Giving every £ a job

PurpleFairy26

Glad moggy is ok even if expensive 😲

savingholmes

Also glad moggy is okay. Good you had an EF to help you cope. 

Blackcats

Thanks Aspiration, Foxgloves, JoeDenise and Purplefairy.  Yes I'm relieved the boy is ok.  He was like a drunken cat when he came home this afternoon, staggering and swaying a bit after the anaesthetic - or else he had drunk his own body weight in Bollinger and consumed copious quantities of caviar judging by the vets bill 😱

JoeDenise, sorry about the car, but good you've got an emergency fund.  It's a revelation to me how good it is not to put an unexpected bill on a credit card and end up paying interest on it.  Finally understanding money ... better late than never 😂. 

Did the shopping today.  Availability of most things seems much better.  Trouble is that made me overspend so I need to eek out supplies a bit and shop a couple of days later next week.  

savingholmes

I can relate to the overspending while it's there thing... Ooops

joedenise

I'm being really good when I go shopping and only getting what is on my shopping list but prices seem to be going up and the money just isn't going as far as it used to.  Did some shopping on Monday and already have 3 items needed on my shopping list for the next time I go.  I know there will be a lot more when I go at probably the end of the week as will need all the regular stuff like fruit and veg!

Blackcats

JoeDenise - well done for sticking to your shopping list - I agree that prices are higher and there are no deals currently.  Savingholmes I suspect you and I might have similar levels of spending self control.  I'm full of good intentions but things keep going on the basket and obviously the cost goes up.  I'm in awe of how little some folks on here spend on the weekly shop.

joedenise

I agree some people seem to spend so little I sometimes wonder what they actually eat.  Our spending is not particularly good to be honest but we do eat very well!

Blackcats

Hi JoeDenise - I'm like you I think.  I do spend a lot on food but eat well.  I was reading a diary where 2 adults and a young child were managing on a £30 a week food budget which is amazing.   Apart from buying fresh fruit, veg and milk I could eat from freezer and cupboard stock for at least 2 weeks but I feel more comfortable with a good range of supplies.
however, I've been doing shopping for my elderly relative during lockdown and they have very simple needs.  One type of cereal, ham or cheese for sandwiches, usually something with potatoes for tea and a yoghurt or ice cream for pudding.  They always eat traditional fruit - an orange, an apple and a banana a day.  Plain biscuits like Rich Tea as a treat.  It has made me think more about being content with the simple things and being content to have "enough".  

Unsurprisingly it's been a low spending month - helping boost savings and moving me closer to being "a month ahead".   I'll do a budget update tomorrow and see what the final figures are.  

I had the expense of the cat's dental treatment which I had an emergency fund to cover but I don't think I'll need to dip into the emergency pot because other credit card spending is lower than usual.  So should I just leave the emergency fund alone?  It's a strange position to be in 🤔 the first time I've ever had an emergency fund to cover an unavoidable expense and I don't need to use it 🙂

Blackcats

Well, this really isn't rocket science but spending £xx less last month means I've got £xx extra left in my current account this month 🤣.  

I put some candles in a basket of an online shop but I'm going to wait til next month to buy them because I have enough candles for now but stocks are diminishing.  This level of self discipline is unheard of.  I have quite a lot of cash in my purse because my elderly relative pays for the bits and pieces I buy them in cash.  I've no desire to go to the bank so I'm putting the cash in my Christmas savings tin. 

And finally for today, inspired by the amazing gardeners on this site, I've germinated some sunflowers seeds 😂 and I've just potted them into some old yoghurt, ice cream and margarine pots before planting them around the garden.  Not in the same league as the amazing stuff  People like Foxgloves and Saving Holmes do but I was extremely happy to see the little green shots pop out of their seeds in the space of a few hours today 

savingholmes

Glad we've had a positive influence. Sunflowers are stunning. I grew then when the kids were little but they aren't on my current list. Our food bill is always on the high side compared to a lot of people on here and it has got a lot worse but then there are 4 of us home - all pretty much adult so that makes a difference. We eat well though.