Building the future!

Homegrown0

Have you done the balance transfer yet? If not, make it the next thing you do! You're literally lining your pockets as soon as you do that! Saving £80p/m on interest is amazing!

You're full of plans Hope you manage to get through your mammoth to-do list.

Gemsy81

Oh my goodness....poor neglected diary!! Having LO at home on holidays, plus working full time around that, plus trying to keep our household in order is leaving precious little time.

It has been a very busy week with work, we have a really busy few days coming up, but I really wanted to check in here and with all my finances, as it just slides out of control otherwise (as we shall see!).

I have paid myself over £850 worth of work expenses that had been gathering since the end of July. I would not normally leave it so long, but I have literally not had a moment. So that has gone straight in my bank, and then paid immediately off the card I put them on.

Personal pot - I've spent just over half my pot for the month, but LO and I squeezed in a lunch and cinema outing. It was absolutely lovely, and pretty much all we have planned. All other outings this month will be of the frugal variety! Other than that, I think I've been out for one coffee, and thats it. I also bought all my skincare bits, but that was needed, and I managed to get a good deal on them

Child pot - £40 on intensive swimming lessons, and £30(!) on a wetsuit (my child literally turns blue in swimming pools), and goggles. The wetsuit has quite a lot of growth room, so it will do him all over the winter, and now we have paid for the intensive lessons, the plan is to visit the local leisure centre once a week to keep him up to speed. So I have about £30 for the remaining bits of school uniform - this should be enough.

Groceries....not too good. Returned from holiday and have been so busy, I did not even have time to do a big shop straight away. So had a couple of grab shops (and OH got in on the act, which we all know is a disaster). I then had a great big shop with Ocado, used their £30 discount for new shoppers, and got basically all my dried, frozen and cleaning bits. So I now have £77.61 in my pot for the rest of the month....which does not feel like much. Being busy and not having enough time to plan (or do it myself, as OH just cannot do a frugal shop!), is costing me dear. I need to try and think how I'm going to address this.

In other news, I have just managed to come to an arrangement with HMRC regarding an old bill.....maybe once I'm out the other side of this, I will write about it, but it just feels too personal and upsetting at the moment. But having them actually be reasonable and having come to a do-able solution, is a very big weight off my mind.

Extra money making is precisely zero right now, as again, I just have not had the time, but once I have got the next few days out of the way, I will breathe again, and make a start!

[Deleted User]

Great to see you back, Gemsy! Totally sympathise with you on the overspending when busy front. I too have been doing this and not checking in here enough to hold myself accountable. Must try harder!
Well done on the HMRC arrangement. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's a massive weight off your shoulders.

Say_No_to_Credit_Cards

Good afternoon, just caught up on your diary.

Everybody that works full time finds it so hard to fit everything else in, you just have to try your best and the stuff you dont get around to doing will get done the day after. However, when it comes to 0% balance transfers do them asap, have you done the balance transfer as £80 is £80 and is so much better in your bank than on your credit card balance.

Great news on HMRC, things like that can pull you down and really de-motivate you if you let them. Keep going with the business as there will only be you and your family that will benefit.

Just take each day as it comes. I have been a little annoyed at myself as I have not made enough extra income this month and last month. However, sometimes other things do get in the way and you have to accept that.

Take care, you are doing great especially with all the balls you seem to be juggling at the moment.

SNTCC

Gemsy81

Oh my goodness.....have just emerged from an incredibly busy work period which has just been mad...but good mad. Out of everything extra we have earned, I have been able to allocate £1500 to myself/our family so I have more than covered extra income this month. As well as allocating some to debt repayments, I think I will be keeping a bit back for a short half term holiday.

I have also FINALLY done the balance transfer!!! I am now managing my cards so well with big repayments, that all my providers seem to like me a lot - in the last three months I have been given a total of £6000 worth of extra credit. Not that I have any intention on using it, but its just mad! I'm actually really enjoying being one of those people that don't have their credit cards maxed out - it is such an alien feeling for me and is making me feel very grown up!

Still struggling a bit with the grocery budget, which I do feel strongly is about lack of time to organise everything!!

Starmummy

Well done Gem you are making fantastic progress.
being financially savvy seems to take up quite a bit of my time these days but it's far less stressful than the fear of your card being declined or closing your eyes and praying that all your DD will actually go out of your account.

I've noticed it mention on your diary by a few people school uniform spends.Does everyone buy entirely new uniform each year?
I must admit Star child goes through shoes like crazy but rarely in september, normally christmas and spring. I swapped from polo shirts to proper shirts and they last so much better.
Her back to school shopping list has only included PE trainers and a new cardigan. She also needed a pencil case this year as she is going into year 4 and they are expected to provide their own pens.

Groceries is something we struggle with too.
I'm adamant we do not need to spend £380 a month on groceries. I cooked a big curry yesterday to have for dinner, he comes back from a haircut with a bag from waitrose... "i was hungry i bought one of those nice pizzas" aggghhh!

Gemsy81

Hi starmummy.....big uniform spends this year, as he is starting for the first time, so not sure how it will pan out after that....being a boisterous boy I anticipate him going through lots of clothes!

[Deleted User]

Well done on the balance transfer, Gemsy! You're doing so well! And fantastic news about the extra income this month!

Gemsy81

Time for the monthly round-up, and I am struggling in a few areas. I have seen the return of the 'emotional spend' this month. My dad has all of a sudden become very poorly, no one knows what is it, he has had millions of tests, and had a CT scan a week ago. His consultant told us he was concerned about possible pancreatic cancer, thankfully it is not that, but our whole family has just been in bits, we are still none the wiser, and he is still poorly. I feel like I have lost my way keeping track at home which means my personal budget has suffered (eating out) AND the grocery budget, as I felt the need to cook everyone a lot of delicious meals and treat them. I'm cross with myself on one hand. On the other I am trying to be forgiving on myself. I also had to replace my hoover at home (this came out of my 'spare' money, left over from the PPI repayments).

I also have another baby on the way , so I am trying to remain as stress free as possible!

So...the damage....some of this is under-budgeting - I've set myself a really low budget, i.e. I have shaved £1000 off our monthly income, so I can top that up if needs be, but this budget is my ideal, and allows me to pay large sums off our debt.

Child costs - overspend of £77.36 (I massively underestimated the cost of school shoes(!), plus the expense of swimming. However, we have spent a grand total of £177 on all the uniform and all of summer holiday activities which I don't think is bad going.
Groceries - overspend of £199.08 (I told you I ended up spoiling the whole family!) I am still struggling with my grocery budget, especially when I get busy with work and don't have time to meal plan.
Personal - overspend of £109.03 (that is just two lunches, I guess it could have been worse - I've reined myself in now)

Its not a disaster my any means given that I've made an extra £1500 on top of normal income....but I'm cross I've let myself slip, even though I think it was quite exceptional circumstances. I'm trying to be so much more aware of how I am spending money. One thing I have noticed is that I have such a small number of transactions going through my bank and on my cards now, as (overall) I am not making unplanned spends, whereas before there was one every day.

On the positive side....

- LO starts school next week....expenses coming right down!!
- I have cupboards rammed full of food!
- I made £1500 extra this month
- I did the balance transfer this month
- I paid a little bit extra off my Barclaycard, so it is now under £3k

NelliePie

I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he gets better soon.

You've had a stressful time and although you've overspent on your planned budgets, you've not gone crazy, you've not added to your debt, and you've recognised the difference. Be proud of yourself, for still managing whilst going through a rough time. And I think keeping the family well fed during times like this is a brilliant act.

You're doing great, keep it up!