Manic Money Monitoring March continues

[lilacclery]

First time doing the thread! Feel very important

Wages were up last week & down this week but I wasn't spendy so accounts look ok.

Yesterday & today are nsd as will tomo & Fri too hopefully. Away at weekend so food out is essential, dinner & acccommodation for sat & breakfast Sun morn is already paid in advance.

Will fill in spends from last Fri to Mon later
peonies I'm reading Marie kondo at the moment

Goodluck Captain

After dds last sleepover I said no more for a looooooooooong time

So nsd today, started packing for the holiday have also sorted out some more stuff that can sell, old car seats of dds, some roller skates etc. Will do that next week.

Went for a blustery walk this afternoon and set the tadpoles free, hoping the little fellas will be alright!!

spotty - we have as many loos as people, if that helps

captain Would slap my kids if they said anything such as that!!

Well, their loss spotty.

Oh spotty don't be embarrassed. Your real friends will still see you for what you are, not how many loos you have!!

We try to tidy up when friends come round, but there's nothing I've done yet, about the old carpets (were here when we first bought the house 3.5 years ago and still here - and the lady was 90 when she left this house, so go figure...) and the decor of the front room. It took us 3 years to get our kitchen done, and now we have a really nice one, but still crummy carpets!

And because we both work full time and the dh is a hoarder, I don't get to throw away as much as I hope to.

Anyway, dh did shop today, and spent £38 I think. I went to boots to get travel size stuff as going by Eurostar and spent £15.

Wish me luck. Am bringing my students across the channel... Argh.

I would rather live in a small house and be able to eat than a bigger house and be really poor. I do know people like that just because they want the nice house. Also I have a huge garden and live in a very nice area so I really can't complain. It's just that horrible emotion of envy which sometimes gets to me! Counting the pennies all the time can get exhausting. I must remember in ten years time I'll be able to work more because both dc will be at secondary school

Spotty, after my exh left, my DS and I lived in private rented (on income support ) for some years and then, once he'd finally (was made) to pay me my half of the small house we'd bought 'up north' i managed to buy an ex council house in an ok-ish place back home (expensive SE area) which i bought cheaply beecause it had been squatted and totally trashed..

We did it up over the years and ended up staying there 13 years and yes, we didnt have much £ and some people we knew did look down on us a bit for living there .. ( but i always thought it was them not me.. we were just as good as them) .

A few years ago I remarried and we moved to a much cheaper area and got a nicer house for around the same as out old one was worth .. we'll never be able to go back to where we were , but we love it here . We still dont have that much compared to lots of other but luckily now kids grown we are ok /comfortable ..

so yes, it wont always be the same for you as now , and by being frugal now ,you are doing the right thing..

Good luck with council /HA home,, they are great if you can get one and secure .. ( i work in this area .. and yes the are mostly 'affordable rent' these days .. this is because this lovely lot in power right now wont lend to HAs and councils any more for old 'social rent' so they have to charge more to be able to keep building and in business, ..

You know what to do on May 5th !!

We are the poor relations in a nice area. Logistics dictate that we go.to friends house cos ours is too small, and pal is allergic to dogs, but I never feel judged as they are true friends.
Doesn't stop me being on right move and pricing up.
It's hard though when the kids question house sizes.

Hmmmm need and co...I never get play dates reciprocated and now I'm thinking they think my house is better than theirs (ha ha...unlikely). Probably real reason is that they don't want the mess at theirs

£18.50 swimming lesson and £30 Brita kettle replacement as I blew mine up...

I bet I win in the threads who has the smallest home game, we have a total of 5 rooms in our flat ah well its cosy and plenty big enough for me and dd. I think of single parents a few generations back where they would be lucky to have one room to live in

One day when I win the lottery or marry a millionaire I will live in a mansion but until then this will do fine

Would like to sort the bathroom out though, we only have a bath (no shower) and it looks a mess as all the tiles need replacing, taps are horrible etc. Will get some more quotes from plumbers the last one I had was £900

We have five rooms and a landing! That's a lot for your bathroom girlie have you tried a builder rather than a plumber? Dh did all of ours and he's no plumber! What sort of shower are you looking at?

Just a normal electric shower, I know I thought that was too much will get some other quotes to compare.

Captain, what an awful thing to say in someone's house!
I grew up in a small terraced house on the edge of a fairly grotty suburb but went to a private school. My mum was always embarrassed when my friends came over as most of them lived big houses and went on amazing foreign holidays while we went to Wales or Devon. It never bothered me that my friends had more materially than me e.g. my best mate had a pony while I mucked out stables for free riding lessons; she was given a brand new car on her 17th birthday while I had to save up for driving lessons etc. My mum was a single parent and we didn't always have a lot of money but she spent so much time with me and we always had fun. When she was embarrassed about her house I always thought that I preferred living there but being able to have music lessons, days out etc than if we had lived in a big house but couldn't afford to do anything fun.
I feel the same now. We could probably afford a bigger mortgage for a bigger house but we'd miss out on so much like days out and treats that we wouldn't be happy. I am a bit self-conscious about our house but we are gradually decorating and sorting out the tatty bits as and when we can afford it!
Incidentally, my best mate from school is still a close friend and is hopeless with money now - never learnt to budget!!

I updated my spreadsheet today but forgot to break it down for here! Still on 'expensive month' target so happy.

We have a little house with 1 toilet. Currently we have houseguests so 8 people using that bathroom! When I was setting up so everyone would have somewhere to sleep I thought, actually, although I moan sometimes and I want the kids to all have their own rooms it's really not bad and we are very lucky not to be living in one room the way many families have/do have to!

I did our spreadsheet today too, thought we were doing well then remembered council tax starts again next month

£40 groceries.

Ah, to be fair she wasn't being rude on purpose! She was also quite shocked today to hear we don't have sky :o it's just different lives isn't it, anything vastly different is quite baffling at that age.

And yes... They're still awake. Quiet though so that's something.

I've only just got back from the lovely work party, and also saw I've already got some interest in piano lessons! Some for lesson swaps but that will be good too, just need to figure out where it'll take place etc.

Did a supermarket shop as we had To Go into town To Get rid of the old dishwasher. I bought bread, cheese, ham and cereal bars for lunches/snacks next week and DH managed To bump the Bill up To £115 FFS.

Also paíd the vet Bill at last, kenelling for 2 dogs x 6 weeks plus vacine and deworming for all four, US$1700-ish.

Good luck with your students on Monday NK

Ended up a Spendy day yesterday as we renewed our museam annual pass £48 and got a take out £15. We will use the pass lots as there is always stuff on and it's just over halfway to our friends so a good meeting place.

Should be nsd today. Bil is treating us to a pub lunch

Morning all

Up early this morning as the athletics season starts again so we're off with DS1 to see if he can break any personal bests or club records.

I'm getting dead lax about posting these days.

Friday's post
Bank: £308.70 (was £349.69)
Purse: £16.50 (was £0.00)
Jar: £58.50 (was £78.50)

Grand Total: £383.70
Reduced by: £44.49
Days to payday: 19
Buffer money: £103.98
Proper Savings: £574.29

Spends:
£7.99 – rescue remedy (DS1 has been having a bit of anxiety at school)
£3.00 – sponsorship for my friend's daughter who is doing a charity hitchhike to Romania
£17.90 – drinks (work's night out)
£2.60 – breakfast butty
£13.00 – curry (work's night out)

Saturday's post
Bank: £308.70 (was £308.70)
Purse: £0.00 (was £16.50)
Jar: £72.70 (was £58.50)

Grand Total: £381.40
Reduced by: £2.30
Days to payday: 18
Buffer money: £103.98
Proper Savings: £574.29

Spend's: bus fares

Budget looks like this: £381.40
Petrol: £156.50 // £112.50 spent // £41 remaining
Groceries: £300 // 128.87 spent // 154.13 remaining
Interest: £8.80
Bus fares & Kids activities: £16.80
My bus fare: £14.50
HSBC credit card: £12.70
Leaves for everything else....£133.47

Morning all, this weather can seriously do one pronto!!

So dd has swimming and then a mad dash to a party this afternoon, I am going to have a quick look at clothes in Sainsburys while dd is at the party as realised she is short on trousers and going to need another swim costume for the holiday.

Have spent all morning packing and it looks like we are emigrating rater than going to Devon for 5 days in my defence have had to pack for all weathers as no idea if this rain will continue (it better not )

Girlie not sure if you can wait for clothes but I think the 25% off starts on Tuesday

Afternoon everyone - glad it isn't just here where the rain has not stopped all weekend.

I have sent dh out to Aldi - I can't face getting wet again. I went out for a run this morning and got soaked through.

I was going to make a dress today.... but I have no mojo I need to cheer up. I am boring myself with the Eyeore mood.

£245 or something similar on passports and nowt else

I've managed to do a weekly shop for £42, including packed lunch items.
My meal plan is-
Chicken pot roast
Homemade veg soup (15p fresh veg soup mix in reduced counter) and homemade bread.
Chicken chow mein (using leftover chicken)
Pork and apple stew and dumplings
Jacket potatoes with cheese and beans
Homemade fish cakes and salad
Meatballs and spaghetti.
Packed lunches are going to be simple sandwich , fruit, yoghurt and flapjack