Better half of 2014 - all about me

Buffythedebtslayer

lulabelle wrote: »

ha ha, i had fishcakes the other night buffy! and nothing wrong with eating like a 7 year old - the boy always says i'm 5 - sweet potato fries are my fave!

have had my tea now which was pretty healthy - chicken breast with chilli, lime and ginger, green beans, asparagus and spinach pasta. do feel better already - think i didn't eat enough today which is why i couldn't face running which am regretting now

have also just had a strip of milka, finished off what was left - will have to hide that fact from the boy! mind you, he sometimes eats all mine - i need to be like that girl in the galaxy advert who has a shoe box to hide her secret chocolate stash in!

i am obsessively checking my finances at the moment - slightly worrying

ha ha me too and my inner seven year would never eat ORANGE chips. weirdo! (obviously my adult self would but I was fussy as a kid!)

May have to go count my money boxes up

XX

lulabelle

absolutely epic fail on the MSE front yesterday!

worked out with trainer in the morning even though i had a banging headache so that was 30.

then spent 10 on eye make up remover (it was on offer - 2 for 5 quid - normally 3.89 a bottle and i use it every day so figured best to stock up whilst on offer but still!!) also got double points.

fiver on tights which i needed

then the real damage started. the boy loves cricket so have spent over 300 quid on a package to go see england v pakistan next year for his xmas present. to be fair, it will be a weekend away for me too but why did i do that when i am going to be umemployed from feb??

on that note i formally gave written notice yesterday - had told them 3 weeks ago but gave the written 3 months yesterday

then we had drinks last night which i picked up as he had bought me dinner last week - 10.95 as i had champagne to celebrate new beginnings

then we had a curry out with mates which came to a whopping 50 quid each though i've no idea how.

all my money goes on eating out/eating in - if i didn't eat i could be thinner and have a whole range of nice handbags!!!

lulabelle

god then we just spent 147 at the supermarket!!!! split between 2 so not as bad as first think but i thought our shop today would be about £60! we did get things like toilet roll and washing powder which wouldn't normally in there but the boy put £10 worth of cereal in the trolley. I wouldn't mind but he will easily get through that in a week (he eats loads). But I can't begrudge him food. Another approx £14 spent on ingredients to make things for his mum's bonfire night party next week. Again, can't begrudge it and esp when we will have dinner on her/other guests that night but it all adds up.

One bonus is that the boy's flat is now finally let and so hopefully he'll be transferring me £744 soon towards bills/mortgage. That's cash I wasn't counting on having until January (and in fact, for the purposes of saving for time off I had discounted it until march anyway - as pay at end of january will pay all my bills/mortgage for feb and won't need to start hitting the specially saved funds until march). it's def let until the end of the year so thats £1488 extra I hadn't factored on having and also if it gets let from jan then that will be another £1488 extra. Am planning to squirrel that away into the "escape fund" (escape from a job i hate that is)

on that front, not sure how i feel. it really is hard for me to walk away from something people tell me i'm good at and which is so well paid and secure. there are times its not that bad but equally there are times when it's awful.

lulabelle

so last night we stayed in - the boy cooked me a lamb and sweet potato madras from the stuff we bought at supermarket and i made a blueberry sponge which i need to finish off with lemon buttercream this morning, no booze and an early night and he is off out for a run and i'm about to go for one.

we have lunch today with a group of his friends but hopefully won't be more than £30 each as we are not drinking (i am driving) and its £17.50 for 3 courses. then we are to his mums and i will probably take the cake up there to share with his family.

i quite fancy going to see bond tonight but may leave it for another night - perhaps next weekend when we've said we are not going out at all.

tonight is pizza from the shop we did yesterday if we are even hungry after a big lunch so today's spending should be relatively limited.

i am just majorly stressing that i keep raiding my "escape fund" to pay for things and i tell myself i'll pay it back when i get paid each month for from what is left over out of my "spending money" each month but there never seems to be anything left.

I do keep a note of what i spend and the majority of it seems to be on meals out and food shopping - i rarely buy clothes or accessories. If I could just try to make the boy think about what he's putting in the trolley it might be better. he would love me just to do the food shop myself as he hates supermarkets so i could control it more that way but i hate loading it up and carrying it (my car parking is about a 3 minute walk from my house). suppose i could get him to make sure he's in and then he comes and gets it when i'm done. but then feel like it's another chore i am doing that he is not.

Brightspark87

Hi

So you bought a big christmas present? But you also did well to get the extra money as he rented his house earlier than expect so thats an extra £1500 you werent expecting. Let yourself enjoy a few things.
With the shopping any way you could do it online and get delivered? That was my solution to the problem and also meant I was spending less as I stuck to my list! xx

LondonGirl252

Another one for online shopping! We spend a lot less this way as I meal plan for the week ahead and stick to it it's so much easier not to pick up snacks and other bits you don't really need!


I also agree you need to enjoy yourself, I know you're worried about money once you finish work but you can't let yourself feel guilty everytime you spend on something. Plus, you may not be out of work as long as you think, I'm sure you will get snapped up v quickly!

lulabelle

thanks guys.

so sunday was only 22 each as we all split the bill which was fine as some drank and some had coffee etc and it was just easier

been fairly good this week and monday spent 5.49 on a 2016 diary then last night 12.50 on drinks with my best mate - i paid as i dragged him out due to having had a fairly rough day yesterday

my not trained with trainer this week as not been sleeping so have "saved" 30 already and not going to go tomorrow so another 30 "saved"

ran tuesday night which was good, was supposed to go this morning as have a bonfire night tonight so can't but didn't sleep well last night so didn't go.

might try go tomorrow morning

friday am to best mates house for supper so just need to take some wine - fairly cheap.

the shopping (and the boy!) are going to be kept on a very tight leash this weekend! I am going to sit down and totally plan meals for next week and stick to our list!!!!

2 more days until the weekend - thank god - not sure i can take much more. yesterday was HORRID - we got instructed last minute to draft and file a load of documents so i had to do them all under massive pressure. Made me feel a bit vindicated as one of the other partners basically said they couldn't have done it without me as there was no-one else up to scratch. they also asked me if i could think of anyone they could "poach" to replace me. i gave them 3 names but basically said if they wanted them they'd probably have to pay them somewhere between 100,000 and 120,000 plus bonus to entice them away from where they are (they pay me nowhere near that and i know i am underpaid in the market - never give me a decent rise or bonus even when i've worked my socks off) and the realisation on the face was priceless - it's not the reason I'm going but think the fact i've felt so undervalued for so long has added to my decision that I may as well go and take my chances elsewhere

lulabelle

so thursday and friday at work were awful - so much pressure, being shouted at to produce stuff, court, just horrid. really feels sometimes like you are a sheep or cow being herded hard and smacked hard when you're too tired to move on. anyway, made me totally feel vindicated about my decision to leave this profession. was shouted at and demeaned by a sexist aussie lawyer outside court friday and just thought this is so indicative of the type of person this profession attracts.

friday night went to best mates so 8.50 on a bottle of wine

yesterday spent 17.72 on crockery and a couple of treats then 7 on a race entry for december

80 supermarket shop this week (so 40 each) so better than before but still too high. the stuff we got will make meals for a significant period (i.e. freeze ahead etc) but still not happy with it. I think food shopping is just so expensive these days.

today i am supposed to be going for a run but my back is playing up so may not. have lunch with my friend but hoping i can limit the damage but driving and not drinking but have budgeted 40 quid

7 more weeks at work until off for 10 days. but been told have to work sunday 29 nov. doesn't seem fair really when i'm leaving so won't count towards anything and don't get paid anything for doing so but will just have to suck it up

didn't hear back after my interview for in house counsel role but tbh it looked a tall order job with lots of travel so maybe it was not meant for me. have applied for another job - as a practice manager at a doctor's! i think that would be so interesting and could use all my organisational skills in that role. will just have to wait and see

lulabelle

so, lunch was cheaper than i thought - £22.

Then we ditched the car and had a couple of drinks. My round was £12 so came in under budget overall which was good.

Spent nothing yesterday. Work was horrid again. Don't really want to go in today but can't not really as no-one else who can do the work. I am finding working my notice very hard now I've made the decision I want out.

Should spend nothing today, though we need milk so perhaps just a small amount. Must go for a run tonight though think I am coming down with a cold - any excuse hey?!

Tomorrow night we are unexpectedly out - they boy went for a run sunday am with a mate who has asked if we want to go out tomorrow night with him and his wife and another couple we know. If we do I will try not to drink as I just don't think alcohol is doing anything for my mood at the moment.

Hair falling out badly again. Worried I may be on the way to alopecia totalis as my armpit hairs seem to be a lot finer and not growing. I sincerely hope that's not the case

lulabelle

spent nothing yesterday - went for a run though had zero energy i battled on.

was supposed to cook a proper meal last night but by the time i got home i was shattered so we just had rosti, chips, beans and egg! very naughty but so much simpler.

worked out with trainer this morning so that was £30. glad i went even though no energy.

tonight we are out but it's £10 for 2 courses or £15 for 3 and I'm only planning on having 2 and no booze so should be a relatively cheap night (unless the others are going mad on booze and we end up splitting the bill).

I am finding myself completely worrying about money now that I will have no job from february. I mustn't as I am saving for this but it kind of just doesn't sit well with my inner being not to be employed even though I deserve to take a break for my long term happiness. I think it's really hard when you are going against your fundamental make-up!!!!

anyway, today is wednesday thank god. so next time I write on here I will be well over half way through the week and towards the weekend then only 6 weeks until xmas when i'm off. have to keep going as there's not a lot i can do about the fact i have to work my notice and i need the money anyway.