Another fine mess...

EverTheOptimist

Evening, or is it morning now.

Missed an update yesterday
So spends were
£3.45 on drinks on our trip out. And £3 in the pound shop. Covered by cashing in a scratch card (given at an away day with work in a goody bag) so in theory didn't cost me anything

Today's spends
£5.43 on a small top up shop so hoping that will be it for food until the delivery comes on Tuesday.
If we manage then that will be a good start on reducing my grocery spends. I normally shop every Saturday morning but if we make do until Tuesday then we'll have gone 10 days.

I have a lady collecting a bag on Saturday that I've sold on fb, so that will be £12 into a pot to be banked

Will be spending time over the weekend doing a cupboard/ freezer inventory and a meal plan for next week.
I'll redo a more accurate SOA with a breakdown of what I need to put into pots for car maintenance, birthdays, Xmas, clothes, entertainment etc.

I also met with my manager earlier this week and I may well be able to increase my contracted hours so that will bring a little more money in

I also need to look at changing energy suppliers, look at renewing my car insurance.
The house needs a good old blitzing so that should stop me spending money too.

Well I think that's enough to be getting on with.

ETO.

Saver-upper

Aww,EverTheOptimist,I remember you from the SPC challenge,and I remember when your first baby was born!!
I am sorry you are struggling with finances,and am posting this so I can find you again,and cheer you on.
After being away from it for a couple of years,I have just rejoined the monthly grocery challenge on here.Like you,I found I was doing lots of little "top-up" shops,which gets expensive when you are doing it most days.It just makes me a bit more mindful of what I am spending (because I know I have to declare it here at the end of the day :rotfl:),and it also encourages me to meal-plan.
I look forward to following you on your journey .

enthusiasticsaver

You seem to be doing well on monitoring your spends now. Well done on the FB sale.

EverTheOptimist

Just a quick update.

Today has been a NSD :j In fact it’s been a making money day. Fb sale completed, so £12 into my pot and I found 2x £1 coins by the washing machine, finders keepers?

Have set a meal plan for next week so hoping to bypass the planned shopping next tues and go on Thursday. The only thing I’ll struggle with is snacks for my little boys school

ETO

EverTheOptimist

Saver-upper wrote: »

Aww,EverTheOptimist,I remember you from the SPC challenge,and I remember when your first baby was born!!
I am sorry you are struggling with finances,and am posting this so I can find you again,and cheer you on.
After being away from it for a couple of years,I have just rejoined the monthly grocery challenge on here.Like you,I found I was doing lots of little "top-up" shops,which gets expensive when you are doing it most days.It just makes me a bit more mindful of what I am spending (because I know I have to declare it here at the end of the day :rotfl:),and it also encourages me to meal-plan.
I look forward to following you on your journey .

Hi Saver-upper :wave: hope you are well.

Thanks for popping in. I love the SPC challenge but life just seems to get in the way of potting and posting. Although now I’m finding my focus again I may pop over and give next years challenge a proper go again.

I used to do the grocery challenge and i may just join again from November.

I used to really enjoy challenging myself not to spend and to save when I could. It’s really affected me since having my second child. We had ivf (for both) so that cost £15,000 in total. But I had savings to top up mat pay with my first. I didn’t have any savings with my second so literally lived off credit cards on mat leave and took a year off and there started the slippery cycle and I just haven’t caught up.

But I find when I focus on something I give it a good go.

I’ve just lost nearly 3 stone in the last 5 months and now at my target weight so now if I can put the same focus on money/ debts then I should succeed.

ETO. X

EverTheOptimist

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

You seem to be doing well on monitoring your spends now. Well done on the FB sale.

Hiya. I’m really thinking about what I’m doing, where I’m going and if I can’t not spend how can I do it cheaply.

Hopefully I’ve found my focus again.

EverTheOptimist

Sooooo

End of week 1 summary. 😂

Weekly budget
Started with £20, added £8 from scratch card winnings.
Left £18.75
I will pot the £3.75 and take £15 over to next week. So won’t withdraw any from my account.

Grocery spends
Started with £60
Left £46.47
Will pot £1.47 and top the £40 up to £75

So I think it’s been a pretty good start.

So for next week
Weekly spends £15
Grocery spends £75
Petrol spends £40

I’ve done a meal plan with things we have in but come Thursday when I shop for the following week I’ll need a few more bits again.

Have a good week everyone.

monetxchange

Hey,

Just wanted to wish you luck on your DFW journey! Looks like you’re off to a great start.

A couple of things - when you’ve got time, check out some frugal batch cooking recipes on the boards here. There’s loads of scope for reducing your grocery bills. Maybe more veggie food - get the kids into it early! Trying out by swapping brands to generic is a good way to ease everyone in too.

You seem to have a lot of weekly expenses for presents and cards etc. I know how these things can seem to be never ending. Is there anyway you could agree with friends and family that you’ll stop buying for each other and kids? Kids get loads anyway from others, will be more excited to see you and your kids on the day, and the card you spend on will get glanced at for two seconds and then chucked after a few days. You’re basically all passing the same £10 around each other every month! You could agree to maybe save half the money you’d usually give and then all treat the kids to a group trip in a few months to soft play etc?

You don’t have to let on to others that you’re debt clearing. I’ve found with my friend group everyone understands if you say you’re cutting down to save for something or overpay mortgage etc. I’m sure many of them can empathise!

Happy weekend!

EverTheOptimist

monetxchange wrote: »

Hey,

Just wanted to wish you luck on your DFW journey! Looks like you’re off to a great start. Thank you

A couple of things - when you’ve got time, check out some frugal batch cooking recipes on the boards here. There’s loads of scope for reducing your grocery bills. Maybe more veggie food - get the kids into it early! Trying out by swapping brands to generic is a good way to ease everyone in too.
I'll have a look, I always like the idea of batch cooking but it's just finding the time to actually do it. But it would help as the after school / before bed part of the day can be fraught. We do sometimes have meat free meals. So the kids are used to that. I'd happily have some weird and wonderfully meals but have to think of the little ones too.

You seem to have a lot of weekly expenses for presents and cards etc. I know how these things can seem to be never ending. Is there anyway you could agree with friends and family that you’ll stop buying for each other and kids? Kids get loads anyway from others, will be more excited to see you and your kids on the day, and the card you spend on will get glanced at for two seconds and then chucked after a few days. You’re basically all passing the same £10 around each other every month! You could agree to maybe save half the money you’d usually give and then all treat the kids to a group trip in a few months to soft play etc?
To be honest I think this week just caught me out. Every month I say I'll be more organised and it doesn't happen. I only buy for 4 friends children through the year. We agreed last year not to do Xmas presents anymore but sticking with birthdays for now. And then the odd school party although they've died off a bit. I normally have a stock of cards so I need to go throughout it again and make a list if what I have.

You don’t have to let on to others that you’re debt clearing. I’ve found with my friend group everyone understands if you say you’re cutting down to save for something or overpay mortgage etc. I’m sure many of them can empathise!

Happy weekend!

Thanks for popping in monetxchange.
I found your diary the other day. You're doing so well.

ETO

EverTheOptimist

So it’s been a good few days.

I took my boy to his planned swimming session on Sunday. This was followed with lunch out for my mil’s birthday. Luckily I didn’t pay towards this. Then when we got home it was teatime and I had stuff in for that already. So a NSD on Sunday.

Yesterday I needed some top up bits, bread, milk, fruit, salad and meat for lunches. And some butter to make cakes with my boy as my little girl was having a sleepover at granny’s. £12.80 spent on groceries.
Also made £5 on a fb sale.

Today I’ve been at work and straight home to do the school run. Dinner planned and in cooking now. Did think about popping to the shop for a can of coke but resisted due to thinking about not spending and also my weight loss.
Another £5 made from a fb sale.

Both the sales were my tops so that’s being put towards a debt. Any of the kids stuff we sell will go towards Xmas.