Cheery's buttling diary: tea in one hand, plant pot in the other, running shoes on

Karmacat

That's really good! I can relate to popping to a supermarket to buy snacks instead of at the train station. I'm lucky in Liverpool - when I leave the suburban train, in the centre of the city, there's a little local Sainsbo right by the exit I use, which has normal Sainsbo prices, so I buy something in there at a third of the price that the stalls have at the main station it makes me happy!

Cheery_Daff

Indeed train station prices are shocking! :eek:

Right, finally arrived at work so should really crack on. Tea first though!

EssexHebridean

Ha - whenever we get a train from Euston if we want snacks we always dive into the Sainsbugs next door rather than paying station or train prices!

This month is looking like really changing your habits, isn't it - which I take it is the main reason for wanting to do it? I can totally identify with the thing of taking an easy option when food shopping hasn't been done on time, or a day has been longer/more tiring than expected - in fact I bet most of us can!

Cheery_Daff

Yep, I was hoping it would lead to a few changes of habits - mostly back to what I used to do in the old days

Payday on wednesday and that will be money for Feb so I'll have more of an idea about how much I'll be able to allocate to savings :j

Cheery_Daff

Just been to @ldi for the food shopping :j Gosh it was busy! :eek: still I managed to get everything on the list (although had to pop into h0me b@rgains next door for a couple of thigs @ldi didn't have.

Also bought a couple of things not on the list
- carrots 43p (realised the onlyfresh veg i was buying was onions and mushrooms)
- apples 59p (giving Mr Cheery a healthy snack option during the day
- sugar (should have been on the list anyway :rotfl: )

Mr Cheery (holder of food budget) handed over £25 - I spent £25.03 :money:

Uber Frugal January is going well food wise :j I think we've spent roughly £25 a week on food shopping and only milk really as top ups - not bad for the two of us as that includes all meals includig my work lunches :j

Cheery_Daff

Evening chums :hello:

Just popping in briefly to say it's payday :j and after a brief amount of checking and shuffling, it appears we are indeed on track to meet our Uber Frugal January target of putting £1000 into the house savigs pot :eek: :j :j

(I actually typed £10000 there :eek: that would have been some kind of miraculously frugal January :rotfl: :rotfl: )

In fact, it may even be more, as I realised I've been sticking money aside for the water bill but we get 4 months off over the winter. And there are a couple of transactions which haven't come out yet from October - if we reach the end of Jan I'm going to assume I mis-entered them and put back into the pot :j

Of course, this requires the rest of Jan to be as frugal as the first bit... but it's going well so far and we have no specific plans :j This payday's money is allocated for next month (although I often end up topping up this month's budget first - not this time though!) - i've allocated slightly more for feb so we don't have to be quite so frugal but seeing the savings account increase that much is quite motivating! :eek:

I should say as context that we currently have no mortgage/rent costs and I usually aim to save £800 a month but it seems I've only managed anyway near that 5 months in the last year - the rest have been under £500. Still good - but as our new mortgage is likely to be at least £700 a month I need to make sure we can stash at least that from current income! :eek:

Anyway. Will tot it all up properly at the end of the month of course but was quite excited about that today :j

Two weeks til proper totting up time :j :j

Karmacat

Thats good! And yes, essential to know that you can cover the mortgage that you're going to get. It seems like rates are going to stay low for several years yet as well, but no harm in having a bit of leeway

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, that's good news KC :j but yes, always some leeway...

Bit grumpy tonight I think I just haven't eaten *quite* enough Unusual for me :rotfl: but I get like this sometimes when I eat normally but do a bit more exercise - don't always want it at the time but at some point after a few days it builds up and I find myself grumpy and hungry for *something* but I never quite know what it is :rotfl:

Was planning on making a baked snack of some kind to bung in the freezer for over the weekend so might do that now, then I can eat some of it (hopefully not all :eek: :rotfl: ) :j

So, Mr Cheery has gone out for a couple of hours, and I have a vague plan

8.15-8.30: snacks
* get some kind of snack in the oven

8.30-9: house
* hoover upstairs
* hoover downstairs
* quick dust
* empty bins and compost
* wash dishes

9-10: DIY
* plaster spare room window
* undercoat tiny bit of kitchen skirting under shelves
* sort boxes and see what needs to go back on shelves

10-10.30: internet
* ynab
* blog post

Right, best get on :j

Karmacat

I dare you, tell us how much you got done out of that lot! Thats a whole day's worth of stuff! Or you've discovered how to do Superman's thing of reversing time

Cheery_Daff

Sadly I can't reverse time :rotfl: I just write overambitious lists and don't get most of them crossed off :rotfl: Like to keep myself on my toes :rotfl:

Out of that lot, I...

* made flapjacks (and ate most of them - quite a lot before they got as far as the oven )

* hoovered downstairs (including hoovering up one of the earrigs I got for Christmas :eek: !!!!in dyson :rotfl: fortunately i'd just emptied it so not much muck to rake through :rotfl: )

* washed dishes

* plastered round spare room window (although will need to do final coat tonight)

Er, that's it :rotfl: Told you it was an ambitious list! :rotfl: