Slipping Through My Fingers

teafor2 · 2 December 2018 at 10:27AM

Nonnadiluca - thanks for that information. I'll have a look at the app and see if it's something I could get to grips with. I think pen, paper and receipts is probably my best option, but I'd quite like to modernise my ways so an app does appeal to me.

Working Mum - I start out organised but if I let things slip for a day or 2 I get de-motivated and think, never mind I'll leave it for now and start again next month, that's probably around day 7! I'm hoping coming on here will make me more accountable. Tidying the pennies is a good idea and it's always easier to work with round numbers :rotfl: I could put them towards the cost of dog grooming.

WannabeFree · 2 December 2018 at 1:43PM

I couldn't get my head round YNAB etc. I use a good old pen and notebook. If I can't get a receipt I text myself what I have spent and then add it to my notebook as soon as I get home.

x

BabyStepper · 2 December 2018 at 2:53PM

Maybe you could divide your monthly spends into weekly. That way when you're losing it on day 7, it will be almost time for another top up, and you will never be more than a few days away from more money coming.

It would still need a bit of discipline. But I'm beginning to learn here that mind games around what you can have and when are half the battle!

Good luck.

teafor2 · 2 December 2018 at 7:38PM

Wannabe - I'm definitely not up to the challenge of YNAB! One diary I read uses it but from what I can tell they're dealing with lots of categories. I don't want to over complicate things for myself or I'll give up. It's the little tricks that people use that make coming on here worthwhile. I'd have never thought of texting something to myself.

BabyStepper - yes a weekly allowance is the way I think I'll go in the NY. Like you said, a lot of it is psychological and if I run out of money at least there's only a week to wait til I next get 'paid'. I used to love my weekly pay packets back in the day. Blew most of it over the weekend but waiting until Thursday for the next one to arrive was never too much of a hardship.

The end of day 2 sees my £158.15 still intact. It's been a quiet day. In years gone by the Christmas tree would have been up by now, but I'm holding out a bit longer this year. Wouldn't get away with it if DD was home though. DS probably won't even realise it's up when I do get round to doing it. I'm reading lots about the Christmas Elf. We did it a couple of years and part of me feels nostalgic for those days, but the other (bigger) part of me is relieved I don't have to think of 24 things for him to get up to. :rotfl:

117pauline · 2 December 2018 at 8:01PM

Hi there

I have a small notebook in my bag and I write down everything as soon as I do it otherwise I would forget. It's in the side bit of my purse so it reminds me although it has become second nature.

I have a 70 euro budget per week and only have that in my purse at a time. This is for everything for me including petrol, food, toiletries and eating out so is really tight. As you have said, I am never very many days away from having money again. Then at the end of the week, in fact in about three hours,, I take remaining money out, putting it away and put the new week's allowance in.

Having done this since September I counted the "extras" pot and found over 120 euros saved. I am competitive and like beating the previous week's total.

Yesterday I spent 30 euro on some clothes from a charity fayre and having a drink out at a cafe. That was OK for me as I knew I had 38 euros left in my purse. And they were real bargains!

Writing everything down is a pain to begin with but quickly becomes second nature. I also found patterns in my spending which revolved around me spending when I was fed up, tired etc.

Finally, you may well be right about your spending when you are out as a family. Usually there is one who puts their hand in their pockets first.

Good luck
Pauline

enthusiasticsaver · 2 December 2018 at 9:01PM

I don't think it matters how you record spends, whether in a notebook, on a spreadsheet or an app but the main thing is not to have a miscellaneous category as that defeats the object of budgeting.

I tend to have broad categories so
Personal care/health includes clothing, hair appointments, medical costs like dental insurance, glasses etc. Half allocated to DH and half to me.

Entertainment includes coffees and meals out, subs to National Trust and Gym, theatre tickets. Take aways, trips to pub,hobbies, books and music and cable tv subs. This is split in three, one third for joint expenses which tend to be fixed subs, one third to DH and one third to me.

Car and house expenses includes amounts for insurances, maintenance, white good replacement, car service, fuel and mot. Decorating, repairs etc etc

Holidays includes weekends away, travel tickets to visit relatives etc

Gifts includes birthdays, christmas, mothers day etc

Utilities is for all fixed expenses on direct debits like water, energy, council tax, phone, broadband, mobile phones and tv license.

Housekeeping all paid for by credit card and paid in full monthly.

You can add others to suit you like debt repayments, savings, pets etc.

teafor2 · 2 December 2018 at 10:00PM

Pauline - thanks for stopping by, you sound like you're really on top of your money, something I aspire to

It's strange really because as far as household finances go we're both really good. It's just my money I struggle with

I'm going to do the rounding down Working Mum suggested and I'm hoping, like you, to have some left over every week that I can put in the savings pot. I was going to save £50 every month but having thought about it I think I'll stick to £25 and pay the other £25 off the CC to bring the debt free date forward. But if I can put any 'leftovers' towards the savings that would be a bonus.

EnthusiasticSaver - WOW, debt free, mortgage free and a retiree. Way to Go :j You're right of course, misc. won't pinpoint where any of my money is going but I'm hoping as time goes on I'll get better at categorising things. It's just my money I need to keep tabs on so it's not even a major job. I just can't seem to do the job very well at the moment

Already I can see there will be several categories: DS savings, dogs, extra CC payments, savings pot, hairdressers, coffees. I feel more in control already seeing my thoughts and plans written down in black and white. Just need to make sure I follow through on them.

teafor2 · 3 December 2018 at 9:21AM

Morning All

Day 3/31 with £158.15 still in the pot. No plans to spend anything again today - not from my money anyway.

So this will be NSD number 2.

Hired a carpet cleaner which I need to pick up soon so that's my job for the day but cost has come from joint account so that's good.

Need to have my general monthly look at household finances at some point today. The shopping is something I'm responsible for and anything that isn't spent is mine. There's never anything left over though and that'll definitely be the case this month. Not sure whether this is down to fantastic budgeting on my part or if I could cut it down a little bit. We're not brand snobs but husband has a very sweet tooth and expects it to be catered for with a plentiful supply of biscuits in the cupboards :rotfl:

Hope you all have a good day.

teafor2 · 3 December 2018 at 5:46PM

Well it wasn't a NSD after all. I forgot I needed to buy carpet cleaner for the machine and I also picked up a tub of chocs for Christmas. Total cost £14 but I had £13 in vouchers so I only had to put £1 to. Then I bought a gift card for £20 so total spend today has been £21.

The gift card was for DD for Christmas. Gifts to the DC are from both of us but we buy different things. Well, husband doesn't buy anything, he stumps up the hard cash that they prefer these days and I buy the rest out of my money. Generally they get a book, PJ's, gift voucher, chocolate and smellies. I'm definitely the winner in this deal.

As well as the DC we buy for 4 adults, a teenager and a toddler. Our immediate family is quite small and we stopped buying for extended family years ago. 2 of the adults are older and we get them whisky and chocolates every year. It's not because I can't be bothered thinking what to buy, they like what they get and would be flummoxed if different gifts suddenly appeared. :rotfl: The rest get money because I'd rather they bought something they wanted for themselves.

Some years we buy for each other, some years we don't bother, it depends if we actually want anything. This year we're not bothering. So I think by the time the gifts and any extra food bits and pieces are bought we'll have spent £450-£500 in total. Some years it's been more, other years, many moons ago when we found ourselves in dire straits due to circumstances we didn't see coming, it's been a lot less.

The older I get the more I dislike the commercialism of Christmas but unlike a lot of people I know, I'm finding it's easier not to get caught up in at as the DC get older because they understand the value of money. DD is really good with budgeting and very thrifty and DS is getting there.

Another waffling post so I'll leave with the fact I now have £137.15 left. :rotfl:

teafor2 · 4 December 2018 at 9:24AM

Morning All

Day 4/31, Back down to 1 NSD so far after yesterday's unexpected spends, £137.15 left in the pot.

Tuesday is when I meet up with a friend for coffee and is generally my biggest spending day but I'm hoping I won't get through too much. I need to do a small top-up shop which will come out of the joint account and the biggest spend on my list are slippers for me and DS - his are for Christmas. It's the other bits and bobs that all add up though.

Waffle warning.

For some reason I buy DS his clothes out of my money and I'm sat here wondering why. He's not into labels so I think it might be because it's just £10 here and there on a t-shirt and the odd pair of jeans which doesn't seem much out of my money allowance. He does like branded trainers but these never cost more than £50 and unless his feet grow, it's 1 pair a year. But add in underwear, a hoodie for summer and a coat for winter and it starts to mount up.

Since I've started this diary I'm thinking more about how we do things and although the joint account runs fine it could be fine tuned a bit better to cover some categories that historically I tend to pick up the tab for, so I need to look at that in the NY.

Right, back later to update my running total. Have a great day.

Slipping Through My Fingers

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