Pay for the future and not the past

MissRikkiC

No chance to check accounts and some borrowing from pots this month has meant I must do a revised budget next month. Our family out and budget of £50 didn’t stretch very far and on reflection I’m not surprised given that we’re all home this month. 

Used to order from a company where you’d pay for a box of baked goods that weren’t suitable for shops; almost a waste prevention scheme I guess but at £7 and increasing I decided to cancel. They’ve since started doing wonky veg boxes, as of just last week at £16 I think which I thought was worth a shot. 

Well, it was despatched Thursday and still hasn’t made it to me, despite apparently being on next day with Hermes. It’s not even made it to Hermes apparently yet so 6 days and I haven’t even began to store anything myself yet! So I’ve emailed asked for a refund. I guess maybe teething problems in their first week but it’s too expensive for it to not be in good nick when it arrives 

Like another diary writer I have been using prolific a little this week (mostly whilst I’m sat feeding Bear) and I really want a nutribullet (again… I’ve had 2 over the years) or a 3 in 1 ninjjjaaa so going to try and use this to save for that!

Blackcats

I wonder where your wonky veg has wandered off too?  I've got visions of the Christmas advert with the carrots and parsnips running around - think it might have been aldeee - anyway sorry for mentioning Christmas in June.

good idea to use survey money for the new purchase - could you round down your bank account once a week and scoop that money into the nutribullet pot?  I have an "accumulation of marginal gains" pot - such a fancy name 🤣.  Anyway I sometimes pop money in there that I might have spent but didn't - e.g. if I take my own coffee I move a couple of £'s into the pot or if by some miracle I find a parking space that I don't need to pay for I pop the planned parking cost into the pot - it does add up and is quite a good motivation to keep hold of £'s.   I appreciate that with a toddler and a new baby the marginal gains in your house are probably based on getting some sleep.

MissRikkiC

It’s a good idea to use money that I’d have otherwise spent on something else @Blackcats

Rounding down the bank balance would probably only yield pennies (although appreciate they all add up) but resisting the temptation for a McDonald’s breakfast or grabbing a pack of biscuits from the petrol station (literally guilty today of this) is a great shout! 

I don’t mind SO much if it arrives and the shelf life is great still but it’a frustrating that it could have been better and so I don’t think asking for a refund is unfair. 

Suffolk_lass

We call those rounding down pennies Tilly Tidying on the bits of the forum I frequent. Once the debts were paid (loans and CC) I rounded up the rounding down (IYSWIM) to the nearest £10 and it mostly accounted for paying off our mortgage. Only 3 years early but we did add £90k to it at one point. I still check daily and took £3.35 today, caused by my SM sweep of treats last Friday, that hit the account overnight. 

At the moment it is going toward the outside of the house being decorated

MissRikkiC

I think these are great ideas, id like to TT more however i (usually!!) do plan quite well in our joint account so there would only ever be pennies. However i have been having a good hard look at our accounts against today. Bear has been asleep for a few hours so i have done MOST of the admin jobs ive been meaning to do for weeks. 

Re-register Nectar card
Locate boots card (not found it!)
Register Santander CC for online banking
Increase monthly repayment to just over threshold
Register mortgage for online banking
Increase monthly payment to make a small overpayment every month
Rejig budgeting on cashflow file 
Add in new financial commitments (Cleaning, nursery, gym/pool membership)
Check impact on maternity period of no pay.....

MissRikkiC

Also got the text from RBS saying my reward for switching was due so that’s another £150 into the savings pot. 

Something sold on vinted (something i bought again having misplaced my own to only find it again immediately) and my goodness it’s easy so going to try and list all my other stuff on there too! 

Managed to secure another CC 0% BT for over 2 years with just a .99% fee which is still a saving on interest for me to move another chunk of the loan. It’s not clearing the balance but if we do decide we want to spread the debt over a bit longer (when they come to and end) then we’re no longer tied into paying such a high sum every month. 

I have a real urge to spend at the moment (probably out of boredom with being sat feeding bear for hours on end) so trying to ensure when he’s not attached to me instead I take pictures of everything I want to sell and get that all listed instead. 

Obviously prolific too and if I thought there was many welcome bonuses to be had, I’d most definitely get back on to match betting to make a bit more (as I found it far too easy!) so hoping that making money deters me from spending it!! 

MissRikkiC

Lovely day out today to the local (free) water park with the children and hubs last week day day with us and met a friend and her little girl. 

Had another spendy day today as decided the sling we haven’t got bear just isn’t ideal for the summer or with a toddler to keep happy whilst I tie it into some kind of complicated cross on me so £101 on a very well recommended sling which I know I’ll resell on for a very similar price in 2 years fine. 

3 huge bags of clothes off to the charity shop yesterday which should mean we can make better use of my daughter wardrobe and put the drawers in Bears room. 

Bbq wirh neighbours tonight. £17 on meat which I think is fair since they’ll get the beer. I’ve still been a mser though and bought the meat plain and I’ll sort it all myself 😂

jokono

How lovely you have a free water park, sounds like a lovely start to the weekend.

Which sling did you get?

Enjoy the bbq! 

Suffolk_lass

Ha! Ata girl! - I'm going to a do with a hog roast this afternoon. Mid-way through making fresh pickled red onions, coleslaw and potato salad (plus cake) - all from stores

MissRikkiC

Bee didn’t even go near the water but we did have a nice time. 

I got a mamaruga zen sling! I have done a bit of research and they seem v popular but also easy to use most of all comfy for Bear. Half material half buckle! 

Ha! Good stuff @s@Suffolk_lass
I’m absolutely not ashamed of doing things that way either, I discussed it with our neighbours too however was met with the response of ‘I just wouldn’t be arsed to go to the extra effort’. I take her point, I purchased mince and made burgers for 30 odd people for my daughters 1st birthday and it was work! But I just struggle to bring myself to pay through the nose for what I could make better/just as good myself!