Living within my means-the challenge

lucielle

Can't wait until the oldest is 18 then throw myself on the floor of the supermarket and have a paddy!!!!
L

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi beckseven
Came across your thread this afternoon and had previously followed your other one. Just wanted to wish you luck. You are doing very well especially with your food shopping. It does make a difference having a meal plan. It is also harder when you have children as they constantly need things! Best of luck you have inspired me to clear my credit card now so thank you.

beckseven

Thanks so much Mrs Money Penny. Its so nice when people post on my thread and nice to think that I inspired someone. Most of the time I struggle away at this DFW lark but I do think that since joining the site I am so much more careful at saving money. At the moment I am hacking my dishwasher tablets in half so that I don't have to buy any more before payday-a tip I got from the Old School Board-and you know what-I can't notice any difference in the cleansliness of the dishes! Lucielle-lol at the image of you humiliating your eldest by throwing a tantrum in the supermarket-can you imagine the mortification of an 18 year old! Might try throwing my drink all over the table because it is in the wrong colour beaker when my DS is 18 to get my DS back! I'm on nights tonight so sitting here enjoying the peace and quiet on my own! Have just put £10 in the car so hopefully that will last me until payday. Am going to go on internet banking to check how much money I have until payday-the 23rd-so watch this space! I will either be really depressed or elated! My uncle gave me £30 for DS so think I will buy him some winter shoes with the money. Really stressing about my service and MOT later this month. i have available money in savings if the worse comes to the worse but don't want to spend it. I suppose it would be worse if I didn't have the savings but I really want it for my mat leave.

lucielle

I am the same, I have a few stashes dotted around and they are my security blanket.
L

Mrs_Money_Penny

I did have a bit of savings put away but we have had to pay for a lot of work on our car so it's all gone. It's really annoying because you don't want to use it and I always think of the long length of time it took to save it in the first place. Oh well will have to try and put some back. Although I am going to see how much I can throw at my credit card next week. Want to see the minimum I can leave in our account to pay for direct debits still to come out. Then I will put the rest on it. Enjoy your quiet evening at work beckseven.

beckseven

I really begrudge paying out on my car but unfortunately it's an essential I can't do without as me and OH work at different sides of the county. However I do try and use it as little as possible-eg I live in a village that is just a mile away from the next one where my DS preschool is and the village hall so unless it is absolutely torrential rain I walk to friend's houses, preschool etc and when I am on mat leave I shouldn't have to use it much and the walking will be good at getting rid of my baby weight. Have just polished off a chunky kit kat at work-how naughty. I'm trying desparately to eat healthily but can't beat these urges for chocolate despite me thinking 'mustn't put on too much weight as I will struggle to walk in a few months time!'. I'm trying to keep active though and am going to go to the gym at 3am at work to do some brisk walking on the treadmill-should keep me awake any way! This evening I was cooking some venison steaks that I got half price from Asda and they absolutely stank! It was so bad that DH came into the kitchen and accused me of farting! Despite this they tasted very nice when cooked! Last night I changed my current account to Alliance and Leicester one. After realising that I paid 18.9% on my overdraft at HSBC I made the decision to switch. However I'd nearly got to the end of my application and then suddenly wasn't sure how it was going to work so thought I'd cancelled it and was going to ask on here for some advice when suddenly I got an email saying that my application had been accepted. I'm a bit panicky because I do unfortunately still need my £1500 overdraft-although I put this on my application I'm a bit worried about switching my accounts over and worried how it will work. Can anyone who has switched account put my mind at ease?

beckseven

I slept really well yesterday during the day and this evening went to a good friend's leaving do from work in a nearby pub. Had a great evening and spent less than a tenner including some chips to eat because I was starving and had only had branflakes at 5pm when I got up! However I've got to work and wasted money on 2 packets of frenchfries, a chunky kitkat and a diet coke-all nutritious food for my baby-not! However this is included in the £8 I spent tonight so not too bad seeing as I budgeted a tenner. At work now and busy organising stuff! Have just snowballed and my debt free date is Sept 2013! Sounds pretty bad but have budgeted for spending just £100 on servicing my debts-which would be the minimum repayments and I know that when my maternity leave finishes I will be able to pay more towards my debts so hopefully wil be debt free a lot sooner than that! Arrrgh I'll be nearly 40 in 2013-well 38-and I definitely want to be in a much better position financially before then. My future financial goals are 1. pay all my debts off 2. Save up 3months wages as a buffer against redundancy 3. Start to overpay the mortgage. All in the future but good long term goals to have. I don't want to be in the horrible position of lying in bed worrying how to make ends meet again. I know i say it a lot but I so wish I had been more financially wise in the past. That's why I always post on younger people's threads telling them to sort their finances out now so that they don't end up in their 30s like me wearing tatty old clothes because of unwise unrealistic spending on clothes I did in the past. I'm going to receive £100 from Alliance and Leicester for switching account and I've decided that i'm going to have to spend it on maternity clothes and bras-I've been trying to make do with wearing my normal clothes for as long as possible but I really am starting to look indecent now! I can always ebay the clothes afterwards! Anyway I must stop babbling on-when I work nights I always burble on in my posts-think I must be starved of people to talk to!

beckseven

Had a few days away on our Sun holiday deal to the south hams in devon and had a lovely time and good weather. DS loved playing on the beach and we were nice and restrained with our spending. At work this morning (boo!) but hopefully will be finished at about lunchtime. DS is off to a party this afternoon so need to pop to the shops to buy a present and a card.

lucielle

Hope you have a good day.
L

beckseven

Yesterday was lovely-really enjoyed the weather and DS had a lovely time at the party bouncing on their trampoline! Did a very non DFW thing though and got a takeaway-cost me £10 which I feel a bit guilty about now as it could have gone towards my MOT. Oh well no turning back now I guess and it was delicious. I am at work now and have been since 7 but can't stop thinking about chocolate-how bad am I? I'm going to have to go and get some to put it out of my mind once and for all. need to sort out today how my new Alliance and Leicester Bank account is going to work. Am a bit worried tbH.