My journey to health, wealth (well, saving for works to house, so not really!) and hobbies

[Deleted User]

Yep I agree there. When not with others we are quite good at entertaining ourselves for not much! But I am hoping to enjoy next weekend. We are going to the theatre (paid for) and instead of shopping for clothes, my plan is to go looking in old bookshops. I also agree sometimes it feels right not to split according to what you’ve actually consumed.

Worked in the office yesterday. Wasted £3.50 on a baguette but that was it. Paid the money from things I’d sold into bank plus another £1.02 I’d found in the house! Hoofed it over to savings. DC1 got sent home from nursery yesterday with a gammy eye and temp. DH took him to docs so prescription for eye drops and some painkillers for me as time of month agsin.

Architects bill was £512 which we’ve paid from savings. A bit annoying as feel they should maybe have come up with the idea themselves rather than the builder but overall we will save and it’s done now.

structural engineer coming week after next and indications are about 2k for report but it is needed and again, will be paid from savings. 

Sold another item £3 and someone coming to look at something on Sunday which is £20 so fingers crossed for that.

big shop tonight. Hoping can bring it in under what we have left under reduced budget with start of new budget tomorrow. Going to put that back to usual budget for next month as we have so much on and are due a delivery of nappies, wipes etc which is about £80 straight out tomorrow (and other car needs filling so another £75ish) which isn’t the best start obvs!! 

[Deleted User]

So haven’t done big shop as took DC1 to soft play and started feeling really sick! So now I have a question - doing shop tomorrow is officially in next months budget but I still have money leftover in this months budget which should cover it. I know that it makes no actual difference but psychologically…

do I do big shop tomorrow out of this months budget given I have money left and so it doesn’t eat into next months or do I put the extra in savings where it’s earning interest and do shop from next months budget knowing that we’ve got a spendy month coming up and that might mean we then go over budget next month?

CL21

Personally I’d leave it as this months budget and spend the money you have,  especially if you know you may go over if you take it from next months. 

Blackcats

A good dilemma to have.  Could you keep the grocery budget as set for next month and use it tomorrow and re-purpose the excess from this month to other spends next month and/or savings?  Otherwise you might never get to a "real" grocery budget if you subsidise it regularly.

[Deleted User]

Been MIA for a while. Went away at weekend, was much needed but just expensive. Dinner out was £60, taxi £35, trains a lot and bits and bobs. Was glad to get back to just have some control over my spending but was a nice weekend.

Had to travel for work yesterday but bought duty free as much cheaper - can’t resist the 2 toblerone for £10 deal as well even though I really need to lose em weight. Spent £7.50 on lunch but will claim back from work. £6.95 on a glass of wine at the airport (can buy a bottle for that!). I still have a lot of work to do on my spending.

Pay review yesterday. 4% rise and 8% bonus. Was happy with the bonus (as it’s the max I can get anyway) but not the rise. I probably should feel grateful in this economy but they keep putting me in the middle of the pay bracket for my role when I’ve over 20 years experience. It’s quite frustrating. But overall I’ve got a good gig with very little stress and lots of flexibility so I need to recognise that.

just need now to see if DH gets anything - his is usually March. His boss raised whether he’d want to move up a grade the other day (he normally says no) but this time he’s said he’s interested so we shall see.

Just need to work harder and better this end at curbing spending

Got both DC today but DH WFH as he’s unwell. Taking DC1 to school dentist this morning and then DC2 will go to MIL at 2 so I can have some time with DC1. Think we might go to park.

doing an interim shop tonight to get us through to Sat morning as they tend to have more stock Sat mornings. Will be an expensive one this week as we are topping up the store cupboard and doing a lot of batch cooking 

Humdinger1

I'm planning to stock up the store- cupboard shortly too @[Deleted User]...it used to be affectionately known as the invasion cupboard by friends, pre-Brexit and pre-pandemic.  They were very grateful when I could help them at key moments; at one point I seemed to be only person with a spare tin of tomatoes in a 50-mile radius! You are spending money but it's conscious; you're not in drunken sailor mode.  Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx 

[Deleted User]

Thank you @Humdinger1 - I love the sound of your invasion cupboard. I have a friend who jokes he is a prepper for the zombie apocalypse!

didnt do the interim shop - we ate from stores. So far food shop £138.75 but we needed lots of top up stuff this week plus loo roll, kitchen roll, furniture polish. Feel like at that price it should include booze but there wasn’t a single bottle in that!

another 12.97 in well known toiletry shop today stocking up on hand wash, toothbrushes for DC1 (who chews how to death), eye make up remover (on offer) and some eyeshadow applicators as mine had died.

Sold DC2’s wellies for £5 so will pay that into bank next time passing. 

Will need top ups of fruit and milk midweek but should be relatively ok.

We are doing okish this month I think though still couple of weeks to go until payday

Took kids to park (free) this morning then DC1 had tennis so I took DC2 for a stroll in town. Walk down was nice.

been home this afternoon playing with the DC. DH now prepping dinner (pizza home made). We are now on series 4 of Bosch and loving it.

Not sure what we will do tomorrow - maybe park (different one) again and possibly a walk in the afternoon - want to get them out in the fresh air whilst it’s dry.

Structural engineer coming Monday - we’ve gone with a different one who is £1750 instead of the £2250 we were quoted. They both have good reputations. 

DH had chased builder re quote. It’s just so difficult to get builders here! The other one had said quote in Feb so hoping we get that soon. We went at least 2 to compare. Ideally, we’d have liked 3 but it’s so difficult even getting 1!

Going to advertise a few more things for sale on local FB group I think. 

Blackcats

I love @Humdinger1 description of spending "in drunken sailor mode".  Been there, done that 😵‍💫

you are doing well with selling things.  Keeping clutter down and making some money too.  It's on my master list for this month but it's usually DH who does the selling ... he needs a little (big) nudge to get going.  

[Deleted User]

@blackcats me too!!

thank you - I find I’m kind of sporadic! Hopefully got someone picking up another item today for £5.

DC1 is now getting too big for his toddler bed. Ordinarily I’d buy him a lovely brand new bed but as we are shortly hsving works done and not sure when they’ll be moving up to top floor, I’m borrowing one from MIL and will buy him a new mattress. Will then sell the toddler bed. Will not result in any gain - rather a loss as mattress will likely be more than the bed sale and he will need new duvet, covers etc, but DC2 is starting to take himself out of his Grobags so I think he’s ready for a toddler duvet and pillows, so will give him DC1’s. I’ll then have 4 Grobags to sell at £5 each so that should help

Working today (boo). On Friday I was ambushed by the head of another jurisdiction who also wants me to help their team. It means I am likely to be very busy (overloaded) but at least it then justifies my FT hours from sept (as boss will have to make a business case). Means I do need to start getting focused and stop messing about so much.

Also going to try to use my lunch break early today to get a run in - I really really need to lose weight. If I gave up booze I reckon I’d be so thin but I just find that impossible! 

[Deleted User]

Did my run! Number 1 of couch to 10K.

salmon, rice and veggies for tea. Protein shake for breakfast and will have one for lunch - miserable