Have you seen my ruby slippers

a_silver_lining

Getting to the point where I'm ready to start saving again so thought I'd make a diary to keep myself on track. Over the past year it has felt like a tornado hit, sweaping my money saving plans aside and leaving me to navigate a whole new world I finished my degree, started working, started a new relationship (with all the date night out spending that comes with it), then found out I was to be jobless, then homeless. I've now got a new job, albeit with a month unpaid between jobs, and will be moving in with my now not so new partner

I have about 37-38k I have saved over the past ten years for a deposit. Now I have a perm contract I should be getting ready to buy so I want to save the pennies and pounds!

On the new rented home front I have managed to convince my partner to be a bit money saving. We saved £60 each on fees by going through an online agent, although I would have preferred a private landlord for no fees! We are in a cheaper part of town so less monthly rent, saving anywhere between £25-£50pm each. We are next to two very cheap shopping centres (very different from where I was in the centre of town) which should cut my shopping by around £50pm. Also located walkable distance from work, saving me £40pm!

TO DO LIST
The property is furnished (saving a lot more money) though over the next two weeks I need to source cheaply a Hoover, cutlery, utensils, maybe a rug. I'm thinking of a Henry and have £30 of T club card points to help towards this.

Join onepoll or other survey sites as I have some time off between jobs.

Sell things before moving. I have put a load of stuff on gumtree and an old scanner should be going this weekend for £20. I also have on a washing machine, a DS game and a stool which I may recover and use if it doesn't sell.

Pack! Find more things to flog. Frame the fabric I bought in Vietnam as it has been on my to do list for years!!

Find cheapest Internet, utility, water and mobile contract (mines up in May)

Get the gf to sign up for a cash back card so she can earn on her petrol costs. It's going to be a lot of money until she moves jobs in July so every penny counts! I'll be saving the 75-100 I was spending commuting to see her so I will be giving this to her and covering more food until July so that will knock my savings a bit.

Think that's all for now thanks if you managed to get through all that. I'll be posting a soa once I have my first paycheck. This won't be until the first of May :eek: as I don't start my new job until the 31st of March.

a_silver_lining

Been doing a bit of thinking about my spending habits. I have an ap on my phone I used constantly to track what I have spent and I've noticed my spending tends to jump between different things. I'm wondering if it's more the spending I enjoy then what it is on. Has anyone else found once they stop spending on one thing the months goes elsewhere?

In the past I was spending £20-40 a month easily on coffee and cake... I cut that out...

then it got wetter and I was getting random buses and spending £20+ a month again.. so I started walking to work as much as possible...

then clothes I was easily spending £50-£100 a month... gave up spending money on clothes for New Years and in three months have only send £20.

Then my partner and I went away a bit and it was £100 here and there for flights and trips... So I decided to cut down on trips away...

I tried to budget a bit better and record everything on my phone for the new year and realised in January spent £164.94 on 'eating out' (as in takeaways, meals out, drinks out, cakes, sandwiches grabbed on the way to work last minute etc) and £60 on shopping. That's £225 in a month on food, eep! So far this month it has been £14.75 on 'eating out' and £170.76 on shopping. Whilst that is only a £40 saving this month due to my stomach being a bit sad I'm eating mostly organic, bought probiotic supplements and lots of raw food for my new diet... so based on just cutting out junk food I'm healthier and so is my bank balance!

Just wondering what I'm going to realise I'm being silly with next!!

DigForVictory

You're realising.

That's actually a step many folks don't manage. Allow yourself one meal out with GF?! Using vouchers, of course!

Stick at it - you'll get there!