26, no savings feel stuck

Houseplant26

I need to do some work on the above. I need to factor in a spend for toiletries and medicines, maybe 'personal care'. Hopefully lumping in toiletries with medicine (which I need to buy some of as I've had flu and can't shake cough and out of stuff) will make me less wanting to spend on unecessary ones. I do need a new foundation and the one I want is quite expensive. Need to think about it all.

Declaring a spend for yesterday £18 my share of takeaway. Luxury and could have been avoided but we had no food in house and I'm really ill but had been at work and finally felt able to eat after days of not being able too much. Chinese has never tasted better! Have some for lunch at work today as well.

Houseplant26

Spends for yesterday and today:
My share of big food and household shop: £32
This will be a big shop to last about a week/two weeks. We also did clever things with nectar cards and used vouchers mr s gave us because we had been sporadic with where we shopped. Managed to obtain 2186 points.
£6.48 on throat sweets and cough mixture

Today I spent £5 on a cake and drink out and £12.60 on a woolly hat, I probably didn't really need the hat and have an alternative in the bottom of my accessories tub, but it is very warm and cosy.

I think I do need a budget for clothes each month. I might try to do £20 each month and not spend anymore of this this one and roll it over. I also think I need a separate eating out/take away budget. As I don't really see the Chinese as socialising! I might make this £30.

So in food/household I have left £48
Eating out £7
Clothes £7.40

Houseplant26

Should have said we bull bought a few things on offer/yellow stickered meat in our food shop. I have 3 dairy free milk cartons for example. So actually it definitely is a 2week shop.

Houseplant26

Declaring some spends from yesterday
£3 bus ticket
£4.50 McDonald's

Both fairly unavoidable. Each Monday for 6weeks I am attending a group therapy session and I have no option but to get the bus there. It also is over dinner time with hour and half travel before so I had to get some food in town. I could try and bring snacks but it was raining and I needed somewhere to sit en route.

Today annoying I'm going to have to spend more money on the bus. I left my bank card in a shop on an out of town shopping centre when I bought that hat. Luckily I realised yesterday what I'd done bad phones up. So it's not a complete waste of a journey and trip im going to try and do some Christmas shopping. Keeping spending minimal. I need to sort sister and dad and part of mums. Yes I know. Poster above said to not do chistmas until I'm sorted but I'd be very down if I did not get those I love something small.

Hoping for NSDs tomorrow and maybe day after as at work.

Houseplant26

Logging some spends from yesterday. Need to rethink budgets more properly. Food shop lasting well and doing lots of cooking. Made a chorizo stew that's doing loads of meals plus roast chicken. Will do chill as well.

Spends:
£3 bus ticket
£3.15 hot chocolate

Xmas gifts:
Socks x3 £12
Mini pack tissues £1.50
Drinks cup £7
Mini makeup items £15

For me:
Book £7 I think
*neber buy books but my self set task for therapy is to try to begin reading again. Wanted to go library but only had time on day off for middle of day appointment and trip to rescue bank card. Wanted to start book before next session

Liveitup

Hi,

Thought I would say it looks like you are doing great.

Im 37 and I have not got any savings and am trying to save now tho. Im earning half what I was and it is surprising what you can live off.

Keep up the good work.

Houseplant26

Liveitup wrote: »

Hi,

Thought I would say it looks like you are doing great.

Im 37 and I have not got any savings and am trying to save now tho. Im earning half what I was and it is surprising what you can live off.

Keep up the good work.

Thank you it's really good to hear that encouragement. It's not easy but it is possible! Just have to ignore all of the people I know who are jetting off on holidays and buying iPhone7s at the moment. Will be good when I've saved up for a holiday and can really enjoy it. I need to work on an emergency fund and a house deposit fund as well. Probably need to find a second job to really tackle the latter.

Houseplant26

Logging spends from yesterday.
Dinner with sister who was in town - £13ish I tried to keep down a bit but it was lovely to see her
Face mask -£2.50 didn't need this bought it to cheer myself up as I'm still poorly silly I know

Managing to take lunch to work each day, was hoping for a no spend day today but think I need to pop and buy some better medicines and a chocolate bar.

Houseplant26

Quickly declaring spends from yesterday. I need some NSDs but sadly today won't be on as I'm meeting an old friend for a drink after work. I plan to drink sit drinks and keep it low spend.

Yesterday:
£10ish in boots on vitamins and sleeping tablets. I couldn't have stronger medicine due to being asthmatic so trying to up my immunity and finally get some sleep. Tablets worked as I slept a lot better last night.
£4 my half of top up shop - bit spendy got nice bread and a pudding, as well as two bags of pasta as we're out plus couple of other things

However home made soup and bread for lunch. Cooking going pretty well.

silverwhistle

Quickly declaring spends from yesterday. I need some NSDs but sadly today won't be on as I'm meeting an old friend for a drink after work. I plan to drink sit drinks and keep it low spend.

You could always try one of the cheap chain pubs, where I sometimes go and meet friends for a pre-match pint (watching footie is my expensive vice). Saving £1.20 on a pint of ale or prosecco adds up! They vary but the ones I go to have no piped music and there's always a good buzz of conversation. The same for meeting up with people, have a natter over a drink rather than a meal: it's what I do to keep within my (more generous) budget.

Not being very girlie saves me a fortune in toiletries and cosmetics, so that's an area I save on with the occasional panic when I do posh up. I probably spend more on football boots though..