Back in control...now to stay there!

twiggy86

I now look forward to payday so that I can a) pay off debts, b) update my signature and c) shuffle all the money off into their pots and update my spreadsheet!

stiltoncheese

Well Twiggy, I have just done all 3 and it feels great

Not so great looking at my current account balance compared to what it was earlier when I first got paid, but I know everything is accounted for and my little pots are growing. The only downside to getting paid monthly is that it feels like a long time until you can do it again!

So today was an ok day. Moved the unspent petrol money (£20) into my emergency fund and transferred out the last of the money I need to get Christmas presents with. Next year I will be using the £1 per day savings for Christmas presents and food, so it won't feel like such a hit out of my wages in November and December.

The £1 per day challenge starts on Monday, but as I am paid monthly, I am going to do a monthly transfer for the whole month as I can't be bothered to faff arounds getting pound coins to put in a pot. First £31 deposited today so looking forward to seeing that grow. Next month, I will start the 20p per week number savings too. It's supposed to be £1 per week number but I can't afford that when I am back on maternity pay, so 20p is doable and still a nice healthy £275 at the end of the year.

No more overtime this week now, thank goodness. I'm worked out at the mo. Money will be nice but I am starting to struggle a bit with being almost 34 weeks pregnant, working part-time, overtime in the evenings, running the house and running around after a bonkers 1 year old toddler. Totally ready to finish work now and relax a bit before the chaos of a new baby hits!

Right, off to make a brew and browse the internet for the last few bits of xmas shopping. Happy payday weekend everyone

stiltoncheese

Early start in the cheese household today. 1 year olds and lie-ins just aren't compatible!

Have a few bits to sort out today, but nothing major. The morning after payday always feels like a bit of an anti-climax as all money has been moved around and there's not much else I can do. I do have an unhealthy habit of staring at YNAB a lot though, even though it's the same as last night and will be the same until my direct debits start to go out next week. Something mesmerising looking at all the numbers in it and knowing I am totally on top of my budget.

*Will be having a NSD today although hubby is nipping out later so he will spend.
*Someone is picking up the item I sold last weekend for £10 later on tonight. If it's in coins, it can go into my £1/£2 pots. If it's a note then I will hang onto it and bank it next week to move over into the emergency fund.
*Need to bump up my remaining few items on the selling sites again and maybe find another local one to advertise them on. SOme of them are bulkier baby bits and desperately need them gone to free up some space.
* Usual housework stuff, plus washing and drying on airer. Boring but necessary.
*Finish off last bits of Christmas shopping online. Know mostly what I need to get, just a question of finding it for the best price.
*Need to pack my hospital bag. Have most things I need and Mr Stilton will pick up the few bits I'm missing later on. Feels mad that I am at the stage of packing my bag again, this pregnancy has flown by.

I can't believe we are only a couple of days away from the start of December and nearly the end of the year. Going to get the Christmas tree up early next week and make some tree decorations out of salt dough with babybel...he likes anything messy so should be good fun.

Hope everyone has a nice day planned

stiltoncheese

Haven't managed half of the stuff on my list

Was a small spend day...£12ish on last bits needed for hospital bag (toiletries, snacks etc).
Sold item not collected. Assume it will be tomorrow now as she either day
Haven't bumped any of my for sale items
No housework, although I have done a load of washing and put clean stuff away
No Christmas shopping done
I have managed to pack the hospital bag though. Feel better now as if I did happen to go into labour early it's all ready to go.

Must try harder tomorrow!!

stiltoncheese

Finished the Christmas shoppping off this morning. About £7 over budget, but that was mostly due to Amazon sneaking on some delivery costs I hadn't accounted for. Managed to get everyone what I wanted though so pretty pleased with my efforts. Should all be delivered this coming week so will just be wrapping to do and then food to buy nearer the time

Need to sell these last few bits. They are starting to annoy me hanging around now. Will try and readvertise them today and hope that someone wants them.

NSD planned although I have technically spent on the Christmas presents online this morning, but they came out of the Christmas fund budget so I'm not really counting it as a spend, more like a bill if that makes sense? I tend to only count NSD's as days I don't spend anything unbudgeted for. So food shopping and petrol don't count as a NSD as they have their own budget, but if I sneaked something naughty at the garage when I put the fuel in, like a bar of choc, then it would count as a spend for the cost of the choc, but not the fuel. Is that cheating?

stiltoncheese

Morning MSE-Land

Another weekend gone and it's December!?! Might be brave and get the Christmas tree up today when DS goes down for his nap. He was only 8 weeks old last Christmas and the lights mesmerised him. This year, I think I'll be lucky if the tree lasts more than 2 hours between him and the cat!

Had a mini panic this morning updating YNAB as some DD's have gone out this morning and I appeared to have suddenly lost about £80 from the budget. I thought I had somehow managed to mess up and overspend on my military planned Christmas budget. Anyway, I forgot that this is the month I get 2 child benefit payments in the same month and have another £82 to be paid on 29th December. Panic over! It wouln't have mattered to this month's budget as everything is covered, but I have some money kept aside to roll over to make my final childcare payment for DS at the end of the month before I break for maternity leave and he stops going, and that was what I thought was suddenly £80 short.

I sometimes wish hubby was the one to manage all the household expenses and I just paid him a monthly amount instead of the other way around. In reality I would hate it, as I like having control and knowing we are ok and I think I have a bit more self-restraint than he does. But it would be lovely to just get paid and only have to worry about my own bills like petrol, contact lenses and personal spends and not have to think about what needs transferring to what pot to cover X

stiltoncheese

Ordered the food shopping for the next week and written up my meal planner ready. Found I am saving so much and wasting so much less by doing it every week instead of the big monthly with extra top-ups. Food coming tomorrow morning.

Putting the Christmas tree up hopefully, once little one has gone to bed. The person is also finally coming to collect that item I sold tonight, so £10 to go into 1 of the pots, depending how she pays. If it's a note, it will be banked and moved to the emergency fund, if it's coins it can go into whichever coin pots it needs to. Hoping coins really as it saves me faffing around going to the bank to pay it in.

lcc86

I'm forever forgetting things on my budget (income and outgoings unfortunately!). I prefer weekly shopping, especially as there's only me to cater for. Thinking of going totally veggie for a bit to see how that affects my food bill too... Worth a try!

stiltoncheese

I used to eat a lot of veggie meals when it was just me. Found I saved loads of money and had some really tasty things. Sadly since meeting and marrying my husband, meals aren't considered meals unless they have meat! I get away with cooking the odd jacket potato with cheese and beans, or egg, chips and beans but that's about it for veggie meals now. He does go away with work for courses though so I tend to eat more veggie on those days

stiltoncheese

Woohoo, the person finally came last night and picked up the item I sold ages ago. £10 note, so will have to go into the bank and transfer it into my account.

Christmas tree lasted about 30 mins . It's now only decorated on the top half as I've ended up moving all the decs up to stop mischievous toddler hands getting them all off!

Dreaded food delivery this morning. I love having food in, just hate putting it away and having to wait around for the delivery. Still, it's saving me money doing it this way so I shouldn't moan really.

Will hopefully receive some more of my Christmas deliveries today and the rest by the end of the week. Just need to get wrapping paper then. I will feel so much better when everything is here and wrapped because at least if I did suddenly end up going into labour earlier than my due date, everything would be sorted apart from food, and hubby can do that.

Right, off to find the what will you do today thread...have a feeling my list will be long today!