2014.......the year to finally start saving!!!

brummiebabe

I've been away a while......have lurked & continued to read, but not posted in a long time! So why now? Well I guess have realised that I need to grow up....start to plan for the future, and most importantly, get out & stay out of debt!! I do have debt....but it'll be gone by the end of February....as long as there are no 'unexpected' surprises:eek:

Have realised I need targets, something to aim for....how do you know where you're heading if you don't know what you're hoping to achieve? So......

Then I have a few goals.....

1) Save £1000 in an emergency fund by the 31st December 2014
2) Save to decorate & refurnish my lounge....I'm guessing I'll need around £2500 if I choose to replace the suite, or £1200 if we keep our current suite....This is a pure guess....I need to check out some prices.....
3) Stay out of debt
4) Have christmas saved for by the end of November 2013....budget £1300....including food/drink shopping

That all looks pretty scary:eek::eek:. I may need to adjust the targets when I look into prices of furniture, carpets etc.....but I need to start somewhere. To do this, I hope to reduce a lot of unnecessary spending, cut down on grocery shopping and generally, well just spend less!!!:rotfl:

So 2014......bring it on!!

parsniphead

Good luck with your plans brummiebabe. It sounds like this is going to be a good year for you.

brummiebabe

Thanks Parsniphead. Am sitting here thinking about what I can do to help myself achieve my goals.....some ideas I've had...

1) stick with internet shopping.....yes I pay for delivery, but I save more than that by not going & filling my trolley with things I don't need
2) Rejoin the 20p savers club......did that for the first few months of last year & was amazed how quickly it built up.....unfortunately, I dipped into it when I was short of cash....so need to avoid doing that this time!
3) Avoid going to the shops! Sounds daft....but even if I don't buy anything, I generally end up having coffee & cake, then there's the parking charge! If i do go....it needs to come out of my personal spending budget....and if I haven't got it - I can't go!

Also, go to grotty local shopping centre instead where possible.....because you don't really want to stay there any longer than you have to....the parking's cheaper, and there are no nice little coffee shops:rotfl:

4). Take lunch to work.....I have been doing this but am so bored of sandwiches.....need to plan other ideas!!

If anyone has any other ideas.....feel free to chip in!!

I also have other things I want to achieve.....things to try and improve my life in other ways.

1) Lose 9lbs.....not much, and I'm not actually overweight, but that will take me to a weight where I feel happier.
2) Try to improve my fitness level.....this needs a lot of thought and work....needs to be something I will actually stick with and enjoy!
3) Spend more time playing games/chilling with my children.....instead of being online!!
4) Drastically reduce my time on Facebook:eek:.....this has become ridiculous.....I could close my account, but there are certain people that I want to stay in touch with, and Facebook is the easiest way to do it.
5) Make more of an effort to see people and spend time with friends and family - this particularly goes for my parents - we've had a 'difficult' year with them....I need to learn to be more tolerant and not to let things get to me - at the end of the day, I don't know how long I've got them for, and I need to let the little things drop!
6) To,think more positively - I'm very much a glass is half empty person - I'd like to work on this,

Wow....that's quite a lot, and I think there's a lot more.......probably need to get it all down and put into categories, so I can keep track and see where I'm at!!

So today is a day to try and get the house straight (ish) before the dreaded return to work and school next week! Bring on the ironing mountain!:eek:

brummiebabe

DH just left to go back to work:(. I'm not back until Tuesday, but am dreading it......getting far too used to relaxing, chilled days with no stress;)

Food shopping ordered.....would come in around £85 when discounts are applied (fingers crossed.). I have been regularly spending over £100 per week, so at least that's a slight improvement.

Today, however, will not be a very MSE day....we're meeting up with friends visiting from overseas.....and we're eating out:eek:However, we only see them once a year, if that, so I'm not going to worry about it, and am looking forward to catching up with them, Having said that, I still kind of feel full after Christmas, so only intend to gave one course! Whether I'll be able to resist the dessert menu is another matter...:D

brummiebabe

Had a lovely day catching up with our friends.....and they treated us to the meal:j so apart from a couple of small spends over the last few days I'm not doing too badly...

What I am dreading is going back to work.....mornings have been very lazy & I've been quite unproductive compared to usual.....so getting up and out for 8.30, with kids sorted for school, is going to be quite a challenge!! On the positive, I spend less when at work, and I think the routine will make me feel less tired.

Weighed myself this morning....need to lose 4lbs to get to my pre-Christmas weight, and around 9lbs to get to roughly where I want to be. Am considering re-starting a home exercise DVD.....I can't afford to go to classes and it's too cold to start running again, so exercise in my own home seems the best option. Just need to figure out when I can do it, and commit to it!!!

The next few days should be low spend days....plan on spending £5 today as my friend is cutting DS1's hair,, tomorrow I need to post some cards....but that should be about it! I intend to try & get my house straight, ironing done, before the big rush on Tuesday!!

Have checked my online banking, am £20 short currently in bills account, but by the time my child benefit goes in next week, I should avoid going overdrawn! We have £80 'spending money' left until the end of January, and £220 for petrol......fingers crossed, we may actually hit February without going overdrawn!:D

brummiebabe

Last day before I go back to work.....made myself get up and organised by 9.30am, that's got to be the earliest in the last 2 weeks!!:j

So far today, I've done 2 loads of washing, eaten healthily & done a fitness DvD......it nearly killed me.....but I've done it!

I was most disgusted with myself this morning when I weighed in as I've almost hit a weight that I've never been (apart from when I was pregnant ) so that kind of spurred me on to do the DVD....

Spends wise, I need to post 2 cards, but that's it! Going off to the post office shortly with DS2 & DD, DS1 has gone back to school today (much to his disgust!!):rotfl: Then I shall go and visit my parents, trying to avoid eating christmas chocolate and shortbreads.....

Am thinking about trying to keep a fitness/eating diary....am hoping it might motivate me!:)