EH - Essex > Hebrides...the next step of the adventure?

Now, as ever, I need a plan. and possibly some targets/challenges. But plans come first.

We budget - I fact I'd say we're ruthless budgeters. We're in the phenomenally fortunate position now of having a good level of disposable income (I say "we" but it's more him, than me, these days, to be honest!) but we choose that the vast majority of this goes to savings, at the moment. The whole of the old mortgage payment is now being stashed in savings each month. Currently we save into a combination of a "Regular saver" each - paying 5% for a year - with an overspill going to an ISA in my name. Once the 1 year bonus rate on the regular savings is up we'll be looking to shift each of these as the rate then drops to a straight 1%. That needs investigation - we may look to see if there are other regular saver options we can open elsewhere to "drip feed" into.

We work to a rough food budget of £150 per month for "regular" shopping. That includes cleaning stuff for the house, and a limited amount of cleaning stuff for ourselves. I see that as a figure to be challenged though so we frequently spend less. Sometimes a LOT less. We've just started (literally it starts next month) paying £25 across into a separate savings account which is labelled "food" too - this will either build up a bit and cover things like bulk purchases of meat or will get frittered on little luxuries like big piles of cheese. Either way it'll be tasty. The basic food money goes to a Tesco ClubcardPlus account - it pays interest on money stored in it and gives us extra CC points when we shop at Tesco.
Moving forward my "ideal" would be to do a rolling three week meal plan - but at the moment I'm sticking to planning a week ahead. So I check the freezer, fridge, larder and cupboards. Target what needs using. Make a meal plan, and then shop to a list created from that meal plan. It works, usually, but falls in a heap when I forget to get things out of the freezer. Ho Hum.

We also budget monthly for things like car expenses, holiday, and general fun. We each pay a small sum per month into an account which covers money we spend in our annual visit to the Good Food show - which means we get to buy guilt-free goodies. Yum. We're quire partial to a food festival to be honest - generally speaking there are a few of these a year.

We've looking to essentially "keep on keeping on" - doing the small things we know work, and keeping our routine "running costs" low. Neither of us are fans of throwing away money that we could spend on enjoying ourselves instead, equally we can afford to heat our home and so don't sit around shivering. It's about a balance - avoiding wastefulness without cutting everything to the absolute bone.

Welcome aboard Purplemum!

Greying - always room on the sofa for you (and BG!)

Fru-gal - look. don't tell anyone, but I have to be. I'm the most disorganised/forgetful person EVER - if it ain't written down, it ain't happening! :rotfl::rotfl:

Lunch, thankfully, WAS written down and has been consumed. Two remaining small flour tortillas, with grated cheese (a mix of cheddar and that goats cheese) and some of the roast tomatoes that needed used. Toasted on both sides until the tortillas were slightly crispy and golden brown. It was most yumsome, if a tad tricky to eat.

Also rang the garage to book the car in. I KNOW this one is unlikely to be cheap - it's getting its MoT, a service, the handbrake cable feels like it needs replacement/adjustment and I think I need new front brake discs as it feels like one is buckled slightly. :eek: The car account currently has £294 in it, and there will be £155 going in next month before the bill becomes payable...that needs to be enough! Next car expenses are MrEH's MoT & Service plus tax early next year so funds will have time to build up again, thankfully.

Train tickets booked for our Manchester trip in January - just need to remember that so far only the way UP have been released, so I still need to book returns. For the travel up though - £29 for the pair of us, that'll do.

Now - shopping. I have a list.

OK - some more small constructive wins:

Shopping dealt with. Had two vouchers for free products from the consumer panel so we now have a LOT of apples and 2 non free-range chicken breast fillets. Happy with the apples (from the "perfectly imperfect" range but they're just a bit small). Less comfortable with the chicken - however, if I can taste & review it and it's less tasty than the free range stuff I shall say as much. Also had an extra voucher from them for 200 extra points - and as we always use them on deals that's at least £4 value, potentially more. :T
- Spent £1.59 in Aldi 2 x Butternut squash, 1 x bag of kale
- The total in ThaT oTher supermarkeT came to £31.72 but with the vouchers above, plus a £4 off £30 spend, I actually paid across £24.02. that includes some storecupboard items too - tea bags, rice, a jar of mustard (always Colmans, good East Anglian that I am!) a bottle of lemon juice. Kitchen rolls, cereal for work and stuff for lunches made up to the spend threshold.

Registered the Clubcard + for online banking. I never knew you could! :rotfl: Turns out they class it as a "Current account" so it's been there all along - doh! Just investigated it a bit and I now have an easy way of transferring money in/out of it too - so hurrah for that.

Money transfers relating to my pay all done. MrEH's mostly happen automatically and he'll get paid on Monday. Well, hopefully. In fairness it's been a while since the last time they screwed it up.

I'm now starving. MrEH has been delayed at work and will hopefully be leaving shortly but this still puts him at somewhere around 8pm to get home.

Thanks RT - we cross-posted!