*sigh* this may take a while

crunch_time

We’ve rejigged our budget to set aside £50 a month for children’s clothes. We get most of them from supermarkets and h and m but shoes are just so expensive - even if you just buy next ones after getting their feet measured. I only have two to kit out compared to your 5!

I just wanted to say as well - well done on all your hard work with your extra jobs. You are an inspiration!

Crunch x

Honeysucklelou2

How's the grocery challenge going - the £600 a month? That is my optimum figure that I'm aiming for ( household of 9) . Some weeks it seems doable, but I find milk and cereal we go through at alarming rates which add up!

armchairexpert

Hi, welcome, I mostly lurk but occasionally pop in and say hi, and you seem so lovely!

With YNAB and the CC - firstly I found that YNAB was amazing but I think it took me a full year to really get a good view of what we realistically spent. So don’t despair if you spend the first few months going oh, heck, I forgot about uniforms or whatever. Mine were things like starting YNAB a few weeks into the school year and then forgetting the annual stationery/materials fee.

Secondly, if you’re using ynab properly then after a while you won’t see the cc as any different from a savings account. We put everything on CC still, but I never ever ever look at account balances to see what I can spend, only YNAB lines. So it doesn’t matter if the groceries comes out of account a or account b, what matters is how much I allocated to groceries and what’s left.

Once you get tid of your starting debt, which you do by chipping away at it, your CC should stop feeling like different spending to your savings account. Good luck!

ohdearhowdidthathappen

crunch_time wrote: »

We’ve rejigged our budget to set aside £50 a month for children’s clothes. We get most of them from supermarkets and h and m but shoes are just so expensive - even if you just buy next ones after getting their feet measured. I only have two to kit out compared to your 5!

I just wanted to say as well - well done on all your hard work with your extra jobs. You are an inspiration!

Crunch x

Thank you, it's mainly to minimise childcare costs... I work 30 hours a week and only need childcare for 15 of them I'll streamline down to 1 job when my 3rd child gets to secondary .

It's the older 2 that cost, they get fussier with labels.My 15 year old is now in adult clothes and shoes :eek:

I think schools expect more of parents financially too, things like revision guides and reading texts. I remember being given them by school at that age, To be fair that was many years ago now :rotfl:

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

How's the grocery challenge going - the £600 a month? That is my optimum figure that I'm aiming for ( household of 9) . Some weeks it seems doable, but I find milk and cereal we go through at alarming rates which add up!

Groceries we're sticking to £600-650... I've realised OH and I add at least £100 on a month for alcohol not feeling inclined to cut it, but might budget it separately so it doesn't inflate our food shop

ohdearhowdidthathappen

armchairexpert wrote: »

Hi, welcome, I mostly lurk but occasionally pop in and say hi, and you seem so lovely!

With YNAB and the CC - firstly I found that YNAB was amazing but I think it took me a full year to really get a good view of what we realistically spent. So don’t despair if you spend the first few months going oh, heck, I forgot about uniforms or whatever. Mine were things like starting YNAB a few weeks into the school year and then forgetting the annual stationery/materials fee.

Secondly, if you’re using ynab properly then after a while you won’t see the cc as any different from a savings account. We put everything on CC still, but I never ever ever look at account balances to see what I can spend, only YNAB lines. So it doesn’t matter if the groceries comes out of account a or account b, what matters is how much I allocated to groceries and what’s left.

Once you get tid of your starting debt, which you do by chipping away at it, your CC should stop feeling like different spending to your savings account. Good luck!

Thank you... I'm liking YNAB a lot, but very much feel like a novice! It's good to see where it's al going, but daunting in equal measure. I've been genuinely surprised at how much the children cost a month :rotfl:

Lupus_Lou

Hi OS....
your situation is very similar to our, lots of CC debt etc and still paying off a large chunk of a massive house extension.
Only difference is I only have 3 cost centres and my OH bagged early retirement just after our twins were born so I have never had childcare costs.
I've read through your diary and subscribed

Keep up the good work

Lou

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Lupus_Lou wrote: »

Hi OS....
your situation is very similar to our, lots of CC debt etc and still paying off a large chunk of a massive house extension.
Only difference is I only have 3 cost centres and my OH bagged early retirement just after our twins were born so I have never had childcare costs.
I've read through your diary and subscribed

Keep up the good work

Lou

Thank you, I like the term cost centres
You're very brave adding your mortgage to your signature, I can't bring myself to do it as I'm slightly in denial :rotfl:

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Uneventful day planned today, so NSD. I feel a bit bad not having more planned, but as soon as I step out the house it costs money
I'm childminding tomorrow and will use that money to do something nice with them on Wednesday. Not sure what yet, will see what the weather is doing and what mood I'm in
I'm not meeting my steps on these 'stay at home' days at home and I'm snacking more too, oops

DancingInTheRain

ohshithowdidthathappen wrote: »

Groceries we're sticking to £600-650... I've realised OH and I add at least £100 on a month for alcohol not feeling inclined to cut it, but might budget it separately so it doesn't inflate our food shop

Ooh I hear you on the alcohol front, since tracking our spends I've identified a similar spend for DH and I, I also don't want to cut this at this stage. Pre children we could easily spend this on a night out and we certainly don't get many of those any more so in a roundabout way we're saving money on alcohol (well that's what we tell ourselves anyway ). Interesting thought about budgeting these spends separately though.