November Numbercrunchers *blows the budgeteering bugle*

[claretandamberforever]

In here please.

Feel free to post a daily spending diary, to ask for advice or just for a general money moan.

Oh no, your poor DD, adora.

Possiblyorange, good going, with your cheap London weekend.

£1.80 today, on a return bus fare for DS.

Everyone is doing so well!

Popped into Aldi for eggs as they hadn't had just half dozens yesterday. Got bananas too so that was £1.39. Managed to resist the tubs of quality street for £3.99. I had one in my hands but put it back.

£10.64 for plywood to lift my fridge freezer up so that the doors align with the cupboard ones. Got them coming back tomorrow to finish the job.

I'm not doing well....

£47 in aldi, only 6 evening meals, forgot milk.
£8 in tesco
£24.50 in boots cos this is how I actually look in rl at the moment
£20 on petrol.

Hi all,

Hope you've had good weekends. Sorry to hear about your DDs art project Adorabell. I've had a stinking cold since last Tuesday and am in a very sneezy damp place at the moment .

Money wise.....managed to get to Friday with no spending....but was feeling so awful I treated the kids and I to a takeaway so that was £10....opps.

Saturday dd (6) and mum and I went to blue water....my mum drove and bought dd a new outfit for her (second hand) build a bear and I bought us a pot of tea and cakes - another £10. But we resisted anything else but it was nice to window shop.

Today.....went to Tesco.....normally do sainsburys but I only have enough time to go to local small tesco.....and spent £16.97 on:

• 6 tins cat food
• reduced bread and croissants
• 2 x bottles of cheap lemonade
• half price pizza
• 2 large carrots
• bag of apples
• value fromage frais
• value cheese
• value pasta and sauce
• value mayonnaise
• value custard creams
• lightbulb
• school bars

Can't remember what else......still got sausages, fish fingers, chicken pieces, potatoes, grapes, and more from last week so we shouldn't need anything else.

I got out £100 as I need petrol, to pay milkman, DSs SEN tutor and also paid for the shopping out of that. So, shouldn't need to go to cashpoint or shops until next weekend.

Dd and I made some cupcakes this afternoon which were a nice treat and there should be enough left for the next couple of days

Spendy weekend here, as predicted. Went out for a meal with friends on Friday night and then had dd's birthday yesterday. I keep reviewing the finances though and overall it's looking good. Will catch up properly later.

NSD.

Finally

Spendy day here xmas pressie shopping but one was the sanctuary set on offer in boots for my mum n an octonauts pirate ship for my toddler in argos sale.

Spent £32 in boots butter got 800 bonus points with my vouchers.

Pasta bake today made 2 with left over bolgnese so one in freezer having with broccoli n garlic bread

I have just made bread and tomato soup for dinner. Not exactly mega budget meal (although pretty cheap as toms and basil were Aldi), but good to use up stale bread and make it worth buying/baking a fresh loaf in the first place.

Was going to claim a NSD today, but had a £50 business expense. Hopefully tomorrow will be a proper NSD!

My mission tonight is to do a Christmas menu plan and list of those we need to buy presents for, so I can keep adding things to the weekly shop. Am never organised about present shopping, but only have a few children and homemade gifts to do this year, so hopefully won't be stung too badly by £££.

Car MOT day today and (drumroll).......£76 so much less than I had hoped for and am really chuffed.

Filled in my vetting paperwork for the job I'm going for and dug out my mortgage statement and did a little statement of affairs on the back page of the vetting form and joint net worth is around £18000 so hopefully the positive figure and the fact that the loan payments will go down with every month and I don't miss payments hope that the vetting wont go against me.

Budget is like this with 3 days to get through til pay day..
Petrol: £93.20 remaining - £20 still to get reimbursed from DH work
Groceries £70.24 remaining
Everything else £122.63 remaining*

And this is with having a £28 takeaway on Saturday (eek) although I did take 2 tops back to Primark for an £11 refund so it was only £17 really.

So it'll be nice to carry some more money forward.

Going to start on Xmas shopping now.

DS needed new shoes - his first proper walking pair- so that was £30. Then another £30 on petrol. I despair this pay month as I've not stuck to budget at all.

I've just looked at how much my savings have diminished in 2013. It's been an expensive year as I was on maternity leave for the first four months and then split with my ex. My aim for 2014 is simply to break even. I know I'm fortunate to even have savings!

DS needed new shoes - his first proper walking pair- so that was £30. Then another £30 on petrol. I despair this pay month as I've not stuck to budget at all.

I've just looked at how much my savings have diminished in 2013. It's been an expensive year as I was on maternity leave for the first four months and then split with my ex. My aim for 2014 is simply to break even. I know I'm fortunate to even have savings!

£5.10 on travel, £2.25 for DS to go swimming, £2.05 on multi-vitamins and £5.14 at Tesco. So, £14.54 altogether.

I don't know how all the A's with accents got there! [puzzle]

Sorry for the double post!

Well done fluffy! I think it's perfectly acceptable to spend some money in boots from time to time. Pampering is essential to make ourselves feel good and it's cheaper than a spa day!

picnmix shoes! Why are they so expensive? Why?!

possibly I made a Christmas menu today! Feeling organised and have already been able to tick a few things off the list.

NSD for me but cheated a bit as my dear mum is staying so 3frugalthings: mum treated us to some shopping, including some bits e.g. Pickles, gravy for Christmas Day. Have started to plan a budget for the whole of December including petrol (£300 - we do lots of driving to relatives) grocery shopping (£200 including food and drink for the big day) and probably £100 for everything else. Have worked out variable childcare costs for the next six months to help us to plan better. Ranges from +£300 some months to -£50 in others (ie where our childcare vouchers cover more than our nursery bill). Childcare, petrol, groceries and miscellaneous are our four variable expenditures each month so really need to focus on planning ahead for these.

Fluffy hope the new stuff works.

Had a heavy weekend with DCs here, Nowhere near enough sleep so I'm not on top form this evening, sorry.

Spent a bit this mornin on Chicken for dogs, bananas and artichokes for packed lunches. About £8. Also had a coffee between school and Pilates, £2, was going To be collecting DD1 from a classmate's, local, but other parents are bring her home as it'll be much later than planned. She handed in her art project but I haven't seen her yet To find out How it went. It looked good though.

Will need petróleo Tomorrow and really should make a start on Xmas shopping.

DD2 chipped a tooth Today so that needs atendiendo to but the Dentist has closed and I don't know where they've all moved To.

I'll catch up properly Tomorrow.

Blimey, joining in this thread has made me realise how few NSDs I actually have. Was thinking I'd have one today but I have a load of posting to do. Think I have had one in the past fortnight!

Ilove I think exceptional circumstances like this year for you are exactly what savings are there for. Breaking even in 2014 sounds like a good plan.

Claret lovely that the MOT was less than expected! Ours is due in a week or two and I am terrified as the last service was v cheap, which doubtless means everything will now have given up the ghost and need replacing.

NSD yesterday. Rest of the budgets going ok and today is pay day for me.

Christmas is sorted - just got to wrap it all now.

Hopefully December will be a good month!

64p on milk and stuffing.

£147 cashbacks come through so I can buy a dressing table now.

I can't buy presents, I have a house to furnish.

NSD but only as there was nobody in nursery office to take payment!

3frugalthings: Christmas cards written already so I can send my mum back home with a load to pass on to friends and family she will see, saving on postage. The wine - it's ok! Have put some aside for Christmas and one is ready for any last minute secret santas. About to spend some time going through online banking reviewing November.

I had a reply by phone to my complaint from the manager of the Morrisons I complained about. He was so nice he made me feel bad for complaining! He wants me to call into the store as he has a 'little apology' for my poor shopping experience so I don't know what that will be!

Read meter and in four weeks have used 655kwh of electric and 53 imperial units of gas which in real money works out at around £143 (give or take a few quid) and my monthly direct debit is £140 a month with the three coldest months left to go.

DH has completely run out of money and he had his £190 spends plus £80 for fixing a computer and he's started smoking again. I gave in and let him have a tenner and I'm hopping mad with myself for falling soft especially how through the month he put £20 on a bet which lost. If he hadn't put the bet on he'd have had £20 left. He was getting all passive aggressive with me as I had said no but then I remembered he's bought pop on a few occasions (but definitely not a tenners worth). I need to get tougher.

Interview tomorrow. Really nervous. Desperately want to get back into the public sector and onto flexi time again

Could you get him on Vaping? It's cheaper than fags.

I do PA

Best of luck for tomorrow, claret. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

I've bought all my presents for Christmas too, but only because my budget is so tight this year, and I just can't afford to buy for everyone I used to. I feel ok about this actually. Oh, I might need to get a small box of chocolates for the supply teacher DS has if she is still there at Christmas, as we've just found out today his teacher won't be back until after Christmas. Not ideal for Year 6, but what can you do?

Anyway, my spends for today were £33.22 on the weekly food shop, from Lidl and Tesco. I'll only need milk, bread and dry cat food between now and Monday.

We seem to have mysteriously eaten virtually no food this week, so am hoping food shop on Thursday will be fairly light, just fruit/milk/bread/veg etc (which will be nice, after last week's £95 shocker).

Have to say I think DH has been better than me since we started being frugal, but I have needed to buy maternity clothes which has made things tricker. Maternity trousers are literally the least comfortable things ever, aren't they? He has had the odd splurge with the DCs, but just a couple of tenners-worth.

I have just sat down and worked out how much money we need to bring into the house between now and 31st Dec. It's a bloody terrifying number, but I am trying to be brave and face it. I know the set incomes - DH's salary and childcare vouchers - and the rest has to come from eBaying stuff and my self employment. My mission is to either cut the total needed by spending less at Christmas etc, or earn the money. Today I managed to put a paltry £15 towards it from my business account. Every little helps, right?

Possibly - every little does help!I need to get that attitude back.

Claret - fingers crossed for you tomorrow.

I spent £5.25 today on entry to soft play and a coffee. Used a chunk of petrol as I was meeting a friend who lives an hour away. However, we walked to and from swimming this morning. Every little?