It's time for a money diet...

Lauralozzle

Wednesday 5th April

Bagged another NSD - now at 4/16. I'm very pleased with this so far. I'm hoping I can make Thursday and Friday a NSD too - the less money I spend this month the better!

Had a good day at work, tomorrow should also be fairly productive. I must make sandwiches this evening though, we left late this morning because I hadn't made them. I'll be less bothered when my hours look better - but until I'm at least even I will keep fretting I think.

I'd much rather be positive - then I can build some up for a day off!

Lauralozzle

Thursday 6th April

Another NSD now I'm at 5/16! This is undoubtedly the best I've done so far!

I'm also using up what we have in the fridge/cupboards/freezer but I think when I'm off I'll have to do a big meat shop. We're okay for now but it won't last the month.

I had a long day at work today but I really think by tomorrow I'll be even with the flexi so then I can concentrate on building it up for a day off!

Other than that I don't have much to mention - just keep plugging away!

Lauralozzle

Friday 7th April

So, today has been a mixed bag. I am generally ok but I learned today that my grandmother (maternal side) passed away. This was coming so I'm not shocked - I'm not sure how to feel really. I wasn't particularly close to her - in the cast couple of years I only saw her a handful of times. I'm sad but I don't feel upset, which makes me question whether I'm a horrible person.

She was a very generous, good women. I feel like I should feel more upset about it...

She was very ill though so it's good that she's no longer in pain, wasting away with cancer.

I have bagged another NSD - I'm now at 6/16. 10 more to go!

Lauralozzle

Monday 7th April

I've been plodding along... some good, some bad.

I'm now on 8 NSD - less than I would like and we folded on Saturday after my dads wedding and ordered pizza.

When the spends show up on my card I'll report the damage!

I have a busy week this week. Today we relax, but tomorrow I tackle the hallway. Tom point blank refused to go to B and Q today to get paint etc but I will go in the morning. I'm thinking white paint for the hallway - this is just to clean it up. No point in spending lots of money until we can afford to get replastered and the dreadful artex removed, but at least a quick splash of paint will lighten it up until we can afford to sort it out properly.

So, ceiling first, then walls, and then the dreaded dark wood that makes the room so gloomy in the first place! I'm guessing that will take quite a few coats. But I'll work whilst he's at work.

My wedding dress has also arrived!! Yey!! Go to Try it on on Thursday - but this will mean another spend as I'll have to buy my wedding underwear.

So, very busy week to be had but I am looking forward to it!

Lauralozzle

Monday 1st May

Where is this year going?

Pay day was on Friday so money has been moved across the accounts.

I have to admit, the emergency fund is not adequate at the moment so I am go in to have to challenge myself to make up the shortfall via savings in food. Last month ended up being quite expensive. As per our 'room a year' plan I've cleaned up the hallway. This included painting all the walls white to clean them up and painting the dark skirting, stairs and doors white. I have also purchased a radiator cover for the hallway to hide the ugly radiator and provide a useful counter top to put things on. All in it has cost about £200 as we needed a lot of undercoat/eggshell paint. I have even cleaned the carpet. That will have to do until we can afford to properly get the artex bonded/skimmed over, and have a new carpet for the stairs and landing. This job will properly be in a couple of years so this is as good a stop-gap as I can do for now and I must say, the house looks much better for it. The hallway was a pet hate of mine - so dark and gloomy.

We also had an unexpected vet bill - Charlie suffers from bad allergies and his scratching got way out of hand. So off to the vets we went, £90.05 later we have some tablet for him to help his allergies which are working a treat. His coat looks much better already and his scratching has stopped a lot. We also got a good steroid cream to put on any hot spots. The cream will last ages, but he will have to be on the tablets for the rest of his life. It's worth it though - he is so much better on them but we know the moment he goes off them it will all start up again. There's not much we can do about it to be honest - they are seasonal airborne allergies which he now has all year round. They just get worse in spring-autumn. He's had allergies since he was about 1 and the vet said it's normal for them to get worse with age.

This has resulted in me adapting the budget to cover the cost of these tablets. We will get a repeat prescription off the vet and one months worth is about £30 so I've had to factor that in. We've also been told that he will have to have a check-up every six months as it's long-term. So, £40 has now been set aside in the budget every month to accommodate the tablets and increased trips to the vet which will also incur the lovely vet consultation charge. We can't get help on insurance as it's a pre existing condition.

Still, I'm happy we had the money to cover it and that is what the emergency fund is there for. Before I think we would have worried about how we could cover it and would end up in our overdraft.

In an effort to spend as little as possible in the supermarkets this month and still eat well and enjoy a glass of wine during our weekends I am going to try and clear out the fridge and freezer. I should have enough food to go some way if I get a little creative. I am also going to veto takeaways this month. I can't make savings anywhere else so it has to come out of the food budget.

I am also hoping to reach 16 NSD this month, more if possible and will have to seriously cut down my takeaway coffee spends. I would really like to build up some flexi at work for a day off this month (even though I've just had two weeks annual leave off to sort out the hallway). I've worked out that I have ten (I think) days holiday left until October and I would like to spread those into two separate weeks off during the summer - maybe a week off in July and September.

Plans for this month

Reach 16 NSD

Prepare lunch/work bag the night before

Defrost/prep dinner for the next day the night before so we are not tempted to have a takeaway.

Keep on top of the house. I might give Fly-Lady Challenge a go for this. We will see.

Log all of my food in my food diary - lose 4 lbs at least and keep an eye on my macros intake.

This will be tough but I'll give it all I've got!

Ladykernow

Love your thread!

zippygeorgeandben

Aww Charlie!
Had a brief skim read of your last post but yes you are right, it's exactly situations like this what emergency funds are for. Things pop up when you least expect.
That's the reason many people on here don't suggest consolidation because who can truely say in a, for example, 5 year consolidation loan that something isn't going to pop up. Ok for you it was £90 but he's on tablets for life now and you're already factoring this in.
Good for you

Lauralozzle

Thank you both

Yes, that is exactly what the emergency fund is for and I'm so happy we have one!

I agree about the consolidation loan, I don't think they're a good idea. My sister got one for her overdraft/debts and in the end she ended up in a worse situation because she just accumulated more debts on top of the loan she had. it left her in a bit of a pickle!

Bobarella

Sounds like the house is coming along nicely Laura.

Lauralozzle

Thank you Bob

Saturday 6th May

I have to try and update this more regularly and keep myself accountable.

Today is the first NSD I have managed this month. Not great, but I'm hoping to claw it back next week.

Work has been pretty busy, and I've succumbed to the lure of coffee everyday this week (and used my debit card, not my gift card). Stupid me!

I've been really busy today cleaning the entire house, top to bottom. I'm exhausted but it looks much better now!