmmm.....

lilian1977

ShootForTheMoon wrote: »

Great stuff Lillian!!
I really need to start looking at the First Direct regular saver - am I right in thinking you have to have a current account with them too though??
What do you think of them??

Now I have the hang of "piggy-banking" I think I'm loads more disciplined with money and planning ahead - it could be a good way of maximising my savings.... Hmmm.....

You do. Not had any problems although the online banking leaves a lot to be desired. Their incentive has been increased to £125 so worth doing even if you switch back after the regular saver period is up.