Debt Free Wannabe Teacher

dfw87

So, I am trying to be sensible with my money but equally am not keeping such a close eye on it as I was before my Granddad... it is in no way bad, just that before I was counting no spend days, keeping track of every penny etc. At the moment, I am still being good with my money, but I have had a few times where I have bought a coffee and cake from the hospital instead of taking my own or paid for parking at the hospital and not tried to find a free space... I think this can be forgiven!

I have just cashed out £52.64 from Prolific Academic (had a whopping £7 survey this morning!) so that'll go straight into my savings on Friday when it goes through. Also got a cheque in the post for about £40 from NatWest to apologise for some shocking customer service before I left them.

I bought a dress yesterday - first piece of clothing I have bought in a while! It is for my Granddad's funeral and is a beautiful floral dress - we don't do black to funerals and he would have loved this dress. I used my partner's student discount so it was £18 and I'll be able to wear it for work and occasions.

louby40

Be kind to yourself - at times of upheaval you aren't always focused. Your money saving head will soon be back. I think you can allow yourself a piece of cake

dfw87

So, I've sold a couple more bits and pieces on eBay and that money has gone straight into my savings account. I can't believe I have over £650 in there now - in less than 2 months, as well as paying off some of my loan. This is the equivalent of 2 months off my loan - I'm still deciding whether to save and eventually buy a house or something, or save and pay off the loan early. We will see what crops up over the next few years I suppose! It would be lovely to pay off the loan early, but it would also be amazing to use the savings for something else, especially as the loan repayments are more than manageable.

I also received £95 of Amazon vouchers in the post today from BT for signing up to my new phone plan with them. Much cheaper than my old plan, plus these vouchers - ideal!

dfw87

Yesterday I sold a nail varnish kit for £20 and a bike for £170. All going straight into my savings.

I also had a few good surveys on PA - £9 for one of them! Will save that up to £50 before I cash out again. Won't take too long. Cashed out a £3 Swagbucks voucher for Amazon - I found SB to be a bit useless at times but it seems to be going well at the moment.

I have two bar shifts this weekend - I figured it would keep me busy. Today's if 6-12 and tomorrow's is 11-5:30 - that should get me about £85 after tax.

louby40

Great going with the sales on eBay!

DancingUnicorn

Hi, I'm starting my teacher training in September so it'll be nice to follow along and see how it goes for someone else in the same profession!
I'm very sorry for your loss - I lost both my Grandads in the last 6 months and my money saving got much worse than yours has so I think you're doing really well.
I recently signed up to PA and have earned just over £20 so far this month and agree with you - it's great!
Best of luck and keep up the saving!

dfw87

DancingUnicorn wrote: »

Hi, I'm starting my teacher training in September so it'll be nice to follow along and see how it goes for someone else in the same profession!
I'm very sorry for your loss - I lost both my Grandads in the last 6 months and my money saving got much worse than yours has so I think you're doing really well.
I recently signed up to PA and have earned just over £20 so far this month and agree with you - it's great!
Best of luck and keep up the saving!

Thanks Dancing Unicorn! Good luck with your teacher training - please let me know if you need any advice. Is it a uni or school based training programme?

I'm sorry to hear about your granddads - I am slightly in the between death and funeral bubble at the moment, keeping myself busy and slightly avoiding it... funeral is this Friday and I am ready for it to hit me again.

dfw87

Trying to keep this updated everyday if possible!

Yesterday I didn't spend anything and I've managed not to today either - brilliant!

I am trying to do the 5:2 diet (had good success with this before) and it is a great diet for my bank account too as I am eating less! I have done slimming world etc before and find that I end up buying loads of things that make it easier and cost more - doing 5:2 I am just eating the same things that I would if I was just watching my wallet and I am able to save too.

So, yesterday was a fast day which meant that I hardly ate! I worked last night - 5 hours at £6.73 an hour (after tax) so £33.65 for that shift (it was at the local rugby club so I was able to just sit and chat to my boyfriend and brothers and my dog stayed behind the bar with me - perfect!) Today I did 6.5 hours so £43.75 for today.

Total spent this weekend - £0
Total earned this weekend - £77.40

DancingUnicorn

dfw87 wrote: »

Thanks Dancing Unicorn! Good luck with your teacher training - please let me know if you need any advice. Is it a uni or school based training programme?

I'm sorry to hear about your granddads - I am slightly in the between death and funeral bubble at the moment, keeping myself busy and slightly avoiding it... funeral is this Friday and I am ready for it to hit me again.

Thank you! I'm doing a SCITT programme with PGCE so it's school based with some Uni visits for my essays. I am taking advice from anyone who will give it, so thank you!
I think the funerals are the hardest, but also very helpful as they give me a sense of closure. I hope all goes well for you.

Best of luck with the 5:2. I thought about doing this before but get far too hungry to fast. Do you get meals in your school? I've been told that as long as I eat it with the children, I can have a school meal for free. I'm definitely going to be utilising this for time and money saving!

dfw87

DancingUnicorn wrote: »

Thank you! I'm doing a SCITT programme with PGCE so it's school based with some Uni visits for my essays. I am taking advice from anyone who will give it, so thank you!
I think the funerals are the hardest, but also very helpful as they give me a sense of closure. I hope all goes well for you.

Best of luck with the 5:2. I thought about doing this before but get far too hungry to fast. Do you get meals in your school? I've been told that as long as I eat it with the children, I can have a school meal for free. I'm definitely going to be utilising this for time and money saving!

I actually have someone doing a SCITT starting in my class in September - really looking forward to having them! I think it's a great way of learning.

That's a great idea with the school meals - we don't get that but I would definitely do it if we could! A great way of money saving!