10 years later yikes

1stTimer

Thanks for stopping by @Sarahwithlove yes that’s what the spreadsheet is going to be for 👍

today I am going to open a few more pots and have them all ready for when payday comes, then going to maybe make a note of how much I think I should allocate when payday comes. This way I am ready and prepared and nothing to do on the day but shuffle.

As it’ll be my first month I’m going to go easy on the pots and just have what I know will be coming out so they will be
Dog pot - this will be for walker/food/treats and toys
Annual - start adding to for future bills
car - I know I have petrol but will add extra for future service/mot etc

the rest will be itemised daily and then I can work out what other pots I need going forward and have a rough idea what to allocate.
i won’t be having an emergency fund just yet as i have money tucked away but i also know i really don’t want to touch that so it will be something i create possible on month 2.

i live a very simple life in reality and this is what has confused me the most, there is no excuse for where my money goes. I do not go on holiday, i do not go out for meals or eat takeaways. I socialise with one person once every 2-3 months and that’s an hours catch up at the pub.
i get my hair cut once a year, very rarely clothes shop (Temu and Primark so online too) 
I do smoke and like a beer at home in my own company but even that cannot be an excuse for where it all goes.

it will be interesting that’s for sure and I suspect a real eye opener

Sarahwithlove

Maybe go back through the last 3 to 6 months bank statements or credit card. Whatever is it you used to spend the money and see if you can find a pattern. Are you an online shopper for example? 

1stTimer

Can’t believe we are at Monday already, it was nice to work this weekend as I didn’t spend any money apart from £50 for next months bones/treats for the pup.

Everytime I got my iPad out to browse Amazon etc an email or call came in so it was almost like fate, this morning I have jumped on the iPad and closed all those open tabs down 😆
Got mums birthday next week so need to get that sorted but other than that I think I should be ok to end the month with some sort of balance in my account. I will then use this to go towards next months regular savers.

1stTimer

I thought of another pot I’m going to add this morning, a present pot - this will be for all birthdays/celebrations and Xmas. 

So Dog pot will consist of walker £176 food £66 treats £30 - Total £275
Annual bills - £125
Car pot - petrol £45 plus £50 for future service etc -£100
Presents - £50
Again this is just a start and will go up or down as I start really looking into each month

I spent £34 yesterday on tobacco, this will see me through to payday. And also transferred £50 to my sister to get my mums present, she likes to shop for presents plus works in a shopping centre so has all the shops in her vicinity.

1stTimer

I have a few days off now which is going to be very nice! Yesterday I took the dog to the groomers and looks like there has been a £1 increase since last year so I was was pleasantly surprised by that, I was expecting a big jump like most other things this month.

I need to be really careful when I am off as this is always where my money goes !!!!!!, I tend to stay home and not go out but I find it’s the online purchases that sneak up on me.
Meeting my friend for a few drinks at the pub today but I’m not worried. He is very frugal and old school and our routine has never really changed, we each buy a round and then occasionally we will get a third drink each and then part ways for another few months. It’s always the spoons too so cheaper than most pubs.

i still have just under £800 sitting in my account and I am really trying to keep it that way. I have 4 regular savers to feed next month and this will help a lot to pay them but I can’t help but feel I’ve missed a bill or something. How do I still have this money, what hasn’t been paid this month? Honestly this is just another reason why starting a spreadsheet is needed.

I’ve booked the car in for a service next week and admittedly I am so how of touch with how much this will cost. I haven’t had a car serviced since before lockdown but I really don’t want to neglect this car because in the long run it will benefit me.

1stTimer

On a side note, if anyone can recommend where I can get 2 decent pillows from that will last longer than 6 months I would be very grateful!

I am sick of buying new pillows only for them to go flat in a couple of months… I do have a memory foam one and it def does not flatten but I feel it is slightly too hard for me to get any more. I really would love a couple of nice plump ones that you can still sink into if that makes any sense? 

in_need_of_direction

My recommendation is for a Mediflow pillow. Quite expensive but has saved my ongoing search and purchase of others that just weren’t right. Also, it was recommended to me by a physio. They are so good we have even bought them for relatives as gifts

1stTimer

in_need_of_direction said:

My recommendation is for a Mediflow pillow. Quite expensive but has saved my ongoing search and purchase of others that just weren’t right. Also, it was recommended to me by a physio. They are so good we have even bought them for relatives as gifts

Thanks @in_need_of_direction, I have to admit I have never heard of a water pillow before! I’m almost tempted to buy one just to see how it feels.. I def get shoulder pain when I wake up so it sounds like I really need to look into this more.

I had a quiet day yesterday just ticking off chores around the house and have a list of jobs to do today to keep me busy, hopefully this will keep me away from the shopping online.
I am soo close to payday and chomping at the bit to get everything into their respective pots ready to go! I remember when I first started trying to clear my debts, the wait for payday to come around only for the day to appear, the quick dopamine fix and then the long wait for it come around again so this time I need to find ways to break the month up a bit because I think this is where I used to give up too quickly

Cara_

You're doing well with creating the SoA and tracking where your money is going. The pots will certainly help with your annual / regular bills.

You seem to be aware of when you spend which is helpful and should help you avoid any splurges.

Enjoy the long weekend.

1stTimer

Cara_ said:

You're doing well with creating the SoA and tracking where your money is going. The pots will certainly help with your annual / regular bills.

You seem to be aware of when you spend which is helpful and should help you avoid any splurges.

Enjoy the long weekend.

Thanks @Cara_ I’m really hoping this time I stick to it, so many times I have tried to get my life in some sort of order rather than just coasting and yet somehow I always end back at square one with no plan or goal and forgetting i need to look after future me.

payday tomorrow 😬 and I finally start monitoring every penny that I spend, I’m very excited. I have £600 still in my account and was going to use that to feed my RS but as I don’t know how much the service on the car will cost I think I will hold it for that and if anything is left then I will use to help the RS. Either way I have money left over which is very new and not surprising at all considering I knew I spent on silly things.

I can’t help but be thankful I’ve started this diary again because I really think that by just having it here I have been aware of my spending and that’s why I have the money left over. So if by not documenting the amounts and just having that awareness has left me with £600 I’m shocked to think how much I could save once I put this plan in place!