I was a bit surprised when I saw my spending last week when I added it up before writing this post. An ouch spending week! I know that I had a few unexpected costs hit, but I didn’t think it would add up to THIS MUCH! It just goes to highlight how useful it is to do a weekly spending diary. The impact will mean that I will calm my spending down this week and will have a much lower spending week.
It was mothers day of course, a day that always fills me with mixed feelings. Over the past few years I have really struggled with it, to the point where I wrote this post a couple of years ago about why I hated mothers day. However this year felt different, maybe because it was the first year as a single mum? Maybe because we had fun plans for the whole weekend?
My eldest had his first football game back with Cambridge Academy as restrictions lift on Mothers day so we headed to Norwich. He was dropped off (Covid rules meant we weren’t allowed to watch!) and we then drove to Gorleston-on-Sea and walked the beautiful sandy beach. I took my shoes off and went in the water, there is nothing better than the feeling of the sea, sand and pebbles on your feet! A very good mothers day.
Spending Diary Details
Household expenses £140
I finally gave in and called the dishwasher engineer to come fix the dishwasher, no more washing dishes please! No idea what was wrong except it wasn’t draining. £65 later it now works and I have been told I must rinse off everything before it goes into the dishwasher. Its eight years old now, but I want to make it last as long as possible. I hate buying new white goods!
My cleaner is back, hurrah, the best £25 I spent last week!! A sparkly clean house that I don’t have to do is a must for me. And I spent £50 in The Range on impulse buy soft fluffy cushions, along with a new packed lunch box and drinks bottle for my youngest.
Food- Groceries and Takeaways £199
This spend category always goes up when I have the boys for most of the week. This week no exception, although pretty extreme this week, with £128 on groceries with a big Aldi shop that should keep me going for a while, along with a total impulse M&S treat shop. £72 was also spent on takeaways including a very lovely but super expensive mothers day dinner from Fire Jacks, one of our favourite local restaurants.
Business Expenses
I don’t have many business expenses at the moment, but this week I did have to pay for my annual website hosting and monthly microsoft subscription. £126 spent.
Other Spends
Two bills were paid; my mobile phones bill £57, for 4 lines, not too bad. Soon to be 3 lines once my smart watch contract ends in April, £16 a month to be saved there. I never should have got a smart watch on a 24 month contract, lesson learnt. A life insurance policy was paid and I also saved £32 to my Plum auto-savings. Now up to a balance of £692, all saved without me doing anything except downloading an app. Love it.
We spent £22 at The Range on a canvas and some tissue paper to create this picture of absolute joy over the weekend. I love the colours, the textures and am going to display it on the wall. I will write a post on how we created this. It was such a fun way to pass the time creating something amazing with your children.
Other spends include £40 on petrol, £10 pocket money, £5 on a yoga class meaning total spends of £647. See a pretty high spending week considering regular bills didn’t make up much of it. Food was the shocker, far too much spent there. Here’s to a week with maybe less than £100 spent if I can manage it.
Exercising Continues
I have now been out on four runs in the past two weeks. I am going to try to maintain this every week. My running times are getting quicker and quicker. I have shaved off nearly 1 min from my first run to my fourth run. And I have done lots of HIIT classes on days off running, and yoga sessions as well. Hurrah by day 14 of March I have completed 151, 491 steps, far more than my 10k target every day!
Healthy food consumption has not been great. Particularly with this amazing treat box for mothers day from Sugar Boutique in Knebworth. But it really was as good as it looked.
Five Financial Habits to Master Before Lockdown Ends
I wrote this post in collaboration with Sainsbury’s Energy this week. My top five money savings methods and strategies that will save you hundreds, maybe thousands. Take a read and see what you think, I personally love the 24 hour rule for ALL online purchases.
Thanks for reading everyone, see you net week.
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