I hope I can do this

ftbwannabe

Great news today: my PPI claim was succesful & I'll get a payout later this month. Will be the equivalent of 2 months worth of savings, so that's brilliant!
It sounds boring, but it's so good to know exactly what I want to do with the money. Usually I'd think 'hey I'm rich!' & go looking for luxuries to splurge on.

Couple of bills came out today, & I spent £2 on a very tasty cake.
Rang S Loans for my new payment amounts & they're reducing by 20p a month, big wow. But I only have 5 more payments to make on one of them, which is fantastic! More than 20 years since I graduated
Now to do an online food shop.
I was going to use the Sainsburys new customer offer, £18 off £60, but I've just recced my cupboards & I reckon I can get away with a really low spend, much less than £60. There's a few tasty things on Cooking On a Bootstrap that I'm looking forward to making (including - gasp - a new recipe for double chocolate guiness brownies, wow) & I still have plenty of pearl barley to use up ;-)

Hope all is well for everyone, enjoy the weekend. X

ftbwannabe

Urgh, just checked one of my credit cards & I got charged interest last month, AND got the minimim payment wrong? I don't understand how either of these things happened. Well, the interest was because I'm bad at maths, I think - I thought I'd transferred the interest-attracting part of the balance away in time.
Anyway. It's sorted now, I've adjusted my payment in time & upped what next month's will be, but I'm still cross, & a tenner more in debt than I was last month *grump*

jwil

Great news about PPI :T

ftbwannabe

Quiet weekend, much needed. Though every time I try to have a nap someone outside starts making noise! Probably because the lovely sunshine has come back, so shan’t whine.
Fiddled around with budget in YNAB to see how little I could get away with spending this month if miracles allowed. Interesting...
Friend I am meeting tomorrow has suggested we go to hers instead of going out, which is great because that’ll be a lot cheaper.
Had a think about how I can make my trips to London and back to my parents this month be frugal but still fun. I reckon I can stay on budget now I’ve planned them out.
Got a new book out of the library & had some quality cat snuggles while reading. Also found new programme to watch on Netflix, oh & watched some of the new series of Location Location Location for house-buying inspiration!
Baked 2 loaves of soda bread, made a big batch of soup in the slowcooker & made some brownies. Bread & brownies both Jack Monroe, love their recipes. Put the brownies straight in the freezer where they’ll be slightly safer from me...
Decided to keep £75 of the PPI claim money back for a shed or polytunnel on the allotment. That’ll give me somewhere to shelter in the winter without having to cut back on my time there, it’s a haven that does wonders for my happiness & stress levels.

ftbwannabe

Soda bread is supposed to be !!!!!!, right? :rotfl:
I normally make ‘proper’ bread but wanted something easy & quick to go with the soup, & share the oven with the brownies.

ftbwannabe

Soda bread went beautifully with tonight’s soup, phew! Not sure if i’ll make it regularly tho. ‘5 minute bread’ is easy enough instead.

Nearly made it a NSD but then just happened to be walking past B&Q &, like the reduced ailse in Sainsburys, I can’t un-know where they keep their bargains! Picked up some garden storage I’ve wanted for 6 months at £20 instead of £35. Lucky my evening out tonight will be a freebie, walking to my mates & back.

ftbwannabe

NSD day. Partly due to feeling under the weather & spending as much of the day in bed as possible. Roll on Bake Off!
I've been trying not to stalk RIghtmove, since we aren't planning to start looking seriously until next summer, & I don't want to constantly see places I can't have yet. But saving for this deposit might be more fun if I can imagine what I'm saving for, so I might re-install the app. I saw photos of someone's study earlier & started to drool.
Having only ever rented, the thought of being able to put up shelves & have non-magnolia walls is amazing! (Will prob stick to white walls though, once we get a place. Makes a place look big, & lets me have garish - i mean bright - cushions & prints.)

SavingAFuture

Hope you're feeling better. Watching Bake-off always makes me feel a little better, if a little more hungry!

I am obsessed with scrolling through right move. Living in the South East I like to compare what we paid for our flat versus what we could get elsewhere....4 bedroom manor house with a swimming pool anyone?

The joy of being able to just pop a nail in the wall so you can hang a picture cannot be measured. Keep going and soon you will be looking for your own home. Wishing you all the luck in the world.
SaF x

ftbwannabe

Thanks SAF! Yeah, i've learned to always have food ready if during Bake Off (preferably cake, of course).

NSD day today, despite many idiots & *rseholes trying to drive me to drink

117pauline

Well I have food and drink on my mind as I am sitting in an airport waiting for a friend. Unfortunately I had to get here early as I had to return my hire car. I took a sandwich and a couple of cans of pop but I can hear burgerking calling to me. The prices are horrendous here as you can imagine. Really looking forward to tea and toast when we get back to the villa


Mind you, people watching is fun and free!

So about this too tired to cook...... Eggs, beans and toast? I reckon about ten minutes including making yourself a drink. There are lots of cheap quick meals for those times.

Or how about doubling up on meals you can freeze.

I quite often prepare a meal for tomorrow whilst finishing off today's.

Or how about spending 20 minutes seeing how much you can prepare for the coming week. I don't know about you but I love a challenge!

Finally as a virtual friend I would suggest you have a look at some of your negative thoughts you have shared on the diary. Yes, you used to be bad at maths but.... You are making positive steps to improving. Ok, you made a booboo with the credit card however you noticed and took positive steps. That's great, isn't it?

So I am away for a wander around the airport ignoring any foodie thoughts and concentrating on the pleasure of seeing my friend and the pleasure of tea and toast later.

Keep smiling
Pauline