Must keep in line

Ednoc

This week has been a bit spendy. Went to B's mums fri night so nothing spent there. Sat he got the things we needed plus weekend papers so £11.28. Then we spent around £80-100 in B&Q on paint etc to do house up. Spent most of the weekend painting. Sat night was night in with parsnip and pancetta pasta made by B (divine!), bottle of vino and bridget jones diary! Sun we painted then headed into town for lunch - £25. More painting. This week we've bought bits and bobs along the way and had to give B £60 after AVIS had rejected our claim for damage to tyre (which we didn't do and where they didn't follow the relevant code of practice in dealing with it) but probably no point fighting it further. We will, however, never use them again, so they have lost valued customers for the way they dealt with matters.

Today is big shop. I need to make the list and B and I are going to go out for dinner tonight but local so should be relatively cheap. Rest of weekend will be spent painting and food from stores.

Still hating work but I need a job and especially now that the freeholder is demanding 90k to extend the lease. It is ridiculous and not based on a surveyor's report, more on her greed so am trying not to let it worry me but it does. B and I are already likely to make a loss on my house and yet are having to spend on it just to sell (we are also having to pay 2k contribution to fix the drains) so that all irks when it is wasted money. And I'm having to pay solicitors fees to deal with the freeholder. Her being unreasonable is just going to drive my fees up more, not to mention the fact I have to pay her fees so no doubt she'll spend hours on the phone and writing long pointless letters her solicitor will need to deal with because she's not paying for it.

Just feels like everything is spiralling out of control and I'm going to end up with no money whatsoever. In reality, it probably isn't and I think it's highly unlikely any tribunal would say the lease extension is worth 90k but I'm a worrier so until it's sorted I know I will worry.

Ednoc

Didn't do big shop yesterday as B too busy at work. Spent £8.65 getting us both a sarnie and chocolate for lunch plus some milk. Went out for dinner last night which was excellent. £36 each but we had 2 bottles of wine, a beer each, main each and B had a starter so that's not bad including tip. B is painting spare room (I'm loving the colour - a very calming light grey and is going to have a darker grey feature wall) so I went out and did the shopping. We needed more paint for the walls plus gloss for the skirting, frog tape and white spirit so that was £52.22. Then I did our big shop in 2 different places and still managed to spend £121 even though one of places was cheaper than where we normally shop but had to go to the more expensive place as there were some things the cheaper place didn't have.

Have got to nip into town to get another couple of things - arggghhhh! It just all adds up.

I do hate spending on paint etc as agent thinks I won't get what I paid for my place due to a drop in the market but more chance of it selling if we spruce it up. Our spare room was a horrid dark brown colour and had paint flaking off the walls so it really did need to be done and though it's not yet finished, it is already looking much nicer (kinda makes me wish I'd done it earlier though we are not putting on market until Jan and prob won't sell for a while (if at all) so suppose at least I'll get to enjoy it for a while).

Staying in tonight, no booze, B cooking parsnip and pancetta pasta (my fave) and I'm making a tiramisu

Ednoc

We stayed in Sat night and were in bed by 930! Great night's sleep then more painting on sunday. Went to B's mums for lunch so nothing spent there. Spent a bit on way home getting wheatgrass and flaxseed as we have bought the body coach book in a bid to eat better and were making a shake out of there. Anyway, it was AWFUL!!! I think it was the wheatgrass which was £6.51 so going to give that away now (the wheatgrass, not the book) - what a waste! Sun night made his chicken pie which was lovely then early night but didn't sleep at all (same last night). Think I'm just worrying about the 90k which is being demanded even though I am pretty sure she won't get anything near that. Knock on effect is I'm too tired to get anything done at work which then makes me feel guilty, depressed and hate my job.

Got to give B some money today towards his sister's b/day present, not sure how much. Then need some prescriptions and some walking trousers and waterproof jacket as we are going away to lake district this weekend. Will go to mountain warehouse as cheap and they have a sale. Today and tonight is meals from stores, as is tomorrow. Looking forward to going away but also not - will cost a fortune and also will then be knackered again for work next week.

Trying to eat more healthily really us expensive!!

Ednoc

So, spent £52 in mountain warehouse but for that got 2 pairs walking trousers, some shorts and a waterproof coat (though didn't turn out to be that waterproof in the end!!). Lake District wasn't as spendy as thought. We'd already paid £100 deposit for the accommodation so was another £105 each for that but that came out of holiday budget. Then we somehow only managed to spend another £130 each which was all our meals and drinks for 3 days, plus petrol. Think it's cos we were so knackered after walking we didn't stay up late or have 3 courses at dinner! And we did things like got sandwiches to take up the mountain and things. So wasn't too bad in the end.

This week we have been very MSE and barely spent anything. I got some tights for work and also some j.pots, chilli cheese and crisps for us and we bought milk. Spent most of this week eating stuff from freezer. At present I have £212.52 left in this month's budget and start a brand new month's budget tomorrow. We are going for a curry tonight so that may be £30ish each I guess and we were supposed to do big shop today but I am doing it tomorrow instead so that should come out of new budget. Whatever I have leftover after tonight I will put towards the next round of legal fees for the leasehold. Still no news on that. I wrote to her saying that the best course would be for her to speak to my surveyor directly (as I've already paid him to negotiate) but I fear she may run off and get her own (expensive) surveyor knowing full well I've had to pay for it. If she does, I may have an argument I guess for saying I shouldn't have to pay the whole lot as she should've at least talked to my surveyor first to try to agree a price. It really is horrid. I think she is just being terribly greedy. She is going to be getting a whack from me and from the flat below. And she is not on the bones of her !!!!.

Work, well, was going well this week - I had managed to get a lot done and felt good about myself until about 445pm tomorrow when got a horrid email from the big boss. I have really been trying to help her (even though it's not actually my job) and all she does is get at me. I do think maybe I need to get a book/have some counselling about how not to take things personally. I used to be a lot stronger. I think that last job just broke me so much.

Ednoc

curry wasn't too bad - £32 each and then we had a drink somewhere before which was £4 each. Did big shop Sat and went to cheaper place so that was £93.04 between the 2 of us then got some things the big shop shop didn't have from co-op with stamps B had, plus milk. Meals this week have all been from stores and we have taken lunch in every day. Only other spending so far this week has been tights (£2.99) I had to nip out from work and get as mine developed a massive hole(!) and £6.50 each (daylight robbery) when we went out for 1 drink Tues night as it was beautiful sunshine. We are not doing a big shop today as off to B's dads for the BH weekend tomorrow so will do a smaller shop when back monday afternoon so that should be cheaper.

We were going to go out for some food tonight but decided that would be at least £50 so I am charged (as I don't work fridays) with getting us supplies for tonight. Will just be pizza and ice cream (and we need milk) and have loads of films recorded from sky so nice cheap night instead.

Will have to spend a bit more though today as need to pick up some prescriptions (which didn't do last week) and I think we need some shampoo too, plus I want to nip to a shop and get a couple of bits for our holiday in a couple of weeks time.

Hoping this weekend will be cheap though B's dad currently doesn't have a kitchen! Hoping we get take out rather than eat out as my flat in london has had a problem with boiler this week so had to pay out £300 to get that fixed!!!!

Ednoc

sadly we didn't get take out and ate out all the time so spent a small fortune. We haven't spent too much on food so far this week as been using our co-op stamps (only £1 left now) and some other small bits. However, B's sister running for charity so felt we had to sponsor her - £10 each - and B has spent £100 on paint for floor in spare room.

We also needed supplies from b**ts yesterday plus dry cleaning.

With what we have spent this month and the boiler, and need to do big shop today (though not as big as normal as we go away thurs) it is just flying out. I also need my highlights done tomorrow as been 4 months and hair looks awful.

Had been hoping to have quite a lot left over this month but no such luck. I don't know when life got so expensive.

B out tonight so I am getting a pizza and having a night in. Had been invited out by one of his friends wives but just fancy a night in by myself. Tomorrow B painting and I will probably do some cleaning/reading and have to make a cake for a bbq we are going to sun.

Sun is bbq and we are taking the cake so hopefully relatively cheap.

Just wish I was better at this MSE thing.