Getting there...slowly.

killerpeaty

INOD does bring up a very good point. Don't feel guilty about something you have earned.

Good luck with the work situation, I'm sure you will land on your feet.

girlatplay

Thank you everyone.

Beanielou I did actually have a lovely weekend

Ss1000 redundancy was something my colleague asked about. I got an email from the boss on Friday (he was off swanning about the country on business and didn't make it back on Friday afternoon) to say that his head was still swimming but he thinks he wants "to stay" and that he thinks he will be "telling GG to F off" (his actual words. GG is one of the new bosses). I can only assume that he means he thinks he wants to keep the business for now. He says he will speak to us this afternoon. I will continue to look for another job regardless as this has really scunnered me.

killerpeaty I don't really feel guilty about the holiday, just the amount of money that I have spent on it. We will enjoy it, definitely. We are so looking forward to it and it is 11 weeks on Friday!!

The weekend was really good. The wedding fair on Saturday was just as boring as I find all the others. Lovely to spend some time with my sis, bestie and bestie's mum though. It was worth it for that. I used the bus fares that I had but I didn't spend any of the money I took for coffee We got free water so that was fine for me.

Afterwards we met LMG and my mum and had coffee with them instead. Went for a Costa and said we would all chip in. By the time it was all paid for, I had only spent £3

I bought both a birthday and thinking of you card (her dad is one year gone next month) for bestie from the cheap card shop. I treated LMG and myself to some nice crackers for cheese from M&S (we already had the cheese though).

1 x £2 coin and 2 x £1 coins left went into bestie's hen fund and the small change went to sealed pot.

Sunday we had the comp. My parents paid for our entry fee and I bought raffle tickets with the change (they are very much involved with the dancing, have been for years. They dance too). Didn't win anything though. Never do. We took a picnic (I even made myself a flask of coffee! Really pleased with myself) and dad took us out for tea so no spends of my own money yesterday!! LMG came 3rd in her first comp and 2nd in her second. She was disappointed with the first result (as were many other people who kept coming up to me and telling me that) but we were all pleased with the second one. I'm proud of her regardless of how she does. I have always said to her that as long as she can tell me she has done her best (in everything in life) then that is good enough for me.

It's nearly lunchtime and I am starving!

girlatplay

Nothing monetary to report this morning.

Jobwise - The boss has decided to keep the company for now. He says that this may happen again within the next 3-4 years but he will be far more transparent about it and will discuss it with us if he gets any offers. Meantime though, our jobs are safe. I will be keeping eyes and ears open anyway and if jobs come up that interest me then I will be applying. This has been an unsettling time for me and I appreciate that people took the time to comment on the matter, thank you.

I heard back from the job I applied for. They didn't take me past the CV stage. At least they replied though.

Oh well, the sun is shining so it must be a good day

girlatplay

£1 to bestie's fund.

65p to sealed pot.

Grocery day Done the meal plan already. Shopping list is in progress.

Quite busy at work today and finish at 2pm

Must remember to put bestie's birthday card in my bag tonight for tomorrow night as will save me stamp money! Off to write a note for myself.

girlatplay

Remembered bestie's card! Forgot to write the note as I got caught up in something else at the time but the memory part of my wee brain decided to work properly for once I even remembered bus fares, and my book as I will get there too early.

Och I'm having one of those days were I feel like I am not getting anywhere in life. Nothing is happening on the savings front. I overspent on the food budget again even although I had a list and stuck to it (picked up the wrong cottage cheese £1.16 instead of 60p / prices of some things have risen yet again / etc). My house desperately needs decorated and little bits need tweaked (the bathroom floor needs retiled after being refitted in 2012. Actually, the whole bathroom needs retiled as there are some cracked tiles from the removal of the old bath and the paint is peeling off the ones that are not cracked(!) / skirtings need repainted / livingroom needs repapered after old fireplace was taken away in 2011 / kitchen needs tiled as the wallpaper is now minging (people before us were smokers who smoked in the kitchen) / etc). I desperately want to see a dent in my mortgage. I desperately want to buy out the HA's share of the flat so that I can get a better mortgage deal. I saw the perfect house for LMG and me and I want it. I can't afford it and I am upset. I want, I want, I want, and I want it all now.

*breathes*

Reality tells me to calm down. One thing at a time. It is my fault we have spent so much money on the holiday. That could have gone towards some of the stuff.

I need to be more careful with the food budget. I threw away some food this week (I don't normally do that, everything usually gets used) and I am annoyed with myself about that :mad: I made spag bol and there was enough for 2 extra portions so they have gone in the freezer. Good. There is enough mince left for 4 portions of chilli later in the week so that has gone in the freezer for now. Good. I have all the ingredients for the chilli. Double good. There is enough food for the week with meal plan and it should stretch to a couple of days next week too. (Week runs Wednesday to Wednesday).

The meal tonight is a set meal costing £22.50 for 3 courses and a half bottle of wine. I have £30 but I don't intend to spend that. Hopefully just £25 including a tip. I will be fleeing on a half bottle anyway so I won't need more than that. I must get 2 x £5 notes in exchange for my £10 note when I am at the bank later, then I will be able to hand over the exact amount.

Right, I better earn my wages now

girlatplay

I spent £31 last night :( The bill actually came to £36 each (for 4) but I didn't have any more change on me. Was going to put it on my card but one of the besties said she would cover my extra as they had talked me into having a Baileys after the meal. Thank you Lovely. Love my besties so much

Gammon steaks with spinach, mash and pineapple/fried egg for tea (LMG likes pineapple, I liked fried egg. I have that whole "fruit out of context" problem. She may well ask for a fried egg too but on a separate plate!).

I have lunch with me. Not meeting my other friend this week (usually have a coffee/hot chocolate at the Youth Hostel up the road from my work one lunchtime each week) so no spends at all today :j

Bought pizza as a treat for us for tomorrow night and I am really looking forward to that. Not had pizza in AGES. 2 for £3 so one in the freezer ready for another Saturday night treat! Will probably have that next weekend. Meal planning for next week started already. Ooh get me :cool:

Hopefully I can keep spends low over the weekend. I will only have to make a token payment to the lunch tomorrow (that's if Auntie M lets us. She might have her determined head on and not let us pay anything).

I have half a tank of petrol and £11.90 left in the petrol budget. To last for two weeks (payday). Tomorrow is the only big-ish trip I have to make so hopefully it will last.

Sunday will be a quiet one as I really need a rest. A lie in, washing, tidying, etc. We go to my parents' for tea on Sundays (and Tuesdays) so no spends there either

Hopefully this sunshine will last. Have a lovely weekend.

girlatplay

The sun is shining

Had the pizza on Friday night and the gammon on Saturday night

No spends for lunch on Saturday. Auntie M paid for it all. We went for a wander round the shops afterwards. I did spend but it was all liquitabs / floor cleaner / household supplies, no treats and I am fine with that. My mum gave me £10 towards the petrol as I did some driving back and forward for Auntie M to get some messages (she lives just outside of Edinburgh and is disabled so doesn't get out much).

Very lazy day yesterday. No spends at all thank goodness. Out to mum and dad's for tea which was lovely as usual.

£4 to bestie's fund (2 x £2). That's up to £85 now

Out for a hot choc with my friend at lunchtime today. I have just enough change to pay for it.

Short week this week as I am taking two days holiday over the long weekend. Finish up on Wednesday at 2pm and not back until next Wednesday :j I will be spending the long weekend with LMG and we will meet my sis to roll eggs on Sunday (family tradition although the parents will be away to a dancing comp that weekend - first time ever we have not been all together on Easter Sunday ).

Payday on Friday next week. Wooo. Thank goodness as things are getting a bit tight

girlatplay

£2.30 for the hot chocolate yesterday. Nice to get a catch up with my friend though.

Got £2.64 in my purse now and that will have to stretch for as long as possible for random spends. Luckily I don't have big plans for the next week. LMG and I are going holiday clothes shopping (for her) on Thursday but I will be taking money out of the account I have set up for her needs so that is covered.

Grocery day tomorrow so I am working on the meal plan and shopping list already. Because I went over my grocery budget (accidentally) the past two weeks in a row, I managed to pick up the two vouchers for Mr M's £10 off a £40 shop so I will have to plan well to get £40 worth of stuff tomorrow without going too much over. With the £10 off, that will make up for the two weeks overspend. I will add up as I go round to make sure I don't go more than £1 over.

I have had to call a gardener to come and give me a quote to cut the grass out the back of the house. It is in a terrible state. No one in the stair bothers to cut it and it is always left to me. 2 years ago my dad helped me and together we cut the whole of the drying green and I managed to keep it under control for the year. Last year I cut it all at the start of the summer but I had a couple of operations and I couldn't keep up with it. No one else bothered so it ended up in a state just before winter last year. Now it is back again to that terrible state and there is no way I am strong enough to do it all on my own (my dad is 74 this year, he has his own garden to look after, I don't want to give him the stress). I refuse to do the whole green though as I am only responsible for a share of half. I will get the half done and that will be it. Hope the quote is reasonable, I have a budget. Once the grass is down I can look after it myself, its just too long at the moment for me to cope with it.

I quite like doing the garden, I just need a bit of help to get it manageable again.

girlatplay

Very quick one from me today.

No money to savings of any sort. Still got £2.64 in my purse.

Just off to do grocery shop now. Got budget for that. Remembered £10 off vouchers. Have done list and meal plan so hopefully all will go according to plan.

Need to put petrol in the car. £10 from mum and £11.90 in petrol budget for that.

Got some amount of cleaning to do this afternoon as have been very lazy this week

girlatplay

Taking a quick break in between dishes / washing / vacuuming. I have my 2nd load of washing on. Just about to vacuum.


Put £21.18 petrol in the car. That better last until 25th!


I did such a good shopping list that I was struggling to get it up to £40 worth. I wanted to get Easter eggs within the budget but I knew I could get one particular one cheaper elsewhere. I then had to buy goods to the value of the eggs so when I went elsewhere to get the eggs I didn't have as much money. Oh dear, I am such a div. Total grocery bill today: £47.32. £10 off so actual spend £37.32. Total grocery budget £40 so did spend within budget but I still have to get three small Easter eggs and some mozzarella. Sainsbury's basics mozzarella is 44p so I refuse to pay 55p or 69p thanks very much other shops!


I am tumble drying LMG's bed covers and the dryer has just stopped. Best get on...