Need to get a grip!!!

rc12345

supersaver - I hear you with the cooking, although it is baking in our house. DD loves to bake, although I think it is more licking out the bowl! Seems to take longer cleaning up the mess afterwards than the actual activity took to do!!! Salt dough sounds like something she would enjoy. Will need to get some flour in when I next go shopping, but avoiding the shops atm.


Was only paid last Monday, but have a few big bills to pay with just moving house not sure how I'm going to make it through the month yet. Need to sit down and do the budget for the month now I've got the internet back...


Hi bluejeans, glad I made you laugh. Hope you enjoyed your time away.


That's a great tip pennywise, thanks for that will go looking now...actually make that tonight as I will probably get caught up looking and end up late for work!!!


Actually dreading today as think BF will end our relationship at lunchtime, so getting broadband back yesterday was perfect timing to keep a track on my spending again as if he does I will just want to spend money I haven't got to make me feel better. So any tips on mending a broken heart that don't involve shopping or going out would be greatly appreciated


Anyway better get ready for work...

rc12345

Couldn't resist looking at magic freebies and it looks great, it's like shopping for free!!! Will enjoy having a proper look, but really do need to get ready for work now

rc12345

Well my relationship did not end yesterday lunch time, he said we would talk (which is what made me think he was ending it) and then just acted like everything was fine and had me believing everything was back to normal and has now gone back to not texting me back! It's completely screwing me up and unlikely I will see him now for a couple of weeks as he is going away next week. Anyway, not at all money saving just needed to get that off my chest...however I do need to try and focus on something else than him without doing things that will cost me money to do so.


Tonight we are going to a free fireworks display. The one we went to last year cost £10 for the two of us and I nearly bought tickets for it again (it was ok, but wouldn't really say worth the money). Bumped into one of my daughter's friends and her mum on Friday who told us about this one they are going to, which is free and they have invited us round for tea first. Looking forward to it and will take my mind off situation with BF for the evening.

rc12345

So, back to yesterday...reused back of a sheet of paper for a list, had a fruit salad for breakfast which needed eating...really didn't fancy it and it had grapes in it, which I shouldn't eat as give me stomach ache. Only had about four grapes in it, but lo and behold stomach ache all day because of it (I didn't buy it my mum gave it to me in case anyone is wondering why I would buy something that doesn't agree with me!!!!).


Using an expensive bubble bath as shower gel instead of buying some more shower gel as never tend to have bath's only showers so may as well use the stuff, it's been in the cupboard for an eternity (well since last Christmas I think). Did wear perfume and contacts yesterday as was meeting BF for lunch. Did tie hair up though, so no hairdryer or products in it and will be fine again today without washing. Do need to still look for new up dos on You Tube.


BF bought lunch yesterday, as I had stomach ache didn't really feel like much so we just had a sainsburys meal deal and I saved the crisps, so can have them for lunch as crisp butties one day.


Sent another e-mail about the £13.59 taken out of my account last month that has still not been refunded. Had the sausage curry thing that was in the slow cooker and three portions in the freezer. Reused a piece of kitchen roll, brought some work paper home that was going to be binned to reuse, washed up in cold water, sent dd to brownies with 50p for tuck and she brought it home with her and had a treat out of the cupboard instead, spent 60p on a pint of milk, no heating on again last night and managed to pick dd up from school for 5.30 again.


Going to have a look at my budget now, which has been neglected since having no broadband...not looking forward to this

rc12345

Well budget done and I have 65p to last me to the end of the month in my account and £8.22 in my purse. This is assuming I get my deposit back from the previous property I was in (I have been told I am getting this back) I need to drop the keys for that property into the estate agent and will do this at lunchtime and see when I can have my deposit back. I've also been overcharged by £40 on this property and have e-mailed estate agent about that this morning - my budget for the month assumes I will get this back this month also, but can take it off this months rent if not. It also assumes I will get back the £13.59, which I am due back and have been chasing for about three weeks now (e-mailed again about this yesterday).


Going to be another lean month, but have had a few big payments to make this month with the house move so hopefully things will be better next month and then can start looking at paying off the overdraft and credit card. Checked calendar and can't see anything that will require any money that has not been accounted for...

rc12345

Not money saving, but didn't sleep well at all last night and neither did dd as she kept telling me in the night she couldn't sleep . We did however have a lovely evening: tea at friends and then walk to see the fireworks and then back to friends for a while. Absolutely lovely and absolutely free


Anyway, yesterday usual excess hot water in flask and reused tea bag. Put out of date porridge in bag for lunch at work (seems never ending this porridge!!), but ended up having to go home at lunchtime and didn't have time for lunch and just ended up having the bag of crisps I'd saved from yesterday. Did take cheddars that dd won't eat in to work and snacked on them - not really my thing, but not going to waste them. Leftover pasta put in the freezer - have some tinned tuna that has just gone past it's best before date so thinking of making a tuna pasta bake thing with it.


Telephone bill came and half what I was expecting it to be £12.26 as opposed to £23 :j. Had an e-mail re the £13.59 refund confirming they were arranging for it to be refunded, but no date as to when it would actually be refunded - e-mailed them back to confirm and they haven't replied.


Do want to start taking the exams I need to get a better job, it's going to take me two years so I want to start after Christmas - the first one is going to cost £300 :eek:


No perfume, no contacts, hair tied up and no breakfast ...ok, so the no breakfast was more due to lack of time than money saving tbh, even though I was up early was so caught up in sorting my finances ended up running late!!!


Like I said had to go home at lunchtime, which was wasted petrol as was going to friends straight from work and hadn't any clothes for me and dd to change into ...just poor organisation, no excuse...


Also, didn't manage to get keys dropped off at lunchtime because of this and will not get deposit back from previous house until I do this and can't do it today as have an appointment at lunchtime - so will have to be tomorrow.


Anyway, will check on the budget now and make sure I'm on top of things...

rc12345

Checked budget and need to query a bill I've just paid, can do this today. I think I'm being overcharged on my mobile contract - only by 33p a month, but looks like this has been incorrect for a few months now. Need to go back through my bills and check this then contact them - a job for Saturday. After telephone bill was less than expected I now have £11.06 in my account and still £8.22 in my purse to last me twenty days. I do have £20 in another account if things get really dire, but prefer to keep that for emergencies. Just worked out how to subscribe to my own thread...people have mentioned subscribing before, but I've just been going through pages of diaries to find it (not very techy I know!!!)

rc12345

Not really much to report from yesterday: excess hot water in flask as usual and reused tea-bag, dd left some sandwich in her packed lunch and some popcorn so I had that yesterday with the never ending out of date porridge, reused a couple of the little bags I'd saved instead of throwing away, empty coke bottle from meal deal on Tuesday in craft tub (has grown out of the craft drawer already ). Dd is doing well getting into the habit of taking her school uniform off as soon as she gets home from school and if it is still clean it can be re-worn. Her tights from yesterday have a hole in and she asked if she could keep them to make sock puppets out of!!


Completely forgot to check re the bill I had paid. Did buy some doughnuts for work...65p for 5, which I didn't think was too bad - in the past I would have picked up anything without considering, but the doughnuts were the cheapest thing I could find. Not sure it would be cheaper baking something than 65p...will have to have a think about this.


Unfortunately, didn't manage to pick dd up by 5.30...was just after due to temporary traffic lights. Hey ho, have done well so far with this. Did drop her off with friends this morning to take her into school, still doing this two days a week instead of paying for before school club for the sake of 15 minutes...am going to ask her if she would mind doing the other three days, but not sure if 5 days is a big ask so haven't done it yet...the worst she can say is no, just don't like asking.


Had lasagne that I'd made and frozen out of the freezer last night. Only spend was 61p for a pint of milk.


Had confirmation £13.59 will be in my account within 3-5 days therefore 13th November at the latest.


Will go check budget now...

rc12345

Well yesterday was another pretty non eventful day. Still putting excess hot water in flask, reusing tea bag, washing up in cold water. Realised when I was doing the budget that my union membership is costing me 58p a month more than I was budgeting - not sure when that went up. Really need to look into this as sure I can get things cheaper as a member - have added this to list.


As of yesterday morning I had £10.48 in bank account and £6.96 in my purse, however I was feeling fed up yesterday and had a diet coke at lunchtime a waste of £1.20 - really need to not spend money to make me feel better. £5.76 in purse and £10.48 in bank account.


Went swimming last night. Became a gym member in May for a year when circumstances were different and now never go, so going to start going again. DD is with her dad for the weekend, so going to go again this morning as well. They also do a class on a Thursday that she can go to and a Saturday class, so might as well utilise this whilst I've got it.


Went on magic freebies last night and sent off for a few things, but did find it quite time consuming. Think I may just need to do one thing a day when I'm doing the budget in a morning in future.


Had an e-mail about the £40 I was overcharged, saying I wasn't so need to look into that and still need to drop keys off to get deposit back on other house - will need to do that today.


Anyway, time to check the budget again...

rc12345

ok so, so far this morning usual hot water in flask, reused tea bag, have let washing up soak in hot water as somehow seems to be a lot of it not had the heating on.


checked budget and exactly the same £10.48 in bank account and £5.76 in purse. Checked other account, which I thought had an emergency £20 in and actually has £52.43 in. A good job as well as turns out I hadn't made an overpayment of £40, which I had accounted for that I would get back this month and therefore would be £29.52 overdrawn by the end of the month. So, transferred exactly £29.52 over to cover this. Do need to get some food in before dd comes back tomorrow - just fresh stuff for her, will go to aldi and try and do this as cheaply as possible and then transfer over what I have spent. I can manage with the food I have in.


Also, checked overdraft situation on other account (don't have an overdraft on the current account I use) and this is £347.12. Just checked credit card and £2,828.49 to pay off this So at least now I know what I am working towards once I've got the daily stuff under control (really wished I hadn't wasted £1.20 on a diet coke yesterday now!!)