Judicious January Jangling & Juggling *blows budgeteering bugle*

[claretandamberforever]

Sorry, couldn't resist going overboard on the J's

Happy new year y'all. Welcome to expert budgeteerers, newbies, lurkers and de-lurkers. We're a very friendly, non-judgmental bunch so please use this thread as you choose whether it's as a spending diary, to confess your money sins, ask for help or have a general whinge at the cost of living.....

Hey helena that's really positive news that the job market is looking good for your DH x

adora I have a sympathy gammy eye - horrid conjunctivitis which set me back £5.45 on eye drops and then £3.30 on lunch as I felt sorry for myself!

Quite a spendy day overall - £25 petrol, £4.28 groceries, £6.98 gloss for bathroom.

This is how my budgets look with 10 days til payday:
Groceries - £131.66
Petrol - £0
Misc - £6.11
Personal - £16.64
Childcare - £111

And from this I want to save £70 to pay for our B&B in Feb.

3 frugal things: couponed in tesco to reduce £10.76 shop to £4.28; have bought and used tesco value dishwasher tablets for the first time, pretty impressed so far; have reduced car insurance by £5pm by updating my details (work, usage etc).

Did you see the tesco daisy powder? I throw a dessert spoon in each wash (I don't bother with the dispenser drawer now) and a box of it lasts me 9-10 months so about 45p a month to use the dishwasher daily.

Wow, this thread moves fast.

It's going to be a speedy day today. I got a flat tyre at the weekend and need to replace it today. I think it will be about £45. Luckily DH went in to them yesterday and they'll do it on the spot, otherwise i would have had to wander round town which would have been £££

After that I need to take DD to buy a reward as she has all the stickers on her 'going to bed nicely' chart. She has also done really well with potty training so she deserves a treat.

Had a panic this morning when the boiler appeared to have packed up, but DH fiddled with it and it seems to be working. We don't have any insurance for that at the moment - anyone any views- is it worth it?

*spendy day

quivers in terror

car has to go into garage today to investigate clunking noise emanating from it.

Turnoff I hope your eye gets better quickly. Mine is odd, lower lid swollen and tender and a bit mucky, but seems To be improving slowly. I'm really trying To avoid the £70/80 Drs fee, I may have To bite the bullet. We're going out Today so I might try the farmacia, but they usually just tell everyone To talk To their Dr.

Fluffy my DH is a duvet thief.

Helena good luck for DH's Job search, good thing there are jobs coming up in his field. Sorry about the relocation though.

Ohhelp it certainly sounds like it's worth it for you! Christmas Eve, what bad luck. Hmm, I can't decide, £23 a month is £276 annually which would make it the most expensive insurance I pay but the thought of being without heating at Christmas is grim! We had oil at the last house, didn't have insurance and probably paid out £150 over the 12 years I lived there. Gas is different in that i'd want to get it safety checked regularly and the boiler here is 12 years old so might be worth it, at least until we get a new one.

Tyre was £58 all in, also spent £14 at B&M on toy & new vests for DD plus a few reduced selection boxes for the snack cupboard.

Helena what a pain having to relocate. Pretty much all of Cheshire is nice if you have to move there. Hope your DH gets something soon.

Adora healthcare seems very expensive, hope you don't need the dr visit.

Is the boiler under warranty? Mine is so ill just be getting it serviced every summer until that runs out.

£3 in sains on painkillers and gravy.

£1 on eggs in farm foods today, 70p on cadburys fudge cake bars and 25p on sponge fingers (will make a trifle with jelly and fruit I already have in.

Parked out of town for free and walked in... Been here all day, been to the free library with toddle DD.

cinema deals empire cinemas do sat n sun arms for £1.25 tickets. Most others do kids club ones on sun am.

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhh! Took my eye off the ball and DD1's bunion has progressed, need To try and Get correctors when we Go out.

DD2's endocrinologist (which reminds me she needs moré vitamins) suggested I take her the relevant specialist can't remember the Name now so I asked what could be done, I'm already doing it so he agreed no real need right now.

Will report back after I've Spent shed Loads - again.

Claret hope your car isn't too expensive.

£1 on milk. Used up a load of coppers and took only the correct money.

Tried to register with my nearest NHS dentist as I've recently cancelled my denplan in order to save money. They're not taking on anyone at the mo but I've been advised to go back in a fortnight.

NSD.

I'll read through later.

GRRRR - Car cost nearly £106. It needed new wheel bearing and a spring had gone. Also did another trip to Morrisons as I needed some fruit last night. I don't think I will end the month over-spent but I think a couple of areas of my budget will be in the red.

Kids: £74.30 remaining
Everything else: £155.26 remaining (with £124 road tax due on pay day)
Food: £66.06 remaining
Petrol: £87.84 remaining

I don't think I am going to do a big shop on Friday and at least I am only buying what I need even if it means a hundred trips to the supermarket.

And none of my wombled receipts yielded any money off vouchers.

Feeling fed up. Phoned new job today and my reference (which was posted on Wednesday) still hasn't reached them. I'm desperate to get a start date, it has been 7 weeks tomorrow since I was provisionally offered the job and even when I get a start date I will have to work 4 weeks notice. I'm fed up of being stuck in limbo.

can I just clarify what a NSD is, please???
Is that not spending ANY money? Or just money that is over and above what is budgeted for?
I'm in awe of the posters who can go for DAYS without apparently spending money - what do you do for milk, fruit etc.?????

It means spending no money. Easier said than done.

and to everyone! seems to be a general feeling of malaise in this final push til payday...January has been a long month.

NSD today. silk for me a NSD is anything spent out of my 'controllable' budgets: groceries, petrol, misc (could be anything from a take-away to a spare light bulb), childcare and a personal budget (work lunches, make-up, presents etc).

3frugalthings: submitted time sheet for 4.5hrs overtime; sold my first item of the year! £2 into Christmas savings; inspired by claret I just found an asda receipt from last week! nothing for me either but wouldn't even have thought to check before!

I had a NSD today which I'm chuffed with. I did look at a better deal as my contents and buildings is up for renewal. I didn't manage to get a better deal but I did get my current supplier to up the cover and provide extras.

I'm off to meet a friend tomorrow with Dd2 so apart from the petrol money, I'm going to try and only have soup and bread at the garden centre rather than the extortionate sandwiches.

Fluffy no the boiler's 12 years old so no warranty.

I have had a quick look and a new Worcester A rated combi boiler with 5 year warranty seems to be about the same as 5 -6 yrs worth of boiler insurance payments so I think we will take a chance.

I'm ashamed to say we haven't compared utility prices since we moved in 6 months ago and got moved on to British Gas's standard tariff. I meant to do it before winter but not got round to it and on top of that I'm not sure how much we've been using as all the bills have been estimated. Next job on the list!

I think you can get cashback on boiler service plans as well.

Had to get petrol today so that was £59. Saved £4 as had a 9p per litre discount from sainsburys. Other than that NSD.

Silk all milk over here is long Life, and we don't use much anyway, and I buy a few day's worth of fruit and veg at once. Meat/Chicken/fish tends be all at once for the week or longer as a lot of shops here are very hit and Miss on their storage methods. Meal planning helps too.

Okay, cinema was £5 for the 3 of us on their special offer.
One toe seperator for DD1, shop didn’t have anymore stock, £9
Pizza Hut for DD's, this week's treat meal, £11, enough pizza brought home for lunch Tomorrow.
Parking, because I had To Go To the swanky new mall To Get all things without driving all over town, £7. I usually make it a quick visit.
Roads in and out £2.40.

I want To Get some school things out of they way this week so there will be lot's moré money Spent.

Tomorrow will be an NSD.

Claret ouch at the car Bill and I hope the Job/reference gets sorted very soon for you.

Silk

I only shop once a week. I buy enough fruit for the week and if the it goes then tough (and then tinned fruit) before the next shop day. Milk I have delivery by milkman, yes it's more expensive per pint (only pennies) but I don't spend extra on bits we don't need. I also make my own bread, I can get 5/6 loaves (1 lb loaves) out of a 1kg bag.

I also tend to use frozen veg in the week as it's less waste.

£10 on fresh veg, eggs and a packet of brown rice to add to other freezer/cupboard staples to take us through til Sunday night (this was budgeted in the meal plan I made for this fortnight).

DH spent £8 on some second hand DVDs (three seasons of House MD) in local games exchange but we have a pile of DVDs waiting to go back there so we'll get most of that back on Saturday.