Flying solo

twiggy86

Lovely weekend filled with family and friends! 

Friday picked up bf's kids and he bought us a pizza for dinner. Then Saturday day some of his family came over as was his daughter's birthday last week - they came over, we went to the park for a bit and then came back here for sausage sarnies! His sister saw my crochet pumpkins whilst she was here and has asked me to make her some - I have some of the stuff in stash but will need to order some bits... don't feel I can ask for any money though!! I may have a rummage to see if I can come up with a solution for one of the colours from my stash! Oh and also had a friend ask me to make a blanket for her (she wants to gift it to someone for Christmas) but I need to cost it up for her before she makes a decision. 

Saturday night I was meant to be going out for dinner with friends but 7 of us ended up going round someone's house and we got a chinese - had loads of food but only cost £10 each. Then Sunday was visiting different friends and eating biscuits! We bought one friend some flowers and chocolates as she's just had a hysterectomy (following bad results of a smear test) - so that cost £6.60. Honestly if I could have bottled the laughter from the time spent with friends this weekend I would have as that stuff is medicine! 

The costly bit of the weekend was that me and the friends I met yesterday have booked a spa day for January as our Christmas get together. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision as we've been talking about it for ages but finally got round to finalising the date and booking yesterday! It cost £169 which is pricy, but it will be worth it! At the moment I have taken the money from my misc pot and will need to re-look at the budget for November to see if I want to shuffle anything around or get rid of this pot - although it has just proven it's worthwhile! I could have pre-planned for this and been putting money aside for it specifically though - as I said it wasn't a spontaneous decision! 

I'm working from home today and tomorrow - bf is also around as he has the week off. We are trying to ignore each other though as I need to work and I don't want to impose of his time off! He's currently upstairs playing his computer - which is where I think he intends to be for much of the week! 

Today's little list includes...

• Load of washing on 30 degree quick cycle
• Update spreadsheet 
• Transfer money to friend
• Flush shower with hot water and bleach - doesn't seem to be clearing properly but hoping we can sort problem ourselves! 
• Snap some receipts 
• Pop to shop for a few bits 
• Lunch and dinner from stores 
• Seeing a friend tonight but either I will go to hers or she will come here 

twiggy86

My friend cancelled last minute as she had the chance to do some work that will help her with a promotion - can't argue with that! So instead me and bf did a small-ish shop (he paid), had dinner and then I sat and did some crochet. Think I'm going to be able to make the pumpkins from stash, although will need some stuffing. However I have a £5 voucher that I need to use by Thursday at a craft shop, so will pop there after work Wednesday or Thursday. 

I also made a start on ordering some Christmas presents! Got a couple of small things for bf and something for one of my nephews. Been looking on Vinted for a t-shirt and/or jumper for bf - ideally something with tags still on, but will still be cheaper than buying from a shop! I've got a list in my phone when I come up with ideas - also helps me track what I have/ haven't bought yet! 

I'm working from home again today, so today's list is as follows...

• Bf made us bacon sarnies for breakfast! 
• Update spreadsheet 
• See if there's enough washing to warrant putting a load on
• Snap receipts that are lingering in my bag!
• Continue scowering Vinted
• See if I can price up blanket to send info to friend so she can decide if she wants to go ahead
• Dinner from stores

Sarahwithlove

Sometimes you can't put a price tag on memories with friends so enjoy your time without guilt.

Have you thought about splitting food shop 50:50 when you do it? When my best friend lived with me we used to have 3 baskets at the till. Individual and one joint for my meals, milk etc. We would then just split it 50-50 so that neither of us were paying more than other as it can vary from week to week depending upon if you run out out bigger items like loo rolls, soap powder etc. 

twiggy86

Thanks @Sarahwithlove - I think we did start that way but then switched to kind of taking it in turns as I'd gone on my own so then he just paid the next time. I do find that if I know he's paying (like last night) I'm very cautious about what I put in the trolley as I don't want to take the mickey! He was saying last night to put in whatever I wanted, I'm just not used to someone spending money on me/ having an equal relationship. So maybe it's better for me mentally if I have the "freedom" to put whatever in if I know I'm paying towards it... Something to think about! 

twiggy86

I had £100 set aside for an extra CC payment if it made it to the end of the month in tact (having paid £515 off the CCs already this month)! However, I really do appreciate the value of having a "rainy day" pot that I can spend as I want e.g. on tickets etc. And given that Christmas tends to be a more social time for me, I wanted the comfort of having it back after utilising it to book the spa. So I have re-allocated the £100 CC payment to that pot instead - alternative was building it back over time or re-jigging the November budget. 

I have today made a CC payment of £5 - which whilst far off the full £100, does make me feel better! I will also likely shuffle any "leftovers" to make a CC payment on payday. Currently have just over £30 which could be shuffled to the CC if I don't spend anything between now and Thursday! 

I have been considering my pots - usually I just add a bit of money to each of them each month but I never feel like I make progress in some of them as it gets used up again! E.g. my present pot is at minus £16 at the moment! Although I don't think I have any gifts to buy for a while - as Christmas has a separate pot. Nope, strike that... I have bf's son's birthday next month so will get something small for him. So what I was considering doing next year is taking a month or two where I only pay minimums on CCs and focussing on getting the pots to a "minimum" set amount, then top them back up as I use them. For example, having £100 set aside for presents at all times, £50 beauty etc. I'm sure mathematically it's the same outcome, but mentally I would feel ahead?!

At the moment I have the deadline of my interest free period ending, so it's not something I want to prioritise instead of throwing everything extra at the Virgin CC. Yes I could transfer the remaining £670 that's on that card to my new CC and have another 13 months interest free, but I feel like I'd rather take the hit of a bit of interest (if I don't clear it by the end of November) and just get it gone - as it's an added incentive at the moment! 

Wow, that was a lot of (probably incomprehensible) waffle!!!  

Sarahwithlove

I did the same thing. I got my sinking fund to the £2500 I needed in total and now if I spend from it I top it back up. 

When we did joint food shop, one would pay and other would transfer half to that person. Hopefully you'll become more accepting of someone wanting to spend money on you 

twiggy86

Yesterday was a NSD - although I did purchase a top for bf for Xmas from the pot. Annoyed myself though as I wasn't paying attention and selected delivery to home rather than the slightly cheaper (about 50p) option of delivery to a locker! It's brand new with tag for £89(!) - I got it for £25 (plus postage) after offering £5 less than the listed price! (Cheeky I know!)

Dinner last night was a pasta bake that bf made and there was enough for two leftover portions! Need to get him to work on portion control, but at least it will do me lunch for today and tomorrow - which is also a good thing as I won't be having dinner tonight before I go to arco. 

Today bf is doing some painting at his flat as he has a tenant want to move in! Fingers crossed it all goes ahead as they want to move in on 8 November - which will mean that he doesn't have to continue paying a few of the bills and will cover his mortgage payment. 

I'm back in the office today... oh the traffic (or lack of!) is delightful when the kids are off! I still have just over half a tank of petrol left and £47 in the petrol pot. I will roll over that money though as will likely need to fill up twice next month. I am going to make a little shuffle to the CC today as it's payday tomorrow! 

Anyway before this turns into another waffle... today's list:

• Snap receipts! 
• Take leftover pasta to work for lunch 
• Finalise November budget 
• Make small CC payment 
• Try price up blanket 
• Work on a crochet project at lunch 
• Pay lowest amount at acro 
• Maybe some toast for "dinner" 

twiggy86

I made the CC payment - realised that it means I have now paid 25% of the total debt amount that I started the year with! This also equates to 65% of the goal I'd set myself for the year (unlikely to complete this) and 37% of the total debt that ex left me with!  

Friend said yes to the cost of the blanket so need to order the pattern and yarn so that I can get cracking! Will mean potentially having to re-think some of plans! I haven't been crocheting as much recently and now have a doll to make by mid-November, plus I planned to make 2 hats and some socks as Christmas presents and now have a blanket to make as well! Oh and I'm in the process of making a set of 3 pumpkins! I had also thought about making myself some socks, a Christmas jumper and some Christmas decorations!!! Oh and I planned to have a yarn advent calendar (purchased earlier this year for half price) and was going to make a blanket!!! Those plans probably have to be parked!!! Blanket is unlikely to be something I can work on at lunch, as will be too much to bring to the office - so at least I will be able to work on something else then. Best up my current efforts to achieve even half of that!!!   

twiggy86

IT'S PAYDAY!!! 

However, wages haven't yet hit my bank! I have, however, done my final "sweep ups" and made another £20 CC payment. That means I have cleared £504 of debt this month - I paid more but it covered a bit of interest on one of the CCs before the balance transfer went through. I did debate putting the £20 towards my Xmas pot (or another pot) but decided on the CC in the end. The balance on my Virgin CC now sits at £640 to try and clear asap as the interest free period expires on 30 November - started October with a balance of £825 so I have done well given that my first priority for October month was to clear the £360 on the HSBC CC (which I achieved). 

When my pay hits I will do my very convoluted shuffling around to get it all in the right accounts - it means a faff on payday but it works well for me to have it all split out in different accounts! I have £500 budgeted for CC payments, but will need to see how much the minimum is on the new Natwest CC before I can finalise what is going to which card. 

Acro was fun last night - although I did pay the "standard" amount of £10 (rather than the cheap rate of £7) as the instructor was stood right next to me and I felt awkward about paying the lower amount! I managed to pick up a loaf of bread from the "community bread bin" (i.e. a supermarket gives the center their bread that is going out date that day and can take for free) and then just had some toast (not from the free bread!) when I got home. 

Anyway, on to today's list...

• Take lunch to work - last of leftover pasta bake from Tuesday 
• Take bits for bf's crochet hat that I'm making him for Xmas to work, so that I can make a start! 
• Money sweep ups
• Make CC payment 
• Money shuffles 
• Do some crochet at lunch 
• Pop to shop on way home - need stuffing for my crochet pumpkins and have a £5 voucher that expires today
• Dinner from stores 
• Park for free at netball 

twiggy86

Yesterday was slightly enlightening! Every month I track all my spends against the relevant pots and top up pots "as necessary". What I hadn't done was track how much I have spent per category for the year... well I didn't think I'd spent that much on clothes as I generally only buy from Vinted or charity shops. However, given that I have been thinking about how to better manage the pots next year I thought I would add up what I had spent from each one for the year so far... well I was shocked that the total spent on clothes was £640!!! I have lost a lot of weight (break up diet) and have been having more "fun" with my clothes but I never expected it to come out any where near that much!!! And I may have "accidentally" bought a jumper on Vinted yesterday before carrying out this exercise! 

Great game of netball last night - I did have to pay £2 for parking as there was no free parking available, but I didn't meet my friend at the pub beforehand so I saved there!!! I had to spend £3 on top of the voucher for the stuffing I needed - but that was a need... whereas the wool for my new hat I started this morning for myself was very much a want! And yes I did say how much I needed to get done for other people - but in my defence me and bf are going away for a very chilled weekend in a shepherds hut and wanted something easy that I can work on whilst there. The wool for the blanket should be arriving today, but I think my first priority next week needs to be working on the doll as that is for a birthday in November. 

Today's bits and bobs...

• Update spreadsheet 
• Work out what we need to take for this weekend so that we can go to the shop on the way - plan for dinner is to cook burgers on the bbq tonight 
• Snap any receipts
• Lunch from stores  

We don't really have any firm plans for this weekend, other than chilling out. There is a firework display about a mile from where we're staying but we may be able to see them from there - in which case I'm thinking drinking beer in the hot tub watching fireworks sounds delightful! I'm sure we will pop to a pub at some point but not anticipating spending much. Bf booked the shepherds hut as a treat for us (very generous of him) and he's driving but I've said I'll give him some petrol money - it's about an hour and a half away so won't be loads. Thoroughly looking forward to it!