Marvellous Money Saving March.

[CremeEggThief]

Hi All,
Thought I'd start a new thread for all regulars and anyone else who is interested in saving money in March .

Forgot to add:

9 days to payday

I can do this!!!!!

I agree. I would absolutely get the promises in writing. That would be my concern about staying, that it isn't delivered. However, the commuting would fair piss me off too and can be a real deal breaker in real terms.

audit You are an accountant right? Read below!

DH has run his own business since 2003 now. It's been unbelievably tough at times. He started it when the DC were tiny, I was at home and he more than halved our income. He's worked (and still does) more hours than most people can manage. The recession was scary. The pressure of paying other peoples mortgages can be hard. He has a mental illness (bi-polar).

However, he wouldn't have it any other way. You are not waiting for any one else to have an influence on your career. You make the decisions. You take the business in the direction you want it to. He has the benefit of an extremely marketable skill and (he wouldn't say this), he 'gets' business and what is required to be profitable.

The financial rewards that accompany a profitable business far out strip anything what can be earned by being employed, I think for most folk really. You just have to 'be' the kind of person that can cope with the work and the pressure. I couldn't do it, I am not as much of a risk taker as DH. He would argue that his way is safest, as you are in charge of your own destiny.

You have a marketable skill. The accountants we use for our company and the one we use for personal tax certainly drive very nice cars

£90 shop from Morrisons arriving later. Including beer and washing powder. I don't think we do too badly, considering we are 2 adults and 2 teens.

Also spent £100 on the deposit for DS's trip. This needed to be paid by next week, so could have come out of next months wage, but I will jig around and see if I can make it work for this month.

£450 for DH's car service. Bloody rip off imho. I have a car fund, which I started in 2015, which is now pretty much £0, but hey ho.

well done lechatte! You've saved a lot since last month!

DD1 has been sick again. What a rubbish bug. Not convinced we'll be back at school this week.

I'm glad we haven't got a prepayment meter given how many loads of washing we've done!

NK - I agree with the others that if promises are upheld I would stay where you are, commuting is horrid.

So not NSD but around £16. Working otherwise and going to see about another freelance opportunity which is just around the corner from me and would be 16 - 20 hours per week so would fit in lovely with my other freelance stuff and close to DS school so I could even potentially pull him from breakfast club.

I agree with needs self employment does give you a lot of autonomy and you're not at the mercy of others in the sense that you can't get a bad boss (as it's you) and you make the decisions. I've found it is much more easy to fit it round your life. For example if I want to have a break in the day and then work in the evening instead I can do that. Also I can actually do jobs I enjoy and let me develop professionally.

Need to be frugal this month but with part-time work and jobs I am up income month on month! Loving new ways to save as well, we're living on so much less and still ok it makes me wonder why we couldn't before.

NSD today but I have been having a spend up lately Now that I have a job in the bag I am updating my gym kit and work wardrobe.....and even looking for a holiday to book for the summer out of the redundancy pay now I have managed to twist dps arm. Any ideas for a cheapie holiday abroad? Spain maybe?

Oh and on the job front....I asked if there was any scope for more money so have been put on the top of the grade rather than the bottom, £2.8k more a year, so feeling a bit more positive about accepting it, though I don't see myself there forever.

Stocked up on Clinique yesterday, Boots is doing a bonus time and I had £30 voucher, spent £30ish on top of that. I don't like the makeup included in the bonus time but it always sells well on Ebay.

Lachatte I don't think you can sell used Nappies on Ebay.
NK if the job was for you I think you'd have accepted it by now....

Pass we like Greek Islands for short haul.

spotty , will check. I've been to a fair few of them in my younger days with my parents. The kids have never been abroad before so I am looking for a short flight with limited chance of belly troubles!

Your not supposed to sell used nappies but people still do. Once you've hot washed them it's safe.

I'd go with fb selling for nappies, it's free and lots of parents with young babies use it ime.

48p bread
£2.20 cheese
65p pickle.
Used my other co-op voucher for 400 free tea bags. Thats 880 now which will last 6 months here.

We like greece because they love the dc! Definitely not had tummy troubles there but avoid Egypt How old are your dc? We also went to menorca which is quieter than the other Spanish places which was nice.

a the fluffster's tea bag haul!!

I liked Menorca when the DC were tiny. Nowadays, if it's abroad, it has to be all inclusive, given how much the DC eat.

We are saving for a BIG holiday in 2016 (or 2017, depending), to drive the herd home in Montana, which is a dream for DD and DH especially.

Check out the cost of passports though and factor this into holiday plans for sure, it can really add to the cost.

pass - that's a great increase, well done.

Anyone any thoughts on the budget? I haven't digested it all yet.

sporting - I feel a bit ashamed of the frittering we have done in the past. And how much stuff I could have bought through cash back sites etc.

After the boots Ebay triumph, I am starting to think about factoring in re-sale value into purchases. The chicken coop being a big one, as it retains at least 50% of it's value as a conservative estimate. I'll think about it for clothes purchases too.

Meh, the gas bottle is almost empty, we've run out of washing powder and cat litter, and various toiletries are running very low. We can make do until Saturday (5 days from payday), but we're going to have to do a proper shop. I've done a list, with food (for the following week), gas and eveything, and it is going to come to about €120 (many of the things will last several months though).

So close, so close!

Could you make some laundry gloop up? It's one or two bars of soap grated and mixed in a saucepan with 250g of soda crystals with two litres of hot water.

You put it into a bucket with another 5ltrs of hot water and let it set then use one aerosol cap for each wash.

12.15 in morrisons today. Need to get organised for the weekend as having friends to stay. Stock up,in Aldi and lidl and clean the pigsty aka the house

I echo what other have said get it in writing re the job and support especially if you have mentioned it before and nothing has happened.

Will need to catchy p on the budget implications later not sure what was said as been working

The only soap we have in the house is Lush, it would be cheaper just to but a box of Persil

Finally a NSD although will have t get a loaf of bread tomos but pack lunches tomos!

Have managed to eek the food out, tonights tea is fishcakes and a toasted baguette

Morrisons here I come tomos....

Omg its been a long day - excuse my post I meant will get bread later for pack lunches tomos!!

I love fish cakes!

Nsd here

Afternoon

Bank: £650.84 (was £686.43)
Purse: £3 (was £5)
Jar: £94.20 (was £97.75)

Grand Total: £748.04
Reduced by: £41.14
Days to payday: 28
Buffer money: £103.98
Proper Savings: £794.29

Spends:
£2.00 – Pepsi Max
£10.00 – chemists (cream, anti-histamines)
£9.49 – T Shirt for DS (a Superdry one too)
£7.39 – Memory card for DS2 phone
£8.97 – some headphones from a Groupon offer
£3.29 – athletics, bus fares

Tesco credit card statement came today. I can't understand why the monthly minimum payment is so high (£20) when the balance is only £160.00? I paid on time last month (so no charges) and the interest was only £10.64 last month.

Also – I'm seriously beginning to think I am jinxed. My neighbour rang me today to tell me one of the window panes in my conservatory was shattered. I dashed home thinking we might have had an attempted break-in but after discussion with people we think a bird has flown into it at speed (that is the only plausible explanation we can think of). Even the guy who came to quote us for a replacement window was baffled and said he thought it was unlikely but couldn't think of a better explanation. So that'll be £150 for me to shell out – it's a good job I don't have a Wembley trip to pay for. I'm so pi$$ed off. I'm going to have to use some money from the savings to pay for it.

There's a job come up at work which I am going to apply for. It's on 24/7 shifts but is bloody good money (£7k per year more with shift allowance and enhancements). The family are very supportive but I have been warned that they have to look at 'at risk' candidates first so I might not get it....I don't particularly want to work shifts but it serves me right for our years of profligacy. I'm sick to the eye teeth of having no fun money. Closing date is 5th April.

I crumbled and got a McDonalds the fishcakes were tiny and I managed to burn the baguette!! Dd had eaten though so only one for me and smoothie for her, still £7 though!!

Loaf on bread £1.47

Both frugal fails really through lack of organisation and running out of food, hey ho live and learn.

Hi everyone and welcome newcomers!
I've had a busy and spendy few days and have just caught up with the thread. Meal out with friends on Monday - £15 plus £50 filling up the car with petrol.
Yesterday bought DD's birthday present, card and wrapping paper plus balloons and candles and a few items in Sainsburys that we needed, £60 in total and I still need to get cake ingredients. NSD today thank goodness.
DD is teething and I'm exhausted from lack of sleep plus I have to do parents evening tomorrow, at least I can't spend any money there!
8 days until pay day but have to pay off credit card and nursery before then and planning an outing with the birthday girl if the weather is nice at the weekend.

..so I met my 'D'S for lunch..
£70! (lunch was £7.75 , I had a coffee) he had lunch and £60 [sigh]

Ok so its supposed to be his birthday present , but he 'needs' it now to for an event he want to go to at easter .. [double sigh]

..I could have said No I suppose..

18/2
£2 bus
£1 work collection
£1.24 DH soup
£55 CM

Apologies for post'n'run - just settling down to watch Return to Oz with my DD - revelling in the nostalgia!

..and so I had to transfer £100 out of my savings to cover the unexpended extra money spent inth elast few days as it looks like I might have been over ambitious in what i saved ( £235 went in at beginning of month ) , but the £58 from Next hasnt hit the bank account yet... so with that il be fine .. wil need petrol though) .

on the upside I have just counted my £2 pig, ( started in January .. theres £38 in it!...(im not surewhat im saving the £2s for , but something .. )

and on the downside.. have had Council tax bill. I do DD but of course its gone up .. (ut bi cant complain i work for Local govt.. and we are all subject to horrendous cutsas theres no money any more due to this current lot in charge . Hope ill still have a job , but i suppose it depends who gets in after May 7th .. [sigh again] )