Aiming for single, sorted and solvent

maggiesmummy

Evening all
Last day before payday tomorrow and I have hit a snag. Thanks to a five week month next month and a loan payment going out tomorrow and again before the next wage packet I am going to have to work out a way to balance the books.

Meh! Anyway today is a celebration of the small things - currently reading Made in Scotland by Billy Connolly via library audio book app - loving it and could save me £109 a year on audible. NSD and leftover food at work kept the kids at home happy and I've just cashed in £4.73 from Shopmium and added to Prolific today too.
And a catch up and a walk with a friend was exercise for me and the dogs, free and we even dodged the rain.

Coming to terms with the fact that there are going to be lots of little steps rather than massive wins in this diary. Marathon not a sprint I suppose - but I am aiming to live within my means and be happy with my lot.

mark55man

that's the way to deal with the elephant in your bank account, one bite at a time (apologies if you are veggie or vegan) but my elephant is carnivorous and keeps fighting back

Honeysucklelou2

I have 2 teenage boys here and have found a ready supply of eggs in the fridge helps to keep them filled! Cheap pizzas onto which they sprinkle extra cheese also helps and cereal...!

mark55man

Lidl Noodles at 15p a pack was the goto snack for a while, with a few big bottles of sweet chilli or soy sauce to add some variety

maggiesmummy

Thank you Mark and Lou - there speaks the voice of experience. We are fully stocked with noodles, pizza and vats of pasta, milk and cereal.

Today has been a bit of a spendy day on fuel, food and cat food - although thanks to a very helpful assistant doing Shop and Scan at ASDA, who only scanned one box of catfood not two, I saved an unexpected £7 (although feel very guilty about it!)

I'm waiting for a new Virgin credit card to come through so I can organise the balance transfers on that - Monzo came through in a day or so but these seems to be taking a little longer.

This week I need to look at things to sell - I need to up my ebaying and maybe try Ziffit for some books. I have hundreds on my Kindle thanks to a nasty 99p offer habit, many of which remain unread so no need for the charity shop bargains I always manage to buy.

I have realised that if I just had to take my own needs into consideration, I could ditch Netflix, spend about a quarter of my current food bill and spend my time walking the dogs.

Instead of which, most of my money goes on the kids - feeding them to make them grow then clothing them when they do! The plan now is to create as stable a budget as possible so I can manage the day to day with them, while still looking to the future.

I also want to up my pension contributions as I am 45 and I have a paltry pot to draw from so that it is going to be a priority.

One small step today though - I messaged a friend I am meeting tomorrow to ask if she minded drinks rather than dinner as I am in a pre-Christmas budget and she was fine with it. So I reckon with pre-post Christmas and pre holidays and post holidays I can cover the year with belt tightening explainations!

maggiesmummy

Starting a new week and the budget is looking OK so far - tight but OK. I need to do some transfers to finish off the everything on the 0% and am trying to resist the temptation to book a couple of nights away over Christmas.

I think the reality of the budget has kicked in and my spend it and worry about it later switch has been turned off, but having very little money is frustating at the moment.

My lad wants the new FIFA and we live somewhere where the money for that would be a drop in the ocean for most people, so all his mates are getting it. We spent some time yesterday being frustrated about that then discussing what we could sell to Cex to get the money together. It's a really good life lesson I know and it's helping with my declutter plans - but I feel his pain!

Will be popping to Iceland tonight to use my £5 off voucher for supplies - and trying not to take the kids with me which will be an additional spend whether I like it or not!

Also on a Ebay mission this week and will be decluttering while admitting that I am not, by some miracle, going to be able to fit into the dresses in my wardrobe. So will sell them before they go completely out of fashion.

Still no plan for the loan payment - I have £5 towards the fund but i don't think £192 is going to materialise in the next three weeks - but one pound at a time

shopaholicnumber1

Keep positive maggiesmummy - you're doing brilliantly! My youngest (18) has just joined my eldest (20) at university after being a single mum with no support from when they were 4 and 6 so I totally feel your pain! Ex hubby "gave" me £160 a month and that was it. No help with shoes, uniforms, trips etc etc. I spent a good few years on the DFW board in a DMP and struggling to make ends meet but now I have just managed to get myself onto the MFW board so it can be done!

Just keep doing what you're doing. Don't feel guilty for saying "no" as its a life lesson your DC will thank you for one day. They won't remember whether or not they had the latest FIFA game or the shiniest new iphone - mine can't even remember some of the holidays I spent years and years paying for in the end! What they remember are silly things like impromptu picnics in the park, or taking the dog to the river for the first time and watching her swim - free stuff mainly.

You're right when you say its a marathon and not a sprint. It's taken me around 8 years (possibly more actually!) to get from spending without thought to making my first mortgage overpayment so you WILL get there in the end. Keep posting too - moral support is awesome on these boards :-)

janb5

shopaholicnumber1 wrote: »

Keep positive maggiesmummy - you're doing brilliantly!
You're right when you say its a marathon and not a sprint. It's taken me around 8 years (possibly more actually!) to get from spending without thought to making my first mortgage overpayment so you WILL get there in the end. Keep posting too - moral support is awesome on these boards :-)

Just logged in to say what a lovely post you wrote and just the sort of thing to boost the spirits - priceless!

darrannah

Just found your diary and glad you’ve “made a comeback” �� you sound determined so will no doubt achieve your goal. I have a 20yr old son so I feel your pain on the food front. He mentioned something the other day to me about FIFA that might be of some use to you (he works full time so buys his own) but to keep the cost down he shared it with a friend so they paid 50/50 and apparently you can have 2 separate accounts so neithers game would be interrupted..just a thought, however I like how you’ve made him aware that somethings in life need to be sacrificed in order to get the newer things by selling his unwanted stuff with cex.

I look forward to reading the rest of your diary,
Suzy x

maggiesmummy

Thanks all for the words of encouragement - they are very much appreciated!

I am incredibly lucky to have kids who understand - and I will set Boy2 on a mission to discuss Fifa sharing.

There have been a couple of small wins today - NSD as Iceland was rained off, I have a box ready for Ziffit which should make £8, Quidco paid out a couple of quid and a Boo hoo refund has just come through. I've got one thing to send off which sold on eBay and I have a plan to see more.

Tea is made for tomorrow and I have just finished the Decluttering book I borrowed on audio book which reminded me of how to eat an elephant - aiming to do it one bite at a time!

Thanks again all - you've put a smile on my face today.