Low spend May

[Orcubed]

As previous months, trying to stop the non essential spending. All welcome

Oh no!! I've just remembered I spent £55 in primark 😱😱
New pants and socks for both kids and some shorts for DC2 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

Good work everyone. Weekends are a spending challenge sometimes!
I managed a NSD on Saturday (woo!) but yesterday, we had a late lunch out and ds went on some rides etc. at the fair in our local park. We also got ds a much needed haircut. Spent about £60 in total. Budget overall is OK, but I'm sure we could try and be more frugal.
Today was a low spend, £2.40 on two tins of soup (!) because we seem to be completely out and it's a quick and simple lunch for me when I'm in the office.
Hoping for a NSD tomorrow.

I'll have to join you for the low spend June. Already fucked up massively in May. All the big bills are paid so just food now and getting child benefit so should end the month about £400 overdrawn.

Low spend June will really help with hopefully clearing my overdraft

Morning everyone.
@BrokeAssMum hopefully June will be better for you ✊

I need to go to Asda for small top up to keep us alive. I know we will exceed £200 as I assumed, probably will end up on £215, but we still have until Sunday and need to eat something. I made soup for today and tomorrow, then I will make stew for another 2 days and need to work something out for Saturday. Maybe something from the freezer. We're flying on Sunday, so just breakfast at home.

@xogossipgirlxo thank you. I'm just hoping to gets easier. It's bloody horrible. We are a 2 income family but making ends meet gets harder each month. Interest rates increasing is going to make it harder still as our mortgage is up for renewal soon

Arggh!! My laptop has died!! DH is trying to revive it - at least enough to transfer files to a memory stick. Can do without replacing that right now - but in my defence it was 15 years old!!

Well, today hasn't been so good money wise for a lot of us, it seems!

My fitbit broke and isn't covered under the warranty anymore. I did find it helpful and although I could in theory get a new (cheap) one, I'm going to see how I manage without it for now. Partly because...

We're going to Edinburgh this weekend for a flying visit to see family (birthdays) BUT the place we normally go is fully booked (DH didn't book it sooner, argh) and lots of other places are, too. So we've found a place that is £400 - yikes! But needs must.

Due to that wee shock, I've also booked (but not yet paid for) a hotel in London for our visit in June for £225. Now to decide whether to take the train or drive down (the latter option frightens me a bit!).

Good luck everyone - I'm sure we can get back on track if we focus!

@Orangesandlemons77 Iceland used to send me discount codes all the time, but I've just checked my emails and I've had nothing since January (when I used the last one) - no idea why I'm out of favour!

@Rainbow1901 I have an elderly laptop too, not helped by DTS1 spilling a glass of water all over it I have to keep it going though as we don't have any other laptops which run Excel!

@moimichme I usually just get a cheap Fitbit via CEX, as the DC have a tendency to break the strap on mine and I don't notice till the whole thing's gone... think I got my last Alta HR for about £25. Obviously even cheaper if you have something to part ex against it!

MissVeronicaSpeedwell
@Rainbow1901 I have an elderly laptop too, not helped by DTS1 spilling a glass of water all over it I have to keep it going though as we don't have any other laptops which run Excel

All may not be lost - DH managed to remove the Hard drive last night and was attempting to move my files to a memory stick. Better take him a coffee and found out if he was successful. Still need to find another laptop though. Using DH's spare at the moment.

NSD yesterday (first time in a LONG time, as despite spending a million trillion pounds on groceries in the last week or so, I STILL had to go to the shop on Monday as I forgot crisps for lunchboxes, and ketchup)
Hoping for a NSD today too 🤞🏻

CEX is a good shout for new Fitbit's if needed. Plus, I've started looking on Facebook marketplace for people selling things like that. It's helpful when they're local and it's easy to pick up

It's taking everything I've got willpower wise not to go to the shop and buy a pasty for my lunch later. I've got bread and beans in. And also soup.

Im off to Asda later to do my food shop for the week. Luckily I have £50 on my Asda rewards card so shouldn't have to spend any money.

I hate being broke.

Luckily we are off on holiday next week. It's a 2 week all inclusive too which was paid for by a family member for our Christmas present last year. We should save about £400 in living expenses so my overdraft will hopefully be cleared.

£15 in Asda yesterday for our top up shop, but it includes Dettol spray and bleach, so that's 5 quid and just tenner for food. We need to eat everything now until Sunday.
I will be having another spend as I think I need 2 maternity vests or cami tops. Normal ones are too tight around my belly. I'll try with Asda, shouldn't be too expensive.

Yesterday I made invisible hem on my too long maternity trousers I bought on vinted. God, they're so comfortable, I'm taking them on holiday. They're smart fabric, but also quite in fashion, as they're wide leg. I think I paid 5 quid for them and saved myself some money on tailoring. I watched youtube tutorial instead, so I think it's small win yay

Not the best week so far. It has been a little stressful as DS started serial casting for toe walking. It has been a lot for him to adapt to, especially at school, and is already very frustrated with them. So we have allowed him a little treat and we have had a takeaway and bought food at work for ease as everything is taking longer. He is getting around surprisingly well for having both legs in casts though.

Hopefuly we will be back in routine next week and can finish the month spending less.

I have not idea why my post was deleted, I was simply going on about discount codes for shopping and that I had done a weekly shop etc

A second NSD in a row here! Almost unheard of 😂
Possibly helps that I don't actually have any money to spend.
Pay day is next Friday and I need petrol and groceries (OF COURSE) so the credit card is coming out to play again

Hi! I'm new here! Just had 3 NSDs in a row but have already spent £34 on kids after school clubs this morning

Morning everyone.
Congratulations on NSDs! This didn't happen to me.

Yesterday I bought 2 tops in Asda, which is £10 and need to buy some bananas today.

Not feeling well though, we have few people sneezing and coughing in the office and I think I caught it. Jeez, you catch everything in pregnancy. So, husband is on cleaning duty before we leave, I will only do one more load of laundry and packing and will try to rest.

Checking in after a very spendy few days
£107 spent on presents for dd’s birthday
£ 47.87 spent on toiletries and medicines
£20.02 on Amazon on some bits the dds needed

New other total £227.89

Grocery total is at £546.19

I've spent £155 yesterday- another £7 today. Will need to have NSD tomorrow and Wed to avoid problems

I am a disaster. That is all I can contribute here.

Paid for our holiday in full which is fine cos we had the funds to do so but christ paying it in one go was painful. Also have to pay for one of the kids braces every 5 weeks when they get tightened and their 'father' seems oblivious to the cost (total of 4k here in Ireland per kid per mouth). The car is due a service, the oven is booked for a clean, one dog needed cremating at a cost of 220 euro after spending over 300 on vets fees, brace kids birthday was this month, we had friends over from the other side of the country which cost DP a few quid to entertain, my sil's bday cost a few quid and we had to prepay a hotel for a wedding we are going to in July. Other two dogs needed to be groomed so that was another 100 euro and I still have not paid for my drivers licence renewal and that is due by the end of the month too.

Honestly the savings pot is more shallow than ever at this point. June has to be a frugal month because we have two weddings in July and they are expensive things all in all.

I'm sorry to hear about your dog, @Pseudonamed.

It's very nice to see family and friends, but holidays and weddings are indeed expensive. And it sounds like you've had a lot of extra costs recently. Doesn't help that everything is going up and hardly anything goes down in price.

I managed a NSD yesterday, much needed after our trip to Edinburgh. But now we're doing a short visit down south during half term, to see friends we've not spent time with properly since covid. Hoping for another NSD today and tomorrow. I'll be very glad for payday next week!

Well the savings took a hammering this weekend - went to visit son and dil before new baby comes in August. So 500+ miles later plus a day out and meals out - feeling a bit poorer!! Still a lovely weekend though and still not got a new laptop yet - so will keep using DH's spare one until we can replenish the savings. Not shopped properly for food this month so have been eating a weird and wonderful selection of thrown together meals and the freezer is very low - four bags of rhubarb anyone??

NSD yesterday but it's a colleague's birthday tomorrow. Have £9.74 so not sure what I can get without looking skanky.

@TwoManyKids I've stopped contributing to birthday/wedding gifts etc at work. I do if it's someone I'm particularly close to. But I can't bear the endless rounds of cards, and then getting chased up by e-mail all the time "Just a reminder for those who want to contribute to Barbara's gift"
I don't need a reminder. I know I've not contributed. I can't afford it. Most people put a tenner in. But that's what I put in the card for my friends kids birthdays, I don't want to spend it on a random colleague!
It's tough as I feel tight-I work in a professional environment and earn a good wage but I'm a single parent of two kids, working part time hours, and there are a million other things I'd rather spend my tenner on. I don't think anyone at work understands how tight my budget is.
Maybe if you have to get something, a small bunch of daffs or something would be a lovely gift 😊