December debt destroying *blows the budgeteering bugle*

[claretandamberforever]

Okay, so probably not much debt will be getting destroyed this month, but hopefully we won't add too much to it.

Here's the thread you want if you need to keep a spending diary somewhere, confess money sins, ask for help or have a general whinge at the cost of living.

Welcome to any newbies

I signed when it was morrisons vouchers, took about 3 weeks to arrive

Fluffy that is the kid of thing my mother would do - she always gapes at me if I dare to have more than a single slice of toast for lunch, perhaps with a bit of tinned mackerel for extra excitement.

Nightnanny how sad about your rabbit, I hope he slips away without any distress.

Am feeling artificially poor as have just paid rent and nanny salary and still haven't had a chance to pay in two cheques which will bring in £400. No idea when I'm going to get time to before Christmas at this stage.

Did the big Christmas shop today - £143 in Aldi (I have NEVER spent that much in there! Literally couldn't fit any more in the trolley) and another £122 in Sainsbury's, but a combination of Nectar points, emptying the change jar into the change machine and DH's £50 voucher from work meant I only actually had to stump up for £46 of the £122, which was rather nice. I should only have to buy a couple of things like brussels sprouts and cream next Monday (and pick up the turkey, but good old MIL gave us money for that). Considering I'm feeding 7 adults and four children from the 23rd to the 26th/27th (staggered leaving times), I'm not too disappointed in that. It would have been an awful lot more last year.

Got an amazing huge ham in Aldi, bone in, 4.3kg, for about £13 or £14, which I thought was brilliant value, as it can come out and look impressive for several big lunches (crucially Christmas Eve and Boxing Day) even for DH's big eating family. Do we think it will be ok to slice and freeze anything we don't eat by boxing day? Am planning on cooking it on the 23rd. Was thinking whatever's left might be good for throwing in pasta bakes etc, even if it's not very exciting in sandwiches defrosted? Have never frozen ham before.

Yep, slice and freeze the ham.

So my few bits turned into £25 worth of top up, Meh - it means I don't have To Get things at the weekend.

Possibly I was at your Christmas shopping úntil I saw How many you are feeding and for How long. Not so bad after all.

picnmix I remind him occasionaly

Thankyou everyone rabbit passed away yesterday evening i was in bed but husband sat up cuddling him haven't told our toddler yesterday tried to explain to him yesterday but he said where's he going then so don't think he fully understands.

Last day of work today til after xmas so looking forward to the break

Aw, so sorry to hear that news, nightnanny .

Adora I was too until I worked out the number of people! I will feel a bit hard done by if there aren't lots of leftovers though (although DH's family are greedy buggers, so I'm not holding my breath ).

Last bit of Christmas posting to do this afternoon, then off my to my parents for the weekend so won't be spending much all weekend and on Monday, apart from cheap haircuts for the DCs and picking up the turkey.

So sorry nightnanny, poor bunny xx

I feel in a constant state of panic at the moment that some financial catastrophe is going to strike, maybe because this is the first month I've worked to budgets and although they're going ok I'm sure there are lurking spends!

Had two such panics this morning...firstly checked my wages, again to see if extra hours are working out financially, and it appeared that I'd basically earned a pittance! Second disaster was that both headlights on the car went last night, convinced myself it was some huge, costly electrical fault and that we'd have to get it fixed by some cowboy trader in order to leave for Christmas festivities later on tonight! Both have worked out ok; I've inadvertently bought a lot of childcare vouchers so I've received less cash pay but will have more to put towards January nursery bill. My nursery budget of £300 is just to pay the cash balance after childcare vouchers so this will come in under budget. And best of all, my lovely mechanic was available last minute and has replaced both bulbs (no electrical fault) for £20! Ok so our 'everything else' budget has only about £10 left in it but I'm pleased with that.

Will have some costs later this afternoon as need to go and buy our contributions to this weekend's visit - some drinks and deserts - hoping to still have £100 left in food budget for next week.

Thankyou all.

Told our toddler bunny has gone to live in the stars n he said what in an aeroplane so i just said yes if u like

work all Done now so rest time

That's me back from my Christmas do. Just call me rock n roll! The meal only came to an extra £15 and my manager bought a round of drinks. I went on for one more drink but that was bought for me as it was just a diet coke. I then got a lift home but gave £2.50 towards parking. So lots of change out of my anticipated £40. Im very pleased.

Think I might do some wrapping now as I don't have DS and it feels too early to veg in front of the tv.

Sorry about the bunny nightnanny, toddlers tend To struggle with the permanence of death, but he'll Get there, especialy as you haven't told him bunny went off on some kind of adventureous holiday.

picnmix great result on the Christmas do costs.

Don't think I need To Get anything Today, but Tomorrow I need To Get a small gift for a classmate of DD2.

Possibly most things can be frozen if left overs are a problem, but as you are feeding greedy buggers I Doubt you'll have much left over.

I'm so sorry about your pet rabbit East, it's a horrible experience when you lose them.

£6 on wine and bread in aldi. Aldi have started marking Christmas cakes down. They have a lot of Christmas cake in our local one.

Husband came home with some bits from Christmas festivities at work wine leftover cakes crisps n fruit. His secret Santa present made us laugh a xmas pud think they had forgot as aldi is across the rd n it was from there.!!

Husband still at work til xmas eve so got friends over Mon n doing a little xmas party for children n xmas eve think will do cheap children cinema show n then church christingle in afternoon

NSD Friday, need moré food for dogs.

Free range fresh turkey under £40 in aldi we r having free range corn fed chicken instead.

Tesco have rib beef half price from butcher counter.

Just done last of food shop at aldi

I saved the morrisons vouchers the sun sent me, I've got £15 off them so I'm hoping to get a small free range turkey from them.

Contributions for family weekend came in at about £40 so around £120 food budget left and refilled car (again!) with £60 so £150 left of petrol budget.

Last £10 of everything else budget gone as I realised when we arrived last night that I'd forgotten toothbrush and knickers - emergency town dash required this morning!

About £105 between Tesco and Lidl on food shop yesterday, although there's probably enough until New Year! Just need bread sauce and trifle now, my little luxuries from M&S, some fresh cranberries, and of course, milk and bread, but all can wait until Monday.

NSD so far today .

We'll be buying dog food later, birthday gift of chocs has been diverted from the Christmas pile. For actual Christmas shopping I will need fresh veg and salad which I will Get Monday or Tues. Oh, and ice cream too.

Haven't been on for a few days but in those few days I have managed to spend a metric fucktonne of cash (but mainly on the credit card)

Remaining budgets are...
Kids spends £81.15 remaining
Everything else: £185.18 remaining
Grocery: £17.10 remaining
Petrol: £95.96 remaining

So that's not too shabby as there are only 10 days left to payday. Whatever is left will have to get paid onto the credit card to pay for the Christmas spends, as much as this will kill me.

Grocery budget took a battering this month but I did buy Xmas dinner (at least £20), and there is a takeaway in there too.

DH got a £1000 pre-tax bonus which is about £666 after tax (woo) but I don't want to spend it on anything until we know for 100% that the biopsy he will be having done on Xmas eve is normal.

Xmas spending was well over target. I had hoped to bring it in at £500-£550 but it's an eyewatering £648.50 with someone still left to buy for, and two people we usually buy for, who we didn't buy for. I could cry!! Probably only £100 of that was not on the credit card. I've spent roughly £220 (ish) on my boys each and bought for 22 other people (plus the one I still have to buy for)

Anyway - my plan for next year is...
Keep my grocery budget at £350, but any underspend can go into a Christmas account or I can buy stuff throughout the year.

God, just remembered DH's road tax is due at end of January, it really is relentless money grabbing isn't it?

Off to read back through the thread now

We're at my parents this weekend and having a beef rib. Tragically () the rib was about twice the expected weight so they're probably sending us home with plenty of leftovers for the freezer, hurrah!

NSD today, think it's my first of December!

Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas build up and not feeling too financially stressed.