New Life Pending.....

Toni'sfriend

Meal planning and portioning meat has meant that my weekly shop has cost me just over £12.

That is fantastic.

wishingthemortgaheaway

I loved budgeting too, our car insurance & breakdown for two cars is due in January of each year. I put money aside every month so that, when I pay for it (On the 'paid in full at the end of the month so I get points' credit card) I never feel like I spend £1k, it feels like I've made £300-£400 as that's what I've 'oversaved' and can go into the mortgage or other saving's pots.
Absolutely love it!

girlatplay

Iwantanewlife wrote: »

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Small win today. Meal planning and portioning meat has meant that my weekly shop has cost me just over £12. I budget £50 and so the remainder has gone into my EF to try and top up again after my wine spending last weekend!
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This is brilliant!

When I first had my LBM I wanted to throw every penny at the debt, felt guilty if I didn't and left myself short all the time. It took me a while to realise that was unrealistic. Now because I have pots/budgets for everything I don't feel guilty about spending money on necessities when it comes out of the relevant budget. I'm 11 years into this budgeting malarkey and I still love it.

enthusiasticsaver

Great result on the low groceries shop. Good decision to put the spare in the EF.

savingholmes

Sounds like you've got really organised and that shopping from what you already have is working really well. I still need to do the same .... I do for gifts but not so much for food - but my cupboards are full and so is my freezer - but not really with what I want to eat

Iwantanewlife

savingholmes wrote: »

Sounds like you've got really organised and that shopping from what you already have is working really well. I still need to do the same .... I do for gifts but not so much for food - but my cupboards are full and so is my freezer - but not really with what I want to eat

What ive been doing is cooking up meals, portioning it and then freezing it. doesn't matter if i dont fancy it then and there because i will fancy it at some point, and its there waiting for me when i do! think of it like a healthy and cheap ready meal!

Iwantanewlife

Weekend Update

Before we go through my personal bits, I just wanted to let you all know about a programme I watched. Its a BBC documentary series called ' Broke ' - on catch up now. It is about normal working people around the UK who are living on the bread line, despite working. Its the forgotten poverty of the UK, representing the wage freeze across the country despite rising living costs. In the first episode, there was a guy who back in the 90's, had been a celebrity photographer, saved nothing. He now works 70 hour working weeks for Uber, is approaching 60 and him and his wife, have no pension (not even state, as didnt contribute), no savings, and no property. I mean what is he going to do? his wife advised him they would have to face it as it comes. This guy and his family, really hit home with. Ive been thinking of it since. The similarities i saw between my attitude to money, despite the fact ive been earning an above average wage for the last 10 years. The fact that neither of us felt it important enough to create a financial safety net, we were just living for the here and now. Luckily for me, the one thing I have done well the last couple of years is a pension, but still, the rest is scarily like how i could of ended up. This story has given me even more, unwavering determination to clear these debts, and creating financial safety for both myself and my child.

Saturday

So lovely day up at my sisters in Norwich. As i thought, i did end up driving which has eaten into my fuel for the week, however as im going away this week i wont be using the car anyway, so just need to make it stretch until then. Apart from the fuel which was already in the car, it was a NSD! Also both of us had lunch and dinner there, so free food too!

Sunday

So Sunday, i spent £19.54 - this had to come out of my EF as i do not have a present pot built up yet (this will come on payday). However, this was for a present and card for my best friends baby she had on Friday. I could of been a little more organised with this one, so lesson learnt the more you organise, the more you can save! Apart from that, no spend. Cooked up a batch of pasta bake, 4 portions, more for the freezer and still from the same meat i brought from my first 'budget' shop.

Today im back in the office, mehhhh. However, good news, it should be a NSD. I should also have some time to do some surveys as its pretty quite here.

Oh nearly forgot, i did get some bad news reference the ipad. Once they looked at it, they said it was 'bent' not sure it is but i know they will try and find anything - the lowered their offer, which ive declined. Im not that desperate to go bargain prices for it, as to the untrained eye its in perfect condition and works perfectly. When its returned i will chuck it on ebay!

Getting nervous now, pay day days away, i am praying i have worked the budget out right and all the money goes where it needs to! knowing my luck i would of calculated something wrong and i end up with a overdrawn charge! i think i will go through it again today. I fly the same time as i get paid, so annoyingly im not going to be able to sit and go through it all as i would like to. It will also be the first month i am using the government tax free child care system, so hoping that will work too!

Iwantanewlife

Another small MS win - i've been desperately shopping around for the best deal for my airport parking, was starting to get concerned at how much it was coming out at (£120) - anyway, my cousin just text offering to take me and pick me up from the airport, as I drove her to Norwich on Saturday! Feeling very happy with that! More money not spent.

[Deleted User]

Great result on the parking! And you're doing really well with the food shopping!

[Deleted User]

You’re doing really well:) That’s a fab result on the parking, and thanks for the programme recommendation, I need to watch that!