Time to sort my finances out

Flowers123

So everything is on track budget wise. Most direct debits have left my account, just 2 more to go.

It's going to be a busy month. This weekend I'm meeting friends for lunch, the weekend after I'm heading up north to see family and friends. Staying with a family member for 2 nights then hotel with a friend on 1 night, we have managed to find a deal that includes dinner and breakfast for £50 each and I have some ties of clubcard vouchers for a restaurant for the next day which means I won't need to spend any money apart from a drink but I could have tap water. The weekend after its another friends birthday so I'm budgeting £40 for the evening and after that weekend it will be payday! Thank goodness!

Can't wait for my lodger to move in! It's really going to help with the budget.

I've also had to spend £85 on train tickets this month for when I visit a friend in Scotland in August, it is usually £135 so by booking early I have saved but it will leave me short for the month.

Only got £2.50 for the expensive skirt I sold on the bay of E. Bit annoyed but I didn't wear it anyway.

So my basic take one oay after my pension is £1300 (£100 goes to my pension) I then get a minimum of £100 per month after tax for my commission. This is increasing each month but I'm going to budget £100 to start with. (I'm on target to increase my commission to £200-£300 per month after tax as I get busier at work) I will then get £395 from my lodger.

New budget

Incoming £1795.00

Outgoing
Mortgage £328 (parents helping out with this at the moment until lodger moves in)
Council Tax £120 ( currently only pay £90 as I get 25% single person discount)
Groceries, diesel, clothes, socialising etc £400 (£100 per week)
Commuting costs £60 ish. (12miles each way to work for 5 days a week)
Gas £40
Electric £40
Water £40
Phone £38 (upgraded as old phone died and I was previously on a sim only contract for 3 years)
Internet £25
Tv licence £12.12
National Trust £5.50 (cheap days out and I use it loads over the summer)
Pilates £25 (I've done is for 9 weeks so far and I love it and my back feels better for it)
Home insurance £15 (I didn't renew with old company and found a cheaper deal and cash back)
Loan £274
Credit card payments £150 (minimum payments)
Regular savings £50 (not saving at the moment but I will when lodger moves in)

Total £1622.62

So £172.38 left over once everything has been budgeted for, this amount can go towards my credit card bills.

I may have over calculated the utilities bills as I currently don't pay that much but thought I would budget extra as not sure what having an extra person in the house wil do to the bills.

Any suggestions would be appreciated I am not good on restricting myself completing as I just end up having a blow out which is why I'm allowing myself a £100 a week which will also including socialising fund, I'm beginning to think finding a boyfriend may be cheaper!

Flowers123

All is going well. Extra money earnt from having a lodger is amazing and I've stopped worrying so much about if I have enough money for fuel.

I haven't cracked the no spending on the credit card yet. I cut it up then asked for another to be delivered. I really need to get rid of it and not rely on it. I may put it in some water and freeze it like they do on the money saving programmes and films.

I have started to earn more commission so usually take home £200 a month after tax now, this is on top of my basic of just over £1300. I have made the decision to put an extra £30 per month towards my pension as I think this will benefit me long term. I know this could have gone towards debt payments but felt it was worth it as it just means I don't have a takeaway or go out for a meal as much.

I do really want some garden furniture as I don't have any and the weather has been so nice but it's all so expensive so I may need to look at budgeting for this from the little spare money I have.

Counting down the days to payday again. 3 weeks to go. X

enthusiasticsaver

Do you have an emergency savings account? I would save your commission into that initially until you have a buffer sufficiently high you don't need to keep a credit card.