26, no savings feel stuck

Houseplant26

KxMx wrote: »

I know I and other posters have mentioned this before, but I keep seeing prescription expenses, wouldn't it be better to go for the Pre Payment Card? £2 a week is worth it surely. And if paying by DD 2 months are payment free which is nice on the budget.

Thanks KXMX you may well be right. I've been trying to let my prescriptions settle down a bit before plotting them out and seeing if the card is the better option. They're confusing because I'm with a new Drs now who seem to prescribe in different quantities to before and I'm ending up getting things more often than I used to as a result. I'll do the maths again. Shouldn't need to buy anymore of one thing for three months but need the other again in a month.

Houseplant26

KxMx wrote: »

I know I and other posters have mentioned this before, but I keep seeing prescription expenses, wouldn't it be better to go for the Pre Payment Card? £2 a week is worth it surely. And if paying by DD 2 months are payment free which is nice on the budget.

Thanks KxMx I do need to look at this again. I wa awaiting for my prescriptions to settle down a bit as with a new Drs and they seem to be prescribing things a bit erratically in terms of quantities and differently to old Drs where it worked out better for me. Also some medicine I go through more of in winter and one I want to eventually come off of. So bit tricky!

Houseplant26

Spends today £5.50 lunch and !5 bottle of cava low key Ny for me.

Flowers123

You are doing really well Houseplant
How was your Christmas and NY?
I have just downloaded a spending app on my phone so I can log every penny I spend. I've fallen off the wagon over Christmas and my spending has got a bit of control too with all the parties and family gatherings. xx

Houseplant26

Hi Flowers!

Good to hear from you. Mine did too resulting in me being in my overdraft currently (despite having savings, trying to ad void reducing those). I mean by a lot of people's standards I didn't go wild at all. I did very affordable gatherings that were planned but it all added up. I'm debating taking a top I bought in the sales back. I love it and it was an incredible saving and was something I'd wanted but I just cannot afford it. If I take it back that's £35 back in my account and I'm more likely to finish my pay month only around £50 overdrawn.

Logging spending is good. Have you done a SOA recently based on new lifestyle since move? Get the folks on here to go through it? Also it's sometimes worth logging spends on here so you're accountable.

I might try to move this diary to the debt free wannabes forum as although I'm not really tackling debts it seems like it's more relevant to that board.

KxMx

I think that's a good idea.

You've made progress on the savings which was the intention of your OP.

The debt free folk can help with not using your overdraft, and increase the savings

Flowers123

Hi Houseplant. Have you got any old clothes you can sell to pay for your new top? Sounds like a good idea moving your diary onto the other forum if they can offer more useful tips. You have done so well to start saving and stay near enough out of any debt. Let me know if you set up a new diary as I would like to know how you're getting on

Houseplant26

Thanks Flowers! I'm not really sure how I go about moving this diary so I might keep it for a bit and then potentially start a new one. I wish I earnt a bit more a month so that I had more of a buffer. I quite want to take advantage of a switching deal to pocket some cash for my savings, but I also don't really want to loose my large low interest rate overdraft for emergencies. I maybe need to have more confidence that I could get credit if I needed to and that I can stay out of my overdraft but I'm not yet sure I 100% can on my wage.

I'm exploring options to make some additional money on the side. However the minute I look for second jobs I find I'm needed in work extra bits and bobs. However these bits are only really equating to maybe one extra day every two weeks so I'm still not full time working - probably 4.5 days a week or 35hrs mark.

I could look to sell some clothes. I've actually got a bag to take to the charity shop but I've never found much success with eBay. Normally things go for so low it isn't worth it and I'd rather do some good with the items. The only thing I do try to do is sell some nicer vintage pieces I have via a friend and split takings but so far have only made say £20. Need to email her to see if I'm owed anything and I have a few more things I can part with as don't fit.

Being good with spending. Want to do NSD but I keep needing to buy a drink. This is going to sound rediculous but in my role I am pinned to a desk that's customer facing or rushed off my feet to the point where I can't go get a glass of water. A vending machine is near enough to buy a can and I keep doing this day once a week but it adds up. Sometimes I'm so desperate and can't get away. It's not right really.

Been taking lunch to work and making dinner from scratch (sometimes for a few meals/lunch next day) and generally only buying say a packet of 50p rice to go with something if needed and forgot to make some.

Haven't logged each day but might try to get back to it.

downhillfast

Houseplant26 wrote: »

This is going to sound rediculous but in my role I am pinned to a desk that's customer facing or rushed off my feet to the point where I can't go get a glass of water. A vending machine is near enough to buy a can and I keep doing this day once a week but it adds up. Sometimes I'm so desperate and can't get away. It's not right really.

Maybe invest in something like this...

KxMx

I have one a bit less posh:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sistema-460-Twister-Bottle-Purple/dp/B00D8452MG

I was bulk buying bottled water very cheaply but the Sistema has cut right down on that expense.