Moving House, Renovations & OPs

Elephantchunks

Haha, I got a lift home from work (work colleague passes my house) just so that I can get my monthly budget done before we go to tea at the MIL's.

July Budget Outcomes:
-£11.25 - £211.25/£200 - Groceries - £22.42 this week. Fab!
£2.14 - £97.86/£100 - Petrol - Bang on!
-£11.16 - £121.16/£110 - Cigs - Meh! We'll see about this soon!
-£18.05 - £108.05/£90 - My fun - £13.50 this week. Friends drink, takeaway.
-£21.39 - £111.39/£90 - DH fun - same as my fun this week.
£58 - £137/£195- Driving lessons
£136.82 Extra saved - This week £4.05 bank rewards, £16.77 2x ebsy sales, £62 sheepishly asked for my Xmas savings from work.

TOTAL = £135.11 Extra Saved on top of wage savings :j
We didn't spend the extra we made from ebsy etc. :T
Food - We budgeted £40 less this month to usual so this is a great saving really.
Fun - We budgeted £10 less each than last month even though we knew it was a busy spendy summer month. Having the budget to stick to has helped us massively to not overspend ridiculously on fun by planning our days/nights out better.

wishingthemortgaheaway

A great month. Yay.

Elephantchunks

Right, the end of month figures are in (with a little aid from midweek wine):

£1447 Saved by end of June
£598 July saved straight from wages
£135 July extra at month end
= £2180 saved since April
-£650 survey paid
-£380 survey paid
=£1150 left saved

Left to pay:
£900 Credit card 1
£900 Credit card 2
£180 Van hire
=£1980 Left to pay
-£1150 Left saved
=£830 Left to save.

We've both just been paid so if our completion date is soon I can chuck this £830 from our wages at our cards.
I'm quite pleased with our savings whilst still having a bit of fun money. If it wasn't for the extra sewage survey it would look much rosier but needs must.

I can't do a monthly budget next month, money is going to be all over the place (We must be moving soon?!?). It has been such a help to record here that I may require weekly budgets to keep us in check.

Jessy103

Well done EC! Good luck with the move and keep us posted!! x

Elephantchunks

Oh my gosh, yesterday was the most splendid day! We broke our rule of not walking round the nearby villages to where we are going to be moving. We walked around the village which will be 1mile from us and it is glorious. I felt like I was on holiday so got a bit spendy with beer and pub food (£36) because we didn't want to leave. We walked 10k in total and saw loads of bunnies, wildlife, picturesque views and beautiful houses. Shropshire I :heartsmil you! All my stresses of moving have completely floated away and I have never been more certain that I need to be there.

In financial news: This weeks budget is £100. (Friday to Friday)
£20 Petrol, £13/£26 Cigs, £36/£54 Rabbits, Food & Fun.
The rabbits need food and hay which DH is purchasing now. The freezer has a weeks worth of food in it and we have cheese, jam and tuna for lunches. I've ran out of cereal so instead of buying more I better crack open the porridge that's been in the cupboard for a fair few months.

I must keep posting and challenging ourselves else we could get spendy.

Elephantchunks

Glug! Today DH has spent £201.42 on car parts so that the car can pass the MOT (of which I was totally unaware was due) next week. He had told me but I thought it would be after we move. I need to get more organised and have these types of things on the calendar in future.

So, this £100 a week budget is a must.
Forget the van hire for now (can go on overdraft when we have exchanged if needs be).

£1800 Credit cards
£45 MOT (obvs. This will be more)
-£1150 saved end of july
-£581 can save this month if stick to £100 budget
= £114 to find
If we get to move a week before month end we can use the £100 budgeted for the last week. Really, I'm just making an impossible challenge to try to do better than I would have done without it.

August £100 Weekly Challenge: £0/£20 Petrol, £26/£26 Cigs, £45/£54 Rabbits, Food & Fun.
Today - Rabbit food £6, Hay £3, Cigs £13.

August Monthly Challenge: Magic up £17/£114.
Today - £17 after fees made on ebsy tonight from 3x sales.

Elephantchunks

We are debt free!!! :j:j:j:j:j Both cards have been paid off! I feel so amazing that we finally got here!
I don't even want to say how low the bank account is but it needed to be done. Baked potatoes and beans every night it is then. Sorry, I should have probably been on DFW boards but we're ready now for MFW. Chuffed to bits!

August £100 Weekly Challenge: Total £99.91/£100
£25/£20 Petrol. £26/£26 Cigs. £48.91/£54 Rabbits, Food & Fun.
Last 3 days - £25 Petrol. 68p 2x Garlic bulbs. £1 bread. £1 Milk. £1.23 2x chocolate - got to celebrate somehow!
9p under budget. We've done really well sticking to the freezer food this week and there is still a weeks worth of meat left. Our freezer just keeps on giving .

August Monthly Challenge: Magic up £81.65/£114.
Today - £4.35 after fees ebsy sale aaaaaaand £60.33 - I had calculated both card costs incorrectly - Yay magic money! :j
Virtual (free) beers to all :beer:

wishingthemortgaheaway

Congratulations. That's brilliant news.

You need to treat yourself to something next payday using some of the money that previously would have gone on debt repayment.

I bought a handbag (a really nice one) the month after I paid off my student loan.

Every time I use said handbag (which is a lot, although less now I have to traipse round with a nappy bag 99%of the time) I think 'this means I am no longer beholden to a student loan, my education is my own.

When I get under 10k with the mortgage (years away yet) I'll start to think what I'll buy for us all with the first non mortgage payment.

Raising my G&t to you.

Well done. And I hope the move happens quickly and smoothly.

EatingTheElephant

Huge congratulations, great news you are ready to start attacking that mortgage :T:T

Your walk round the new area sounds wonderful.

greent

Great news on being debt free x