Escaping the grind...in search of a life less ordinary

MissShoes

sugarcube84 wrote: »

Well done!!!

Thank you!!! :beer:

MissShoes

Yesterday was rainy and miserable- had to alternate between inside and outside jobs. Today- much of the same. Managed to save a load of veggies that were about to turn with a pasta salad and some soup with some rtc chicken. Will make a curry today to eat tomorrow.

Got accepted for Santander 123 account which is awesome, will sit with OH and try to work out, now we both have one, best way of using them to full advantage. Just need to send some ID and paperwork.

NSD today

MissShoes

Been a long old while since I've posted. It's been a whirlwind couple of months of seeing friends and doing up the house and catching up with family....and off on holidays next week so need to prep for that. Only for just over a week but a very welcome distraction!

Haven't had a NSD in a long time, there always seems to be something- even if its a packet of nails or sellotape or a must-have thing for the kitchen or a grocery top up or or or.... Must get back to this after hols as it makes a huge difference.

Will also need to bring in some revenue...so need to chat with OH about how we do that and what our work plan is. I have a MF in 9 years desire (there are just under 4 years on our current deal) and I think we're projected to be at around £85k in 4 years time- maybe slightly over, so its definitely a tough ask and will involve some high paying jobs and some scrimping and some clever money trickery...but its a goal and something to aim for.

Freezer full- nothing needed before we go away, will haul something out for tea now. Should have enough in there to last a week or 10 days once back but have just received 3 consecutive vouchers from Mr T for £6 off a £30 spend.....first one runs out whilst we're away so tempted to go today and get £30 worth of meat to stock freezer, then when we're back use the second one for veggies/milk/cheese/bread/fresh bits and use the 3rd one for whatever we need to keep going!

Also have £7.50 Mr T voucher and a £5 Mr M voucher so maybe I'll grandly aim to spend only £72 (£30 minus £6 time by 3) until Halloween....spooky! Luckily OH very onboard with scrimping and penny-saving as we have our shared goals for the house. We're spending big pounds but scrimping where we can and also trying to stick to MSE ways on the smaller things like groceries and daily spends.

Well, that's it from me til later. Still here, still reading, still lurking, still DF, still got big ideas about MF, still happy.

Shoes x

MissShoes

Ok, stage one of grocery plan has been enacted. Went to Mr T and went round with a calculator, reaching £30.89 so with voucher, total spend of £24.89. Then OH remembered a couple of items- big stock of toilet roll that was on offer and some cleaning products. Final spend was... £36.89. So used the £6 off voucher and also my £7.50 worth of vouchers and the price was £23.39.

Have spent last couple of meals using up bits and bobs and running down fridge to eventually use the Mr M £5 for fresh bits and then the next Mr T voucher in last week of Sept.

Also spent £4 in offy on a few bottles of beer so an unbudgeted but welcome treat.

OH in flebay mode- has made himself just under £300 in the last few days selling off his odds and sods- big trip to post office is planned! I think lucky Miss Shoes will receive some pennies from him too which I'll stash away somewhere. Inspired me to get started on my own pile which is amassing and growing dangerously. Will do this when I have some free time at the end of the month.

NSD today, about time!:j

MissShoes

Well stage 2 of the grocery plan has not gone.....to plan!

Went to Mr T armed with a list and a calculator and my voucher for £6 off. To be honest, I wasn't going to stick to budget as we had a couple of social gatherings planned- so big spends on booze and food and treats was expected.

The total was £70.27 AFTER the voucher was taken off:eek::eek::eek:

It's not over yet..... Then we went to Mr L and spent another £19.08 on more stuff :eek::eek::eek:

To top it all off, the social gatherings have been rescheduled for late in the year and one of them they gave out the wrong dates....so a lot of all this spending was unnecessary!!!

We were also due to NOT spend anything on meat as part of our plan was to stock up with meat first- then use subsequent spends for fresh bits. We spent £6 on 2 large packs of chicken thighs- OH thought we could make big stews or roasted tray bakes with root veg and herbs etc so they would last for a few meals.

So- not great!. I took out £50 cash and £19.08 went to Mr L, £15 went to our contribution to a family meal, £6ish OH used for bus fare and I'm not sure on the rest- will tally up the pennies in my purse so I have an accurate amount!

So.....now I am undecided whether to use my final £6 off £30 shop at Mr T or whether to ignore it and make do. I think I'll wait til a day or two before the voucher expires, assess the cupboards and make an informed choice.

So what accounted to of some of those MAHOOSIVE grocery overspends of £65.35 (I spent £89.35 after the voucher and I should've spent £24!!!):

£30.58 alcohol
£14.57 on food for the gathering the hosts gave wrong date for
£6 on unbudgeted for chicken! I am on a meat-buying amnesty!
£5 on garden spends- could've waited

= £56.15, with the remaining £10.20 being on general overspend on our bill (half of which was could be accounted for with cleaning/laundry related items)

The good news is......
- should be NSD today- a day of chores and pottering around
- should be a NSD tomorrow- a day of chores and pottering around- it's a pattern...
- Monday- possibly a NSD
- Tuesday- LSD- parking only

And our cupboards are full! So lovely meal planning- might look something like-

- slow cooked pork and onion in cider, apple, honey and mustard with mash and various green veg
- Roast chicken with roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots with more green veg
- pasta with end of homemade pasta sauce- with wilted spinach and maybe some cheese or sausage thrown in
- Greek salad- have a block of feta to use up and a jar of olives lurking somewhere

and a few cheaper meals of JP with beans and cheese and a side salad, omelette, veggie risotto etc

Off to lurk on diaries,

Shoes
x

MissShoes

Not doing too well with jobs today- need to motivate myself. Aiming to hit 20 items on flebay to use up free listings before they expire mid-week. Then I'll do another 20 and so on.

So far I'm up to 4.....come on Shoes!:rotfl:

MissShoes

Well lots to report on here. First and foremost- still debt free! Have used CC once or twice and then transferred money across to clear it immediately- used for purchase protection etc.

Meal planning- I'd give myself 5/10 for this. At times I seem to be doing well, hardly any waste and not eating out as much. Other times, I quickly convince myself to brunch/brekkie/takeaway etc etc

Spends- difficult to rein in. In the middle of a lot of projects so needing a pot of paint here, or a bit of plumbing there, something for the garden, something to be repaired etc. It's fine- but makes NSDs hard to come by!

Today- my purse is closed for business! Have made a headstart on xmas pressies and got the wrapping etc. Will get tree and decorations in one.

Awaiting refunds:

£550
£52
£11.49
£15.74

Most of November's billed paid but big savings challenges to get stuck in to.

MissShoes

Things to do weekend 7th and 8th Nov

- list upstairs items on flebay (10 items to list) 2 done, 8 to go- 1 sold already so will list another
- list original flebay items (2 items to list) 0 done, 2 to go
- list first lot of flebay pile (13 items to list) 19 done, 4 to go

- hoover, dust and tidy up bedroom
- hoover, dust and tidy up lounge
- hoover, dust and tidy up office

- create master spreadsheet- this item needs proper thinking about!

- get 10 items added to charity bag

- declutter 50 items to bin/charity/sell/gift

MissShoes

December/Christmas update from me...... I have to hold the record for fewest posts on own diary!

Wins
Got an awesome new job- salary confirmation still outstanding, but it is very likely to be less than I earned before but that's mainly geographic as no longer working in the big smoke and also less important as I am STILL DF :j. But- positives- much better work life balance, more enjoyment of the actual worth, more variety, more and less challenging in all the ways that matter and a new set up/system than I'm used to. All interesting and exciting.

Holiday booked- catching up with friends and spending time with OH so that's really exciting. Just a few final bookings to make but mainly done and paid for up front...... :T

House is still lovely- very happy with our move and what it's done for our work life balance, standard of living, stress levels, sleep quality, priorities, general wellbeing...I could go on! This is a major win for us as a couple as well as for me as an individual.

Family and friends- lucky Shoes to have who I have in my life

Losses

Spending- has been a very expensive couple of months. We're near the end of all the bills but whilst we have budgeted for these costs, we were too optimistic with our expectations and there's been a 20-25% underestimate on our part. Our savings are looking very sorry for themselves and severely depleted- I have a plan to get back on track but needs to be finalised once salaries are. Then it's pots for groceries, socialising, fuel, clothes etc and this is relatively tight for 2016- but at least it's not to repay debt. I know how lucky we are and I'm happy we've held onto the DF status.

Income- lower than expected over past few months which has also contributed to the deeper dip into meagre savings.

Weightloss- non-existent. Honestly it's atrocious. Need to do something about this so I have a plan. Looking at the whole picture is too overwhelming so I'm just looking at 2 stone. That's it. Losing 28 pounds and keeping it off is the first goal. Must get to 10000 steps a day so will monitor with pedometer. Realistically, this will all start around 28th Dec and with upcoming holiday there will be plenty of things to tempt me! But, must stay strong and remember how to reward myself or distract myself without using food- manicures, pedicures, soaks in the tub, a good book, catching up on drama series on tv, walks with OH, chores and DIY all good ideas!

MissShoes

Reminder for March:

Make new soa
Make new savings plan
Car booked in for MOT
Finalise joint account outgoings
Finish 2016 financial projections
Make a start on 2017