Women and cats will do as they please! :)

judi24

Oh dear - Mice!!!:eek::eek::eek: Not good!!!! Hope you get your new drawers quickly!!!! They must like porridge!


Pesto sounds lovely though - might try that recipe!

TheMagician

Hello Diary :j

Saw my orthodontist yesterday, my teeth are getting there now just a few more months, a few little adjustments. But I've been in absolute agony since last night after the new wire, oh well, more than worth it

Went to my first of four lectures today very interesting but pretty tough and full on She wants me to do the exam in 6 weeks max :eek: The book is almost 400 pages and 19 chapters all of which are fully examinable, I'll be pretty busy... I'll see how it goes but apparently I have to book the exam place now or might not get the date I want, it's proved to be very popular. Guess it gives something to aim for but does also put pressure on me. I can study in my work time all I like which is great. But same as having my day release, the work will still be there when I come back. So as long as I'm on time with my job, I'll be bringing the books in with me to work. For the last exam I studied Mon-Wed straight and I'm sure it secured my pass.

The good news would be that potentially if I work very very hard I could pass in February, I'd get my bonus and raise straight away for that month even if I passed on say 25th as long as it's before FD does the wages. So that'd be amazing and give me extra savings. But I do know it's a huge amount of work so I won't push myself to a breaking point.

Yesterday I got confirmed I'll get a £500 bonus in next month's wages which will be around £340 after tax. Sadly, it's been spoken for. £200 for flights to see family in August, £100 for orthodontist and the remainder will go towards the spa day on my son's birthday end of Feb. So a very nice bonus and will help me in keeping as much of my wages as possible as those payments would still have to have been made, bonus or no bonus.

Today I finished at 4pm :T which is a lovely extra on top of not having to go to work, went food shopping with the little one and spent the last £20 So in theory I've got no money left for the food and still a week to go. But I unexpectedly got £25 from TopCashB*ck and an extra week's worth of maintenance today so that cheered me up :money:

Right, think that's about it for now, off to do mummy things.

Lovely Thursday everyone

Magician

debtfreeoneday

WOW, inspiring.. will subscribe to follow you - well done you for everything you have done. Single handed as well.. :-)

TheMagician

debtfreeoneday well thank you very much, the best compliment I could ever ask for. Never thought of myself as inspiring but I'm delighted if anyone sees it that way.

joedenise thank you for you advice and well done on learning such an important life skill, I know myself it ain't easy Didn't do any typing Thursday - was at uni, or Friday - finished the year end at work so me and FD were working super hard but made it in the end! :T But I shall do lots and lots this coming week at work, I'm actually starting to enjoy it so that helps.

So I've run out of the food money for the month, what's new there. Went through the bank and I've spent on average £13 a day on me and the little one :eek: Now just wait a minute, we only have bananas and porridge for breakfast - cheap, DS has lunch at school for free and mine is half brought from home and half bought. So it's only dinner left! How on earth am I spending so much!!! I think I need to get back to simpler cooking. Quality ingredients are so expensive though! You can get a whole packet of nasty ham for £1 and 5 slices of good quality cost £3, quality chicken, beef and fish like salmon are all expensive. I often buy nuts and avocados as well, also cheese of all sorts. So I'll look for simpler things to make with less ingredients but I'm not willing to compromise on quality, it'll be a challenge. More veg like sweet potato and home made coleslaw etc. I think is a good place to start.

I'll try hard cause it can save me money and that's what it's all about.

First night of studying tonight after a while

Magician

TheMagician

A lovely surprise win of £50 tonight which is going straight to the savings! :beer::money:

My son said that I can use his leftover £12 entertainment budget to food shop with till Thursday because 'we need to eat' I reckon I can do this... Got a bit of food in the fridge and cupboards so it's a challenge and I'm up for it

joedenise

Because you're buying good quality meat and fish you need far less of it to feel satisfied. Definitely up the fruit and veg and also include more beans and pulses in your diet - they are very high in protein and very filling.

I make a lovely mixed bean goulash with a tin of mixed beans, onions, spices etc and it easily makes enough for me and DH plus lunches the following day, served with some HM sourdough bread.

Glad you're beginning to enjoy the typing practice. Keep it up and it'll save you so much time.

Denise

TheMagician

joedenise that sounds delicious. Yeah, that's what I'll do, more pulses and vegetables and they're cheap.

So been to A*da and bought:

8 bananas
4 pints of milk
2 pieces of salmon
500g mince
8 sausages
6 free-range eggs
Carrots
Onions
And a chocolate bar for DS
=£11.75 :T

Dinners will be:

Salmon fillets and cinnamon sweet potato wedges
Cheese and pepper omelettes
Pesto pasta
Sausage and mash

So that's Mon-Thu sorted, lunches for me will be chilli con carne I'm making tonight So I reckon we'll make the week with the £12 I did have some vegetables and other bits in stock but this is an achievement for me. I should plan more often rather than popping into the shops as and when with no certain meal idea :j

TheMagician

So I'm ready to update my savings since there'll be no more spends before Friday, my total for the month is £750 taking me to £3590 :j

The payments that reduced my savings this month:
£145 car tax
£30 tea
£38 dental hygienist
=£213

So here we are I'm really looking forward to hitting the £5k mark which will happen in March.

My eye is firmly on food in February, I want to try to make it on £200 for the 4 weeks, I really think I can. The rest is at absolute minimum already.

It's amazing how I'm managing to save so well when I pay attention to the money and budget, I've had plenty of months when I took no stock of what I was spending and ended up with no or minimum savings and nothing to show for it. It's as if money has little feet and legs it every time I look away :rotfl:

Magician

TheMagician

Good evening

So looks like the £12 will truly last me the week, amazing :beer: Made fluffy pancakes tonight, really hit the spot NSD again today, though I'm not counting them this month.

An unexpected payout of £29 from TopCashB*ck today :money: very pleased.

Typing's going well, really enjoying it now that I'm getting better and doing more keys. To anyone looking to take it up, just do it. It's daunting at first and quite boring but after a while it starts getting quite addictive. I'm wondering why on earth did I not do this before but I know why, putting it off, thinking it'll be very difficult. Well it's not

Work is major busy, auditors in and they need something every 10min. But by the end of next week they'll be gone and our year end will be done, so yay to that :T

Already looked at how much I can save in February. Budgeted spends will be son's birthday and a few toiletries, I'm running out of my Urban Decay Brow Box £19 and it's a must, as well as body butter and toothpaste.

Birthday is looking like this:
The Bible £8.77
Hotel Chocol*t box of chocs £9.95-cash back I'll get next month=£6.28
Trash Pack Science Box £14.38
The Robber's Daughter £5.57
Spa £?
Cake £?
=£35+?
The rest has already been bought.

Tired from all the running around tonight, off to get the little one to bed and myself for a long bath. Cup of peppermint tea, Smooth radio... simple pleasures...

Lovely Wednesday

Magician

judi24

Wow - you doing great - meal planning really does make a difference with food shopping - I spent £18 this week and only because I had planned meals around the content of my freezer and cupboards so I didn't need much - you meals sound great too.


Fantastic to see your savings go up - you will be at your target in no time!


It is a mazing to see how much you 'squander' just by not really paying attention - I didn't think I was particularly extravagant but managed to spend all may pay not pay down any debt just by not watching my spending!


Your little ones Birthday sounds fab - you are so organised!!! Can you make the cake to keep spends down? My kids love home made cakes - but sometimes time just doesn't allow it! Not sure if you have any Village hotel near you but ours often offers open weekend (it is a ploy to get members obviously) but allow you in to use facilities - so free swim? Not sure kids can use the Jacuzzi though - but just a thought!