My 5 year plan

fatrab

Had to bite the bullet and go buy new microwave.

NSD busted - Dammit!

On a plus note - 6 sleeps til payday!

Storm89

oh no about the microwave - needs must and all that though. That's great you have less than a week until payday - we're still waiting until 31st January. Hope you are enjoying the weekend - it's snowing here.

fatrab

Been out this morning gritting the paths and road outside the house. We have elderly neighbours so I like to keep things well maintained when it's icy.

Annoys me though that there are families around us with teenage boys who don't go out and clear the paths, especially for the elderly folk.

That's enough ranting from me lol! NSD today as it's cold and slippery out there no need to leave the house or buy anything. Weekly shop tomorrow and start following the savvy shopper book. Some good recipes and some interesting ones too! I've never attempted a weekly shop at Lidl/Aldi so this'll be a first!

Stay safe out there and enjoy the weekend!

fatrab

Good morning.

Religiously on a Sunday morning we'd go to a nearby cafe for a fry up. It's not expensive, £3.99 for a full breakfast which includes tea and toast. Mrs fatrab doesn't drink tea or coffee so she'll usually have a diet coke and I'd have her cup of tea (since it came "free" with the breakfast anyway), so around £8.70 all in. We give them £10 so around a £1.30 tip.

I went shopping at 8am this morning to Lidl. I had a list and initially walked round, picked up everything on the list and then stopped. I'd walked past almost everything in the shop without looking at it. So I went back to the start and took my time studying the items and prices. I'm converted!

Our shopping for 3+ days, breakfast lunch and dinner totalled just over £16.

We had bacon and egg rolls for breakfast this morning. I think they worked our at 35p each.

Really starting to get the hang of this moneysaving thing!!!

It's icy out there this morning, stay safe.

fatrab

On another note, I think I had fallen into the same mind-set as so many others regarding my credit card.

"I'll just keep hold of it until the balance is cleared."

Wrong. Took a leaf out of my own book and chopped it. Straight through the chip.

Safety fund is now my go-to in the event of an emergency.

In the space of 2 months I've gone from unaccountable spending of £600+ and no savings to having £1000 emergency fund and money left at the end of the month! It's 4 days til payday, I have over £100 left in current account and all my food bought for the week.

Debt free in 5 years? I can do this!

enthusiasticsaver

Excellent progress both on the ditching the credit card and saving on food. Even £10 a week is £40 a month and almost £500 a year. Every little helps and you can always go back to breakfast every Sunday out once you are debt free.

Storm89

That's brilliant . You can definitely eat well at home for a fraction of the price going out. Glad you are converted on the budget supermarket front ! Even with shopping in Aldi I was still spending £100 a week and then buying rubbish throughout the week so with better planning I've cut that loads. You seem so motivated

doingitanyway

Well done on the credit card. I did the same whilst still in debt. It is hard to do but it shows your commitment. The emergency fund will be your safety net now.

JoJoC

I love your mindset - it's like "Nothing's going to stop me now!" and I like that When people talk about the lightbulb moment, I can actually see you having gone "Hang on a bl00dY minute!" and just turning things around.

Your motivation and enthusiasm is infectious, hence why I keep coming back to read

You're lost 10lb already!? That's amazing! And having cash in the bank at the end of the month is a great start to your journey.

Tea&Kittens

I've just been catching up on your story! I think you're doing fabulously. Well done: )
Lovely to read such a positive experience.