Building the future!

Feeling rather exhausted right now, and still have a full weekend of work ahead before I can enjoy a day off.

Everything is listed on Ebay to end on Sunday - I am going to then be quite brutal about then sending to charity etc etc as I just want to start clearing the clutter from everywhere.

It has been so blimmin hot, I am doing quite a lot of juggling of food, as some of the meals I had planned are just not what you want to eat in 30 degree heat....so I am trying to be creative and make sure everything gets used. This will likely involve a bit of batch cooking when I get home from work tomorrow.

Have currently used £45 out of my personal pot but £20 of that has gone on new shoes for the LO and £10 on a charity donation for a friend, so I am very happy about my restraint. Have not so much as had a coffee out this week.

I've adjusted my budget slightly as I underestimated my final nursery bill.

Currently at £160 of my additional £500 to make. I've roped in OH to help raise the funds for holiday, as it is his too - so he may be sacrificing some of his personal pot. In fact between personal pots and food allowance for the holiday week, we won't be far off the £400 spending money we would like, but it would be nice to magically find the funds elsewhere!

I have a couple of surveys to do. Am still searching for the best option to sell my wedding dress and designer boots. A couple of people have said Depop for designer stuff but I've never used it.

Great frugal day out yesterday - just £12, had a couple of hours swimming, sitting in the sunshine and eating our picnic. LO loved it. I've decided I want to make sure he's confident in the water by the end of the summer, so need to allocate a bit of my personal pot towards that.

Today, I need to chase up the last bit of money due for my freelance work. I am meeting a friend for lunch today (at her house, so no cost involved......she did suggest going out, but I said I was on an economy drive so we're staying in. I think she was very shocked I turned down a lunch out!), I need to buy her a pressie on the way, which will come out of my personal pot. I have a stash of birthday cards at home which I will pick one out of for her.

The rest of the day will be spent on housework, and getting ready for the week ahead. I've got lots of work on getting ready for my holiday - I want to leave without anything outstanding on my desk, which will help my brainspace enormously!

Ugh....pretty much decimated my personal pot for the month.....lost my temper with my hair this morning (too long, too thick), I've been putting off going to the hairdresser for about 9 months to save money, so I had it cut today! Feel about a stone lighter for it, cut 7 inches off! Then bought a dress as I have a friends party to go out to on Saturday. So spend for today on myself is £80 - but it has come out of my personal pot. So it just means I will have to do without other stuff for the rest of the month. However, I am working, then on holiday (already budgeted for) all the way through to the 25th, so I'm confident I can do it and stay within budget.

Need to chase up my remaining contract work payment as that will bring me closer to my £500 target for the month

Thanks Beanielou I do like it, and I'll also spend a lot less on shampoo and conditioner!! lol

Not an awful lot to report over the weekend. Other than, I have had two NSD which is great.

Now just have three days until we are off on holiday so tasks are;

- Gather together all our food bits to take away (condiments etc), do a small food shop for essentials while we are there.
- Make up list of everything to be packed.
- LO has his last day of pre-school on Wednesday - make cakes to take in for everyone. And do a card (get him to make one?) for all his teachers.
- Reconcile YNAB
- Prepare my budget for holiday spend (if we can come in under this, that will be fab and will go towards the '£500 pot'
- Ensure all my work is totally up to date before I leave, to save on stress while I am away!
- Order uniform for LO....I have actually forgotten to budget for this I need to spend around £25 on polo shirts and sweatshirts, this rest can wait until August. Assess other pots to see where I could maybe take this from.
- SEE have confirmed our account closed, and we are £25 in credit - call them to claim this back, this ca n also go in the '£500 pot'

Just sat down and did a full reconcile of YNAB with all my bank accounts and the credit card I use for day to day spending.

This month is turning out to be a bit of a funny one with some unexpected expenses. It is not insurmountable, and we have still managed to overpay on all our debts, but it has meant I have had to pay us more from the business (still within the 'new' business budget for our drawings, but I was aiming to be £1000 under budget with work every month).

Extra expenses this month;

- I've miscalculated pre-school notice period, and now have to pay some non-funded hours. So £320 bill instead of £80 - this is the last childcare bill though so hurrah!
- SEE and new electricity supplier have both taken a dd this month (SEE are in arrears, new supplier in advance), so my electricity bill has been doubled in effect. I am still awaiting a repayment from SEE of our credit though.
- Some unexpected medical related bills have come in, can't be helped, and should not incur any more going forward.
- Free Roof Box for our car to go camping, but the bars didn't fit our car and I have had to spend £150 on roof bars As well as having very expensive wheels, my car also seems to have non-standard roof bars too!! This will obviously last forever though, and we'll use them over and over again with our future frugal holiday plans.

POSITIVES
- We have overpaid on all our credit cards
- We have stayed within grocery budget and still have enough left for our remaining small shop on return from holiday
- We have not had any frivolous spending, no eating out, no coffees out.
- Our holiday is already budgeted for
- August should be a really low spend month. We have a lot of work on so that will be pretty much all we are doing. No childcare costs, and all the utility bills have now been switched and new dd should be active.