Phase 3

newgirly

Hi octobergirl, best of luck with the new diary , phase 3 and your to-do list

lexington013

Hi Octobergoal, good luck with phase 3 of year journey. Keep motivated as you are doing really well.i started my diary in 2012, it does help even though like you I have had some hiccups along the way both personally (relationships) and financially :rotfl:however I’m still here and plugging away with slaying this mortgage. I will drop in from time to time as I’ve subscribed to your thread to keep me motivated!:T

Octobergirl

:wave:Hi lexington013, not sure how motivating i’ll Be, but lovely to have you along for the ride.

Just got back from a few days by the seaside, had a lovely time, beautiful, fresh
weather. I was much more conscious of the money I was spending and came in £50 under budget :T . Now raring to get the housed organised and be frugal.

I’ve made a meal plan for the week, including some freezer meals. My food/household budget has been £70 pw for 3 of us. However I’ve no idea how much I’ve really been spending as I pop into A!di at least once a day.

I’m going to have a separate purse just for food money/receipts and see if I can knock it down to £50pw. Also downloaded HuYu, got 55/500 points already (£5 payout).

New resolution is to sit at dining table for meals again, as we’ve got into the habit of eating whilst watching tv over the past year. DS commented on how nice it was to eat properly again!

Octobergirl

£35 / £50 spends at Ald!, I've got to wean myself off from popping in every day, which has become a bad habit.

Christmas decs away today. Another goal is to declutter / tidy the loft. I'm going to aim to get rid of 5 things per week until it's sparkling. 2 boxes & 3 bags brought down to give to the ex - I'm sure he'll be delighted:rotfl:

Lost 2 stone last summer, put 10lbs back on :mad: wondering if I can go back to work tomorrow in my jim jams, as I can't fit into my new clothes now. Goal is to shift the 10lbs again. sigh.

Octobergirl

Found £20 in the kitchen cupboard, which has been added into divorce fund. Also a number of gift cards to use up.

Second NSD today, although I will need to get some salad things tomorrow (and a shopping fix - bit twitchy!). Day 3 of freezer eating, DD not a huge fan of eating frozen batch cooking, I think it's a texture thing - I need to cook smaller portions to avoid having left overs.

I've got a wish list, hoping any left over budgeted weekly grocery money can be used on these 'luxuries'.

[STRIKE]DS bike fixed £50[/STRIKE]
Period pants x 4 for DD - £80
[STRIKE]Sensor wall mounted shampoo/soap dispenser - £38 (for DD)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Seamless knickers for DD - £15 Done £14[/STRIKE]
Duo electric toothbrushes (missed offer, wait til they go back to £40)

They're mostly to make DD more independent with life-skills due to her disabilities, but not essential. I shall take DS bike to shop to get fixed, he may have to contribute from his Christmas money as this is 2nd time - he needs to learn to be more careful.

Jessy103

Good luck Octobergirl

Octobergirl

Thanks Jessy.

Productive day today, Christmas money into kids account. Took the penny jar to the bank, together with old pound coins and got £95 towards the DV fund. Popped into the wrong bank, got my isa balance whilst there, which was a few hundred more than I thought.

Octobergirl

Another productive day. Very positive review meeting re. Dd. Big tip run, took DS bike to shop to get fixed. They’ve quoted £60. I’ve told him he needs to pay half, if anything to teach him to look after it better (it’s the second time the same part has broken through rough handling).

Been waiting for the appropriate professionals to organise the replacement of essential broken equipment for Dd for over 6 weeks. Finally decided to do it myself, An hour later it’s sorted. I sense petty politics at play between agencies.:mad:

Turned 4 mushy brown bananas into banana and chocolate chip muffins, and the children wolfed down my frugal carbonara - earned my domestic goddess badge tonight.:)

Octobergirl

£53 spent on food/household last week however that included 4 meals from the freezer.

Collected £5 lottery win to put towards DV. I had calculated that I would save the solicitors fees by End April. The squirrelling means I should now have it by Feb, which means I can then start saving for our summer hols a few months earlier.

Octobergirl

Meal plan is going well, £38 food shopping and shouldn’t need to top up. Reluctant shopping trip at the weekend, not my idea of fun. DD spent a gift card on a handbag, I bought a top for myself and 6 white T-shirt’s for the kids to tie dye for £23 altogether.

I’ve spent £20 on Ecoegg washing balls. Highly likely it’s a gimmick although the reviews look good. I’ve used the soap nuts several years ago, wasn’t overly impressed. It’s more about saving on packaging now and cutting down on chemicals. If the clothes come out clean, i’ll Be happy.