Our £20,000 Life

Cinny91

Hope you're well, CMD! Trying to keep costs low when we can and groceries seem like the main area we can do that in.

Spends:
£7.35 - softplay
£15.00 - fuel

Tomorrow is singing group, very excited to get back to that! Have a few friends coming through on saturday now for the jumble sale so be nice to see them without worrying about money on going out for a meal.

Have £106.35 in the side saver now

Cinny91

Spends for yesterday -

£10.36 - mini food shop, sets us up until Monday
£4 - singing group

TT this morning to take us to £107

Did a trial run of O's birthday cake yesterday and it came out grand. Simple 2 layer cake with strawberry and vanilla filling then white icing on top with his cake topper. Job done! I just tested the sponge recipe size mind Will only need to buy a few things to make it so I think £25 for O's party budget is a good one.

Busy weekend. Disco tonight, football tomorrow, singing group on Sunday. But it's a good historic day today so we best get cracking! Should be a NSD too

Cinny91

Morning!

Had a rotten few days with this cold, gave into convince food on Saturday as it was O and I riding solo, and to celebrate a successful no spend January O had a happy meal for his dinner. Only spent 50p at the jumble sale on a new top and my Mum rocked up yesterday having very kindly bought O some long sleeved tops when she was at the supermarket. She knows I hunt through CS first to see if I can find what we need there, purely from an eco standpoint I suppose (I say, in the same paragraph as buying a McD's :rotfl:), so got these to cut my hunt short more than anything. Next on the list are trousers and PJ's but I tend to buy the latter new.

Did have to order from @mazon over the weekend as I couldn't get something from town for O's party so that was £7.99 spent. O also broke a couple of the song props at singing group by not being careful, so I decided he needs to replace them with an apology on Thursday. Big lesson in being careful with other peoples things incoming, and we agreed he needs to help Mummy (moi!) around the house to repay the £6.99.

Pizza on the menu for tea tonight as we didn't have a roast yesterday. Just waiting for this cold to shift, seem to be over the cough today but ruddy nora. It's a stubborn one!

Cinny91

Today will be a spend day. Out of bread and fruit, bonus being O is actually eating fruit :rotfl:

This cold still hasn't got the hint and left. Which I still maintain is fairly rude.

Think I'm going to need to bite the bullet and move money back across from savings. Car is at the garage tomorrow, the sound it makes is now just embarrassing in built up areas and the longer I try and put it off the worse the bill might be. So, 8am drop off for the fridge on wheels. I'm hoping it's not too much but I do realise it's totally false home economics to put the bill on the CC and say I've got X in savings and ultimately it's £250 we need to stay on target so even if this bill wipes what I put to one side I should still be able to build that £250 back up over the next 3 paydays before the 25th.

Have my niece these next few days as my Mum isn't 100% and needs to rest up. Will skip our usual Wednesday soft play (it's a home ed group we meet and the thought of maintaining polite conversation with strangers while trying to tame my niece doesn't fill me with much joy!) in favour of the park (weather permitting) and will just have to spend a little extra to get her into our group on Thursdays.

Also decided to use some more of my free childcare hours to put O in nursery a full day a week. Means my mum doesn't have the strain of an extra day of childcare, I could send him both my work days really but I know she'd miss that one-on-one time with him if I did. Plus he'll get more time with his friends, and what kid doesn't want that?

missymoo81

Hey Cinny I have just read your whole diary! I used to read along when it was you and Dinah etc. You seem to be doing so well! Love the dave Ramsey way of scrimping, I’m going to try the really simple cheap eating (I can’t remember what you called it) but I love beans on toast and jacket potatoes etc! Anyway keep it up lovely you’re amazing!

Cinny91

Thanks missy. Losing motivation at the moment so it really helped to read that. DH is a bit down in the dumps (his depression more than anything else) so it's making me paranoid pushing too hard is what's causing it. However hes said a few things this morning about staying on target so the motivation is returning. Cant throw in the towel after 1 ruddy month can we :rotfl:

Spent £11 yesterday at the shops. O was with me but I stood firm on the sweets. Everything is stocked up now so friday will be back to a meal plan and food shop.

Heard from the garage.. £190 :eek: I've pooled all the resources I can into our CA and will sort a poa from there. Main goal is to stay on track for our DFD.

Niece is currently napping so time to do TOMM for today. Get their dinners ready after the school run. Very frosty today so think I'll just entertain them both at home. Save pennies and saves our colds getting worse too.

missymoo81

Ah Cinny it’s so easy to lose motivation, as it’s so hard to save and scrimp but you’re doing so well. And I doubt it’s what’s depressing OH, my OH has been a bit up and down, it’s that time of year I think. Sorry about the huge garage bill, but I’m sure you can sort it. Think I’m going to start TOMM, is there somewhere you can print the stuff out for free, I used to follow her on Insta but never actually did it. Keep your chin up lovely.

Cinny91

I think you're totally right, it is the time of year. But the days are drawing out a little now, and we've had a nice weekend of family things which always boosts his mood. Sorry for the delay in replying, there's a section of her website for free print outs That's what I've used!
Finally over this cold, just the cough remains. O's cough has cleared up completely so here's hoping I'm not too many days behind him. Spent this weekend organising some things for his party, made the sign for the gate and we've decided - as knights and Merlin go hand in hand - we'll be making drink potions! It's cordial diluted with lemonade with some sherbert, but O think's it's brilliant. I think for his party, just to add more magic I'll get some edible glitter in whatever colour he decides he'd like the potions to be. My grandparents also gave him £25 towards his party, which will cover the food, and my parents have bought the pass the parcel prizes. All there really is to spend now is sweets for the pinata and bits for the cake, which I don't see being more than a few £.

Also on the world book day hype, O has decided he wants to go as Gordon (aka - engine No 4) so I've been very thrifty and the only thing I need to get for his costume is some black poster paint, so maybe £1 from the shops? Spent last night watching Call the Midwife making a paper mache steam dome and tender Will be having an evening or so over the road at my Mum's to get it all made.

Feel a bit ugh about financial goals this month as that £190 for my car has sent us off kilter. However -
Cancelled O's football as he didn't want to go - £28.00 saved
Moved £30.40 into the side saver. £109.40 to save pw over the next two weeks.. maybe still attainable!

Unbudgeted spends until the 25th - 
£10 - Rich's Grandma's birthday (lucky dips)
£10 - My Grandma's birthday (card, book, flowers)
£12.18 - Nursery for O (can't claim extra 15 free hours until next term)

This new forum layout is a little funky, where are all the classic emojis??

Cinny91

Still not sure how I feel about the format change 

Sold one of Os old toys this week so I've been focusing on using what I have in my purse over the bank card. Do realise I've totally lost count of my NSDs as well as my spends in general. But still being very intentional!

Did a trial run of Os birthday cake, passed it off as DHs valentines and all is well! Will be a good cake for the big day.

Last night we had soup and sandwiches for tea following a day out at work for DH and me and O coming home late with parents evening so I'm happy there as that would 100% be a take away night before our budget. 

My aim is to save the £109.40 tomorrow and just see how we get on. I do need to spend £12.50 collecting my Grandads dry cleaning but he will obviously pay me back, I'm just happy my grandparents are letting me run a few errands for them. Will call and see if they need anything from the supermarket while I'm there. Also need to go to town to go to the bank for work, as well as a card and book for my Grandma's birthday (£5 tops, I'd say) and Oscar can pick her flowers to take over on the day.

Quiet weekend for us. More work on O's costume, trip to the museum tomorrow and roll on half term 

Cinny91

Didn't realise how stuck in my ways I was with this website. I'm still not sold!

Despite the car set back we'll be able to reach our £1000 pm target. Feel very positive again! Have £200.35 to one side, so we're very nearly almost there We should walk it when I get paid on Friday

Had a lovely weekend. We went to the city yesterday to see a show, tickets DH got me for Christmas, used a giftcard we also got for Christmas for the meal. Spent £15 on the difference, £16.50 at the theater, £7.80 on a treat for O - current obsession is things that change the bath colour so popped into the big chain bath place as we were near one and can't buy anything of the like locally. Also got some books from the library bus on Saturday and mostly had a quiet day at home.

Bought my Grandma's gifts, book was £2 but one I listened to on audiobook I know she'll enjoy and cards were £1.38. Just the flowers to choose on Thursday. Our birthday budget this year is £10 per person, so £7ish will get a nice bouquet. Have £10 to spend on Wednesday on lucky dips for Grandma-in-law too. 

No food shop as of yet this week. It's just O and I for tea tonight so we'll have a freezer dive and see what sticks. We might do a little food shop on Wednesday but it will only be for a few meals so won't cost the earth either. Have everything in for O's birthday cake too. Just the McD's to buy on the day now but the money my Grandparents put towards his party has covered that and the pinata sweets (which were enough to fill the pinata and to take to nursery) We'll have done his party for under £50, so I'm really happy with that. I've made the majority of the decorations myself, using all the infomation my mind apparently stored from a childhood of watching art attack  , but I feel had we not gone down the theme route and just done a very traditional home party it would have been much less (pinata was £12.50 etc) I know kids have fun no matter what happens at a party but as it's his first I've gone a little OTT on what DH is now calling my vanity project. 

Nothing out of the ordinary spending wise despite it being half term. We are out on Wednesday, just need 80p for toll bridges as where we're going is free entry with free parking. Business as normal really!