Learning to live within my means

astrocytic_kitten

Thanks @Elisheba! The author gives the example that if you have a 3 year old who, all being well, will need a good winter coat for a 5 year old in a couple of years, and if you have space to store it, it makes sense to get a bargain coat when it comes up. 

But if you’re like the author (and me!), and instead accumulate things that would either be useful but require lots and lots of work (like the time she acquired a free cast iron bath in the hope of doing up the bathroom at some point in the future, and instead it lay in their garden for 3 years before going to the dump when they moved house), or that don’t really fit your life now (like when I considered buying a floor length sequinned evening gown because it was on deep discount, despite never having been to a white tie event and not likely to be going to one in the future) then it’s clutter and not cost effective or a bargain. I think it’s still moneysaving - it’s ok to stock up on bargains as long as they’re things you need and will use, and as long as you have space for them.

I guess for some people the distinction is obvious, but it’s really helped me clarify my thinking. There was a time I’d buy cocktail dresses I loved when they had huge discounts even with no plans to wear them, but at that point in my life I did regularly go to events that required cocktail dresses and buying them when I saw them and they were bargains worked out really well, I never had lots of stress about what to wear before going to events, I ended up wearing them all multiple times, and I had some really nice outfits that hardly cost anything. Sadly my small success in this area spiralled into buying things ‘for the future’ which were not sensible. And even the cocktail dresses would be a daft thing to do now, because my life isn’t like that any more and I don’t go to several formal dinners per year.

Elisheba

Ah yes @astrocytic_kitten I see. The difference between buying because you can and its cheap, and buying for a reasonably likely need. Like 342 deals on veg where you never manage to use it all and it ends up as waste.

On a different point, wow, I did not know you could tag people in the new forum. That's awesome! 

astrocytic_kitten

February spending roundup:

• Food: £102.79 (£26 of this was a supermarket delivery today which will be eaten in March, should average out as lower than this per month)
• Cat food, litter: £35
• Household: £12.54 (this seems really high! Looking at it, it covered bleach, washing up liquid, paper towels, liners for food recycling bin, batteries, loo roll... so I guess it’s ok, still seems high for one person though)
• Toiletries: £1
• Books: £1.95
• Misc: £14.99 (day per page diary refill, consultant wants me tracking what I do, eat, etc in half hour increments to see if that can explain a couple of flares. Writing it down also helps keep me accountable and having proper meals, taking breaks, doing physio etc. Refill was 40% off but I’m sure there was a cheaper way to achieve this. Not least because the day after I’d received and started using it the cost went down to 70% off!)

Also spent a fortune at vet, my boy cat is doing quite well at the moment though so it was worth it. 

All in all, a pretty good month, though I could have been better on stationary and books. Have been lucky recipient of generosity on a couple of fronts - made it out for coffee (or herbal tea in my case) a couple of times but was treated each time, and I’m still mostly stuck at home so social spends were basically just buying biscuits for visitors.

That might be partly responsible for food and household spending being up on January, though not all. I’m hoping for things to average out with food at £80 per month, household at £5. 

Onwards to March...

girlatplay

I'm caught up with you now @astrocytic_kitten.
You're doing really well.  Little book hiccups are not the end of the world.  I'm liking the sound of the book you're reading about buying bargains/not bargains.  I tend to buy food on offer but I know I'll use that so that's fine.  I'm not really a shopper other than that (just can't afford it 🙄).

You've just reminded me that I need to do February's grocery shop breakdown, thank you 😊. Now that I can see dates/signatures and have the really useful bookmark link I feel like I can start posting a bit more again.

astrocytic_kitten

Decided to bake biscuits for visitors in an effort to cut costs. Thought I’d bake some and freeze the rest of the dough so I could have freshly baked ones when needed....except I then ate the whole lot myself over 2 days, including a fair bit of raw cookie dough. Might need to stick to buying them in until I find some self control 😂

Yesterday I spent 99p on a kindle book - my excuse this time is that it’s one of my favourite books and I resisted while it was on offer for the whole of February. When I realised it was still on offer in March my resolve crumbled.

Have been struggling a bit with the lack of progress paying down the debt now I’m not making overpayments each month, DFD seems so far off. Then I found a page in a notebook from 2017 strategising how to pay off the just over 20k of debt I had at that point (needless to say, whatever I came up with then failed) so I’m feeling happier realising I’ve actually made decent progress in bringing it down since my LBM!

Logically I’m still sure building savings is the best strategy for now, I really wish I was chipping away at the debt though. I might go back to making tiny overpayments to take the balance down to a round number so at least I’m doing something.

girlatplay

I like doing something financial every day.  When I was paying down debt after my lightbulb moment I chipped away and it was the best thing.  My loan was with my bank and I could see it on my internet banking which was brilliant!

astrocytic_kitten

Going to wait for it to clear to update signature, but March’s debt total will be £13,435. 42% paid off. Cashed out £10 from PA and put into savings... £300 left to go before I reach 2 months worth of living expenses saved.

Not in the cheeriest most today tbh, worried about cat, but there’s also not a whole lot to update. Everything is plugging along in the right direction, health is gradually improving, and I’m still doing daily yoga, meditation and breathing exercises. Could really do with cutting back on the sugar though. Keep on looking forward to next month, when I’ll have reached £10k paid off the debt 🤞

astrocytic_kitten

So far this month I’ve spent £44 on groceries and £5.88 on treats - the latter evenly split between chocolate and books. I’ve been giving myself a £2 per week treats budget, mostly for chocolate / biscuits so I can keep the grocery budget for essentials, but thought allowing it to include the odd book might be better for my waistline. Second guessing that now, though, when the treats budget was only food based I always came in way under budget... Other than the treats, my only other non-discretionary spend has been £5.50 on a hand blender to replace my broken one. I now have no excuses to not get soup making!

Shouldn’t need much more food in before the end of the month, though my supermarket delivery had loads of substitutions including branded for own brand (so for instance instead of 160 teabags I got 40 for the same price)... trying to look on the bright side that at least I get posh teabags for a bit 😂 Was a bit annoyed as I’d been carefully figuring out lowest price per item when ordering, but I’m in one of the underlying conditions health groups so if the worst thing that happens to me in the next few months is some more expensive groceries then I’ll be pretty lucky overall.

I’ve had to put myself on an information diet about COVID-19, I’d slipped into following all the news I could about it and it was just fuelling anxiety. Not to mention the attitude of some people that it will either be a good thing overall or that they’ll be fine so no need to worry about vulnerable groups. I’m very worried about my grandparents. In likely related news, I’ve been sleeping very badly and I’m feeling totally shattered. Going to make soup today but otherwise take it very easy. Some very gentle restorative yoga, audiobooks via the library app, heated blanket, cat and posh tea is the order of the day.

StartingAgainAt29

I'm glad you're treating yourself, even a little. I would be annoyed re: the tea bags but I guess posh tea takes the sting out of it a little! I've only done a few SM deliveries in my life and every time they'd substituted the things I most wanted so I don't have any trust in them now Take it easy, look after yourself, and don't keep up with the news if it upsets you - I think as long as you have a general idea you don't need to know specifics about numbers, what good does it do? I'm worried about my dad and his mum, they are very vulnerable, it's hard when there's nothing you can really do to protect them. We all just need to be sensible (and that includes all this stupid stockpiling )

astrocytic_kitten

What a week...I’m not really sure what to update to be honest. I’m lucky - my job is safe for now, I had decent food stocks in so haven’t had to worry about that, after the past few months I’m pretty well prepared to stay in all the time and not see anyone. But I’m very aware the world is falling apart for others. It’s also really odd to not be in the helpers group but the vulnerable one. 

I’ve had a couple of anxiety spikes over the week and am feeling pretty tired today. Had been planning to do some light housework but thinking I might leave it till tomorrow now. Have been doing lots of yoga and breathing exercises which is helping, focusing on the good things, and still trying to limit my exposure to news though I can’t avoid it for work. 

Money-wise, I’ve bought some tinfoil tubs for batch cooking as I was almost out, back ordered cat litter as I’m almost out (though my usual online store has hiked up delivery charges in the past couple of days and I’m considering buying elsewhere as a matter of principle), a Mother’s Day present, paid for an online yoga class (a yin class I used to love but haven’t been able to get to in over a year went online)...it’s felt like a spendy week. Other than yoga, which was an impulse buy, all budgeted for though. A local independent plant shop is starting deliveries next week and I’m trying to weigh up if I can find the money to support them and buy a couple of plants I’ve wanted for ages. I’m just about breaking even with the reduced income most months, who knows what the future will hold though.

@StartingAgainAt29, I’ve been getting online deliveries for years and they’re generally much better than they used to be, though I still remember the time 9 years ago when they forgot to deliver the bag full of chocolate and other nice things 😂 Hope you’re keeping well x