New Years Goals and Career Changes - A diary for a better me.

myteeduck

Well payday came. I went shopping yesterday with my mum and with the big mahooosive freezer shop, I spent £98.22 from my budget of £110.46, but I think I got everything! I wont need much until the next month. My cupboards are full, as is my fridge and my freezers. I will be doing small top ups, of say a little bit of lettuce, yogurts, milk and cat food. I have loads of bread, meat, veg, pasta, rice, potatoes, so I think I will be fine! I think i got every type of veg I could find, peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, parsnips, mixed veg, stirfry veg, to be roasted veg, peas, broccoli, cauli, you name it, I think I got it!

I managed to get all my health related items, so I have loads of loo rolls, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, new toothbrush heads for my electric brush, floss, face creams and if you count what I am holding from Christmas, I think I could fill Boots S&G counter 2 x over!

My only problem is at the moment, I am sooooo itchy! I don't know why, but my scalp, neck, face, back are all itchy and I think i'm going to end up scratching myself red raw at the moment. I think its stress, but I don't really know what my body is meant to be stressed about. Grrrrrr..... xx

myteeduck

Hi all.
Its been little bit of time since I last updated, but all is going well. I over spent on the food budget this month. I know I needed to do a first fill of the freezer and probably should have budget more for it, but I didn't and I have left myself worse off, but when there a will there is a way.
I am doing overtime at work tomorrow and I will work out how much extra I will get and use it to buy some food tomorrow but only what I really need, rather than what I want. I mean, I can blow £5 on mini marshmallows, Mikado sticks and chocolate, but I will be good and buy what I actually need, such as milk, lettuce and ham!

I had my MOT today which was £55 but I was able to pay for it in full which was an amazing feeling! I hope to do the same with my AAT fees, car insurance deposit and my home insurance over the rest of the year.

myteeduck

Hi all

Tomorrow is payday again, but I have been paid early, so I have done all my bills/banking and I am all set. Mum helped again by paying another £100 from my credit card and she said she might be able to help with an additional £100. She thinks its worth it as she is actually paying for my course and not my stupidity - thats been cleared for months! My CC is now a more comfortable amount of £296 on 0% interest free!

I am planning on sitting an exam in July which is paid for and another in August, which will be paid for very soon so there will be the final exam and the course will be done, alongside the CC.

I have £85 in my savings pot, split across the following:

£30 to the Car Insurance Deposit - £60 needed by September '15
£15 towards AAT fees - £80 needed by December '15
£6.66 towards a new passport - £78 needed by June '16
£8.34 towards home insurance - £55 needed by December '15
£10 to this years Birthday/Christmas fund
£5 towards MOT - £55 needed by June '16
£10 owed to a friend - whenever I see her next

I don't think I have missed anything there. I have this money in a separate account on YNAB and its got the full list, and amounts have been worked out based on what I can afford and will be the full amounts by the time each one come around.

x

beanielou

All looking good

myteeduck

Hi all.

First week in the month shopping trip today. I spent over today and yesterday almost all of my monthly food budget, but my freezer is fit to burst and my fridge will be well stocked once I get home from mums.
My cupboards are all full as well so meals should be set for the whole month. I got a lot of cleaning stuff as well, so i'm stocked on bleach, floor mopping stuff, scourers, laundry goods and shampoo and conditioner.

I have enough cat food to last 27 meals, so 12 days, plus a few bits left, so approx 2 full weeks. I may reduce the cat to eating one meal as biscuits and one as meat - she is only tiny and doesn't need a lot so may be do-able. She didn't winge too much when I put food she didn't like down and had to go without. She just ate the food she liked and ate the biscuits anyway. If I do that, I may be able to make the meat last the whole month. I only have £6 left in the food budget for the month but this should be do-able.

I have this week off work, so I have every intention of working on my course, sorting the crap in my cupboards, to find some stuff to sell and to gut my house - every surface is full of cat hair. I do love the thing, she just coats everything in hair! I used to be bad when my hair was long, but she is worse - even my blinds have a thin coating of hair along the bottom that I noticed today.

As I am off, I should find my diesel should last longer so I won't have to fill up until i've been back at work most of next week. This should mean that if I am scratching round for food in the final week, I can get from my fuel allowance as long as I remember to save some money for a journey to Wales for my exam on the 22nd. I also got a tax rebate the other day - only £10 but that should pay for the train to Manchester on Monday for what potentially could be a job interview - I have been shortlisted for a job and need to meet the agency.

Well thats me all updated... Just a nice week off so I may update again over the course of this next week.

x

beanielou

The thing~~:eek:
My boy is the same though

myteeduck

Beanie - She is only the thing when it involves her hair!
She is my baby otherwise. x

killerpeaty

Ooooh your cat shaped thing is so good! My cat shaped thing would be yowling the house down.

Very exciting about your job interview, best of luck with the agency. Just remember with the agency that they aren't there for you, you need to show them that you are brilliant (you are).

Which exam is it?

myteeduck

Hi all

I wrote a post earlier, but managed to loose it!
Peaty - My exams are WEAF on 22nd July and Costings on 12th August. I sure set myself a challenge there! However I have 2 chapters left on WEAF and then I will work on costings. Its only 5 chapters so should be do-able. I really want to do the Sage module. I'd love to reach level 4 but at the moment, my finances will stop me after level 2 unless I can find an employer who is willing to pay for the other levels.

I am suffering with anxiety at the moment, due to my neighbour. She was up till god knows what time last night and I could hear voices through my wall and there is now a dirty big sofa in my garden! Ok its a shared garden, so its technically in her garden too, but I am so desperate to move now that I am going to throw any spare money t my car and my house. Sod the summer holidays - I need out!

My car takes up a hell of a lot of my income - too much to be honest, but I am stuck. I have tried everything to reduce this, but it looks like I am frozen for another 2-3 years. I will in this time, try to save up either enough to pay it off or at least half of it. Once the car is paid for / traded for a cheaper one when I can, then the money will go on my house. I am also not in a position to move. I have a job which I am trying to leave and I don't earn enough for a mortgage without a deposit. However hopefully in 2-3 years, I should have enough equity in my house to clear a nice deposit for a new one. Mum and dad have basically said that any equity in it is my deposit money. I am just in limbo. I have to try to ride out the next 2-3 years and in that time, try to squirrel as much as I can away. Operation Car/House starts!

I can make huge savings now on my food bill. I have a absolutely full freezer that is barely emptying (which is a good thing- unless it defrosts!) which means that hopefully next month, the food budget will be barely spent and I can put some of this to my funds.

I have tried to reduce my internet/phone package, but even with cutting down/special offers, I am better staying as I am, trying to get my use out of what I have and reducing once my discount ends in November.

I am going to keep looking at everything else that I spend money one and try to reduce it. I have absolutely loads of books, DVDs and CDs that I may try to sell. Would anyone recommend car boot sales? I have say 50 DVDs - at maybe 50p per dvd I could get say £25? Maybe better in my pocket or do these things not sell? Am I better just donating to the charity shop?

Any suggestions would be welcome xx

myteeduck

PS my cat shaped thing is amazing. I leave her all day and she still greets me at the door with a smile on her face and is desperate for a perch on my knee. I just wish I knew what was up with her back. She seems to have an allergy to something and licks herself red-raw and has now loads of scabs on her where she has licked, but there is nothing there! She is wormed and flea'd and I don't know what to do for her. I cant keep her in all of the time but it gets worse in summer when she is in the garden.