Debt free before 35

crazy_cat_lady

MrsSave wrote: »

Almost £20 and a lobster later (!!!!!!!!!) We were on our way home. :rotfl: I don't eat shell fish. I don't like it.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I'm sorry but this has actually made me laugh out loud. I have an awful habit of spending cash later in the evening when I'm tired. I try and leave everything until the next day so I'm sure I want it. Can't ever imagine wanting a lobster though... :rotfl:

MrsSave

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I'm sorry but this has actually made me laugh out loud. I have an awful habit of spending cash later in the evening when I'm tired. I try and leave everything until the next day so I'm sure I want it. Can't ever imagine wanting a lobster though... :rotfl:

:rotfl: May not have been my best impulse buy to date!!

Another weekend is gone They go so fast!! But, they do work out to be more expensive than week days. I really need to put a stop to all this spending at the moment. I find the more I earn, the more I spend. My food budget has doubled over the past 2/3 years, but I'm struggling to keep to my budget now. The same goes with things like my entertainment. 2016 will be the year to stick to budget!! :T

I need to plan for the rest of this year, though.

1. Planned spends only.......no impulse buying! That includes the fitness DVD I've just been looking at. I've got loads here already!

2. No grocery shop visits outside the weekly shop (will help the waist line too as that's rapidly expanding!!).

3. Update YNAB every day. Haven't updated since Friday night as I know it will mean I'll see my over spending clearly.

Right, I need sleep.........definitely lots of energy needed for the week ahead. Busy doesn't come close!! I've got a course after work tomorrow, but tomorrow will be the earliest I'll be home all week. Yikes!! :eek:

crazy_cat_lady

Our goals sound pretty similar to me. I've been revelling in being debt free this month and have promptly spent over £200 booking activities for our Christmas break, plus £150 at the vets etc. I'm already looking at a tight rest of the month and we're only a week in.
Good luck with your busy week - hope you manage some R&R

MrsSave

Yesterday was a nsd. :T

Today will not be! I'm buying a reindeer (well it is Christmas!!). I've ordered one of the wooden ones that lots of people are advertising all over Facebook at the moment. It's only a little one, which costs £7.50. I've got the money in my purse ready. I just hope he is little so we can fit him in the car!

As well as that were taking our ds to a preschoolers Christmas show this evening. We took him last year and he really enjoyed. I paid for the tickets a couple of months ago, and I'm planning on us eating before we go so no extra expense there.

I've woken this morning with a feeling I have lost my voice (happens quite regularly!). No one else is awake for me to chat with yet, though, so it's not confirmed!! If I have, the timing is pretty awful! After my day off today, I will definitely need a voice for the rest of the week. It's our school Christmas concert :eek:

I hope everyone has a good day x

Oooooooh, need to add - I've got a massive Tesco home delivery coming this evening. Everything we need for Christmas that isn't fresh. I've been saving up all year with the clubcard saver, so should only be costing me around £10 once I use my vouchers!

Also forgot to add......I noticed yesterday that my Union payment hadn't gone out this month. Checked back over the account and I make 10 instalments, so no payment in December and January. I think the December payment will go well toward my staff do. :beer:

MrsSave

It was less than £8 for the massive food shop after vouchers. :j Cupboards and freezer are full to the brim now. Just have to make sure we don't eat them before Christmas!

I was almost right about my voice. It hasn't gone yet, but is going. Has been croaky all day, starting to disappear this evening! :mad: Add to that a bad throat and I'm feeling well and truly fed up!!!

We're off to Center parcs next month for 4 nights and the welcome pack came through the post yesterday. Only opened it today, though! It's giving me something to aim for........inspection will be over once Center Parcs is here. :beer:

Today hasn't been too bad money wise. Bought a handmade reindeer to put by our front door for £7.50 and then bought a sandwich out for me and ds at lunch time. I don't take him out for lunch often and it fitted in with our day better than driving home first. I then spent the afternoon making a curry with left over meat so that was dinner sorted. I think it was the easiest curry I have made. Onions, garlic, curry powder, turmeric, ground coriander, chilli flakes, meat, lemon juice and passata. Oh, and coriander leaf. Added a touch of water and it was ready within 30 minutes. Easy!

MrsSave

Almost at the end of my ridiculously busy week. 24 hours from now, I will be fast asleep (hopefully) with a full day of doing not much at all ahead of me!

My voice is still hanging on in there.......just. It is very weak and croaky, but not completely gone!

Spending hasn't been too bad this week. Other than the food shop and ordering something for someone else (which I already have the money for), I haven't touched the bank card! Woohoo! I guess that's what happens when you're ridiculously busy that you're just not home at all!

MrsSave

Merry Christmas! It has been. And gone. Happens so quickly every year. But, I'm so pleased to say that no credit has been used this year at all.everything has been paid for with money we already had! Woohoo!! I've been very lucky this year and had lots of nice gifts. Me and dh increased our budget for each other this year slightly, but everything was bought on the sale/discounted so it looks like we've had loads for our money.

Ds still hasn't opened loads of his gifts. My parents went totally overboard with him. I struggle with this because I don't want him to be spoilt, but dont want to seem ungrateful. I think they may have realised themselves this year that it was far too much though!

I've put in an order with the next sale (online, no way was I doing a 6am shopping trip!!). I managed to get a pretty early slot, so there was still quite a bit left. I'd been on the preview the day before and had written down the things I wanted to order (mainly for ds) which meant I don't go completely overboard when I had my slot! I do prefer next clothes to supermarket, I personally think the quality is better, but won't shop at full price there! Nothing like a half price sale!! I did sneak an item or 2 for me into the basket as well (also chosen beforehand).

All our finances for January are in place. Everything budgeted for. I'm hoping it's not too expensive! Our next food order is booked for New Year's Eve, where I have included some meat as our freezer stocks have decreased with making room for Christmas buffet food!

Right, one more week off. I plan to spend it eating chocolates, drinking wine and playing with ds. Sounds like a plan!

MrsSave

Aaaaaaarrrggghhhhh! There are toys everywhere!! I don't like having clutter in the house. Have started sorting through to make sure all excess packaging has gone. I'll give my ds a couple of days to play with these toys and then will find a tidy place for them all and will get my living room back!

I'm home this evening for the first time since Christmas Eve. It's so lovely to be home and once ds is in bed I'll be vegging out on the sofa catching up with all the Christmas TV! I have done a little internet shopping, though. I've had a browse through the ELC sale, and found a few nice bits for my nieces for their birthdays this year. They're still little, so it's much easier for buying in advance! I've also ordered wrapping paper, cards and crackers from Tesco on the sale, which will go up the attic ready for next year.

DS has received a mother care voucher for Christmas. As we're heading in tomorrow to town we've decided to take him in so that he can choose something (I mean, it's not like he's got enough toys!!). The rest of the money he's received will be paid into his account. Must remember to do that tomorrow, too.

To-do list:
Pay money into accounts,
Order thank you cards from ds,
Collect Next order.

I've just sorted through finances, and paid our credit card bill. I love watching our points build up with using the card, and I also love paying the bill in full each month! Yay!!!

MrsSave

Happy new year :j:j

On the whole, 2015 was pretty good. Healthy and happy family, and money wise - we got things under control. We consolidated our debt (big no-no to a lot, with reasons that I agree with, but to us it has worked). I saved plenty of money through buying lots in the sales, especially for ds for Christmas. I changed jobs 'temporarily' though that not looks like I'm staying! I lost weight (around 2 stone) and then found it again (ooooops!).

I'm going to set some simple-ish goals for 2016.

* overpay loan by £500
* brush up on my (was intermediate 15 years ago) French. I've decided on our next holiday abroad, we're going to visit France. Haven't been abroad since our honeymoon quite a few years ago. It won't be this year, but may as well start on the French!!
* start trying for baby number 2 (thinking July-ish to start trying!)
* spend more time 'playing' with my son. Not doing housework, or 'jobs'. Just playing and doing what he enjoys doing.
* lose 2 stone (ish-I've no idea what I weigh now, but have an idea about what I'd like to weigh!) and keep it off!!!
* keep on top of our financial bits!!

MrsSave

My last weekend before heading back to work on Monday. We literally haven't stopped over the holidays, so it's going to be a quietish one. We've got a birthday party to attend this morning. After that I plan on popping into Wilkinsons quickly to see whether they have these colourful storage buckets they had last year for my ds' toys. They also had toilet paper on offer when I was in there last, so will pick up another pack if they're still on offer.

Other than that, this weekend we need to pull all the decorations down, tidy and clean. I am also going to update YNAB and reconcile. I'll, hopefully, then be heading back to work Monday with a clean house and finances in order.

For food tonight, we're finishes off bits of party food we've got in the freezer from Christmas, and I already have a chicken in the fridge ready for Sunday dinner. I should get a few meals from the chicken. I've also started filling my freezer back up with meat. I picked up a few packs of mince in Tesco yesterday. They were £4 each or 3 for £10, but I got them yellow stickered. Was £2.56 for the 3 packs (850g in each pack). I also managed to pick up some reduced 'posh' bread. Finest loaves for 22p each! :T

I really need to get moving as the party starts in around an hour, and I'm still in bed (with a chocolate orange :rotfl: ). Have a good weekend x