Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻

Cheery_Daff

Oh, don't worry, it's very organised, one of the best meetings I attend actually! It's a national committee, everyone has a role and submits stuff beforehand, the agenda is VERY rigorously adhered to (2 mins for you, 2 mins for them etc). I really enjoy it, no opportunity for self-important waffle! 

Anyway, I was booted out at the end as they were making a decision that affects me but I am not allowed to know today, I have to wait to be told with everyone else. So I am distracting myself from mild discombobulation by updating you on my pots totals

Remaining totals, now we're almost a third of the way through the month. 

Food & household = £284.51/£350
Diesel & parking = £247.19/£300
Joint treats = £163.50/£200
My spends = £136.20/£150
Mr C spends = £150/£150

Mr C is still delighting in having spent nothing - I suspect he might even get to the end of the month being abstemious just for the sake of it

We've certainly reigned it in considerably!

Cheery_Daff

Delighted to report i have FINALLY snagged a free octopod cuppa at N3ro- the first time since they switched to releasing the codes daily 😃 I used to get them regularly when they were weekly, but since they went daily I've never managed to remember early enough. I checked at 7.30 the other day and they were all gone 🙄 But today I checked at 6.23 and managed to get one 😁

So that will nicely supplement the treats budget this weekend! 

£7.60 of the treats budget spent yesterday, plus some on food (can't remember exactly how much, will tot up later). 

Mr C is off to see his dad today, and I'll go into the office so we can share some of the driving. I've got plenty of food packed, plus teabags, milk etc, so shouldn't spend anything (as long as I remember to take it all...). 

Ooh, need to remember to retrieve my headphones from the living room too! 

Cheery_Daff

Change of plans, Mr C's been poorly overnight so not going, which means I can work at home. Took advantage of the unintentional early morning with a blustery walk and some sorting of photos, and a quick check of the bank. Current totals standing as follows:

Food & household = £277.97/£350
Joint treats = £144.45/£200
My spends = £136.20/£150
Mr C spends = £150/£150 (although he did tell me he'd bought a paper the other day with some change he'd found in a jacket pocket 🤔😂)

Not too bad for a third of the way through, although we've only had 3 out of 4 weekends. Not too much expensive planned, although some or all of these may involve some spending

* a trip to see Mr C Snr, possibly Friday
* trip to sign my mum's POA form
* a friend's funeral
* Mr C has a gig which I'll likely go to
* yet another works leaving do

We'll see. This was a testing the waters month, gently leading us back to more abstemious habits. If it goes well, we might tighten things a little further next month...

themadvix

You’re definitely doing better than me on personal spends Cheery - I’ve just booked a hotel for Mr MV’s birthday (only a TL, but on the slightly more expensive flex rate) - now only £60 personal spends left for me this month… and that’s technically before I transfer the money for yesterday’s theatre ticket which I paid for in cash… Mr MV’s birthday isn’t until November though, so I might juggle that a bit (I also have a small PS savings pot and another cash cat sitting job coming up… I feel it’s a bit like Mr C’s cash in his jacket pocket! 😂)

Cheery_Daff

😂 Ha, we have a slight advantage in that both our birthdays have passed for the year (and we also have a separate presents pot, although the whole budget has been more of a tracker than an actual budget this year so a bit of a free for all 😬)

rtandon27

@Cheery_Daff - Tracking is as valuable as budgeting, it lets us know realistically where are spends are and where we can adjust our spending!

themadvix

Ha, who said this was part of his present? 😂 This is just a case of something we've identified that we want to do for his birthday! His present will come from the presents pot, but birthday expenditure won't (yes, there's a flaw in my budget). There will also be tickets, food and drink to pay for! 😬

Cheery_Daff

themadvix said:

Ha, who said this was part of his present? 😂 This is just a case of something we've identified that we want to do for his birthday! His present will come from the presents pot, but birthday expenditure won't (yes, there's a flaw in my budget). There will also be tickets, food and drink to pay for! 😬

😬 I hope you'll have a lovely time at least! 

rtandon27 said:

@Cheery_Daff - Tracking is as valuable as budgeting, it lets us know realistically where are spends are and where we can adjust our spending!

Well, yes - I could do with a bit more budgeting round here though 😬😂

More Prolific studies this evening, now standing at 

£36.31 cleared
£3.25 pending

Not bad at all! There are a couple I could still do, but I need to wash my hair...

Cheery_Daff

Evening chums 😊

A nice day at a work event today 😊 My bit went well, and it was nice to see so many people 😊

Did have a long chat with someone about an emerging situation though. I don't know what will come of it - but I have some experience and email evidence that may be useful to an investigation so we'll see 🙄

Then I met my friend and walked back to her house for tea 😊

No money spent 😊

Mr C is on his way home. He's not been feeling well for the last few days, hoping it's just some kind of passing bug (also hoping he doesn't pass it to me! 😬). Will knock up a wholesome stir fry in case he wants it when he gets back. 

Nowt else to report - oh, except the heater seems to be broken in the car 🥶 The other car - not the one that had the broken heater last time! 🙄 I'll ring the garage - the last one took weeks to sort out, and I have no interest in driving round with my teeth chattering as the colder weather arrives 🥶

Cheery_Daff

Afternoon chums 😊

Update on amounts remaining in pots: 

Diesel & parking: £200.42/£300
Food & household: £258.32/£350
My spends: £107.30/£150
Mr C spends: £141.70/£150
Joint treats: £131.50/£200

Not too bad.

Two subscriptions went out today. One was a membership which I'm keeping - I've taken that from my monthly spends (I did have a pot for it in YNAB but experimenting without running YNAB for the time being). The other was a flipping magazine subscription that I bought for my dad's Christmas present a couple of years ago 🙄 Darn thing. I'd like to cancel - given he hasn't bothered with either Christmas or birthday for me for several years now he can have something considerably less expensive. I'd already had it on my list to cancel but clearly hadn't actually DONE it 😡

Taken it out of the presents pot, and it won't be happening again!