Adventures of the Boy & Me: Part 2..

Chandelier.

Car related budget.

July

- Car Tax: £190.00

August

- Car insurance: £500.

I've enough in the car saving fund account to cover the cost of both of these. As mentioned previously I'll obviously shop around for the best deals regarding car insurance and stay within my limit. I've probably overbudgeted but I'd rather do this then leave myself short. I'll continue to put away £125 each month to build myself up a buffet that covers all other related car expenses from the cost of new tyres if needed to the occasional car wash. I'm too lazy to wash it myself and get frustrated with the time it takes me to do it. It only costs £5 at our local car wash and I'll get it done roughly once a month. I will hoover and clean the interior myself regularly and keep on top of it. A clean car = a happy driver!

I've a separate budget for fuel and will probably use minimal this month due to less commuting costs. Any left over can just roll over to the next month and by the end of the year what is left I'll put into a separate savings account. Some months are more spendy then others regarding petrol and the prices seem to be just going up and up. I'm going to refresh myself on the best ways to drive economically by checking out the MSE guide and try to walk to places more often. It's more expensive to use public transport then drive and I like the fact I have the freedom to go anywhere.

I also need to go check my tyre pressures to check they are inflated properly. I'll do that next time I fill up with petrol.

So that's it regarding the upcoming car expenses! I enjoy a challenge so I'll be looking out for the best deals over the next two months :beer:.

Chandelier.

I've worked out the final figures/expenses for this weekend just gone and I'm pretty proud of myself. I stuck to soft drinks as the price of an alcoholic one was outrageous so I saved some money there. There were additional expenses for taxi fares and previously mentioned outfits that were purchased but I've still remained in budget. I also managed to get a good deal on train fares by travelling at off peak times and on certain train journeys and using a railcard saved us a third. I also made sure I paid for only the food and drinks I consumed as others had alcohol and bottles of wine which bumped up the cost massively. I'm not forking out for something I haven't had, splitting the costs doesn't always make it fair as some have more then others. I made sure I contributed fairly though and my sister didn't have to spend a penny.

Here we go.

London Hen do costs-

- Train: £60.35. (Budget was £100 so saved £39.75 there).
- Food: £30.55. (Budget was £100 so saved £69.45 there. We went out for lunch yesterday but my sister paid for that).
- Drinks: £15.00. (Budget was £50 so saved £35.00 there through buying soft drinks/water only).
- Activity: £25.00. (Budget was £25 so it was a set price).
- Oyster: £20.00. (Budget was £25 so saved £5 there. We didn't actually use much of this and I have around £15 left on there so will use next time I visit my sister).
- Taxis: £30.00. (There wasn't a budget for this so I'll jus factor it in from money saved).
- Outfit for my sister: £28.65. (Another thing not previously budgeted for, oh well).

The original total budget was £300. Overall I spent £209.55. That's a total saving of £90.45 which I'm happy about and it can go towards the next hen do!

beanielou

Good savings there.

Chandelier.

I've decided to tweak the budget for this next upcoming hen do which is glamping in Wales. A lot of things are already paid for but I like to keep track.

Wales hen do.

- Accomodation: £80.00. (The price actually paid for the two nights comes just under this but I've rounded it off for now).
- Travel: £25.00. (My mum will be driving so we will split petrol costs.
She's going to fill up before we go and when we come back to see how much we've actually used then we will split I'm hoping to stay within this budget).
- Food: £100.00. (I've set this high as obviously I'll have to contribute towards the cost of food over the weekend and will possibly include one meal out).
- Drinks: £20.00. (I plan on taking my own alcohol/mixers which should keep costs down. Will also go halves with someone else if they want to make up cocktails).
- Activities: £100.00. (The activities are already booked but I'm unsure of final prices and we may end up doing extra. I'd rather overestimate).
- Decorations: £20.00. (This I'd is is is is is and other added extras. I expect it to be a bit below set budget but you never know).
- Outfit: £20.00. (We have had t-shirts printed and I'm yet to know the cost of these).

The plan is we set off on the Friday and travel down by car. We'll probably stop off at a supermarket and buy food for the first night, more like a tapas sort of food what we can pick at rather then a full on heavy meal. On the Saturday is when the activities start. We are going to a place called Bounce below and then will be doing a zipwire activity. After this we will head back to camp and have a bbq, chill out, play a few games and have a couple of drinks. On the Sunday we may go for a walk somewhere in the countryside. There is nothing set in stone for that day yet but not to worry.

So overall my budget comes to £365.00 which is more then I previously budgeted but I want to make sure I've covered all predicted costs. I will do my utmost to save money where possible without looking too stingy! It should be a good weekend. I'll go to one of the shops around here, most likely Aldi and buy my drinks from there. I'll also make sure to bring some water with me so I don't become dehydrated!

That's pretty much it and I look forward to keeping tabs on everything and challenging myself. I'll be glad when the expenses of this are over as I won't have to worry too much.

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The only other costs I have for the wedding is hair/make up, shoes, night in hotel, drinks and wedding gift. That should be pretty much it really. I originally set a budget to cover all costs but by having two hen dos this has been completely blown out of proportion. I have been saving £70 per month into an account since the beginning of the year to cover costs but I'm going to have to increase those payments for the next few months.

A budget for other wedding related expenses.

- Hair/Makeup: £100.00.
- Shoes: £50.00.
- Hotel: £140.00.
- Drinks: £40.00.
- Gift: £50.00.

Total: £380.00.

I currently pay £70 per month into a wedding fund account. By the time it comes to the wedding if I carry on putting this amount into the pot, I won't have enough to cover all expected costs. So from now on I'll save £125 into this account to cover everything. Some prices are set in stone but there are other areas which can be tweaked. I don't know all the final prices so I'd just rather be prepared and any money left over can go towards savings after the end of it all.

Originally I wanted to give a bigger present, however with the costs of everything else I cannot justify it. I'm looking at close to £1000 including all expenses and it's for one wedding. I look forward to the day but I'll be glad when it's all over and as I won't have the added expense each month and can save for other things.

That's pretty much it regarding wedding plans! Roll on October!

Chandelier.

I'm on a roll with these budgets! I'm really enjoying planning ahead and it's giving me something to do and work towards. It's a good thing that I like challenges!

As the next few months will be busy, I've alot to budget for.

- The boy's birthday.
- A trip to Mablethorpe.
- The holiday to Cornwall.
- The Caribbean cruise.

These are the next ones I'll focus on.

Chandelier.

The Boy's Birthday

- Tent: £80.00. (It is a durable one and has been highly recommended.The reviews are good and it will be put to good use in future so I'm investing wisely).
- Food: £30.00. (Four hungry boys, I'd rather overbudget but I know I'll come under this price).
- Invites/Decorations: £15.00. (I'll buy what is needed and make my own so it is more personal).
- Cake: £10.00. (Will but one from supermarket or make my own).
- Presents: £75.00 (I'm not sure what I'll buy yet but it won't be much due to other costs. I'll keep a look out for any deals).

I'm looking at doing his party just as the schools break up. I'll let him have three of his friends around and the following day I can take them somewhere like the park to play football or something and maybe have a light picnic.

I just want the boy to have a memorable birthday and to enjoy himself. I have the funds in a separate account which I've been saving into all year. The boy is worth every penny I spend. I'll do anything to make him happy.

Chandelier.

So for the boy's actual birthday weekend we are going away to a caravan park in Mablethorpe which we got a really good deal on. We are going with my friend so we will most likely go halves on a few things.

Mablethorpe Budget.

- Accomodation: £50.00. (We got a good deal of £100 for 3 nights which is a bargain during the summer!
So we are halving the costs).
- Petrol: £40.00. (I'm hoping we go in one car to save money but we may end up going in two so need to plan ahead).
- Food: £40.00. (We will most likely take things with us or do a shop whilst there. This should be more then enough. However there will be three hungry kids! I'll take some stuff from home with me to keep costs down).
- Entertainment: £70.00. (I am setting this quite high as we will have the cost of passes and possibly other things. We will do as much free stuff as possible).

So the total budget works out as £200. I will move money around and put this into a separate account so the money is there for when the time comes. I hope to keep costs to a minimum whilst having a fantastic time away! :j

Chandelier.

So the next budget is the holiday to Cornwall. We are going with the boys grandparents on his dads side and we are splitting most costs, three ways. I know it can be quite expensive and most days we will be doing activities so I'm going to set the budget much higher to give myself wiggle room.

Cornwall Budget.

- Accomodation: £290.00. (This is my contribution to the costs for one week).
- Petrol: £50.00. (This should be enough to get us there and any additional journeys whilst there).
- Food: £200.00. (This should cover costs of eating out and any food shopping we do. We will most likely have a meal out most days).
Entertainment: £200.00. (I've raised the bar on this one as there will be plenty of days out whilst we are there. We will do some free activities no doubt but I must be prepared as I know how expensive the tourist attractions can be).
- Other: £60.00. (I've created this extra category for anything else that might come up and to round off my figures).

The total budget for this holiday is £800.00. Once again I hope to come under this but for now I'm prepared for all costs.

Chandelier.

The final budget for this year is for our Caribbean cruise which we go on in September. We shall be taking the boy out of school for this for two weeks but it will be our last big holiday for a while so I'm prepared to go all out. I've already paid for the actual cruise part, I've just got flights and other costs to pay for. It will be an educational experience for him and there is lots for us to do whilst there. I'm going to simplify this down in regards to each category of what's left to pay.


Caribbean cruise budget.

- Flights: £400.00. (I've yet to pay for these. This will be done in the next month or so).
- Airport Transfer: £50.00. (This will be split between six of us so I've predicted a rough cost).
- Hotel: £100.00. (We will be spending two nights in a hotel whilst there, one night before the cruise and one after. I'll go halves with my mum).
- Food/Drinks: £350.00. (This should cover costs of any additional food before we board the ship and the cost of drink packages whilst on there).
- Excursions: £800.00. (I've set this limit high as we are visiting quite few islands and will probably do some of the excursions. If we book early enough I think we get discount).
- Fine: £60.00. (This is what I'll get fined for taking the boy out of school, oops!).
- Holiday clothes budget: £200.00. (I have a few items to get such as bathing suits and possible evening wear. The boy already has some stuff so I'll try to keep costs down to a minimum.
I won't be taking that many clothes and will use what I've already got).
- Other: £300.00. (This if for anything else not included in the budgets).

All this total's to £2260.00. I'm aware it's alot of money and I'll have to do some shuffling around but with the cost of the GBP/USD being so poor it's working out more expensive. There are definitely areas I can cut back on but we will see how I get on.

Chandelier.

So for all them budget's I've just posted, I need to find £3470.00. I have savings which I can use but I'm also going to cut back on other items these next few months. Any extra money saved will go towards the trips we have planned.