DFW journey starts today

twiggy86

Ok so somehow I really did miscalculate things! :mad: I wont be too hard on myself as it was my first month - but must do better next month!


There was me thinking I had £111 in my bank as a buffer (which I had thought would be about £200). Apparently its actually only £25! :eek:


I'd left my xmas "pot" in my main current account so that accounts for most of it! Massive oops! So I'm now going to shift that off to the account where all my other savings pots are - not sure why I left this one in my account.


I have no idea where that £175 has gone as I've only used my bank card 3 times month (ok - that deserves a wow in itself! :j) - twice for petrol (allocated pot and underspent by £2.42:j plus due to get £75.15 back from work for my mileage this month) and for some food shopping so that I got cashback - friends transferred theirs back to me so I only spent £15.60. Very confused how I got things so wrong!


Actually, I think I might know where at leats some of it went! OH owed me some money which should have gone back into that bank account but as I was doing so well (!) I paid it off a debt! Can't remember how much - think it was £80. He still owes me another £58 but as I was doing so well (!) I was planning on paying that off a debt too! So that accounts for £138 of it! Maybe it still can as payday is a week today so should be ok until then providing I don't spend lots this weekend if I go out.


Never mind at least its not as bad as I thought and I haven't gone over!


It really helps writing this all down as makes me really think about where my money has all gone!

twiggy86

Feeling positive despite by budgeting blip! Xmas fund is now safely shuffled away from my current account so I'm clear on what I've got - which is apparently £25.10 in my bank! However my "pot" comes from out lodger so I shouldn't need to touch this. Plus between my other pits I have over £400 plus the money for the beds sat in my bank, so I'm not worried. And it's payday a week today! Can't wait to pay some more of my debts and update my signature - I'm not sad, honest!

NSD today but other than that not a lot to report!

twiggy86

Ahhh! I messed up again! :mad:


OH bought something through my paypal and gave me the money. Of course I was good, paid it into the bank and then straight off a debt! But its only just showing as coming out of my bank! Again I hadn't accounted for this I was doing "so well" this month! So now I'm down to £16.22!


It's not coming back out the pots and I will survive until payday, as food budget comes from OH and my spends comes from the lodger. But I'm still annoyed at myself that I hadn't accounted for this.


Maybe I should leave everything in my bank until the day before payday and then shuffle any extras off, but worried that if it's there I'll spend it especially with xmas coming up!

AleMrsT

Don't be so hard on yourself twiggy, at least you can identify where the funds are going and what the money was allocated for, I think it would be more worrying if it was disappearing and you didn't know where it was going.

twiggy86

Thanks AleMrsT - you are right. In previous months I wouldn't have had a clue where my money went. Just wish I'd been more on the ball as despite saying I'll survive, I am a bit nervous having so little in my account - although I do have plenty in my other pots - so actually why am I panicking?! It is my first month of proper budgeting so I'm guessing (well more hoping!) that I'll get a better handle on it going forward.

AleMrsT

If you have already siphoned off what you'll need and the money you can physically see in your account is 'spare', then I can see how you'd panic if it isnt a lot, especially if you're used to having it all in one place,but I'm sure you'll get used to the budgeting the longer you stick at it. I don't have pots yet, I don't have spare funds to allocate right now, but when I get paid I'm going to start allocating the balance of my wages to things I need that don't already have a set amount each month such as food, as we never buy to an allocated budget. This forum has educated me with far more life skills than 4 years at college did!

twiggy86

I would definitely recommend having allocated pots for different things! My OH gives me money every week for food which I would then go shopping with and whatever I didn't spend got shoved in my purse and spent somewhere along the line and I have no idea on what!


Now I keep this money in an envelope in my bag (yes I do have a little cringe when I get it out at the checkouts!) and only use if for shopping and also only use this money for shopping (i.e. none of "my" money). Each week I put any left over money in my bank in my savings for our house renovation, and start again. Last weekend I put £50 in my bank which was two weeks worth of "left overs"! So it gives me a reason to try and cut down on the shopping if I can see the renovation fund going up!

AleMrsT

Thanks twiggy, i think paying in actual cash will also help, we used to just shove it on a card, and it doesn't seem like real money!

twiggy86

Pretty non eventful week so far. However I did get £4.47 back from Orange today which I wasn't expected so that's always nice! Presumably it's where I swapped my contract part way through the month.

Off to Zumba tonight. Hoping the exercise will do my shoulders some good! I am having to pinch a pound of my OH as I've run out of funds this week and I refuse to use my bank card! I've only used it 3 times since paid day! Twice was for petrol as the "pot" for this is in my bank.

Wrapped a Xmas present yesterday and bought some Malteasers to finish of my mums present. Also pestered my dad to let me know what to get him! Don't think me and OH are getting each other presents as want to put the money into the house. Although no doubt he'll change his mind when he thinks of something he wants! Need to get xmas decorations as it's our first year in our own home! I did get a few bits last year from next in the boxing day sale. I am quite happy that this isn't part of my next debt as I paid cash!

Pay day is getting close and can't wait to see those totals go down! Especially my CC as this has gone up BUT only work expenses which I'll get back on pay day! It is annoying to see it go in the wrong direction though as I haven't used it for myself at all since my LBM!

twiggy86

Yay my compliant to Am@zon worked! :j
They've agreed to extend the £10 gift card I had (which had expired) until May 2018!


Must use it up soon before my Prime (free delivery) expires! Happy that I didn't miss out on the £10!
Happy Friday everyone! :beer: