Determined to move.

Tink_04

Hi 2bak860, it's nice to see someone else popping in I think I'm just trying to write my jumbled thoughts down so not really sure if they make sense to anyone else!

Yeah we have a bill account which is and account where all the dd's come out of - i have a spread sheet and me and DH pay in a set amount that covers all of the bills that go out ( with a £20 safety net) and I mark them all off on the spreadsheet as they are taken out.

I also have a shopping bill account where I transfer the shopping money for the month and use that card when paying for food. I was always going over and having to add more money to this but the meal planner is helping this now!

Well I'm plodding along again, It's a tight month as soon as the money hit, I knew these 3 months would be but im going to have to be super organised so the money lasts us, especially with going away next week! I think list making is my best option! I'll write some things down then come back with a plan!

Tink_04

Nice early morning for me today, on the plus side it's beutiful outside already! Well the last few days have not been great, I was given some tablets by the Dr and I've been feeling exhausted, confused and not myself at all so I've stopped taking them for now, unfortunately this means I'm in quite a bit pain now . I'll have to go back when we are back from holiday as I won't be able to go before.

I did my lists and the money adds up (£4 to spare!) So I've paid everything out I can (waiting for the phone bill dds) and bought as much as I can, I bought a months worth of nappies s for ds, took the cash out for his milk , this has gone up to £8.49 a tub! Can't wait Until he can go on fresh milk in a few months. I've put £30 into the kids clothing account for uniforms come September. All I need to pay now is dd's swimming lessons and draw £10 out to put in a birthday card.

I've found budgeting like this for the month has made me not go out and spend when the money comes In as I know it's all accounted for. I've tried to keep some money back for half term treats for dd but im hoping the money we budgeted for going away was generous and there may be change!

All I need to do now is enjoy the sunshine (while it lasts) ill go to the shops today to pick up some snack stuff for the kids so I can avoid buying while we are out.

Have a lovely weekend all

Tink_04

Evening all

Another beautiful sunny day today, got loads of house stuff done and managed the shopping. Didn't get much as we are away tomorrow, I did however have a stumble and bought dd and ds some summer clothes as they do t have much ds especially. To be honest we could have made do with what dd has but I bought them anyway not very mse but they were cheap (asda) and should do her through till autumn now. I'm not going to beat myself up about it as she very rarely gets things (as it's quite expensive in her size now) and all ds things are 2nd hand as have a friend who has a son older and passes things down to us.

So washing, ironing and packing done. Made a bag up with snacks/ drinks for the kids and hoping to not spend a fortune! Our friend is very spendy and buys her kids loads when we are out for the day, so I've bought all the kids a packed lunch snack bag and have put juice, snack and small toy in the bag and im hoping we can get away with not stopping and spending £20 on a snack then raiding the gift shops but we will see how it goes. I always feel bad as she says ill get the kids an ice cream, then later on when they want something else it's "my turn" and I hate doing it like that firstly the baby doesn't eat anything like that and secondly it gets more expensive as the week goes on, she buys light up flashy toy things at the fair for £6 each! This is the first time we are staying in a travel lodge instead of her house so I'm hoping to be able to have a little more control over things.

Will hopefully manage some small over payments when we come back.

Tink_04

Grr! Did a huge long post on here yesterday as it was wiped! Didn't have time to write it all again last night so will try again!

Well holiday was great and some of my mse ways were appreciated the kids lunch bags were a hit in the hot weather and I just replenished them each day so £££ saved on snacks and drinks when we were out and stopped the kids whining and getting bored (ok only for a short time!) It was definitely easier staying in the travel lodge as we could go at our own pace and didn't feel pressured into overspending on things as we could decide to go when we wanted to.

The money wasn't much over budget £20 ish I'd say but im still waiting for some big bills to be paid in June then we will be able to relax a bit more as we will have nothing else to pay until November (other than birthdays etc)

Hoping to do June's shopping on £200 again and will look out for a voucher for aldi in the paper this week too - still got my meal plan to write for this week so will do that and save this update quick before it disappears again!

Tink_04

Thanks Karen10101 I'm trying to spend as little as possible & thankfully the kids are too little to care at the moment.

Ok meal plan for the rest of the week is:

● Tuesday - spaghetti bolognaise
● Wednesday - piri piri chicken & wedges
● Thursday - Gammon egg & chips
● Friday - burger & chips with salad
● Saturday - Chicken stir fry
● Sunday - Sunday dinner

It's half term this week too so trying to do some free/cheap things with the kiddies. So far we have a play date tomorrow (at the park with a picnic), taking eldest to the cinema for £1 movie then soft play another day. That's enough for them to do as we are still winding down from last week.

Think I need to make some goals for June to keep me on track.
■ make sure last 3 big bills are paid
■ stick to £200 shopping budget
■ make a CC overpayment (none this month due to holiday)
■ balance all accounts (a little bit muddled up after holiday)
■ NO TAKE AWAY OR EATING OUT

Ok this is hopefully me back on track after holiday and ready to tackle another month.

Tink_04

Ok payday today and im already in a muddle - it's a 5 week meal plan for us this month and we have nothing else to run down, I have a meal plan for this week but can't see how I can make the budget stretch another 4 weeks! I'm struggling to afford meat/fish and fresh fruit & veg. I'm worried about the kids for meals and need stuff for DH packed lunch for work (he works 9 hour days) I rarely eat lunch as prefer a main meal with DH on a night but £50 per week for 4 of us (less if it's 5 weeks in our month) is really hard to do. I wish I could just go and buy good healthy food for our family and not stress about the cost. I'm sure we will manage as we always do, it just gets me down.

One of the big bills that needs paying is more than I thought so now need to find £170 ish before end of June. We have an overdraft but really don't want to use it so going to sit with the spreadsheet again tonight and see what I can save & where, we cancelled netflix last month so that's £5.99 to add so far.

Think I'm just a bit down today as it's payday and im forever trying to make ends meet, I know this is supposed to be short term till I go back to work but I was hoping to manage like this then when I go back throw all my wages at the debt. Well think I'll stop sulking and head over to the OS board for some recipe ideas.

Tink

Tink_04

Ok back to reality today - i can do this, we will survive & I need to stop whining & just make it work! Going to look at frozen fruit & veg to help add to the fresh stuff & maybe get back into batch again. Right off to re jig this budget and see if we can make it through another month.

Tink_04

Aaaarrrrggggggg! How come you think you are plodding along nicely and you can manage ok then it's all ruined! Stupid car had a breakdown today and it's cost me £160! We only have the money in the savings for the bills that need to be paid so I've had to put it on the CC! I feel like I've just wasted my time scrimping and saving so make the £200 payment to get the card down to £800 and now I've had to pay for this. I'm absolutely devastated, this is nothing but a stupid cycle I can't break no matter how hard I try, I just wish life would give me a break some times. I can't pull money from thin air and my head is spinning trying to make ends meet, sometimes I just think what's the point in trying if I'm not going to be able to get anywhere.

In total despair

Tink_04

Wow it's been a while since I posted!

Would live to say all is great but it's not - the CC is back up to £1000 and we are going to have to start using the od next month to pay about £200 worth of bills! There is just not enough money without my wage just going to have to struggle on until September when I go back to work but I'm really finding it hard.

We were really prepared for my maternity leave, we saved up to cover all the yearly bills & big expenses & had a good store of food/washing powder/anything that didn't go off really, but the truth is - the savings have ran out as has the stock and we are short of some money to pay 2 bills (£140 for line rental for the year & £80 for a new tyre for the car) I'm finding it harder and harder to just manage the shopping so we are all fed and the cupboards & freezer are nearly bare!

Sorry just having a moan as feel like I can't get out at the moment, it's just a crazy downwards spiral

themull1

would you be able to go back to work a bit earlier?