Budget with me one week at a time

DFB35

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and enjoying some time off (I’m back at work but it’s quite relaxing few days, low key)

I did my first cash stuffing today. Very excited and I’ve allocated 160 to beauty as normal but due to op I will only use about 60 of that and any remainder will be stuffed in other categories. I have also took out 100 for the week. Again Im not anticipating spending loads this month at all… so will be a good re set for me

DFB35

Loving the cash stuffing! Had my hair appointment I miscounted and it was today not the 6th. Good thing I got a text reminder. It was £30 and there is no more beauty appointments this month as I’m not doing nails or lashes due to my operation. 

So I took the rest of the cash in the beauty envelope and stuffed it in all my other categories. I have also created another category for pets. 

I have spent £14 and £13 on my card so have moved £30 to paid by card category and next week will take out £70 and not £100. 

It’s quite fun stuffing envelopes… i have also saved the usual amounts in our family and personal savings

Todays jobs super deep cleaning in preparation to new year!

DFB35

Just a very quick check in. I have re jigged my personal budget as follows. 

Pay - 2,735
Bills/ family - 1,700
Food - 400
Social Fund - 50
School Lunches - 40
Son pocket money - 40

Cash stuffing:
Beauty/ Clothes - 100
Weekly Spends -400 (5 week months I will just have to make do with less)

Then any money left from the beauty/ weekly categories (I take out 100 weekly) are cash stuffed as follows:
Pets
Holiday
Christmas 
Birthday
Emergency
Savings Challenge

To see money physically in the envelopes gives me a massive incentive to cut down on the beauty stuff (lashes are so expensive!) and also the weekly spending. At the moment I’m working from home until my operation and I’ve been savings loads. It’s very satisfying to see. 

Also the “1,700” bills family includes some separate family savings in bank. 

Very positive to see how this goes. 

RelievedSheff

Sounds like you have things under control. Are you finding your weekly budgets realistic?

DFB35

Things are chipping away uneventfully so far this month. Still enjoying the cash stuffing! I’ve also had my op a few days ago, which will hopefully improve things a lot for me in terms of my physical and mental health, so the next few weeks will be very quiet, recovering and saving money  

dawnybabes

Eek, hope you’re resting well and recovering. 

DFB35

Hi all the op went well and recovery is going as planned, I’m three weeks in and they estimate another three weeks, I’ve been signed off work until end of feb. It sounds like a long time but they say it’s standard recovery time for a hysterectomy, I am feeling ok all things considered.

Have quite a bit of financial news, mostly not good! The biggest news is that the pay rise/ bonus situation I have been counting on to pay off my 0% cards has not worked out how I hoped  There has been no pay rises for our department and without going into much details, certain things are happening which makes me think that the good days might be coming to an end. Our department is a part of a large financial and there’s plenty money to go around believe me, just not for us….. We had a similar situation in the past were we were sold on and I’m seeing some red flags. 

I still got a bonus but need to put it all away for my son, even though we have been so crap with money over the years we managed to save a chunk for our daughter to go towards a deposit (hopefully) and need to do the same for our son. If the work financial situation deteriorates I might not get this chance again. On the other hand if I’m overreacting and we will still get bonus/ pay rise ? Next year, then I will have options to use the money. But I cannot count on it anymore. My 0% cards run out in January 25 and march 25, so they will continue to tick over for now. 

My husband’s situation, work wise is better than mine, bonus wise it won’t be enough to cover all 6k of his 0% card but his can still get 0% deals so will move it again to keep chipping away. 

In other news we had an issue with our bathroom, a cabinet door fell off onto a tap. Resulting in a new cabinet, new tap, plumber to fit the tap and sort a small leak….. This money came from my cash stuffing which I started in January (now empty).

I need to face the music in terms of my nails and lashes… I really can’t afford them…. And need to come up with a new plan to start paying more than minimums on cards. 

I will do a signature in a bit. 

Forgot to say as well, cat been to the vets due to skin condition (£80)

DFB35

So minimum payments on CC are 40 and 150. Husbands is 140. It’s the loans that I find crippling 200 and 400 a month! I forgot to put EV charger on my signature which is 100 a month but ends in July. 
Car payment I feel fine about as it’s like a physical thing you can see. 

Excluding the car we pay over 1,000 a month on debts. It’s very very depressing….. 

Completely our fault (prob more mine) and it was all done in the last couple of years. 

I can’t keep moaning about it, just writing it all down and then will continue plodding on. I really wanted a quick fix, ie bonus paying off the cards, but the only way is long slog way!

RelievedSheff

Keep chipping away at the repayments. You will get there.

kdalwayskint

It sounds like you could do with a hug, have a virtual one from me