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.

£5 off a £40 Aldi shop voucher in the mirror on Thursday. So says their Facebook page.

Thanks for the boost Ilove, I have been feeling really glum today - the shortfall I need to make before end of December is a four figure sum, so it's no joke. Will have another £30 to put towards it tomorrow though, as someone is picking up an ebay purchase and paying cash. Will put it somewhere safe until I can pay it in on thursday or friday so it doesn't sit in my wallet and get spent.

Good luck for interview today claret! Let us know how it goes x

possibly every little does help. Could you break your target amount down into weekly amounts? Still 5 weeks til Dec 31st. Also...pregnancy hormones! Guaranteed glumness from time to time, especially financially related. I painfully remember flinging myself onto the bed, 6 months pregnant and wailing that we were going to be thrown out of our house as we'd be unable to get buildings insurance (long story, it was fine, we're still here two years later!). Take care and try not to get too stressed out xx

There's a tesco wine promotion on, buy off the main website & get 25% off 6 bottles or more. If you go through topcashback you can get £5.25 off a sale for new customers if you buy using a pc, not a mobile device.

You need to take delivery by Sunday this week, some click and collect slots are free.

It includes wines already 50% off. It takes the wine I want from £10 to £2.87.

Discount isn't shown online, it comes up on your till receipt when you pick it up.

Another £35 in today from an ebay sale (cash on collection too, so no paypal fees either, just ebay's). Had a good chat wit DH about it this morning about how long we limp on before taking the big step of making our nanny redundant and me going back to having a v small business that I run in between being a SAHM. Am going to work every hour possible for the next six weeks or so and then we'll reassess.

£2 parking
£21 shoes.

3frugalthings: 1) needed a few toiletry bits and bobs, remembered as I headed out the door that DH had received a Boots voucher for his birthday, turned out to be £25 so have stocked up on day to day items. 2) have taken inspiration from mortgage free in three blog that the run up to Christmas, starting on 25th November should be '30 days of simple'; I'm already planning many freezer surprise dinners for the next few weeks, the idea is to keep food and expenditure very simple so as to enjoy the overindulgence of Christmas even more. 3) following review of november's expenditure have realised that the little after-thought category of 'miscellaneous' was actually close to £400 this month! It does include payment for Will Aid and National Trust membership which is about £200 of it but still, £200 on 'misc' when that is the same as the food budget is mind boggling. Vow to check online statements every few days to keep track of these little expenditures which soon add up.

£2 paid back to me that I had subbed a colleague for a birthday contribution. 10 minutes later a new dreaded brown envelope was on my desk - collection for a leaving do so £2 in. Evens stevens.

£2.87 at Lidl.

My John Lewis card has arrived! Tempted to go tomorrow for free tea and cake. I could walk, also free, and ds should fall asleep, relaxing. Could read stuff on kindle BUT can I resist all the surrounding stores? Hmm, I'll think about this.

Fluffy I've already bought lots of was expensive, now cheap wine. Lots of people will be getting a bottle for Christmas along with a couple of good bits of cheese and some biscuits made by dd. Fairly cheap gift but with a homemade touch. I've done all my gift shopping now apart from ordering a dvd for dm.

Hope interview goes well Claret.

Turnoff my misc bills were reduced greatly by using cash as I actually see that dwindling.

Speaking of which I shall tot up my school run road costs and report on Friday for the Two weeks.

Today I had To drop sports gear at school in the afternoon then had 2 hours To kill, so I had a cake and coffee, £3.50-ish. Moré Chicken for the ravenous dogs, £3.

Friday and Saturday will be Xmas shopping and DD1 has a date on Sunday so dependíng which parent is chaperone taxi service I may or may not be paying for the cinema. Boyfriend's father won't hear of DD1 paying for anything which I don't like but when he takes them I can't do much about it.

Fluffy nice shoes or boring work shoes?

Claret How did the interview Go?

That'sinteresting at free coffee and cake.

NSD yesterday. Shopping being delivered today. Have decided that our week is too manic so three of us are dropping the choir we go to - will save £30 a month.

DS switching to cubs after Christmas so I have to budget for cubs uniform. Hoping I can sell on his beavers uniform. Don't normally sell stuff like that so I need to investigate the best place to do that.

Naice shoes, £120 down to £21 in shoeaholics sale.

Dd1 has a date?? Her first? Send all 4 dogs with her too to be on the safe side.

Re; my interview (thanks for asking BTW) No idea - genuinely! I felt I gave a good enough interview in that I was nerve free and very confident but unfortunately they use competency based interviews and they like the replies to be very structured so that the reply demonstrates (S) situation (T) task (A) action (R) result and looking back I do not feel that my answers were as structured as they should have been. SO it depends on what score they have given each answer and whether I have scored higher than the others. They're interviewing until next Wednesday too so I've got to wait a full week to find out. I really want it though and will be devastated if I don't get it.

Just been updating my spreadsheet as I have neglected it for a few days. Had a bit of a splurge last night - this is a developing pattern, last week of the month and I always seem to go bad with money. DS2 has been invited to come and train at the academy of a professional footy club (woo) and his trainers were an utter embarrassment and we want him to look the part, so went to sportsworld last night and got him trainers, football socks x 2 pairs, shin pads and an Adidas tracksuit and spent £78.95 in there. The previous night I managed to get him two Xmas presents and a stocking filler for £28.97. The sports world and Xmas went on the CC but I have transferred the money into a savings account to hold onto as my bill isn't due yet. Also had to pay £2.50 for parking yesterday as there were no free parking spaces left.

Everything else: £6.78 left (after deducting the Xmas presents
Grocery budget: £56.97 left
Petrol budget: £93.20 left
Total: £156.95 to carry forward minus any spends today (we shouldn't spend anything today)

Seriously need to start Christmas shopping. Will do a list tonight. DS1 wants money so it's just stocking fillers for him. DS2 wants a bike.

Claret fingers crossed for the interview. We have bought zero Christmas presents for the DCs this far, need to get on the case this weekend.

Another £11 to pay in today that a friend owed me, onwards and upwards.

Food shopping today, am trying to do the most frugal menu plan ever to minimise the money I need to raise over the next month! Have masses of chicken and bacon in the freezer so am making chicken and bacon pie today which should last a couple of days, and am about to put all the bottom of the fridge veg in the slow cooker to make soup which will cover a couple more days. Plus have a whole chicken for roast this weekend/soup for next week. Need to buy mince pie ingredients for a coffee morning on Saturday, but that shouldn't add too much.

50p for the mirror
£5 petrol.

Not first date Fluffy this boy's been on the scene for a couple of years, but they never Go out alone. He's not scared of dogs, has Two himself but mine are bigger

Fab bargain on the naice shoes

Fingers still crossed for you Claret

Yay, £58 total for the food shopping, including an extra 3 packs of beef mince for making a couple of lasagnes to freeze for over Christmas when we have a million mouths to feed (did a menu plan last night so I know what can be made in advance now). Am rather glad after last week's £95 horror.

Blimey, have just put a batch of bottom-of-the-fridge soup on in the (reasonably big) slow cooker and have enough for at least another whole batch.

NSD.

Aw, ain't young love sweet, adora .

It is Creme, but these Two have been in love for a couple of years, they are both 12 and I can't help thinking the hormones are going To kick in and day now help!

Hello all

possiblyorange hope u manage to sort finances soon n don't have to make nanny redundant unless obviously you want to be a sahm of course.

Pay day today n £40 was still in account so that's good - although off to pantomime sat tickets paid for last mth but will be petrol parking n lunch to buy.

Had a15% off food n drink voucher for marks Spencer so brought 2 meal deals dine in things today n it takes 15% off before dine in savings so got both deals for £15 we got 2 whole chickens rosti potatoes parmenta potatoes 2 choc souffle dessert twin pks n 2 bottles wine - wine was £6.49 a bottle on its own n both will do as xmas presents

roast chicken cooking now n left over will be marinated in bbq sauce for sat eve dinner with the parmeta potatoes.

Xmas shopping almost done now do throughout yr due to hugggeee family

Sounds a right bargain east

NSD today, trying to pay off the last of the CC debt we incurred by moving house before the New Year, so any surplus is for that.
Can't wait until Jan when I'll be debt free again, I hate carrying CC debt.

Sending some curtains and a book back to websites for a refund tomorrow so that'll be £50 back which is good!
Adora I started going out with my husband when I was 14, be careful

Ooh, you've reminded me artemisatbrauron I've got two returns to make, that will lop another £70 off the horrendous sum of money I have to make before end of Dec!

Good haul East, it's lovely getting treat food cheaply.