Slipping Through My Fingers

teafor2

Hello Everybody

It's been a while since I've been on here. I've not read anybody's diaries so I hope you're all keeping well. 

Sadly Mum passed away in April. It was very peaceful and her last week was spent in a hospice which I feel truly blessed about because their rules were different from hospital's and it meant 2 family members were allowed to be with her as often as we wanted to be. We could even sleep over and that meant I was holding her hand as she slipped away very, very peacefully given the pain she'd been in. Prior to that she'd been in hospital for 3 weeks and I really can't speak highly enough of all the staff there who went to great lengths to move her so we could be with her at the end. 

Needless to say there's been a lot to sort out and it's not been without family drama. In the past I'd have played peacemaker but I'm just too old, too tired and actually too disgusted to even bother.

So that's the background of the past few months. I've come back because I'm living up to the title of this diary in true style and money is literally slipping through my fingers again. I've got back into the habit of paying for things that should be coming out of different accounts, not keeping a record of what I've spent and ending up with nothing at the end of the month, wondering where it's all gone. I've not put anything in the pots for months either, it's halfway through the year and there's about £20 in the 'handbag' bank and I think it's time to get back to grips with it all. 
 
I've had a quick look back at the diary and can't believe I used to be on top of my game so much that I could save up for theatre tickets, Christmas activities, donations etc. I really want to get back to doing that and while the diary isn't in the least bit exciting I can definitely say it keeps me on track. 

OK, that's enough waffling for now. I'm off shopping soon and the first thing I'm doing is to making sure what I spend comes out of the joint account instead of my purse. 

I'll be back later with figures. Have a good day. x

teafor2

So, I'm back again I've decided there's no need to reinvent my particular wheel and I'll just pick up where I left off with how I used to do things, although I did have to check to remind myself what that was. While I was looking back I realised just how friendly and encouraging people always were on here. Anyway, here we go. 

Day 19/31, Prolific 72p, Weekly spends £30

Pots:
Savings: £0 - and no idea why, which is exactly why I started this diary back in November 2018 

Dog Grooming: £20 

Hair: £0 - just had the hairdresser round and we've all had a cut so this is OK

Christmas: £251.51

Birthdays: £45.48 

Paypal: £118.28 - usually this is just Prolific Survey money but £60 train ticket refund is included. 

Anything left over from the weekly spends will go into the pots. I don't spend a lot on myself, so the money obviously gets eaten up on day to day bits like shopping, stuff for the house etc. This is where I was going wrong last time so I know what to do.

I've popped on a few favourite diaries to have a quick catch up but some are not posting as often and some not at all, I just hope everybody is OK. x

Sunshine_girl2

Sorry to hear about your mum, I am glad you were able to be with her. 

You will soon get your money saving going again, you have had a lot to deal with the past 12 months. 

Has your daughter finished university now and son school for the holidays ? 

teafor2

Thanks Sunshine. I know it's a strange choice of word but I was really happy I was with her, especially considering how many people haven't been able to be with relatives and friends the past 16 months.

The pots have definitely gone to pot but I'm just going to start over. It was surprising how quickly I got things under control when I first started posting on here. 

Yes, DD finished Uni this year and achieved a high 2:1, just 1.5 marks off a first. Given the circumstances we're very proud of her. She wants to teach in high school and is starting her teacher training placement in September. It's SCITT which is learning on the job and she'll do a PGCE alongside it. Not totally sure what all that means tbh lol. It's local which is good as she's moved back home. 

DS finished school on Friday. Not that he's been in much. He's had 3 x 10 day isolations periods in the past 2 months and was only at school 1 day between the second and third! So far, touch wood, considering he's been in contact with people who've tested positive he's not had it and he hasn't passed it on to us.

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you're keeping well. x

beanielou

So good to hear from you xx
Massive congratulations to your DD.
No idea what SCITT is.
Off to google.

teafor2

Lovely to catch up with you Beanie I've just looked it up myself because I can never remember lol. It's school centred initial teacher training - basically learning on the job which I'm a big fan of for any career if it's possible. x 

teafor2

Hello Phew, it's a scorcher isn't it. 

Day 20/31, Prolific 72p cleared, £1.53 outstanding, Shoppix 30/3200, Spends 19th-25th July £23

We went to Manchester today and DD very kindly treated us to lunch and then took DS to a virtual game play thing. Me and DH had a wander around while we were waiting for them, but it was so hot we ended up taking refuge in an air conditioned cafe which I was happy to pay for.

I won't update the pots every day but just while I'm getting myself back on track I'm going to list them so it's easier for me to refer back. Considering the savings pot was really healthy before I stopped coming on here I'm disappointed that I've no idea where all the money went. *Even worse, and I regret checking this now  I stopped writing on here back in October and since then I've had 9 lots of £200 and really have nothing to show for it  But there's no point dwelling on it, I just need to start again and move forward. (*Highlighted so this stands out whenever I look back  )

So, the dog groomer came today. I had £20 in the pot and took the remaining £14 out of the joint account.  

From my £200 monthly spends I have £108.10 left in my purse. That's £23 spends left for this week and £30 spends for next week which means I can split £55.10 between the pots.

I'm trying to get back into doing a few surveys and I also cashed out £5 from Shoppix today which has gone into PP.

I've been throwing the odd bit of silver into a charity pot and there's £18.25 in there. 


July Pots:
Savings: £30
Dog Grooming: £10
Hair: £5
Christmas: £256.51 (bank & pot)
Birthdays: £50.58 (bank & pot)
Paypal: £123.28
Charity: £18.25 

Every month £60 comes out of the joint account for birthdays and Christmas but I'm still going to split anything I've got left over into these pots as well. OK, I think I've got my head around all that again. Hope you've all had a good day. x

LABMUM

Glad to see you back Tea.

Sorry to hear about your mum xx

teafor2

LABMUM said:

Glad to see you back Tea.

Sorry to hear about your mum xx

Thanks LABMUM. I definitely need to come back and account for myself.  Things have drastically slipped over the past few months, not least the shopping budget, and I need to get a grip. Hope you and yours have all been keeping well. x

teafor2

Morning

I've known from the bank balance that the shopping has been spiralling out of control the past few weeks, so today I added up everything I've spent in the last month. I used to budget about £100 per week, but I was shocked to see I've been spending on average £150. I know things have gone up and we're feeding an extra person now DD is home, but still that's a big difference.

A lot of this is spent on top up shops, something I rarely used to do, but I think I've just got into the habit of not thinking ahead and it seems easier to replenish what we've run out of. Mostly it's treats which none of us should be eating as many of anyway.

I had a word with DH and gave him 2 options. We can up the budget or live by a 'when it's gone it's gone' mantra. Unsurprisingly, when faced with having to find another £200 per month he opted for the second option.  

So, this is something else I really need to get to grips with. I've obviously not been paying all the extra out of my money but I can hazard a good guess that some of these shops have been coming out of my cash, something I used to do before I started this diary. 

We don't eat out or have any takeaways apart from chippy on a Friday which is £10 so what I spend covers breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm not sure if £100 is average, high or low but it used to be OK for us so I'll see if I can get it back to somewhere near that. x