Reality Check...

milasavesmoney

You pay £50 for a bottle of bubble bath? Goodness gracious me, I don't know what to think about that... Very different lifestyle we are living.

monz

oh my £50!! Mines are from pound shop or if they are on deal two for a pound lol....x

reality_check

I normally get it as birthday, Christmas, Mothers Day gift etc. I know it might seem pricey but I would appreciate that one bottle as a gift as oppose to multiple gifts of the same value. I may have toned down how I reacted on this PSL, I was going a bit crazy at the time :rotfl:

My no spend days are coming to an end, I'm working late today and I know for a fact I need chocolate! Going to pop into Lidl and get something, other than that I have came to work with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Nothing much else to update on, just a boring Tuesday xx

Seasidegal58

reality_check wrote: »

On track for another no spend day, brought everything I need with me to work so won’t be buying anything here and don’t need to buy anything from shops. Last night I went to my friends, came home, opened the front door and my house was smelling amazing. I knew the smell right away… Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir. I went charging up the stairs my DS was running himself a bath and had tipped about a quarter, if not more, of the bottle in!!! :eek: When I use the oil I am so tight and add 1 or 2 capfuls since that’s all that’s needed plus costs over £50 a bottle. He couldn’t believe I was shouting over some bubble bath…I was probably a bit over the top, but still!! Told me he would buy me some more, until he found out the price!! Offered me his bath but I told him to enjoy his £20 bath!! I am over it now….just! But just thought I would let out some steam on here!! :rotfl:!!

Well at leat he didn't bathe the dog in it! :rotfl:

I love Jo Malone ( that could be the reason I got into debt!). But I'm like you now - put it on my pressie list!

reality_check

I think I would have rather the dog to have been bathed in it, I'd have got the benefit of him smelling lovely!!

Yesterday put an end to my no spend days. Put £1.00 on my card in work and bought a Twirl was too busy to make it to Lidl. I then spent £8.55 in M&S...tin of shortbread half price at £4.50, box of half price chocolate biscuits at £3.50, 25p on a reduced cookie and 30p on reduced watermelon. My dad is going away for a week to play golf and my mum is coming to live with me - even though there is no room at the inn!! so got some nice biscuits for her coming, and she's been losing weight recently so these will help me beef her up...just hope I keep away from them!!

After work I went to my mums to help pack a bag of stuff to bring to mine we never left until just after 10 and still hadn't ate dinner. My daughter then convinced me to go to Mcdonalds so that was another £9.18 I think it came to.

I had been doing so well and now I am overdrawn by -£18.59 but have transferred over £20 from the money I have aside for my dad to avoid any overdraft charges.

Hoping for a £2 spend day today as I wasn't organised for lunch and will need to buy some soup. I have defrosted mince so going to make burgers, have seeded burger buns in freezer for my mum, DS and DD, if I can resist the bun...and will serve with salad and some wedges to use up the potatoes.

Pay day is on Saturday - can't wait!! Don't really have many plans coming up, going to get my nails done for the first time in so long, I need a new moisturiser and going to have a look through winter clothes and hopefully be reminded I have plenty as really tempted by all the new stuff in shops/online xx

reality_check

Pay slips are in!! I have been paid a little extra since we recieved the backdated holiday pay this month. I have my direct debit of £100 coming off Barclays and £100 to Virgin, and I should be able to pay £1500 this month to the loan I owe my Dad :j

I am hoping I will be able to pay back £1500, it will mean using up as much food as I can from home and keep trying to make food go further with plenty veg, lentils in cooking, being organised for lunches in work etc. I have also gave myself pocket money so aslong as no disasters come in my way it should be fine. I may need to take back £100 but I am hoping I can do it with it out.

As of today, my debt is as follows:

Barclay card 1: £300
Barclay card 2: £3100
Santander: £1800
Virgin: £2500
Loan: £4500

Total debt: £12,200 :eek:

It is coming down slowly but surely!!

monz

well done x

roomontheend

Sorry I haven’t caught up in a while but I started a new job and I am just getting the hang of organising fulltime work with budgeting, food planning and life in general. The post is for a teaching assistant rather than a teacher so about half the pay. However no marking and preparation so happy days. Walk in do the job and walk out. It’s being a long time since I had a job that you didn’t have to do at home.
We fell into the overdraft about a fortnight ago which we haven’t been in for about 18 months. This was due to me not having any wages coming in since the beginning of July. However despite this we managed to get though the majority of the summer without it. It will take a month or two to get back in the black but I get paid every week (but not for the holidays, half term etc.) so that will help. All the minimum payments will be made till we catch up.
I would really like to be one month ahead on money and payments instead of waiting till the end of the month to get wages and then pay for the next month bills out of that.
Glad to hear you had a good time away.

Seasidegal58

Great news on the loan repayment. Your food budgeting is exclellent as well. :T

reality_check

Thanks Monz...paying off debt on pay day feels so much better than my previous life pay day splurges at the shops every pay weekend!!

Congratulations ROTE on the new job!! You done amazing keeping out the overdraft all the time when you were used to both wages and down to one. Be good to try pretend you don't get a wage and still to to survive on one?! I know that's not probably realstic though lol. I demoted myself in my current job a few years ago - best move I ever made. No thanks for my old job, working from home, staying late and it was salaried so no overtime for any of that. I am actually better off financially as have the potential to earn and do earn more than before. The only downside is can't really promote and work my way up, but I had no interest in doing that anyway. I hope you enjoy the new job! And I am so jealous of all your holidays!!

Thanks Seaside, I am getting there. I used to spend so much on food shopping by going daily and making whatever anyone wanted and buying loads of convenience food. I am that person who paid double for all the bags of pre chopped veg, little pots of fruit, jars of pasta sauce etc. I also used to waste a lot as quite often decided fancied a takeaway or a meal out and very rarely brought any food to work with me. Things like my mortgage and council tax I can't vary that each month to help save, it's a set amount! Food shopping is something so in our control so trying to cut costs and make savings!

My mum is here and driving me up the wall!!! I know she isn't too well but she is so demanding!! She was commenting on all the unbraded things I had in my fridge/cupboards! She is very big brand loyal and the first to say she doesn't like own brands/Lidl etc even though she hasn't tried them!! I was thinking about what I am brand loyal to and very few things! I now buy Lidl only or supermarkets own brands/basics.

Fairy liquid I have tried to change by ending up using so much more it really isn't a saving. I am also loyal to Warburtons bread, nothing is as good as the orange packet one I find. Washing powder is another I like Fairy for my bedding and also like Daz, Surf, Lenor and Comfort...don't really mind what ones and like to keep mixing it up to smell new smells. Normally buy on offer or in home bargains. I also can buy other brands but prefer Robinsons squash.

Biggest surprises I've found is Lidl baked beans and ketchup taste no difference to Heinz, same with their mayo and also tins of tomatoes and passata are great. Nikki toilet roll from Home Bargains or Farmfoods is as good as Andrex and it's 9 rolls for £2. Lidl own brand dishwasher tablets are great!! And value pasta tastes no different to the old brand Dececco that I bought. I don't drink much fizxzy but Lidl freeway diet coke tastes just like coca cola diet coke in my opinion. Thought i'd make a list incase anyone buys any other expensive brands and fancies a swap to save some ££££ xxx