Actually no, I don't need that new mop...
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Thanks both for wishing me luck! The jam went relatively well, it's actually super easy! I didn't quite believe the setting test I did (I don't know why), and slightly over-boiled it so it's a bit firm. OH kindly said that he preferred that because it strengthens the concentration of the fruity taste - and to be honest, it's pretty delicious and does taste a lot more fruity than any shop-bought jam I've bought (if a tiny bit chewy textured.. you can't have it all!) Had nearly 2 full bags of berries worth of fruit (about 750g), along with normal granulated sugar and a splash of lemon juice, which made 5 decent jars of jam. So really good value for money, and pretty proud of myself - I know it's not a huge achievement... clearly I have low expectations for myself :rotfl:
Onebrokelady, it was a lazy, drawling southern American accent
healthy breakfasts are over-rated, I'd go for crumble every time! I've been known to have crumble for breakfast (it's usually my birthday breakfast to be honest) and, you know, it contains at least one of your five a day so if you think about it, it's actually pretty healthy (even better if you sprinkle some nuts or seeds on top) :beer:
ImpulseSpender - I love that you put a NSD tally in your signature, what a great idea! I definitely need to do that - I'm terrible for thinking that small amounts don't reaaally count as actual money because they're small, but they add up quite a bit! Thanks for the inspiration
In other MSE news, I managed to avoid the dreaded middle aisle at Aldi and kept the week shop at a deliciously low £27.66, which should more than see us through the week. This does include stuff from the freezer which make up one evening meal for 2 of us, and 4 lunches for me to take to work. After that, and clearing out the berries, I'm hoping I might actually be able to see a bit of space in there (which I must not immediately fill).
Excitingly, I also discovered a Dorothy Perkins giftcard under a pile of papers on my desk and have treated myself to a free Christmas jumper and 3 small gifts to put in a little hamper for my Secret Santa which I think she'll really like. I know I could have not spent any of the 'free' money on something for me and probably got something for someone else but a) it's free and b) it's really nice. And c) I love Christmas so I promise I'll wear it a lot.
I did honestly do a SOA over the weekend, but have since kept thinking of things that I spend money on where the categories don't exist on the form and need to fill in myself, so I'll have to do another. That's a job for Future-Me though, right now I've got a quiche to make and a pole to climb!£1860 /£2500 CC
[STRIKE]£209/ 600 Car repair loan[/STRIKE] gone!
[STRIKE]£160/ 1600 Bank loan[/STRIKE] also gone!
[STRIKE]137.50 / 3300 Student finance[/STRIKE] (effectively) gone! (Although I will come back to it)
£640 to go out of £8000
April NSDs: 9/16 :embarasse0 -
Great job on the jam. you should be proud of yourself! I don't think I'd ever be able to make jam, I'd ruin it. Plus the fact you're using it for presents is super MSE so that in itself is something to be proud of.
I'm exactly the same as you when it comes to NSDs. Couple of £ here and there doesn't count does it?? It definitely adds up. Having it in my signature motivates me because I want to update it as much as possible August 2019 - Debt £8000
June 2020 - Debt £190.96
Saving Pots: House Fund: £2015.21 Holiday Pot: £327.31 Rainy Day Fund: £964.84 Sod it/Treat Fund: £12.06
Stocks and Shares ISA: £189.650 -
PawsForThought wrote: »Thanks both for wishing me luck! The jam went relatively well, it's actually super easy! I didn't quite believe the setting test I did (I don't know why), and slightly over-boiled it so it's a bit firm. OH kindly said that he preferred that because it strengthens the concentration of the fruity taste - and to be honest, it's pretty delicious and does taste a lot more fruity than any shop-bought jam I've bought (if a tiny bit chewy textured.. you can't have it all!) Had nearly 2 full bags of berries worth of fruit (about 750g), along with normal granulated sugar and a splash of lemon juice, which made 5 decent jars of jam. So really good value for money, and pretty proud of myself - I know it's not a huge achievement... clearly I have low expectations for myself :rotfl:
Onebrokelady, it was a lazy, drawling southern American accent healthy breakfasts are over-rated, I'd go for crumble every time! I've been known to have crumble for breakfast (it's usually my birthday breakfast to be honest) and, you know, it contains at least one of your five a day so if you think about it, it's actually pretty healthy (even better if you sprinkle some nuts or seeds on top) :beer:
ImpulseSpender - I love that you put a NSD tally in your signature, what a great idea! I definitely need to do that - I'm terrible for thinking that small amounts don't reaaally count as actual money because they're small, but they add up quite a bit! Thanks for the inspiration
In other MSE news, I managed to avoid the dreaded middle aisle at Aldi and kept the week shop at a deliciously low £27.66, which should more than see us through the week. This does include stuff from the freezer which make up one evening meal for 2 of us, and 4 lunches for me to take to work. After that, and clearing out the berries, I'm hoping I might actually be able to see a bit of space in there (which I must not immediately fill).
Excitingly, I also discovered a Dorothy Perkins giftcard under a pile of papers on my desk and have treated myself to a free Christmas jumper and 3 small gifts to put in a little hamper for my Secret Santa which I think she'll really like. I know I could have not spent any of the 'free' money on something for me and probably got something for someone else but a) it's free and b) it's really nice. And c) I love Christmas so I promise I'll wear it a lot.
I did honestly do a SOA over the weekend, but have since kept thinking of things that I spend money on where the categories don't exist on the form and need to fill in myself, so I'll have to do another. That's a job for Future-Me though, right now I've got a quiche to make and a pole to climb!
I found a Next gift card in my purse of all places back in the summer,I don't know how it had escaped being spent but I used it to put towards a lovely pair of summer sandals,I think gift cards that were intended for ourselves should be used for that purpose,we spend enough time trying to save money etc as it is,it's so nice to get an unexpected treat
I'm loving the accent too:rotfl:
And crumble for breakfast sounds about right to me :jOriginal Debt Owed Jan 18 = £17,630 Paid To Date = £6,080.1 Owed = £11,549.90 -
ImpulseSpender wrote: »Great job on the jam. you should be proud of yourself! I don't think I'd ever be able to make jam, I'd ruin it. Plus the fact you're using it for presents is super MSE so that in itself is something to be proud of.
I'm exactly the same as you when it comes to NSDs. Couple of £ here and there doesn't count does it?? It definitely adds up. Having it in my signature motivates me because I want to update it as much as possible
Oh god, it's good to know I'm not alone! I was really terrible for arranging meetings at work in one of the cafes or restaurants because I don't have an office, and then casually offering to buy drinks for us both! No more of that, I'll add it to my signature now!
You'd totally be able to make jam! You literally just heat fruit up with some sugar for the time the online recipes dictates, do a setting test, believe the setting bit (from my experience this is the key), and then voila!Onebrokelady wrote: »I found a Next gift card in my purse of all places back in the summer,I don't know how it had escaped being spent but I used it to put towards a lovely pair of summer sandals,I think gift cards that were intended for ourselves should be used for that purpose,we spend enough time trying to save money etc as it is,it's so nice to get an unexpected treat
I'm loving the accent too:rotfl:
And crumble for breakfast sounds about right to me :j
Haha I love your secret hidden gift card hiding place, you know what they say about hiding things right under your nose! I'm glad you spent it on you - you're totally right about treating ourselves and if it happened to anyone else I would definitely recommend doing the same - I think I need to learn to support myself in the same way that I would support another person in my shoes. And crumble for breakfast is AMAZING :j
Had a couple of NSDs this week (yay!) and liaising with my brother about potential Christmas prezzies for our parents. He got married this year so we're thinking of clubbing together on some wedding-photo related gifts. Plus the chewy jam, because they, like my OH, have to eat it whether they like it or not :rotfl: so it should be fairly cheap but bursting with sentimental value now I just have to work out what to get for everyone else... £1860 /£2500 CC
[STRIKE]£209/ 600 Car repair loan[/STRIKE] gone!
[STRIKE]£160/ 1600 Bank loan[/STRIKE] also gone!
[STRIKE]137.50 / 3300 Student finance[/STRIKE] (effectively) gone! (Although I will come back to it)
£640 to go out of £8000
April NSDs: 9/16 :embarasse0 -
I'm stuck what to get my parents this year, I usually spend ages thinking about it and then panic buy them something the week before Christmas,I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet,I've saved the money this year and I'm liking seeing it in my account so much I don't want to spend it on anyone :rotfl:Original Debt Owed Jan 18 = £17,630 Paid To Date = £6,080.1 Owed = £11,549.90
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OBL - Super impressed that you've been saving! :T Does the money stay in your current account or do you store it somewhere separately? I'm not sure I could see those kinds of savings in my usual account and not mindlessly spend them! Some people are just really awkward to buy for, aren't they? Can you do any shopping online? Amazon Prime is my best friend around Christmas - One Day delivery has saved my skin on many occasions! This year I've booked a day off work to go to the local discount outlet shopping centre towards the end of November with a friend. I always get inspiration for gifts there (and All The Things I Need for me too), and I'm hoping it will be less busy and stressful than going at the weekend or in December.
Bleugh, forgot that my friend had bought tickets for a couple of events which I agreed to pre-LBM and she’s been very politely waiting for me to remember to pay her back. Whoops… So, had to fork out £45 for those today, bless her socks for being so patient with me. At least it’s no longer hanging over my head (not that it was, clearly). Still, it’s always good to have something to look forward to. I think it helps to stop me getting grumpy about having no money and, as an extra treat, when the events arrive they will feel like they’re free heheh :rotfl:
I also gave in (after months of temptations) to a HelloFresh discount that popped up in my emails. I subscribed and got a couple of boxes a few years ago when my parents tried it and had a discount code. I love the recipes and find that they go a lot further than they’re usually meant to, they teach me new cooking skills (I always get flashbacks to bashing a chicken breast with a saucepan in lieu of any other heavy butterflying tools) and I like the zero-waste factor too, but generally find them a bit (a lot) too expensive. But with a 55% discount it came to £22 for 5 meals for 2 people, which is probably what I’d spend on our dinners for the week anyway but with the added bonus of being quality products and the excitement of trying new recipes instead of lumping for the same old go-tos! Although I have no regrets, there’s still a part of me that feels slightly guilty for spending the money. I’m sure that will go away when I start munching though… food has always been my vice.
On my 7th of 9 possible NSDs this November. Feel like I’m cheating a little bit as I’ve been, ahem, ‘saving’ my spends to try and get them all in the same day. :wall: For example, I usually do the food shop on Sat or Sun, so I’m trying to make my petrol stretch to then and also have 2 or 3 Christmas presents which I’m holding out on buying to make sure it’s on the same day. I suppose it means that I’m thinking more carefully about my purchases but only time will tell if it’s really helping - at least I’m no longer wasting money on impulse spends for immediate gratification (yes, I’m talking to you sneaky, discounted work hot chocolates
)!
To end on a positive note, because good lord I’m starting to sound like a martyr, I’ve bunged the ingredients for a lovely black bean chilli into the slow cooker and as the aromas waft through I’m feeling the smug gratification of knowing I’ll soon be scoffing a super cheap but extremely nourishing meal that required the bare minimum effort - bliss! I have an unexpected interview next week so will be spending the weekend at my desk prepping and stressing over that rather than going out and wasting cash - eee!£1860 /£2500 CC
[STRIKE]£209/ 600 Car repair loan[/STRIKE] gone!
[STRIKE]£160/ 1600 Bank loan[/STRIKE] also gone!
[STRIKE]137.50 / 3300 Student finance[/STRIKE] (effectively) gone! (Although I will come back to it)
£640 to go out of £8000
April NSDs: 9/16 :embarasse0 -
Found your diary last night so thought I'd pop in and say hi and it sounds like you're doing the right things.
I'd say planning your shopping trips to maximise their productivity (and saving your NSD count) is a good plan.
Hope the interview prep goes well, and doesnt cause you too much stress!It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it.
Sir Terry Pratchett
Find my diary here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5135113
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Ok, confession time. I bought Spice Girls tickets.. They were not cheap :eek:
To make up for my bad behaviour, I'm posting a SOA which I think now includes all of the important things. OH and I have a joint account for essentials like rent, bills and food so I've only included my income and split those shared costs down the middle. I've added notes where appropriate :j
Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 0
Number of cars owned.................... 1
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1870
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 0
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1870
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 600 I really miss the North
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 91 Again this seems absolutely extortionate compared to our last house
Electricity............................. 20
Gas..................................... 10
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 12
Telephone (land line)................... 0
Mobile phone............................ 12
TV Licence.............................. 0
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 0
Internet Services....................... 0 OH pays for this as he insists that we can only have the ludicrously expensive fastest broadband package available for his gaming
Groceries etc. ......................... 80 OH does put in a little more as I've said we can only have meat if it comes from the local butchers, and the thought of going without completely floored him :rotfl:
Clothing................................ 15 I don't shop for clothes often and this is a total guesstimate
Petrol/diesel........................... 100
Road tax................................ 12.25
Car Insurance........................... 30
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 10
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 40.47
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 6.5
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 0
Haircuts................................ 30 I get my hair cut and coloured every 3 months and it has a big impact on my esteem so not really a negotiable for me, 3 months is already far too long to go between! Also they do a reaaally nice head massage
Entertainment........................... 30
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 0
Pet related costs (food etc)............ 15
Netflix................................. 5
Amazon Prime............................ 8
Microsoft package....................... 4 Need this for work/study and paying means I can move it between platforms
Car service scheme...................... 14.5
Total monthly expenses.................. 1165.72
Assets
Cash.................................... 125
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 1500
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 1625
No Secured nor Hire Purchase Debts
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Bank loan......................1441.08...160.1.....0
CC.............................2400......100.......0
Car repair.....................400.......200.......0
SF Overpayment.................3162.5....137.5.....0
Total unsecured debts..........7403.58...597.6.....-
Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,870
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,165.72
Available for debt repayments........... 704.28
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 597.6
Amount left after debt repayments....... 106.68
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 1,625
Total HP & Secured debt................. -0
Total Unsecured debt.................... -7,403.58
Net Assets.............................. -5,778.58
Two themes have occurred to me since starting the thread:- I always overspend on food. I take my own breakfasts/lunch into work and cook dinners from scratch, I batch cook when I can so that I have something ready for days when I can't be bothered. But I am an emotional snacker and I need to find a way to address this :EasterBun
- I am really bad for spending unbudgeted money on experiences (cough, Spice Girls, cough). I need to learn how to say no. This will not be easy over Christmas, where my £30 entertainment budget probably won't cut it. Hmm.
As I said in my original post, I'm now tracking all of my spends so should be able to provide more accurate budget for things like clothes and entertainment in the coming months. Any thoughts warmly welcomed £1860 /£2500 CC
[STRIKE]£209/ 600 Car repair loan[/STRIKE] gone!
[STRIKE]£160/ 1600 Bank loan[/STRIKE] also gone!
[STRIKE]137.50 / 3300 Student finance[/STRIKE] (effectively) gone! (Although I will come back to it)
£640 to go out of £8000
April NSDs: 9/16 :embarasse0 -
scubaangel wrote: »Found your diary last night so thought I'd pop in and say hi and it sounds like you're doing the right things.
I'd say planning your shopping trips to maximise their productivity (and saving your NSD count) is a good plan.
Hope the interview prep goes well, and doesnt cause you too much stress!
Thanks so much for your support scubaangel! I am a chronic over-preparer so although it is stressful, I'm also finding it quite satisfying £1860 /£2500 CC
[STRIKE]£209/ 600 Car repair loan[/STRIKE] gone!
[STRIKE]£160/ 1600 Bank loan[/STRIKE] also gone!
[STRIKE]137.50 / 3300 Student finance[/STRIKE] (effectively) gone! (Although I will come back to it)
£640 to go out of £8000
April NSDs: 9/16 :embarasse0 -
PawsForThought wrote: »OBL - Super impressed that you've been saving! :T Does the money stay in your current account or do you store it somewhere separately? I'm not sure I could see those kinds of savings in my usual account and not mindlessly spend them! Some people are just really awkward to buy for, aren't they? Can you do any shopping online? Amazon Prime is my best friend around Christmas - One Day delivery has saved my skin on many occasions! This year I've booked a day off work to go to the local discount outlet shopping centre towards the end of November with a friend. I always get inspiration for gifts there (and All The Things I Need for me too), and I'm hoping it will be less busy and stressful than going at the weekend or in December.
Bleugh, forgot that my friend had bought tickets for a couple of events which I agreed to pre-LBM and she’s been very politely waiting for me to remember to pay her back. Whoops… So, had to fork out £45 for those today, bless her socks for being so patient with me. At least it’s no longer hanging over my head (not that it was, clearly). Still, it’s always good to have something to look forward to. I think it helps to stop me getting grumpy about having no money and, as an extra treat, when the events arrive they will feel like they’re free heheh :rotfl:
I also gave in (after months of temptations) to a HelloFresh discount that popped up in my emails. I subscribed and got a couple of boxes a few years ago when my parents tried it and had a discount code. I love the recipes and find that they go a lot further than they’re usually meant to, they teach me new cooking skills (I always get flashbacks to bashing a chicken breast with a saucepan in lieu of any other heavy butterflying tools) and I like the zero-waste factor too, but generally find them a bit (a lot) too expensive. But with a 55% discount it came to £22 for 5 meals for 2 people, which is probably what I’d spend on our dinners for the week anyway but with the added bonus of being quality products and the excitement of trying new recipes instead of lumping for the same old go-tos! Although I have no regrets, there’s still a part of me that feels slightly guilty for spending the money. I’m sure that will go away when I start munching though… food has always been my vice.
On my 7th of 9 possible NSDs this November. Feel like I’m cheating a little bit as I’ve been, ahem, ‘saving’ my spends to try and get them all in the same day. :wall: For example, I usually do the food shop on Sat or Sun, so I’m trying to make my petrol stretch to then and also have 2 or 3 Christmas presents which I’m holding out on buying to make sure it’s on the same day. I suppose it means that I’m thinking more carefully about my purchases but only time will tell if it’s really helping - at least I’m no longer wasting money on impulse spends for immediate gratification (yes, I’m talking to you sneaky, discounted work hot chocolates)!
To end on a positive note, because good lord I’m starting to sound like a martyr, I’ve bunged the ingredients for a lovely black bean chilli into the slow cooker and as the aromas waft through I’m feeling the smug gratification of knowing I’ll soon be scoffing a super cheap but extremely nourishing meal that required the bare minimum effort - bliss! I have an unexpected interview next week so will be spending the weekend at my desk prepping and stressing over that rather than going out and wasting cash - eee!
When I started my DMP I opened a new current account for my wages to be paid into then I opened two savings accounts with the same building society, each month when I get paid I transfer the saving money into their respective accounts ( emergancy fund and Xmas savings)
I can't draw money out of these accounts because they don't come with a card or book,so if I need to use any of the money I have to transfer it back to my current account,this way it's still accessible if I'm desperate but I can't just dip into it without the faff of logging in to my account and moving the funds over,it means I have to planif I want to use it which gives me time to think about if I should be using it in the first place
I've never had any savings before so this is a novelty to me,I just need to persuade myself to spend it now,it's going to be so nice when January comes around and I know I won't still be paying for XmasOriginal Debt Owed Jan 18 = £17,630 Paid To Date = £6,080.1 Owed = £11,549.90
This discussion has been closed.
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