woah... are those MY finances??

stewby

Hey scubaangel, fmess and anyone else who might be reading...


So today was a wee bit of a disaster and I blame being a woman. Typically, I am feeling a bit rotten with tummy cramps, back pain, etc so wasn't thrilled to be leaving my nice warm bed this morning. Didn't help that I was leaving two hot water bottles behind as well.


I went to the bank and changed some "smush" into usable notes... £12 in total and decided that this would be my budget for new look as it was money I didn't really have. So, off into new look I go with my cousin. (we are as bad as each other really, both shopaholics but she still has a fair whack of disposable income, I don't). Found a really nice top in the sale but asked those three questions (thanks fmess) and put it back. I then found long sleeved tops... £4.99 each. I have been looking for these for a few months now as I need them for going to Disneyland in November.
I am going with my mum, auntie and cousin (it gives my mum and auntie a holiday as they can't really go by themselves and it gives my dad a break) and we have bought "disney pressies" for each other in the form of t-shirts. I am a very cold person (I have hot water bottles in summer) so was quite worried about wearing t-shirts in November so decided to buy long sleeved ones to wear underneath.
Four days = four tops so that is what I bought. I then bought a £15 new look voucher as I buy this for my cousin every xmas. It was an unplanned spend at the beginning of the month but my logic kicked in and said: if I buy it now whilst I am in the shop then I won't need to go back in before xmas. No excuse to go back and spend more money.
Wow... that bit is rather long. Sorry.


We went to tescimos and OH spent a fortune on stuff for supper tonight. He had found a recipe for chilli chicken so needed stuff for it. Fresh peppers, fresh ginger, brown nut oil (what the hell is that??) fresh this, fresh that. My grumpiness kicked in a bit due to cost so I made him pay for it himself. Also threw in a couple of things for me (drinking chocolate and chocolate sauce for baking).


So... Tescimos had no decent bargains and no fresh ginger, off to morries we went. I was in charge of buying the stuff here so I went hunting for bargains. I had read on a different section of this forum about 2 for £7 big tins of sweets. It had been saying on here that it was out of stock but apart from minature heroes, ours has everything... so we bought four tins. (one for a xmas pressie) and three to do us for a few months.


Anways, morries spend came to £35 (can't remember exact price but will check for sorting out my signature). However, I did buy several pantry staples like flour and sugar. We also bought some food stuff for the following week. Oh yeah... and 52 dishwasher tablets for £7 (half price) which will last us about six months.


The plan... I want to find a good pizza dough recipe as we bought pizza bases today and they were £1.69 for two!!!! I am sure we can buy flour and yeast for cheaper and make our own. It would also be more fun too.


Anyways, that was my financial day today. A bit of a disaster but I will keep going as I do really want to pay off my debts. Just need to find a way to avoid new look and all other shops...
:think:

scubaangel

Doesn't sound like a distaster to me, sounds like you bought some sensible stuff and did some longer term planning - I've not even started thinking about Christmas yet!

Fmess

Tbh £70 on a bad spend day, is very good! Well done on putting the sale top back

Thanks for the Morrisons tip off! I love those tins and always take some to school in the last week of term. Unfortunately, I've already spent most of my budget so might not be able to afford them atm

I'm so jealous that you are going to Disneyland! I've never been and would love to go.

Hope you've had some pain killers and are feeling a little less rough.

stewby

You will need to make a decision quick and bring a partner in crime or more with you as the deal ends on 13th october.
Also, you are only allowed one deal (two tins) per a customer so OH had to buy the second set.


The cashier said she doesn't understand it and would happily let people buy more but the system won't let them go through. Stupid intelligent system.


Oh... oranges and lemons got in touch with me today (under their new name of EhEh) to offer me a deal as I am a longstanding customer. I am getting high speed fibre optic broadband and my line rental for £30. Genius that I am said woohoo, great. sign me up as I am currently paying £22 a month for BT just for line rental.
So feeling quite pleased with myself, I told my dad... my town doesn't have fibre optic capability. What an eejit i am and i am now in a 12 month contract.
:doh:

scubaangel

You're not the only one who's done that Stewby.

My parents both have houses on the same street, two different broadband providers, one set of cables - cables laid 20 years ago when the properties were built, Dad is paying for fibre optic bb, while Mum on BT hasn't even been offered it. The entirely logical reason being when they phoned BT, we've replaced the cables on the main roads with fibre but your entire estate still has 20 year old cable and we don't know when we'll bother recabling as it would be cost prohibitive to replace the cobbles and colour match the tarmac.

Am currently encouraging Dad to call his bb provider back and reclaim the additional cost.

stewby

So... welcome to Saturday and it is baking day. (once I can get my lazy !!! out of bed).


Today we are making Emma's chocolate biscuits (whoever Emma is, thank you).

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/5870/emma-s-chocolate-biscuits.aspx

And we are making chocolate brownies (without the mint bit).

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/4556/chocolate-mint-brownies.aspx

Both of these I have made before so know the recipe works (no wastage) and they are both delicious.

Whilst shopping yesterday, I bought more flour, sugar and some chocolate sauce so I shouldn't need to go shopping which means another spend free day.


I am also working my way through the kids recipes on the website to see if they have any good cheap suggestions for real food. I wish there was a way to read all the recipes and sort them by newest so that I could find my place when I went back online. Would be so much easier.
:undecided

OH is still driving me crazy about the job situation. Although he did send an e-mail to a company asking if they received his CV.
If you are reading this frenchfancy, he is interested in what you said in your PM... he just doesn't know what to reply other than yes please and is struggling to swallow his pride a bit. (he was hoping that people would be screaming for him and I think his confidence has taken a bit of a knock).
My OH is not a bad person, just very shy and unsure of himself sometimes. He just likes to prove he can do things himself which is daft as I keep trying to tell him that we all need support sometimes.


oh yeah... and a bit of mystery and intrigue. One of my friends on FB has made a couple of comments which makes me think she is doing the october challenge too. She said she wasn't keen to go to a beer festival as it was an unplanned spend... and she has been selling stuff left, right and centre that she doesn't need any more.
I want to ask her about it (in a Private Message obviously) but then if she isn't, I have just told her that I have debt issues.
:undecided

In case there is any doubt, I am still in bed... but I did get up to make two hot water bottles. It might be an afternoon/evening baking session instead.

MatyMoo

You don't need to say you have debt issues, you could be saving for Christmas

scubaangel

I'd ask her, lots of people use MSE for all sorts of different reasons not just debt busting.

As for still being in bed, I've not managed to get up yet longer than it takes to make a brew and some toast.

Fmess

I'm still in my onesie

Was hoping for a SFD but OH has just invited a friend for breakfast tomorrow and we don't have any bread in! I was going shopping tomorrow anyway but can't go before breakfast as it's a Sunday grrrrr

stewby

Just reread the october thread and seen fmess's good news. Congratulations on the weight loss.
:j

I will maybe say that MatyMoo and see what she says... she was someone I met at a festival last year, so I don't know her fantastically well but she is lovely and really nice.


I have now moved from my bed!! to the sofa.


Still haven't baked anything but have found a nice simple recipe for macaroni cheese that only needs me to buy cheddar. Have made a deal with mum and she is going to provide the cheddar in exchange for half of the completed meal (serves six so not an issue). So that means I don't have to spend any money to make it.


I am really glad that someone else is still in bed scubaangel. I was feeling quite guilty.


Seen a recipe for a quick chocolate cake (it's a mug muffin that takes three minutes in the mircrowave). very tempted to make it so that I can have a sweet treat now and then bake later. I am feeling so lazy today, it's unreal.
:eek:

edit: sorry fmess, we cross-posted. what a mean hubby. you should sulk at him... or could you maybe do your shopping today and have tomorrow as a nsd??