Money Monday 2

After my Money Monday post last month here is one for February. I have already said that in January my penny and running pot had topped up to nearly £20. It is still creeping up as I am maintaining the exercise and keeping track of the days of the year. I have decided to use it towards my first mummy treat of the year a proper haircut: 

As my work is as a supply teacher my income varies from week to week which makes it hard to budget as I have no idea what I will be earning in the future! The only regular amounts are my tax credits which have to cover the basics. My rent and council tax also fluctuate as some weeks I earn too much for assistance and other weeks get no income at all... I am therefore trying to find ways to make sure that my money lasts the whole month:

• 5% of any income is going into my long term savings for annual costs and big items.
• Another 5% is going into my short term savings to make sure that there is money for regular bills.
• I have a credit card with a small limit just for things like petrol and I make sure that each time money comes in I pay a bit off each week rather than wait until the end of the month.
• Using the text message service from my building society for which I have set a low balance alert and it warns me if I don't have enough in the current account for a direct debit.

Have you got any other tips to help me make my irregular income last out the whole month?

Frugal Friday: Plumgarths Meat Pack

I am looking for ways to keep the food budget down and eat local. So when I heard that one of our local farm shops (Plumgarths) was running a family meat pack for a week for £30 I thought I'd check it out:

So I got:

• a dozen local eggs
• 8 sausages
• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 beef burgers
• 1 pack stewing steak
• 1 pack minced beef
• big pack of bacon
• 1 frozen meat pie

Of course being a family of 1 adult and 2 young children this is more than 1 week's worth! So I must jiggle the freezer to get some of it in there. I will have to update this post with how I use all the pack.. As I normally only spend £10 a week on meat this is will definitely need to be spread out.. I will track our progress as we go:

Money saving Monday: hair cuts

Like many people trying to balance the budget I've found that getting my hair cut hasn't happened for months as the money has been spent on other things! After 6 months and with my hair now looking very shabby and needing tying back, I was tempted by this sign that I saw whilst I was walking down Finkle Street in Kendal:

I nipped in quick to the David Graham salon and made an appointment before I spent the money again! I was warned that the cut would take up to 3 times longer than with a normal stylist due to interruptions and consultation with the senior hairdressers. Not a problem when I got an appointment on a day that my kids were both in school and I wasn't working.

I went in today and was well looked after by Amy the trainee. Yes the cut took longer than normal but it was a nice relaxing experience and it was reassuring that she double checked with the senior stylists at various points in the cut. I should have taken a pic in the salon because my the time I walked home in the heat the finished look isn't as good as it was when I left!

There are plenty of hair salons in Kendal also offering a similar service and also Kendal College offers cuts from trainee hairdressers. I'm sure that in most towns and cities you can find a similar offer. So if you've been putting off getting your hair cut because of the cost then keep your eyes peeled whilst walking around to see where you can get a bargain haircut.

Thrifty Tuesday

As a single parent I am now really feeling the pinch of a much reduced household income plus having to responsibility for all household outgoings. Unfortunately I've not been able to earn much recently and a lack of maintenance payments means I am coping on state benefits which aren't designed to fund a lavish lifestyle. So I am having to learn how to live a more thrifty life (not always successfully!) here are few ideas about how to make sure income isn't outstripped by expenditure.


Know what is coming in/out and when


I have written on the calendar when my various benefits and credits come in. Some are weekly, some fortnightly and some 4 weekly which makes life more complicated! Alongside these I have put when the bills and direct debits are paid. This way I don't get caught out and always have enough in my account to pay them. As the biggest expense is rent I have to make sure that I keep the Housing Benefit in the eSavings bit of my online account until the night before its due. That way it can't get taken up by anything else.


Planning ahead


With the help of my children we try and menu plan for the week ahead based upon what is on their schedules. This means that I can create an online supermarket order using this plan and what we have in the cupboards/freezer/fridge. If we are going to be out and about taking a snack pack with us saves on expensive emergency food/drink buys.


Planning ahead can also apply to travel and days out. Booking up to 12 weeks in advance can save a fortune in train tickets. Some attractions offer discounts if you book online before the day of your visit. Other places offer cheaper prices on certain days so its worth checking this out well in advance.

Countdown to Christmas Day 6: Don't break the bank

I was listening to a lady from our local Citizens Advice Bureau talking on the local Lakeland Radio today about how not to get in debt this Christmas. Many families are really going to be feeling the pinch this year with redundancies and cut backs in so many jobs. So what can we do to enjoy Christmas without worrying about still paying for it in 12 months time?


Set a budget


Look at your family income and be realistic as to what you can afford to spend without running up huge credit bills or a massive overdraft. If you've been setting money to one side either in a special account or through a savings club such as Park stick to what you have set aside!