The Great Big Budget Challenge 2016

counting_stars

Thanks Lexbubbles, I had planned a lot of this over new years but this was useful to think through more clearly, so thank you for setting it up

Tjh1412

Actually managed to make some money today; £10 in amazon vouchers from mail rewards points (our neighbour gives me their paper free) and received a belated xmas gift of a book on food budgeting,thinking I can shave monthly spend there from £180 for us both and 2 cats to £120. Could you please add that as a new target for me? Currently at £45.79/£120 for the month on food so on target

lexbubbles

Stars you're welcome!

TJH added! Good job on your money making too :j

Tjh1412

£22.33 food spend for me today,slightly over weekly target but it was £67.89 worth I couponed down to £22 so not feeling like that's too bad;hope you've all had good day too

lexbubbles

Another £7 on my tea/choc budget this month. I'm almost out (1 cup left) of my Whittard's strawberry white hot choc (which is absolutely delicious naturally). When I placed my earlier order online it was out of stock, but I swang by the shop today to collect said order and they had some in the shop there so I picked one up. Also used up my last lemon & honey green tea so picked up a £1 box in M*rrisons yesterday.

£29.13 / 40 for the month

Tjh1412

No more spending for me as yet besides paying bills, feeling proud I've only had 3 spend days this month so far have managed through a quick haggle with sky to get £16 knocked off the bill each month though so that's a help

lexbubbles

Good job haggling!

Another 99p on tea in lidl (peach & raspberry) whoops

lexbubbles

£21.78 on a second-hand Egyptology book on Am@zon (this is why my book budget is so big. Oh, academia). Had £20.01 in vouchers so only spent £1.77 of my own money on it, but I'm counting the full amount anyway.

Also spent £8 on a t-shirt from Qwertee the other day. Qwertee tees are only available 24 hours and then gone forever (unless they're massively popular designs then they make it into the 'shop') so if you want it you gotta buy it that day.

Cosmetics
£33 / 15

Books
£21.78 / 40

Tea/choc
£30.12 / 40

Video games
£4 / 10

Clothing
£8 / 20

Total this month
£96.90 / 125

Tjh1412

Just a quick check in to update my totals;had to get food shopping yesterday and also a new pair of pillows courtesy of one very smug looking cat

Spent £14.63 on shopping,gotta love yellow stickers and coupons should have been £43.97

Food total for month £82.85/£120 so far

Pillows were on clearance in dunelm,so other spending is at £19.99/£50

lexbubbles

Congrats on being so far under target with the food budget and only a week to go, TJ!

Alright so I was already over on cosmetics/toiletries due to getting Posh Lipstick (totally worth it, by the way. Best lipstick ever) buuuut Body Shop reminded me it's the final week of sale and offering an extra 40% off SO I stocked up on the products I use that will need replacing in the coming few months at greatly reduced price.

I use their BB cream / face powder so got those (probably looking use up the current ones sometime in March/April anyhow), some v cheap shower gel, face cleanser (almost out) and toner (very much almost out)

So that said I actually shouldn't have to buy anything other than, like, face wipes and shampoo/conditioner until sometime in Summer.

Cost £23.55 instead of over £39 (and free delivery) and should be getting 10.1% from topcashback for doing it on mobile (I'll not count that off the price just, y'know, at some point I'll get £2.35 back)

Month: £56.55 / £15 :eek:

Buuuut I still have £123.45 left for the year and as I said I'm all stocked up on everything I use now!