Happy New Year!

I do love the thought of a shiny new year, starting afresh.  And if I weren't so full of a rotten stinking cold I'd be out there seizing the day instead of wrapped up on my sofa!!

Ah well, there's always tomorrow.

I've updated my About Me page so any new readers can find out more about me.

Happy New Year everyone :-) xxx

2014 Budget - bills

I've been brave and have dived into the paperwork to work out how much my monthly outgoings are to the penny.  I had a rough idea of what they were *insert embarrassed face here* but when I looked at each bill I got a wee shock from some of them.

I'm now paperless for most of them and confess that sometimes I don't look at them online.  But yesterday I looked at my December BT bill in detail.  I get free evening and weekend calls yet this month I only made 3 free calls.  I looked at my statement and discovered that apart from 2 official calls nearly all the other calls were to my MUM!!!! Total cost of calls £23.54!  On closer inspection of the fine print I've discovered that my free evening calls are from 7pm to 7am, not 6pm as I had assumed. DOH!!!

So, each month I automatically pay for

landline/broadband (BT)
mobile phone (Vodaphone)
pet insurance for Emma
bank charge
TV license
TKD fees (the Teenager)
NTS (National Trust for Scotland)
contact lenses (the Teenager)

I haven't set up a DD for electricity and gas yet but I will at the end of March after the next quarterly bill.  I'm going to send in my meter readings on the first of each month so I get an accurate bill and not an estimate.

I've paid my 2013/2014 council tax bill until April then the new financial year starts and I'll get my next bill.  I haven't decided yet whether to pay that monthly or in one lump sum.  Depends if I'm working full time and can save my earnings.

I've also just paid my car tax (6 months) and car insurance/breakdown cover.  I paid my house insurance in September when I moved in.  It's cheaper to pay insurance in one lump sum.

Next year the big bills look like this -

April - Council Tax
May - Car tax
August - gym membership
September - House Insurance
October - OU course (LAST ONE!!!!)
November - Car tax (unless I've paid for 12 months in May)
December - Car insurance/breakdown cover

I realise this isn't entertaining reading (LOL!!!) but writing it down reminds me what I need to pay.  And hopefully it might jog someone's memory.

Looking at the numbers closely clarifies a lot of things for me.  I've decided that while I'm earning from teaching I will save at least 50% of my salary each month.  This will ensure I have enough to pay the bills when they come round and can live on the other 50% each month.

I'm still aiming to save that £40k by the time I'm 50 :-)

Edited to add gym membership in August, perhaps a luxury but there are health issues in my family and I have a real fear of becoming overweight and inactive in old age

2014 Budget - food and essentials

I've finally worked out my food and essentials budget for next year.  It will be £50 per week. That's for the 2 of us plus 2 dogs and OH popping in and out for some meals.  Hopefully I'll be able to trim that down as the year goes on especially when I get my garden growing.

I've done an audit of my cupboards and worked out these are the essentials we use.  With a few fresh ingredients bought weekly I can rustle up a variety of meals.  I keep a decent supply of frozen veg and other essentials in my freezer and will keep stocking it up with my stickered bargains.

If there's any obvious gaps or suggestions you have please feel free to comment.

 

Storecupboard essentials

Pasta

Rice – brown, risotto

Egg noodles

Couscous

Taco shells

Tea bags

Coffee – instant, ground

Peppermint tea

Lentils

Split peas

Oats

Cornflakes

Flour – plain, bread

Baking powder

Yeast

Nuts

Raisins/sultanas

Sugar – caster, granulated, brown

Honey

Golden syrup

Vanilla extract

Jelly

Custard powder

Marigold stock powder

Lea and Perrins sauce

Soy sauce

Vinegar – cider, balsamic

Oil – olive, sunflower, sesame

Salt – table, sea

Tuna

Beans

Chopped tomatoes

Pineapples

Evaporated milk

Mayonnaise

BBQ sauce

Tomato ketchup

Diluting juice – blackcurrant, apple

Water

UHT milk

Juice – apple, orange

 

Household essentials

Washing up liquid

Soap powder

Liquid soap

Bleach spray

Cream cleaner

Scouring sponges

Cloths

Tea towels

Toilet paper

Kitchen roll

Glass cleaner

Rubber gloves

Disposable gloves

Furniture polish

Dog food

Dog biscuits

Poop bags

Tin foil

Cling film

Food bags – small, medium

Black bags

Batteries – AA, AAA

Medicine box

Migraleve

Cold and flu tablets

Ibuprofen

Nux vom

Multi vitamins

Rosehip tablets

Vitamin D tablets

Glucotabs

 

Toiletries

Head and shoulders shampoo

Shower gel

Soap

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes

Face pads

Face wash

Oil of Olay

Eye make-up remover

Toner

Deodorant – me (Sure), Gordon (Lynx)

Shampoo

Conditioner

Styling wax

Razors

Shaving foam

2014 Budget - Clothes

I've decided to stick to my £120 per year clothing budget.  I made a few mistakes this year with impulsive buying of fabric but it means I do have lots of fabric to use in 2014.  Since I'm back working I'll be focussing more on work clothes.  So far I've remembered that teaching infants can be messy (paint, glitter etc on clothes!!) so perhaps dry clean only trousers are more suitable for working with the older kids! I think I have enough running/gym stuff to last the year although I may need new trainers at some point. 

A recent visit to my mum (remember she has 2 full wardrobes of clothes!!!) came up with a few goodies to refashion for work.  I especially love the blouse with the cats!!

I just love this green jacket although it's a bit big for me.  I may need to alter it slightly but look how lovely it looks over my bargain Laura Ashley dress :-)

 

Then there's this lovely silk blouse, again a bit loose but with a wee bit of tweaking will be perfect for a warmer day.

 

I still have a lot of clothing to sort out.  I MUST get that done before the end of the year so I'm starting fresh.