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

Claret sending stress busting vibes, I'm sure it's what Helena said about the timing of the appointments and at least you are not waiting months to get the tests done.

Spent about 30 in supermarket today, and 60 on DD2, not quite sure how I managed that. Must have been angry over summit, that always gets me.

Tomorrow I need to get some chocs for another parent. DD1's best mate's parents work at a company that hires an amusement park for the day as the Christmas staff do. They took DD from school and brought her back just after 10pm. There's a naice shop near the school so I can avoid going in to town.

It depends how many people you are feeding though ohhelp.

I'm only feeding the two of us and a cat.

Do you meal plan.

NSD yesterday. Claret all the
v best!!

ohhelp how many are you feeding? I've got our weekly average down to about £65-70 including top ups, by shopping 90% in Aldi. That's for me, DH, and two DCs under 6 (both pretty good eaters, but not massively so) and the nanny's lunch 3 days a week.

Am slightly nervous about how much the last extra top ups will cost me in town today, but the nanny is dropping me in town so will save the bus fare at least. I am trying not to think of the expense of the nanny in that bus fare saving equation .

£6 on cards but will take 2.30 of that back.

95p bubble bath

£6 in homebargains.

Still waiting for my shoe refund.

Thanks for the support and calming me down ladies. DH is quite chilled out and relaxed about it so I am going to try and be more positive.

No spend day today (another) until I go to Tesco and buy the 2 x-box games for the son's xmas presents.

Lovely wknd with my mum n brother staying did some xmas shopping Sun n yesterday we went to a farm with indoor softplay which in term time is £3 for children n adults free so cost me £3! Plus round tea/coffees at £3.60.

£10.99 on a wreath (a real holly one), 70p on a cheese whirl and £2.85 on some padded envelopes to post eBay stuff, which cost £7.80. So, £14.54 total.

Glad you're feeling more positive, claret .

£50 on petrol, £1 on 3 Christmas cards.

3frugal things: stop, start, jiggling the petrol pump to get bang on £50.00! Haven't done that since being a cash strapped teenager! One quarter of petrol budget spent. Three bargain cards in work sale. I only ever buy special 'mum & dad' one as I know mum likes them, everyone else gets one from the bumper box, forked out £2.50 on this year's one but just bought three M&S ones rrp £8.50 for £1! That's the next 3 years sorted! Just said no to family friend keen for us to meet up to go on Santa steam train - almost £30 for all of us and dd would probably be scared stiff! Have suggested a cuppa and mince pie at the station instead.

That's me home after a long weekend with family. Had a rather stressful train journey home involving late trains, a small hand trapped in a sliding door and tears from both me and DS. Think I might go back to driving! £2.19 for snacks for the train. Bad planning but nevermind. I was v good and we got the bus home from town so that was £2.50 whereas a taxi would have been £8. £38.33 in Aldi using my £5 voucher. I've got my dad and his girlfriend staying this weekend so this included wine, nice biscuits etc and rump steak to make a stroganoff.

Fluffy - I've just signed up for the sun app to get my £10 Tesco voucher so thanks for that.

The halifax £100 for switching offers still on too for those of you who don't mind switching bank accounts.

That automatically generated order sounds scary, handy if you are short on time and need it, but still scary.

Spent too much again. £60 ish on DD1, plus another £10 on DD2. Should have come off a gift card but store's system was up the creak and they need the things for Tomorrow morning. Then another £30 in supermarket and £6 parking. Blardy expensive mall but the only place I cold Get everything without running all over town.

Picnmix hope DS's hand is okay.

Claret glad you are feelling less stressed.

DDs are off on a school tríp in the morning, back Friday afternoon. I'll only need veg and food for dogs now. Other than DH's Xmas gift, of course. Might tell him To buy dog food so it comes off a different account.

DH Spent $800, can't Get my head round converting ATM, To register DDs for school next year. Soon it'll be uniforms, books and sport gear. Unless someone buys the house, in which case we'll just do that in the UK.

Went out for my birthday meal last night, it was £35 which isn't ideal, but babysitting was free and my present only cost a tenner, so not a terribly expensive day, all in all.

I need to sit down at some stage this week and work out how much money we need to produce over the next 6-8 weeks as we are moving in mid-Jan. Will probably have to temporarily extend the overdraft to cover the rental deposit, but deposit for new place is smaller than current place, so assuming we get current deposit back in full we'll end up a few hundred up. All very huge and scary sums of money though!

Possibly glad you had a treat for your birthday and good luck with move and depósitos.

Nothing Spent so far Today.

PossiblyOrange: Happy birthday for the birthday I have missed

Spends in last 24 hours....
£30 on FIFA14
£44 on GTA5
£1.75 on margarine and three reduced priced sandwiches yesterday
£1.98 on two bottles of Pepsi Max
£7.89 on Xmas and birthday Cards (ARRGGHHHHH) 11 of them I only send 'special' ones (neighbours, parents, friends not living local etc. I discovered early on in my relationship that my MIL sets great stall by 'personalised' cards and was not impressed that I just sent an ordinary packet one)

Grocery Budget: £186.99 remaining
Petrol Budget: £105.96 remaining
Everything Else Budget: £250.61 remaining

Number of days left to get through until official payday including today...20

Withdrew some money today to start putting in money wallets for the people I give money to for Xmas and not gifts....

Happy birthday Possibly.

£2 on bargain yogs and cheese in jack fulton. £1.08 on 2 birthday cards. £2.90 in Tesco on peppercorns and a Christmas tv guide. I wanted the radio times but broke from tradition and saved £1.50. Just about to get my feet up and my pen out!

picnmix I wanted radio times too! Went for the 90p one instead and am going to have a good look through later too!

£1.50 bus fair, £1.60 lunch, £2.40 tesco (flour, cheese, crimbo tv mag!)

3frugalthings: realised I needed cheese and flour but only had return bus fair on me so walked the 3 miles back from nursery, popping into tesco on the way, to spend bus fair on essentials. Got the deli counter to cut me a £1 chunk of cheese, bought value flour and went for cheap option of crimbo mag! Started sorting/filing our 'in-basket' which is overflowing! I'm sure there aren't any nasty financial surprises in there but feels better to be organised, should be finished tomorrow.

Happy birthday possibly!!

claret I have the same issue with my mil about the "Happy Christmas Mum and Dad " type cards, however our local market has a stall which does a good number in cheap cards like that so I'm heading there tomorrow.
We're on a fixed budget to the end of January and the way things are going, we'll be on the tightest budget ever for Jan . December just causes money to haemorrhage away, no matter what you do.

I forgot To actually say Happy Birthday To Possibly, sorry.

Happy Birthday Possibly .

Spent about £6 on bananas and Chicken wings for the dogs. The bananas are for us.

I was shopping with my MIL once never again and she said, and I'm quoting here, "blow that I'm not spending £2 on a card" so I stick To that principle

Smug spending today: (I live overseas)

Local Department store selling all womenswear at half price ! I got five items for about fifty quid.

I got a dvd for my husband for twelve quid, it was priced at fifteen quid but it was discounted at the till.
Small discount off the book I purchased for him for Christmas as well.

I've got about two hundred quid to last until payday on Tuesday night. That includes buying this week's groceries.

We're up to date with bills and there's petrol in the car.