Fixing Today for a Brighter Tomorrow!

Thanks for all your kind well wishes for my exam. I am happy to say I survived! Three hours is a long time in a hot classroom and I felt like my hand was going to drop off by the end. It was a tough exam but I think I've done enough to pass which is the main thing. Now just to wait until October for the results…

I got back from my holiday which was absolutely gorgeous on Saturday. The UK is a beautiful place to holiday, when you've got the weather on your side. It also meant that many of our activities were free - it costs nothing to lie on a beach!

I guess you're all wondering how I did with my spending challenge? I've got to say, I'm really pleased with myself.

Budget:
Food: £50 (this is my usual weekly food shop)
Activities: £100
Total: £150

Actual:
Food: £65.17
Activities: £98.46
Total: £163.63

So slightly over. But not by too much. I think the food shopping was uplifted by buying extras such as toothpaste, after sun and ice to try and keep things cool!

I've got a couple of expenses coming up - getting a bridesmaid dress altered, wedding gifts to purchase and a friend in a play that I want to get tickets for. Just about to start divvying up next months pay to make sure these things are all covered before I work out my monthly budget. No credit card emergencies for me. Maybe I am learning something?

Speak soon,
SaF x

pidge04 wrote: »

Definitely always waiting for pay day to come along!

Glad I am not alone!

Finally, pay day is upon us! I love moving all my money around when it comes in at the end of the month.
I've paid £200 off my credit card debt this morning, plus put my rent and bills money into the joint account and a little bit away for the wedding. Feels GOOD.

I can specifically tell you that the £200 paid for perfume (that's long since run out), drinks in a New York Bar and one night in a New York Hotel. All from OVER a year ago. I'm still cross with myself for being so flippant about debt and credit cards. Having not used one since June 2017 I don't understand how I'd become so reliant. Scary. I never want to go back to thinking that way. I've reset my relationship with money and while it's much harder, it's ultimately so much more rewarding.

I don't much like just waiting for pay day to come round to keep working at my debt, so this month I am going to have a think if there's any way I can save a little bit here and there to make additional payments, or if I can raise some additional funds (thinking eBay perhaps?)

I'll keep checking in with progress.

Best wishes,
SaFx

P.s. - Just realised this means I can update my signature!

I've just signed up for a Monzo account. I think it will be really useful for me to have my spending money in a completely separate place to my bills so I can see exactly how much I have left to spend instead of estimating. Then I can allocate my pocket money weekly and keep tabs on my frivolous ways!

Is anyone else doing this, and it is a success?