A Frugal Life for Me!

nowpanicking

killerpeaty wrote: »

Hi there! Can your other half drive? Temping might be a great way for him to get some work and can sometimes lead to other roles.

Good luck with your debt free journey!

Yep, he can drive so that definitely helps.... Will have a look at tempting, thanks killerpeaty!

nowpanicking

Day 2 of my journey and I'm sitting in my jammies wondering whether I need to start putting my heating on all night. I am a big fan of having a cool bedroom but I didn't sleep well last night as I was cold which then makes me worry that DS is cold although he said he's not (he's a wee toasty person ). I use extra blankets and a hot water bottle atm plus DH is there for extra warmth

Plus there's the possibility of frozen pipes... hmmm.

Anyway, on the DFW front, I calculated my DFD and it's December 2019... that is going on the assumption that there is no additional income so if DH gets a job then the time will reduce. However, that is working on a fairly tight budget (I think) :

This is 4 weekly
Groceries including toiletries £145 *
Petrol £80
Days Out with family £50
Household £20
Tobacco (DH) £60
Dog food £10
School Dinners £15
Emergency Fund £40

* I need to do a full 4 week meal planner to see if this is achievable as it's a reduction of about £10 per week.

I'm hoping I'm going to be able to put in a last overtime claim (been working on a project so this is not a recurring additional income). If I do then I'm planning to set it aside as emergency and then top up with the £40 every 4 weeks. It is daunting not having the CC as back up but I was using it every month for 'emergencies' such as new shoes to cheer me up or drink at the weekend etc.

nowpanicking

So onto today's plan of action. Visiting parents mid day so that will be good to catch up.

- In the morning then I want to create a 4 week meal planner which will be from 16th January... to see if the budget is realistic.

- Have a look at some challenges on here to see if there are any that takes my fancy.

- hm soup made yesterday for tea tonight with toasties

- Get last of washing done and that will be it up to date

- Convince DS to tidy his room... it's a state!

- Clean bathroom

Think that's it for today

Muser1

Great start. Good luck with your journey. Have you done a full SOA? Other people might see something you have missed which could help.

nowpanicking

Muser1 wrote: »

Great start. Good luck with your journey. Have you done a full SOA? Other people might see something you have missed which could help.

Hi Muser1... thanks for popping in I have done a SOA in the past and got excellent advice on here... I reckon I've cut down as far as I can go.

nowpanicking

nowpanicking wrote: »

So onto today's plan of action. Visiting parents mid day so that will be good to catch up.

- In the morning then I want to create a 4 week meal planner which will be from 16th January... to see if the budget is realistic.

- Have a look at some challenges on here to see if there are any that takes my fancy.

- hm soup made yesterday for tea tonight with toasties

- Get last of washing done and that will be it up to date

- Convince DS to tidy his room... it's a state!

- Clean bathroom

Think that's it for today

So I've not done as well today as planned... ended up out visiting longer than I'd planned so didn't do most of the list:o

I did have a go at the meal planner but I'm over £20 over the budget... struggling to cut it any further, think I'll have a look on the os forum for inspiration.

Not feeling motivated at all today, must keep going though... in the past I've given up too easily and gone back to credit cards. Just need to focus on the good things so....

- today I visited my parents and had a nice catch up
- I also managed to visit a friend who I don't see very often which was great
- almost managed to balance food budget
- atm sitting in my living room cosy with my family
- had a NSD

Tomorrow I will tackle the menu planner again with a fresh head

MrsM1982

Hiya! :j:j:j
So glad I stumbled on your diary! I'm in pretty much the same boat, same amount of debt and really want to actually mske a dent in it this year instead of just having good intentions! Hoping you'll keep me motivated!
I made pie with leftover gammon today and went shopping with a list and stuck to it!! I've spent £19 on shopping for the week and will have to spend another £1.50 on milk. My usual budget will be £300 per month, 2 adults 3 kids and a dog!

MrsM

Moneywhizz

Your budget certainly looks quite tight. I think it's important to make a budget as realistic as possible and have a miscellaneous category for the odd things that crop up. In order to stick with the budget over a long term it has to be workable for you. Maybe that is why you have given up in the past and gone back to using credit cards.

Things will obviously be much easier for you when your husband finds some work and that will hopefully bring your debt free date much closer. Does he need to broaden his search and take any job in the meantime while he looks for something that he would really like? Just a thought. X

nowpanicking

Hi Mrs M, thanks for popping by! Shopping with a list makes such a difference doesn't it... I've been in the past with no list thinking it will be fine... only to get to the checkout and be horrified by the amount:o

£19 for the week is great. I spent £21.33... definitely helps having loads of leftover Christmas food!

Keep popping in and hopefully we'll keep each other motivated

Hi Moneywhizz, I think you're right... the budget is a bit tight, the problem is we're now in the situation where that's all that's left unless my temp promotion is extended. If I get the overtime payment I'm hoping for in Feb then I might top up the budget with that. At the end of the day DH now needs to get a job... problem is, he's had really bad jobs in the past and he's not willing to just pick anything up. He also suffers down phases and has just gone on to anti depressants so is trying to get used to them. I originally said back in July that he needed to get a job by Christmas as December was when my promotion was meant to end but luckily it's been extended until end of January but I really don't think it will be extended again.

nowpanicking

So... today's plan of action:

- Clean bathroom as didn't do yesterday
- Have another look at main budget to see if there's any leeway
- Have a look at os forum for meal planner inspiration
- Have another go at meal planner
- take dog for walk
- Make hm rolls
- hm soup and rolls for tea
- check bank accounts

Try and stay motivated!