Do One, Debt!

catriona79

Hey there! Excellent bargain and well done on your first day - they are hard!

abba1772

Glad to hear you're first day back went ok xx

GoingToDoIt

Thanks for the good wishes everyone, I hope you are all good and well.

I've sliced and diced the budget many, many ways and I think I can make it through the month. With a budget for each of the three (!) meals out, and a coffee, plus money I'm committed to spending, I have around £117 left plus I have £12.50 worth of nictar points. so I'll be looking to spend literally nothing on food over the next few weeks and just live off the £17 plus nictar points. Hopefully it will force me to cook more!
Just claimed £5 from swags again, it's now paying for my food! Thank goodness for swaggy, keeping me out of debt!
So I will probably return the dresses I ordered online- given the £10 bargain dress find, yesterday. If I like any of the boots I ordered, I'll ask for them as an xmas present.

I don't know what will happen with my wages next month, but I don't want to ask. I need to use some annual leave to make up time this week and next. On one hand I think my boss may accidentally on purpose not calculate them too closely as she knows a) I'm entitled to very little b) others have been paid when they should not have been c) overworking was why I got ill....on the other hand she can't really do those calculations anyway so she may just have done a bad calculation. In any case I don't want to draw too much attention to it in case more money comes off next month. So I have a tiny cushion of £100 for next month. If I don't use, it I could save it?!?!or do a big food shop , I think the cupboards will be bare by then.
It's my own challenge so, if I don't stick to it I've just overspent and my £100 will be less. I just can't imagine being a parent and having to think of how to survive with a few pounds for food for three weeks.

Inspection of the cupboards shows lots of rice, chickpeas, lentils. Plenty of herbs and stock cubes, a few tins of carrots, sweetcorn, some gravy granules. Tinned tomatoes of course, and a few tins of soup. Few stir fry sachets, jar of thai curry. Massive bag of pasta ( go through phases of hating it)
Tonnes of flour and sugar and cocoa, tea coffee and a few sachets of horlicks.
Freezer has frozen berries, peas, sweetcorn, two bags of mashed potato, veg curry and frozen sweet potato. As well as a lot of frozen home made cake, soup base veg, garlic, ginger.
Fridge has 24 cheese triangles, block of feta, 1.5 tubs of marg and 3 soya milks. Jar of peanut butter, five eggs, cream, custard and yoghurt. 12 nakd bars (buy in bulk, I love them!)
Lots of cereal and a bit of porridge. Few packs of crisps and a wrap of snack a jacks. Two malt loaves and 2 packs of rich tea fingers. Big bag of peanuts, big bag of cashews.

So really, all I will need to buy fresh each week is a loaf of bread, a carrot a pepper and a few tangerines?!

GoingToDoIt

Lunch taken to work 5 days in a row! Although I have otherwise been very "shoppy" all told this week. Charity shop dress, veggie fish fingers, a pizza today (wasn't even nice). A bit of budget damage done but nothing too serious. Bought some xmas items on cc to be paid next month. Am going to use some of my £100 reserve as cash in kid's cards- was going to give a cheque but that's no fun, I have the money what difference if I spend it this month or next?

Managed to claim another £5 from swaggy, plus my latest bay of E selection is selling well and should bring in about £10. Some of my TCB is starting to become payable too.

So far using the bus has been quite enjoyable, sometimes it does take ages, but with a book or ipad it's ok. Have been very lazy and using about 3 buses which means I'm practically taken door to door from home to office (well it has been raining!) actually I'm very happy on the back seat near the heater! But let's see howI feel about buses in a few weeks time...

This weekend I will be sewing the bunting ready for the birthday party, collecting online order dresses and returning them as well as using my JL tea and cake voucher! Also will plug my wii in and do some flipping exercise. I collected the boots got a lovely pair which will be paid for as an xmas present, 30% off, via TCB and paid on dibs card, so great value all round and just in time for the cold weather.

GoingToDoIt

I've been very lazy this weekend...I really need to get moving!
Quick calculations show £5 remaining for food etc for the next 2.5 weeks. So obviously that's not going to work...then I remembered that I hadn't included "earnings", I have £20 on it's way from swaggy and the bay of E went absolutely crazy this weekend, one item sold for £7! Still have 5 on sale and 3 with bids so there's another £7 at least.
So £5 PLUS £35, forty quid, I feel like a lotto winner! And yes, rather than paying debts off I'm considering splurging it on another week's cleaning (I love my cleaner so much).
I've made a little start on healthier cooking. Made flapjacks last week, they were lovely but I find them too sweet and buttery so I've invented a healthy version. Thing is I don't like coconut and I won't buy honey, so after trawling lots of recipes I've come up with "sweet potato oaties" sweet potato, oats, agave and a bit of milk in the blender then bake for 20 mins. These are going in the lunchbox next week. The next batch will be totally improved by adding pumpkin spice I think. Apart from being edible (a miracle with anything I make) they are actually filling as well.
I used frozen sweet potato chunks 100g, 60g oats, 1.5 tbsp agave and a splash of milk. 20 ish mins at 200 c, makes about 8 flat squares. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice for pumpkin pie flavour.

GoingToDoIt

Not really, but my bay profits went crazy £30 after fees!!!!
I've £5 plus £20 from swaggy plus £30 from the bay, £55 :T:T:T

Only two months ago, that would have just paid for 4 days worth of cigs and lunches...

catriona79

Brilliant progress, Gonna!!

GoingToDoIt

The £100 vouchers from the broadband switch are here!!!
Whoop whoop I thought they would arrive in December and there woukd be a panic to buy and wrap presents in time.

abba1772

You're on a roll today xx

GoingToDoIt

A tiring week. Am just about mnaging to do half days plus some extra at work. I need to plan a bit better as the journey home has taken nealy 1.5 hours in rush hour so extra snacks are needed!
A good 7 years or so ago I signed up to do market research- being in London, I thought it would be easy to be selected for one of these panels where you get in paid cash/vouchers. Finally, today I had a call back to check my availability for one- this is the closest I've ever been!!!!!! If I get it, it's worth £60 so fingers crossed.
My dibs card sent me a flyer saying that I can have 3months interest free on one transaction of £100 made before xmas, I'm considering buying a £100 tesco giftcard for myself, definately if my wages are cut again, as that way I will have all my food "money" for January safe, and I can repay at a later date when I have more money.
I'm off to the hairdressers and to see family at the weekend. Have most xmas gifts, wrapped and packed, cards written ready to hand out (including kids' cards with cash in ) and also in with my train tickets envelope is all the cash I'll need for my various weekend activities! Feel very organised, and also slightly excited about spending so much cash?!?!
Otherwise moneysaving wise swaggy is ticking along, as is inb0x pounds, not close to any cash there for a while. TCB is ready to cash a few pounds but I want to leave it until I need it and until another payment comes in so it will be £6 ish.
Wore my "charity shop find"dress to work, and got a compliment from our youngest team member and designer shoe-wearer!
Got a haul of ys goods from saino's yesterday, cereal bar 14p and sub rolls 24p so that's lunch sorted.
Hope everyone is having good money days!