Confessions of a crisp addict!

LisaJane

I have been really enjoying reading other people's diaries and have decided that the time might be right for me to start one of my own...even if it is only me that reads it!! Basically I have tried a number of challenges of this forum and has failed at all of them! I think I might find it easier to chat about everything all in one go!

A little about me first of all...I have been married since August 2012 to my wonderful husband. I spent all of my money I ever saved on the wedding and honeymoon, and more or less spent the first year of marriage paying off debt on a 0% interest credit card. In my first year of marriage I went on a number of holidays/weekends away/general good times, which basically ate up all of my money (however i managed to stay out of debt thankfully!!)

So in September 2013 I made a pledge to OH that I would minimise my galavanting and start saving...and true to my word, by Christmas 2013 I had £2000 saved!!!.........which ALL went towards paying for OH and I's new car on Jan 2nd 2014!! I was sad to lose the money so quickly but we really needed a new car so it was a necessity.

So having basically been at £0 savings at the start of January 2014, I would like to start documenting my progress regarding a number of areas for 2014:

My own savings: Target - £7000
Savings skimmed off joint account: Target: £3000
Exercise goals: some form of exercise at least 3 x week
Diet goals: lose 1lb per week through healthy eating and exercise
Crisp goals: twice a week maximum!!
Decluttering my home: ongoing!
Keeping on top of house work: ongoing (perhaps with some help from the fly lady thread??)
Grocery challenge: £50 per week for 2 adults
Happiness challenge: to enjoy every day as if it is my last!

So quite a lot to be getting on with, but I am hoping having it all in one place will help! All comments welcome!!

LisaJane

So this is day 1. Everything in life feels a little topsy turvy at the mo. I just started a new job last Monday and am still finding my feet. I have been quite bored in work as I sort of seem to have maybe 1 or 2 hour long meetings in the day to observe and get used to how things are done and then nothing inbetween. I am supposed to be reading inbetween, but the day can be quite long...hence I have been reading lot of diaries on here as well as text books! My new job involves around a £5000 payrise from my old job, so I can't wait to see what that means for my pay packet! Hoping it will have a positive impact on my savings and the tax man doesn't take it all!

I feel like I am coming down with something, so nipped out to get coke and crisps at lunch time to cheer myself up. I do tend to use crisps as a coping strategy which is a habit I need to get myself out of. My target was crisps twice a week max...and to be honest, I had them yesterday as well, so I will now try to not have any for the rest of the week!

Exercise is going well this week so far...i have already been to a bodyattack class and a Bodybalance class. So just one more thing to do to make my target. I will try to do Zumba tonight or else Bodycombat or Balance tomorrow. Will see how this cold is feeling later.

After work tonight I teach piano, so that will be £15 extra for me which always comes in handy...

I should explain as well that I do have more money than what is in my sig...but I am heading away for a few days next weekend, so I have spending money in my current account and our joint account for that. Won't really get a true picture of what the finances are like until I get home from that trip. Hoping we won't spent a huge amount as we are staying with friends!

House cleaning and decluttering probably won't get a look in today as I have piano and am feeling a bit under the weather! If I do anything in this area this week, it will probably be at the weekend!

LisaJane

Ahhhh my cold is taking it's grip on me. Off to the chemist after work to get some remedies! Exercise/housework etc will have to wait because I don't want to be sick for going on my holiday next week!

beanielou

Happy shiny new diary
Keep posting!

LisaJane

Hello!

Update from me. Everything has gone out the window these last few days as I have been feeling ill and have been trying to get ready for going to Switzerland tomorrow! Feeling quite obese because of poor eating and I think the bloating effects of some of the cold/flu remedies I am taking. Feeling like I can't focus on any of my goals until after my holiday! Although I will try to keep costs down while we're away so that there is more to save when we get home!

Update on goals:

Savings: to be updated when I return from hols
Exercise: skiied on the dry ski slope for 5 1/2 hours on Sunday in preparation for skiing on hols. Absolutely wrecked me as muscles are sore and i have a sore throat! No more exercise until actual skiing on Friday in switzerland!! :T
Diet: haven't weighed myself! I intend to take a serious look at my diet when I return home!
Crisps: have been eating loads, telling myself I deserve it because I don't feel well
Decluttering my home: on hold
Grocery challenge: have not been keeping good track of this, but am feeling ok about it as we didn't do a big shop this week. Just a few bits!
Happiness challenge: I have been generally happy this week. had a little bump in the road 2 days ago crying over work, but I think I needed that cry to allow me to reflect on what was upsetting me and allow me to overcome some of things that have been upsetting me!

Will be back from hols on Monday, so I will update again then! Hopefully I will be feeling better and a bit more organised and motivated to take on some of my challenges a little better!

Ali-OK

Welcome and am enjoying reading your diary - can definitely relate to the crisps as both DS and I love them too.

I did a big kitchen declutter and move around over Christmas and the crisps ended up hidden so we didn't see them each time we opened the cupboard door for nibbles! It worked and they lasted us much longer that way, though might be time to move them again soon and hide them somewhere else :rotfl:

Good luck on all your goals, great that you're out of debt and saving again.

Hope things settle at work. The payrise is great, happiness is priceless (to steal a certain CC's strapline!).

Enjoy your weekend away.

LisaJane

Hello from Switzerland! So it turns out skiing is really tough and I am not very good at it but was getting the hang of it by the end of the day! We have taken an executive decision not to ski tomorrow for a number of reasons that I'll not bore you with! So tomorrow night we are going to do this thing where you descend a mountain with sort of tennis rackets on your feet by candle light and then you have a big fondue party afterwards! Quite looking forward to it as it sounds fun and a bit different. We have been really lucky money wise so far. Our friends we are staying with have insisted on cooking because eating out here is so expensive. Also when we went to go up the mountain today, the man selling ski passes said his machine was broken so he let us go up for free! So we only had to pay 25 pounds each ski hire to ski!! We've only really paid buses and for lunch today so far, so lots of Swiss francs left! Off to sleep now, night!

LisaJane

Hello,

Sorry for a lack of posting, I promise to improve! I have been trying to be more efficient in things I need to get done since i came back from holiday, which has meant less time to take the laptop out to post on here. Posting from work at the mo, but can only do it when no-one else is in the office!

I was feeling a bit low before going off on hols as I was finding it difficult to adjust to my new job. However since being in Switzerland, I am feeling re-energised and focused on improving and appreciating my life in simple ways. What I have done so far is:

- I have exercised a number of times (body balance on Tuesday, Bodypump on Wednesday, Bodystep on Saturday)
- I attended a meditation class on Thursday (I didn't really like it but attended it all the same! I found it difficult to relax in a room full of strangers...however I have since downloaded a phone app that assists meditation and promptly fell asleep to it last night!)
- I have attempted to reduce how much I look at my phone by putting it in a drawer when I come home from work (mixed success with this so far!)
- I have tried to reduce television time, and increase reading my book time.
- I got home 45 mins early from work on Wednesday as we had a training day and instead of sitting down before heading to the gym, I tidied, dusted, vacuumed and mopped all of downstairs (meaning I didn't have to ruin my weekend doing it...upstairs really needs done too, but I had my robotic vacuum cleaner on the case last night and plan to change the bed and clean the bathroom tonight!)
- Managed to spend quality time with both of my parents, my hubby, my hubby's parents and some friends at the weekend all separately!! (knackered now though as it was such a busy weekend!)
- I have tried to go to bed earlier each night (again with mixed success.)
- By using mindfulness, I have tried not to place so much importance on eating food and as a result have eating more healthily and snacked less and have actually not had crisps since Friday night when I ate some while watching a movie.
- I have not worked out savings yet (gonna do that now, as i got paid last week!) However I have been being quite good with my money. I was out on Saturday night and managed to get away with spending only around £20 as I am finding that I don't need alcohol as much to enjoy myself, as i am naturally feeling happier!)

When I type it out like that, it feels like quite a lot I have achieved last week!

Future goals at the mo is to attend a 45 min Bodyattack class tonight, clean the bathroom and change the bed when I get home. Early to bed with my book and to put my phone in the drawer when I get home from work! And to do my 10 minute meditation from my phone app! Also...tomorrow is pancake Tuesday meaning the start of lent on Ash Wednesday...and I am going to give up crisps completely as I did the year I got married and was 1 1/2 stone lighter than I am now! Wish me luck!!

LisaJane

Ok, so I've done a quick audit of financial situation at the mo! I am sitting here trying to work out how best to manage things in order to get the best interest rates.

I currently have:

ISA: £135 (seriously depleted since the car purchase!)
Current: £1797.69
Joint account: £1563.16
Online saver: £27 (I have been using this for joint account savings. A bit distrasterous so far, but amongst other things, buying 900 litres of heating oil seemed like a good idea when we had the money to do so. Should last us well into winter! Plan to set up a direct debit into this account again forthwith.)

So I have been reading up on the Nationwide FlexDirect account which gives 5% interest on balances up to £2500 per month. I have just done an online application for one. It shouldn't be too hasslely as our joint account is a Nationwide Flex account already (free travel insurance). My current account is with the Halifax, which offers £5 per month on both the current account and credit card (£120 free money per year, not to be sniffed at!)

What I am thinking is...put as much money as possible into my ISA for the end of the financial year. By this stage, the paperwork etc should be finalised for my FlexDirect account. I then plan to put £2500 into this account to start reaping the benefits of the 5% interest on my balance per month (I will be moving the £1000 per month in and out as required every month, but maintaining the £2500 balance). Any other savings that I have, I will seek out the best new ISA to put them into.

Does anyone think this sounds like a good plan??

natsplatnat

I opened the NW FlexDirect account for exactly the same reason and transferred the £1000 out and in each month.... if it helps, on the full balance you should accrue about £7.00 per month in interest (after tax deduction!) I also opened the same account in my OH's name and used that to boost the amount of money we could earn 5% interest on (OH never had the card / log on details or anything!! - he did know about it though!!) The 5% interest on mine is just about to end, so I am on the hunt for an alternative... and there aren't many!!

LisaJane

I know what you're saying natsplatnat. The ISA rates are fairly pitiful at the moment! I wonder will any better ones show up at the beginning of the new financial year???