I hope I can do this

ftbwannabe

A bit of a review on this last day of the month. quite an essay!
(god, it's only been 1 month! & I've done all this blathering! I just read it back though & it is super helpful to see what i've been doing, the things i've tried & the highs & lows)

I'm sure the first month is always the easiest, because that's when big changes happen, but I'm still proud & will say this one was a success. Thanks in no small part to the encouragement & shared stories here. I remember how crap and small and worried I felt making my first post here, & I'm glad I did it anyway.

Numbers I'm proud of:
Spent £145 on groceries this month, instead of the £265 I usually budget & the £300 I spent in July
Made £114 in sales
Paid off £572 of debt
Saved £224 towards deposit
Saved £149 towards future spending (emergency fund, birthday, etc)


Useful changes:
-Spending more on my fortnightly shops, to tide me over to the next one without 'just nipping in for one thing'.
-Noticing that I am actually incapable of going into Sainsburys without buying more than I went in for, & avoiding it like the plague
-Adding hot cross buns, jaffacakes & wine to my fortnightly shops. Not awesome for my waistline, but having them in makes me not go out & spend on pastries, chocolate & beer. A hot cross bun in the freezer (pre-sliced!) is worth 2 croissants in the shop ;-)
- revelation of the month: Sainsburys basics dark chocolate (50p) + Asda's Italian ground coffee (£1.34) are both lush.
-Using YNAB & Monzo. Checking those apps on my phone regularly
-Planning ahead : putting cash aside for future bills & things I want (emergency fund, money to splurge on my birthday, holiday fund. Makes it easier not to spend when I know I'm taking cash away from Future Me's Fabulous Birthday ;-)
-Knowing the real figure of my debts & not ignoring it or pretending it's different or pretending it's ok because it's 'not my fault'. Regardless of why I have it, no one's going to pay it back but me.
-Projecting forward how much I can save/pay off in 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, etc.
-Regular checking in on my accounts saved me £ by spotting wrong account details, soon-to-expire interest rates, etc

Other stuff:
-I told friends & OH how much my debts were, & no one died or disowned me
-I know exactly what my financial situation is, down to the last penny. I even figured out how to log in to my pension.
-I spoke to an IFA! How grown up!
-I was approved for a mortgage in principle!
-I realised that even without the donation towards our deposit, I could save enough in the long term to get on the housing ladder at some point. Would never have thought that was possible, before.
-I miss my paying-cards-off goal, I was so looking forward to paying one off in November! It was fun figuring out a snowball plan, that really helped me focus.
But when I play around with mortgage calculators, & see how much my savings can influence my future mortgage, that helps. I don't think we will wait until we've saved 10%, that would take significantly longer. So, the size of our deposit won't be enough to get us a cheaper interest rate, but it will still affect how much our monthly payments will be, & they will be a monthly outgoing for a very long time!

Next month
September's going to be a challenge. I've got 2 gigs (1 in London), a trip back home to see my family, & at least 3 other social things on. I have to travel a bit for work & they are slow at paying expenses back. I'll be bored of saving. I'll be busy at work, so inclined to snack & I'll think I'm too tired to plan & cook ahead.

But it'll also be the first month with my new payments set up to my cards & savings, a budget I think will work, & I'm so looking forward to crossing out more of my 100 square, updating my signature & posting on the 'payment a day' thread!

pidge04

Those figures are fantastic!!

ftbwannabe

PAY DAY! I made it! I didn't use a credit card once, and I had money left over. 'Flippin heck'.
Phew. Ok, 10 more months of paying attention & being careful like that & I'll have enough to hit our deposit goal. Then I can switch back to my cards goal.

Obvs, now I want to spend to celebrate...

Budget plan for Sept:

Wages in: +£1965
Socialising £110.00
Expensive gig £45.00
Travel £30.00
Buffer £20.00
Groceries £165.00
Emergency fund £50.00
My birthday fund £10.00
Allotment £10.00
Holiday fund £10.00
Study costs £5.00
Contacts and toiletries £23.00
Clothes & shoes £10.00
internet costs £5.80
Deposit £300.21
S Loan 1 £85.00
S Loan 2 £25.51
CC4 £54.00
CC5 £87.00
CC2 £11.00
CC1 £81.00
extra utility £3.34
Phone £16.42
Rent £625.00
Council tax £134.00
Water £37.40
Charity £12.00

pidge04

Well done for not using a credit card in August and well done for having money left over! That is something I strive for!

SavingAFuture

What on earth is this mysterious "leftover money" you speak of? - is that like "leftover wine" :rotfl:

Ahh that truly is the dream. To have money still in my account at the end of the month.
Well done you! Massive achievement.

ftbwannabe

Thanks, ladies!
SaF, don't be silly, leftover wine doesn't exist. It's a myth like 'too much chocolate'

Now, pray for me. I've got a meeting in town, at a cafe, & my route takes me past Tiger AND TK Maxx. On payday!!:eek:

Plan is: walk (not bus), Do Not Go In Shops Or Even Look In Windows, let them buy me coffee, repeat walk back with blinkers firmly on.
If I manage it, I'll buy myself a pastry from the nice shop on my way back.

jwil

Well done :T

ftbwannabe

Made it home without spending!
God, tho, I get such fear of missing out! About ridiculous things like avoiding shops! 'What if I don't go to Sainsburys and they have that thing I like half price' 'what if Aldi have a new beer I don't know about that's really cheap' 'what if that cafe closes because I've stopped buying those cakes' 'what if I miss a bargain that would have saved me cash in the long run'...
My head was full of nonsense like that while I walked through town.
But, I managed to go into the supermarket for something I genuinely needed & enjoy the game of getting out of there having spent as little as possible. That's my new game, I hope it lasts.

pidge04

This is an achievement to be celebrated!

I love TK Maxx too but I have spent too much money buying tea towels and tins in TK Maxx when I should have been spending that money to save for a kitchen to put those tea towels in!!

How is the weekend looking? Is the force strong within you?!

ftbwannabe

Hi Pidge! Oh yeah, TK Maxx is brilliant (/awful). If I had to do a trolley dash somewhere it would be my number one choice. House stuff + bags are my worst threats in there. The great thing about teatowels, mugs & bags is that they always fit me :-)
A mega quiet weekend planned, can't wait. My force will be replenished after some chill out time :-)

Went out for a meal with OH last night, using a voucher. Food wasn't great but it was nice to be out. Seems like the summer's back for one last hurrah.
I now intend to be as lazy as possible, once I've got the food shop ordered I'm going to curl up with a book & the cat & not move til Monday.
I'll hop over to your thread now to find out what you're up to! Hope it's restful & happy-making.