From care-free spender to debt-free saver

TheMillions

Well done on paying your first one off! You have done well accounting for all of your money and spends.

I think that breakfast spend accounts for a lot each week/month - is there anyway you can make breakfast at home before you leave, or take it with you to eat on the way to work? If Gregs is your favourite Iceland stock most of their products that you can cook at home from frozen at around half the cost, and it's like eating the real thing (it is the real thing!)

Good luck for this week

There_Is_a_Light

I have really enjoyed reading your diary from start to finish this morning. So pleased that you have decided to stay in your current rental as I was going to suggest that too. The moving costs and deposits are ridiculous as we have just helped our DS move into his first flat after getting his first job our of uni.

Initial deposit, first months rent upfront and agent fees (daylight robbery) came to over £1200!!!

It's a shame that you have to give your current flatmate half of the deposit back and was wondering if that could postponed at all or an arrangement of say £50 a month? Just a thought as he has sort of given you short notice to find such a large sum of money.

Random thought but where do you buy your cat litter from? I get the wood based pellets (no smell and easy to clean) from Home B@rgains which works out at £5 for the month as they 25L for £5.95 if you order online or 15L in store for £3 ish which can be carried as wood is quite light.

They also deliver and have decent prices for cat food and cleaning stuff so might be worth a look.

I also find keeping a daily diary helpful for all manor of things, quite theraputic.

For surveys I use Prolific Acadimic which pre screen you so no timewasting. My current balance is £35 and that has accumulated at around £10 a month. Better than a poke in the eye.

There_Is_a_Light

Another thought about breakfast, what do you buy for breakfast when you sleep in? Could you handle just having a cereal bar or something similar? You could get these with your shopping and have them as emergency breakfast situation food. I keep a couple of @ldi individual porridge things in my drawer at work for emergencies.

DS also doesn't mind the @ldi version of Dr Pepper but you may disagree.

craididlyaig

Hey there, thanks for the comments, both of you, and thanks for reading!

Breakfast is a problem, it's true. Only a £6 a week problem, but a problem nonetheless. Issue I have with the emergency breakfast idea is that I have trouble with my blood sugar, and a cereal bar just doesn't keep me going long enough. It's always a struggle to find breakfasts that don't give me issues before lunch to be honest, and the fact that I've found a combination of stuff from Greggs that I never have a problem with is a big part of what makes me revert to that. I may check out Iceland though, thanks. Not sure if there is one near me or not, but I'll give that some thought.

I think the main problem really is that first thing in the morning as soon as I wake up, I am very much at my least MSE. I need to find a way to motivate myself into caring about the debt from the moment I wake up really.

Also, although I'll give the aldi version a go, I can't see myself being satisfied with it. It's like a drug addiction with me, it's awful!

Talking about the move, I signed a contract for this place today in my name only, so I am now fully responsible which is pretty scary stuff. This gives my housemate the flexibility to move when he wants to rather than being pushed to do it to a timetable, which means he should be able to find a place he is happy with. He's a good guy, and an old friend, so I know he'll continue to pay the rent up until he moves, and he has suggested he may pay an extra months rent on top as well so he can move bits over slowly, which I am of course all good with. I'd rather not pay him in dribs and drabs though, my pay this month and next month is much better than usual and I'd rather get it out of the way. I guess it would feel too much like an extra debt that way!

I have, however, updated my sig today and I am looking pretty good. From 94.57% left after the first month, I am now down to 88.63% left today, and if feels good to be out of the nineties and into the eighties! I'm going to try very hard this month to see if I can make it down into the seventies before Christmas. I also did a shop today (at the very shop you were speaking about getting cat litter from no less, but I've only read this since I got home so I didn't get a chance to check that out...) buying bits and bobs, toilet paper, cat food and the like. This came to £11.25.

So, weekly budget now sits at £17.25 with 29 days until payday!

TheMillions

Hello, wow £6 a week is still a lot considering your weekly budget left, works at at one third 33%
Glad you will check out Iceland, as they do have a great range, it sounds like you get hungry from not eating a proper breakfast and that where your spend comes into it and the convience. Not sure if you like porridge but you can buy a bag of porridge oats for 68p from Mr. T (similar prices from other stores) for one person the bag would last for a month or more having porridge everyday, it's a 5 min make in a suacepan in the morning, or less if you have a microwave, or you need is milk, or even half milk half water, give it a try I promise you will be full up for hours!!.. And it's a healthy option.. Why not buy your dr P in bulk ?

TheMillions

Also.. Well done on the update in you sig

Need2change15

Following

Well done on your progress

misstara

Sig looking fab - well done on paying off your first debt

craididlyaig

Okay, so bit of a spendy day today. £3 spent on food, which was fine. £1.85 spent on the dastardly Dr Pepper and then a further £1 given to a homeless guy on the way back from work.

I make the budget at £11.40 with two more days to play. Aaaaaannnnnd 28 days until payday.

craididlyaig

Hello, so another spends day today. I never really did a proper food shop this week and I'm paying for it now. I won't make this mistake again. Spent £5.50 today on food. And then 79p on some chocolate. So £6.29 spent, way too much.

Leaves the budget at £5.11. So I'll come in under budget, which is a good thing, but I expect a much better showing from myself next week. 27 days left until the fabled payday.