Diary of a home owner wannabe (my 6 year journey)

pennyforthepot

Popped down the pub with DH whilst the kids made roast dinner for me - the perfect Mothers Day gift. I didn't want any pressies and I think they have learned a lot about the effort it takes just to cook Sunday roast. We almost had fish stock gravy and they now know that to cook Yorkshire puds they need to heat the oil first :rotfl: - I love my kids

pennyforthepot

OUTGOINGS: MARCH

£0.00-council tax
£132 -mobile phones x 5
£38-internet and landline
£107-gas
£76 -electric
£43-water
£192-car loan
£6.50-Red Cross d/d
£490 -food
£50.00-fuel
£0.00-car maintenance
£529 -kids costs
£163 -entertainment
£0.00-house
£0.00-holiday
£202-birthdays
£0.00-christmas
£269 -contingency
£25-miscellaneous

£2324-TOTAL

46% - savings to income ratio

I have added kids allowance into kids costs which is why it is higher than Feb outgoings.
Contingency is high because of new laptop screen and glasses.
entertainment is over budget because of additional money spent going out for DH birthday.
Have managed to just about keep gas and electric within the dd amount but I need to reduce this for the next 6 months to pay off what I owe. I think I may have to relent to increasing my gas DD.
Food is high because of bulk purchasing which is carried over to future months.

£300 higher spend than Feb but this is mainly due to bulk buying and contingency spend - not a bad month all in all.

PFTP x

pennyforthepot

To summarise my income and outgoings for March I am happy to say that I managed to save £2170 this month which is £570 over my target for the month :j Unfortunately I have two very high credit card bills to pay off next month so that will cancel out any additional savings from this month But I am going to ignore that for now and just celebrate my savings for March :beer:

Additional savings came from ISA interest, no council tax and taking out £200 from the company for the directors loan that I am owed.

I also managed to save £50 on my fuel budget - spend of £50 and £33 food underspend - £15 of which is going towards my christmas food shop.

This month I have also done a week of Extreme Frugality where I have learned that I can reduce some of my energy and water costs by just taking tiny steps. As a result of this (and some good weather) my energy usage is just £4 over the d/d.

In April I aim to look at the usage of cleaning products. I think I am quite savvy on this front but I am horrified when I look at all the products I have. I would love to know what percentage of my shop can be allocated to non-food products. So in April I am going to be monitoring my cleaning product usage and in May I hope to look at toiletries and personal hygiene.

PFTP x

Pearla*Merle

Well done on the savings! Looking forward to hearing how next month's shopping goes.

I think I'm going to get back into tracking things more closely as well (especially food shop), it's been a while since I really looked at it, it'll be interesting as we've definitely become more savvy since I last tracked it, but I daresay there's lots of room for improvement.

pennyforthepot

Pearla*Merle wrote: »

Well done on the savings! Looking forward to hearing how next month's shopping goes.

I think I'm going to get back into tracking things more closely as well (especially food shop), it's been a while since I really looked at it, it'll be interesting as we've definitely become more savvy since I last tracked it, but I daresay there's lots of room for improvement.

Thanks Pearla*Merle - In terms of food it has certainly helped that I am able to shop everyday which means I pick up the bargains and we also never have any waste any more as I only buy what I am going to cook that evening. I feel I am on the limit of what I can comfortably spend on food and I think I may look to increasing the budget a little just to buy those little luxuries that make a meal special rather than just edible .In terms of cleaning products and toiletries my interest is not only in the money saving but also the environmental practices - it is so easy to just buy without thinking about what impact we are having on the earth.

PFTP x

edinburgher

I'm finding white vinegar very good as a household cleaner PFTP.

I've read that neat 5% vinegar kills 99.9% of bacteria, probably not as effective when diluted 1:4 with water, but still seems to be a good cleaner for general surface wiping etc. Mrs E also thinks it's fantastic, as it is great for glass and cuts through bathroom grime better than some of the commercial cleaners.

Not bad for 30p a pint or so :money:

pennyforthepot

edinburgher wrote: »

I'm finding white vinegar very good as a household cleaner PFTP.

I've read that neat 5% vinegar kills 99.9% of bacteria, probably not as effective when diluted 1:4 with water, but still seems to be a good cleaner for general surface wiping etc. Mrs E also thinks it's fantastic, as it is great for glass and cuts through bathroom grime better than some of the commercial cleaners.

Not bad for 30p a pint or so :money:

oooh just been wishing you a happy birthday we must have crossed paths. Interesting point on the vinegar front. I tried it once but only had the undistilled brown stuff - lets just say the house smelt like fish and chips for days - also don't think I diluted it

I am going to try it though once I have got through the 3 year's supply of multipurpose cleaner that i stick in a spray gun and dilute :rotfl:

PFTPx

pennyforthepot

Sooo tired today - couldn't get to sleep last night - was very close to getting up at one point.

Where has the sunny weather got to - its meant to be 19 degrees here - lucky if its9.

I was meant to be taking a friend for her first Aldi shop today but she can't make it now.

I have gone through all my cleaning products and was amazed to find 18 different items in there:

DISHWASHER/WASHING UP
dishwasher tablets
dishwasher salt
rinse aid
dishclothes
wu liquid
Sponge/scourer

WASHING
soda crystals
washing powder
washing conditioner
vanish powder
vanish spray

OVEN
brillo pads
oven cleaner

BATHROOM
limescale remover
toilet gel

GENERAL
cream cleaner
general purpose cleaner -(diluted with water)
polish

the vanish spray and powder won't be purchased again. I mix branded and own brand washing powder together with soda crystals for my washing powder and only use a vanish size scoop.I also mix branded and value conditioner together which brings the price down but still gives me the lovely scent. As I have really cut down on the use of the dishwasher the 5 boxes of tablets should last me a good 3 years! May try and go without any more cream cleaner.

Once I've used up the general purpose cleaner I'm going to switch to Edinburgher's suggestion of vinegar and water. May be a couple of year's down the line though

Although I won't be able to track what I am spending on a monthly basis as I've bulk bought a couple of years' worth of stuff I will keep an eye on what I am using which should give me some idea.

Daily food budget £7.30
Fuel save: 16p
Surveys: need a break - my life value has to be more than that :eek:
Had my first 1 unit usage of gas yesterday

PFTP x

pennyforthepot

Really busy day yesterday traipsing the length and breadth of London several times looking for a flat for DSS2 and his friend. A long but successful day as he is now signed up for a lovely 2 bed flat at a really decent price. Job well done.

I had a boost for my savings today as another one of my ISA's has matured so that is an additional £654 to go into the pot. I will be closing it down tomorrow and transferring it into my new Santander 123 account. I have the final two maturing next year when I will need to decide whether to transfer them or close them down.

Not much else to report on the MS front. Kids break up for Easter tomorrow so I will be expecting some fairly hefty spend over the next couple of weeks - and that's just on the extra food I will need to buy :eek:

Daily food spend£7.41

Petrol save April 16p May 1p

Sun is shining I'm off out for a break :cool:

PFTP x

pennyforthepot

Whoops absent again

Been away for a couple of days at my mums - catching up with everyone. Step-Dad is in hospital so I have been keeping her company. DD has been really poorly too. Came back from a school trip to Madrid with a sickness bug so have spent a few days comforting her too. DH away in France on business (aka a jolly) and the kids have broken up for Easter hols.
I popped over to my SIL's (ex) house that she has rented out for 8 years and have been given the task of redecorating over the next few weeks as she is planning to move back in. Not ideal timing during the school hols but once DD is better I will spend a few days over there - its a big job but at least I am being paid for it.

Petrol usage already stands at what I normally spend for the month but I did get £6 off with my Tescos petrol vouchers :money:

I got my annual cashback from my Amex cc the other day - thats £127 into the savings pot :j

Daily food budget £6.16 - need to boost that back up with the kids off but I did make two massive beef and sausage casseroles to take up to my mums on Sunday as Step Dad usually cooks a roast for 16 of us:eek:

Gas usage creeping up again as it's not so warm and with everyone home I am struggling to keep it off during the day.

Having a break from the surveys as I'm finding them mindnumbingly boring at the moment. Must get back into them as i am close to having a couple of pay outs.

Think that's it for now. Will post again when I have a spare moment.

PFTP x