Shopping Trolleys - The Work Of Satan

I really should know better but I stupidly used one of these in a moment of laziness. It got me thinking about the time they were first invented. Someone must have noticed that people stopped shopping when the basket got heavy and inconvenient, and decided that adding wheels would mean people merrily trundled it around the shop for longer, adding more things.

Which is what I did. The total was breathtaking.

I mean, I did need to stock up as I'll be stuck at home for a few days due to a minor health thing later in the week. But I also bought several bigger-ticket items, which I didn't strictly need (mistake #1 right there) and I was shocked and disgusted with the total. Poor effort, me!

Included was a small budget frozen pizza. Definitely not part of a low calorie diet (but most assuredly delicious). Same with the frozen cheesecake. Surprisingly, I am still not losing weight... I cannot imagine why not...

I am feeling a bit antsy, I keep looking at property websites and thinking: Hey, that property is only X pounds, that's totally doable! And then I realise they hey, living below the poverty line means I cannot possibly qualify for a loan right now until I increase my earnings.

I am reminded of the adage that "being poor is very expensive". It's not as obvious as it seems, it means that when you have little in the way of earnings, you lose the ability to choose, and are forced to live in quite expensive ways.

You can't buy in bulk if there is only £10 for your groceries, meaning that poor people's groceries are more expensive.
You can end up with late payment fees on bills, meaning utilities cost more.
You risk disconnection fees, meaning your services are flaky and cost double.
You can't get a home loan, so you pay more for your housing as you're forced to rent.
Poor households are more likely to opt for pawn shops or payday loans, which are eye-wateringly expensive compared with nice, tidy, cheap personal loans from a bank.

There are many more examples but you get the idea. I have been very fortunate, I am reasonably financially-literate and haven't got payday loans, late payment fees, interest-bearing credit card debt or utility disconnections. But it is quite sobering to read some peoples' stories and see how they end up in a spiral of debt which realistically is not always their own fault. We simply do not teach personal finance in school.

Why not, again?

Just Something

Nature. Warm. Unhurried.

Pugsley Lives!

Turns out the problem was in fact what I had hoped - a very cheap fix done while I waited. Brickbat to the previous mechanic who had apparently left things in a silly state and had also not done all the things he should have. Lesson learned and I have found a lovely new mechanic to look after my baby from here on.

Side effect of him doing things while I waited was that I didn't go out shopping for the planned new jeans I had in mind (well, it saves money).

Glasses have arrived from Zenni and I am over the moon with them! The prescription sunglasses in particular are amazing. I am still getting used to the new prescription and it's a little bit odd to drive with specs on, but that's just a teething problem.

Still no new job. I am a bit meh about the low number of replies I'm getting. I should increase the effort I'm putting in, and hopefully that will help. I did get one reply thanking me but advising that I'm not successful for the position of apprentice butcher (I definitely did not apply to become an apprentice butcher, so I think I'm ok with this).

New credit card approved and arrived. They have reneged and told me I can't have a balance transfer because I haven't lived in this flat long enough to satisfy their credit check (long enough to be trusted, really, for another five months). What a waste of time. Oh well, it still helps my credit rating, a £0 balance on a decent limit just decreases the overall % of my available credit that's in use.

Wise Words From A Banker

Since the ones who work for high street banks rarely speak out, this person's comments are gold. To protect his anonymity I am not going to quote him directly, but explain what he had to say about credit cards and the big fat commissions he receives for encouraging people to live on credit.

...The clients we love best are the ones who love their credit cards. The ones who spend almost up to the limit and keep it there. They will raise the limit as high as it will go and always accept the increases that we offer. They use, use, use their cards. They never pay it all off, or they take a very long time to pay it off. They go through their lives thinking they have their credit "under control" because even if sometimes they only make the minimum payment, they catch up a little bit now and then and keep themselves in good standing with the bank.

We rake in the fees and interest charges. They get used to a life where having a credit balance is normal.

We see patterns in these types of clients. They take a summer holiday then battle against that balance for the rest of the year. They spend up big for Christmas, amounts they can't afford, then struggle to pay a little bit off over the following six months, just in time to max it all over again for another summer holiday. And the cycle repeats. They are never in trouble really, but obviously throwing money to us hand over fist in credit charges, because maintaining a high credit burden is not cheap.

These people are not all stupid but banks are very good at not making it obvious what this credit is costing them. They pay attention to the balance, they pay attention to the minimum repayments, and everything else is lost in the busy routine of just getting through life from day to day. And thirty or forty quid in charges for the month doesn't seem like very much money, because they aren't really noticing the fact that they will be paying it again next month too and for the foreseeable future. It's just another bill to them, part of living life.

He goes on to name a few "rules" when it comes to debt and credit:

1. If you are struggling to manage, pay off or even just understand your loans or credit, GET HELP. You can get free and impartial assistance from many places. It is nothing to be embarrassed about, millions of people are in debt, and remember that banks spend a lot of money fooling people smarter than you. Get your revenge by getting financially well. You're not alone and people are paid to help you. Let them.

2. Read up on online debt and money saving communities. Find and join a good one that gives advice in your own country since things differ depending on where you live.

3. Credit cards are not for luxury purchases. Don't use them for a bigger TV, for buying gifts, for an expensive Christmas, or for a holiday. People who have had large credit card balances for a long time need to learn not to spend on luxuries, and all these things are luxuries. No treating yourself - or anyone else - on credit.

4. Bankruptcy is not usually the way out. In most cases it will haunt you longer than doing things the usual way. Don't be tempted with this unless an independent advisor tells you it is your best option - and even then, get a second opinion.

5. If you regularly can't get your card down to zero each month then cut it up - and don't apply for more cards. Pay as much as you can each month until it is gone, even just a fiver extra will save you interest and help you move away from being your bank's favourite client.

Off the Wagon

So I spent almost a week eating approximately my entire body weight, and only attended the gym twice. Poor effort all round.

Somehow I gained nothing. I don't understand, but I'm not complaining.

It will, however, make it tough to beat my distance record. That will teach me to be lazy. I did six miles yesterday as penance!

I'm still getting by on my remaining coins, and even so, the rapidly-dwindling amount in the bank is alarming. All I really need is a job that pays me to stay home and do nothing - is that too much to ask?

Estate Agent is being very annoying and took three weeks to list my caravan for sale. Total communication was one PDF proof document that contained incorrect information about the van, then silence. Does it take three weeks to paste photos into a PDF and write three paragraphs of info? I then asked what was going on (they didn't bother to reply to my email) and the ad appeared the next day. The van is overpriced on the agent's recommendation, and I fully expect a big fat zero in enquiries, so I'll give it two more weeks then get the price dropped.

I'm beginning to come to grips with just how tight my budget is and wishing I had the space for my own treadmill again, to save from paying gym fees. And in general I'd like to have a slightly larger living space. I am usually content in my little box, but there is no flexibility whatsoever on possessions or furniture, which is sometimes annoying. This leads me to wistful property website trawling where I dream of all the properties I'm going to own in future!!

Mechanic Booked

And I do hope that it's not an expensive repair, since my budget is zero...

Despite explaining to my supervisor why I can't take extra shifts, he is still asking me to cover more hours, which is frustrating and annoying. I was almost glad that Pugsley is unwell, as it gave me a good reason to say that I can't. If the worst comes to the worst and he can't be driven on Wednesday, I'll be walking one hour each way to my main job as it is. If the car is repaired in time, I still don't think it's ok expecting me to work until 2am on a pitiful wage.

An unexpected expense is in my future - my Australian passport will need renewing, as apparently I will not be legally allowed to travel there on my British one. This is really frustrating, as the cost is big enough that without a significant increase in earnings, my trip to Australia simply will not happen this year.

A little bit down in the dumps this week, eating and sleeping a lot out of boredom. It's a side-effect of not needing to wake up early along with me taking stock of my budget. I have put the Vanguard investment on hold for the moment. Another job would be useful plus probably boost my mood, and a change is as good as a holiday, so I have applied for a few and let's hope I get some replies.

Payday is coming soon and I know I'll go through the following emotions: YAY it's payday - PHEW the bank account is over four figures - UGH I only have four figures - UGH I am spending more than I earn - UGH it will dwindle fast.

Bad Behaviour

The weight loss is getting harder (or maybe I'm becoming lazier). I find myself maniacally craving carbs, which is very annoying when there isn't really snack food in the house. Twice in a row last week I went and bought a "meal deal" because I was desperate for a sandwich - how ridiculous is my life lmao?!

So I stupidly walked into the bread section today to get half a loaf, and came away with these, which while great value, are not very low-carb diet-friendly. As punishment, the caramel-choc hot cross buns are not delicious. But anyway, I've put the donuts in the freezer and the buns will be my daily afternoon snacks.

I also might have already eaten three biscuits today... and a pot noodle... and not had either proper breakfast or lunch...

I'm noticing a few niggles health-wise which are probably down to the very low calories, which I've been following a bit longer than I probably should. It's frustrating because I am not yet at my goal weight, but this might force me to take a week or two off. I'll think about it.

I added an extra item today in the shopping which was totally non-essential - caramel sauce for £1.40. As further punishment, I was £1.35 short of paying the whole lot in cash and had to whip out the card. Still, I lasted quite a while (and there are some more coins at home).

Click, click

My increased credit limit has finally shown up on my credit report and my rating is now back up to the magnificent rating of "fair". I will save the confetti for another time.

Free sandwiches, quiche and a sausage roll from work. Also the last digestive biscuit in the packet. Thank you, Freebie Fairy.

I have been given some extra shifts from work, mostly 1 or 1.5 hours at a time. This will probably tip me back over the cut-off for Universal Credit. Those extra shifts, I will lose most of in top-up UC and taxes. I end up working for £2 an hour PLUS I am paying fuel to get there... I have made the very-irritating decision that I will now decline all extra work from this employer. I can't afford to go backwards to accept extra work, these tiny shifts always at different locations. No wonder some people are unable to accept jobs altogether.

One of my colleagues gave notice this week for reasons beyond her control. Between she and I, we were covering almost all their open shifts and sick calls, and that's coming to a screaming halt all at once. I predict a very bad week for management but I'm not going to allow myself to feel guilty. Yes, they pay me, but I've done them a lot of last-minute favours. I am a little bit annoyed that for two months I have been unknowingly doing that for free, but that's not their fault. Even so, it stops now. I will do my contracted work and nothing else. Look at me, finally getting tough?

Ideally I would get another job of shifts at least four hours at a time. I am applying for a few. Fingers crossed.

Extra Fruit

I went in to Asda for my shopping and happened on three of these little pots. Normally I steer clear because even a reduced price isn't particularly cheap, but at 10p, that's a decent change of pace from all the mandarins and pears in my crisper :)

My Zenni glasses order ended up more expensive than expected, but still great value. I've been told I should now be wearing glasses to drive, and it's a different prescription to my new reading prescription, meaning I need separate glasses for each purpose. I ended up choosing one pair each of prescription sunglasses and clear non-reflective night glasses, and one pair for the PC. It all came to £31 including the postage, which is less than a single pair of the cheapest ones that Boots sells... Yes, I am taking a small risk that I might have made a mistake inputting my prescriptions on that site. But even if I have to get them made four times, I have still spent less!

I have come to the end of my extra temporary work. I think. I am struggling for motivation with my regular workplaces, too. It seems that I am getting bored of my job (who'd have thunk it?) so I really should get myself into gear in finding something more challenging.

Spendy McSpenderson foolishly went boredom-shopping on the way home from the optometrist. Plus side was four discounted tins of soup from the pound shop. Plus-minus was a small travel iron from a charity shop. I didn't find the actual things I wanted (some kind of small, interesting, framed print for the wall, or any curtains in a colour I liked).

This week's meals: Diced chicken breast with courgettes and mixed peppers, in gravy. Two pots of it is still in my fridge and I will be making a barbecue beef casserole to eat for another four days.

Free: Netflix binge continues whenever I'm at the gym (thank you to the lovely friend who continues to let me use their account). I am currently watching The Bridge (Swedish/Danish) and it's brilliant.

Spendy

Spendy McSpenderson strikes again. I was running out of the whey protein that I bought, which is proof, I say, that it's a habit I will stick to. I found a company which sells it for a cheaper price than ASDA and it is even cheaper than buying eggs. But my dog, this company is a lesson in poor customer service. It has taken me four days to manage to put the order through and the company has been completely unhelpful.

TopCashBack* currently gives a pretty good offer for them which was the reason I went with this company above other similar prices online. Unfortunately the protein company's payment system failed by multiple channels and devices and their customer service was so unbelievably terrible that I am not even going to mention that company's name. I can't recommend a company that has nothing to offer except to blame me, and which will not even offer to arrange my cashback if the order is done by phone. Boooo. Shit quality work right there.

So to recap: Shit protein company is shit.
TopCashBack* is still awesome though and once the order was actually sorted out, the cashback appeared in my account within minutes. They really should teach the protein company how to internet and how to customer.

To my absolute surprise it looks as if I might get a part payment from Universal Credit this month. I have an advance loan from them so they might still take my whole amount as a repayment, but that's ok. I struggle a bit getting my head around the idea that my income is low enough to qualify. I didn't even particularly want to apply, but nowadays it is the only way to find out if you can get housing assistance (which came back as a small discount on my council tax).

Work has given me a few extra shifts with a client that is owed some time. I don't particularly like this workplace but I just get on with it. I applied for another few jobs and one of them is keen to meet me - food service again - time for a bit of variety, fingers crossed.

On track for another treadmill medal this month, and a higher target than the last one :)

Upcoming Spend

£10 on an eye test at Boots next week, which will no doubt be followed by ordering two pairs of glasses from Zenni (this is not a referral link, I just think they are brilliant). I have put off this test for so long, trying to delay as long as possible because new glasses are always highly annoying, not to mention, they cost money. But it's getting to the point that it needs to be addressed, sigh. What is this ageing malarkey, I don't think I signed up for it!

I finally conceded defeat, by the way, while painting my nails and realising I couldn't do the clean-up with my glasses ON... grrrr. Well, at least painting your own nails is cheap.

Silly spend: reed diffuser for £4. Basically a bottle of smelly liquid with some sticks in it. What can I say, I like a home that smells nice. Guilty as charged.

Win: I reached payout on Prolific* and cashed out £20. This is far and away the best survey site out there because they are not actually surveys, they are scientific studies, generally by masters and doctorate students doing their theses for university. You are NEVER screened out, so every single one you get invited to, you already qualify - your time is never wasted unlike most survey sites. And it pays better than anything else out there. A typical survey will take between 2 and 20 minutes, always shows you the hourly pay rate, and generally beats minimum wage - not huge amounts of course for a short survey, but if you check the site twice a day you're quite likely to reach payout in a month, and it all helps.

Freebies: Sandwiches from workplace #1 (I just pretended I didn't know how many calories were in them). Donut from a kind lady at temporary extra workplace. Donuts are in no way, shape or form an appropriate part of a weight-loss diet, much less a very low calorie one. But I was sort of disciplined and it replaced the carbs in my dinner. I mean, one cannot say no to free food. ;)

(*=referral links)

General Badassery

Completely unrelated to being frugal... today I will write about my New Body Regime™.

I always have an alarm set every day. Once I am up, I try to chill for a bit with milky coffee and social media, because brain does not function in the first hour.

Breakfast is muesli with added bran, a very small portion in a very small bowl, and I have it with 1/3 of a cup of protein shake and milk (this is not a diet shake, it's me increasing my protein intake).

Lunch is salad, no dressing. It contains at least carrot batons, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and some kind of fruit. Then some beans, broccoli, mange tout or something else green.

In the afternoon I have some kind of 100 calorie snack (muesli bar, cake or a couple of biscuits).

Dinner is protein and more vegetables - a casserole, or chicken curry, or an omelette and veggies, and maybe with an added protein shake. There's coffee all day... not oodles of it, but always with oodles of milk :)

8-10 hours per week on a treadmill walking. It's my chill out time, Netflix and shutting out the world. I love it - and that's someone who has hated exercise all her life!

Total intake per day is about 800-1000 calories. So this is what's called VLC (very low calorie) and is also low-carb - I mostly avoid bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. I take vitamins every day, plus omega-3, calcium and glucosamine.

I am dropping about 2-3kg per week (4-7lb). My job gives me the flexibility to do all that treadmill time. I enjoy it and this arrangement works for me. As I'm low carb, I don't feel hungry or shaky. But it's not a balanced diet when the calories are this low (hence all the pill-popping) and once I reach my goal weight I will increase the food I eat.

Kitchen Madness

I hope you haven't fallen for it.

I see a lot of different workplaces in my travels, mostly office environments, and in many of these places the resident staff are the ones tasked with buying the products for cleaning the kitchens.

The usual number of cleaning products in a kitchen is 4 or 5, and there's a huge propensity towards anything labelled anti-bacterial. Which tells me that a lot of people fall for this.

What if I told you that people developing these products start with an idea, not a product? Say, this one - "Shoppers are scared of germs!" and THEN they create a brand new product that didn't even exist, that you will think you need? "Hey, let's make something new that is anti-bacterial, people will think they need it!"

Next thing you know, we have anti-bacterial varieties of kitchen wipes, kitchen sponges, kitchen scourers, kitchen cloths, kitchen deodoriser, fridge cleaner and kitchen spray. And people think they're needed.

Massive Myth: That everything needs to be sterile.
No, you do not need to kill every microbe on every surface, and in fact, you can't. Even hospitals don't manage this. The most basic way to keep your home safe from dangerous germs is to clean up two things: debris and YOUR HANDS.

If you have basic food hygiene knowledge, your kitchen will not breed dangerous levels of bacteria or pests. This basically means don't drip raw meat juice over everything, and clean up all spills and crumbs straight away. Then wash your hands with ordinary soap. Not anti-bac soap even. Just whatever hand soap.

Your kitchen benchtop is like a table - it's not a surface you should aim to prepare food directly on. This means, if you spill coffee powder, or some crumbs, it is no big deal to simply wipe it with a wet cloth and rinse the cloth. If it's something that goes "off" at room temperature, like milk, sauces or, yes, raw meat, then just hit it with a simple kitchen cleaner spray and wipe that off. In that case you'd throw the wet cloth into your washing basket, of course, not have it sitting there for later on. If you think you need anti-bacterial, you do not. Pop into your local pound shop and get yourself a single bottle of "multi purpose cleaner" concentrate. Fill a spray bottle with cold water then add a capful. Done.

Why don't I need anti-bacterial magical cleaning products in my home?
Microbes only become a big problem if they are left with food to eat, at a temperature that helps them grow to large numbers. If you leave raw chicken juice on your kitchen counter overnight, it's a nice warm environment out of the fridge and the bacteria will breed in the chicken juice and multiply. If you then place your breakfast plate in the bacteria soup the next morning, then pick that up and get the bacteria soup all over your hands, then shove those in your mouth, well you might get rather unwell. But if you wipe up that juice, and clean the surface to remove the rest, then the few bacteria in that juice will not have anywhere to multiply all night and become dangerous. Then your plate has nothing to collect and your hands aren't bathed in gribblies.

Same goes with crumbs. If you don't leave them around for creatures to eat, then they don't attract creatures which crawl all over your benches eating them! (Logic right?)

As for cleaning your sink after you wash up? Forget the magical new products and just use your kitchen scourer with some dish detergent. There's also a marvellous product called creme cleanser if you really can't shift marks like tea stains. It's that yellow thick liquid that has tiny grains of sand in it and goes by the brand name Cif (Jif). And the generic version works just as well.

Kitchen floor? One mop bucket, half a bucket of hot water, then add a cap of that generic all purpose cleaner. Mop the floor. Sorted. And just like your bench, if you spill something, wipe it up.

So why are the shops full of these specialist kitchen cleaning products?
For the same reason the shops are full of every other kind of junk. Because people buy them and companies spend money to convince you to buy them.

I, on the other hand, will not get rich telling you this!

But I do have some snake oil for you to buy...

The Jump

I have debt (thank you to my credit rating for continually reminding me of this). Most of my debt is currently costing me 0% interest, thanks to "balance transfer" on credit. Anyway, I did a bit of a review of my finances today, because I have two days off work and am currently enduring a Skint Month™, or more accurately, two of them. Here's what I learned.

1. In four months' time, and eleven months' time respectively, each of my 0% interest amounts will fall due. It's not a huge amount of money. I am on track to pay them both out, but if if for any reason I can't pay out the balances, I have a backup plan of just taking out a new 0% transfer card (which I already know I qualify for). I am quite disciplined and haven't accrued any more credit since these transfers.

2. It's currently quite a cheap time for borrowing, which means it's a cheap time to invest. My caravan is in the process of being listed for sale, so even though I am currently skint, I probably should prepare to get into an investment mindset somehow.

So I started investigating new savings accounts, and I wasted two hours and learned that they're all rubbish. They pay a pittance in interest or charge you an account fee, or both. The cashback offers are poor, and the benefits of switching banks are trivial. If you're like me, you have your bank details saved on a dozen websites - lovely when someone like PayPal fails, or a rewards website deposits your hard-earned cash into an account that's closed. No thank you.

They led me up the path of the only places paying decent enticements: building societies I have never heard of. But they simply want too much money for me to afford.

So I ended up back at the one I've known about for years and which almost EVERY early retiree out there in Internet Land recommends: Vanguard. I mean, why reinvent the wheel? People who have no vested interest in telling me it's the best, are telling me it's the best. If they put their life savings into it, well I can put my piggy bank in. In the UK, that is called an ISA - an "individual savings account".

I am now the proud owner of a Vanguard account (currently empty, but scheduled to start debiting me every month, starting in just over a month). I have chosen a fairly high-risk option for the investment, which is the FTSE Global Index Fund. I don't aim to touch this "trickle in" account for years, so I am comfortable with the fact that it will go up and down.

Broadly speaking you can chuck up to £20,000 per year into ISAs and not pay tax on the earnings. To understand more, it's simplest to search for the offer that looks best and then read the bank's guidance on it, then read a handful of competitors, and pick the one that suits you best.

NOTE: If you have never owned a home and plan to buy one day, you can, and should, go for a Help To Buy ISA. It is crazy not to, it is FREE MONEY where the government GIVES you up to £3000. You should go with this type first, and then if you've maxed your Help To Buy contribution, consider adding firstly the Lifetime ISA (for under 40s, which also gives you free money) and then finally, any other ISA for further savings.

Just Something Profound

Every now and then I think deeper thoughts than what I'm having for breakfast.

Poor Pugsley

Pugsley is leaking oil. It doesn't seem to be a lot, but the number of little spots on the ground means it's been going on at least three weeks :( I will just have to keep checking his oil levels and hope it will wait a while. I had been planning on getting a full service done on him in 5000 miles as he only had a minor one done last time, but it seems this will need to happen sooner than expected. This is where I remind myself that I bought a ten-year-old car and expect to spend a few hundred each year on maintenance. It's just not ideal timing since in theory I am supposed to save to visit Australia later in the year.

As promised, the pic of my March medal for 50 miles.

Win: I found a forgotten cheque in my wallet from overpaying my council rates at my previous address, and a credit rating company that I've had terrible service from has spontaneously decided to send me another cheque as a goodwill gesture. Lose: the second cheque can't be deposited as they got the wording wrong on the amount, so it will need to be reissued. The cynical me wonders if that was on purpose! :)

Hey ho, the frugality continues as always :)

The Skint Continues

But I will survive, so the song says!

I went into the Co-op to recharge my electricity key during the week. I generally try not to go in there because it's definitely not the most affordable place to buy food. But I saw and nabbed these (in case it's a bit tough to see, that's two boxes of mandarins for 25p each and a half-loaf of white bread for 15p). I don't eat bread very much anymore so this fits in my freezer. :)

I am trying to eat the food in my house already. Pay day is only a week away, but even so, it will be a "subsistence" pay - barely enough to last me until my next one - so I am making a concerted effort to use up what I have and avoid shopping as much as I can. More than half of my diet is made up of fresh foods so that is a bit of a challenge. But, challenge accepted!

I now eat muesli every morning for breakfast, blended myself with extra nuts and bran, but unfortunately there are seven boxes of "ordinary" cereal in my house from before my diet started. Four of them were a pound shop bargain, I don't always stash seven boxes of cereal, honest! But I figured there is no harm in a mixture. So I'm adding a cup or so to into my muesli tub every time I refill it. I can't taste the difference anyway and it all helps to avoid waste.

Extra spend: vitamins. The aforementioned diet is a very low calorie one. Even though it's packed with vegetables and protein, it's near-on impossible to get everything I need from less than 1000 calories a day, and I am also burning another 350 of them on a treadmill. Weight loss is pointless if I turn myself into an unhealthy stick, so this is worth the expense.

Yay: I remembered my large stash of coins, left over from when I had to pay for parking every day - I am currently trying to spend it down and touch wood I won't whip out the bank card for another month.

And So It Goes

I got my (small) holiday pay for the financial year in my March pay packet, which mostly covered my week off to visit Finland. It was lovely catching up with everyone and the tickets were insanely cheap - turns out that it wasn't popular to travel in the week everyone thought would be Brexit :)

Of course, meals out and transport costs in Finland cost me a bit. But we did do quite a few cheap & free things, including lunch and new-flat visits, plus a lovely day spent playing board games together. I lost, of course!

Spendy has indulged on a handful of sub-fiver items from Amazon. Nothing completely essential, but items that'd be nice to have, like a more accurate thermometer. I'm partly annoyed at myself for doing it during a super-tight-budget period and partly annoyed at myself for not thinking it's ok to spend two pounds now and then. But that kind of thinking can lead up a slippery slope...

I achieved and received my first medal for fitness - unbelievable - me, the girl who always finished in the final 5. I'll post a picture when I remember. Hopefully this month I can do even better!

Slowly, Slowly

American Express, my biggest limit card, again said yes to raising my limit. I don't understand why, but I'll take it. It's currently at a zero balance so it makes no difference to my costs, but the higher limit should raise my credit rating slightly in the future. Baby steps all the time.

As expected, the new balance transfer card I opened at 0% interest has dinged my credit rating substantially. No big deal, and when the Amex limit increase shows up, I expect it to bounce back up somewhat.

I paid back most of a rather large debt - which was nice to achieve. I also got notified that I qualify for a discount on my council rates and have overpaid, so there will be no bill this month. That part is good timing because April & May will be Skint Months™ in which every penny will matter (every penny does matter all the time, but usually, it's a choice rather than necessity!).

My fridge decided not to play recently. It's owned and maintained by my landlord, but still, when these things happen, you have to buy ice every day just to avoid throwing food away. He came to investigate it, and it seems to be working again - for now - so we just need to wait and see if it behaves, since it's only a year old. I have a great landlord and pay a pittance for my rent, so this is just something to take in my stride I guess!

So Annoying

...seeing food in the bin. Twice in the past week alone I've fished bananas out of the bin. I ate them and haven't died yet. I also found an apple on the ground while parked at the supermarket. Brought it home and washed it - surprisingly it wasn't even bruised, must have just rolled out of someone's shopping.

Had free "dinner" a few times from work when they've left things behind from functions. Once there were 9 chicken legs, 6 pieces of pork pie and a dozen mini samosas, which I'm not ashamed to say fed me for most of the week. More often they leave sandwich platters. It's maybe not the most exciting thing to eat sandwiches but hey, at least they are fancy fillings.

Spendy McSpenderson joined a gym for £34 per month (no, hell has not frozen over). I needed to get myself moving, I hate walking outside in the rain, and I am really loving it. I jump on the treadmill and shut out the world for an hour and a half while watching tv. There were some setup costs, namely I literally had nothing to wear there which could, er, keep the assets in place, so another £60 went in a blink (two sports bras, two tops, two leggings, new trainers and also some wireless headphones). So far I am only jogging one minute out of every five, but I'm trying to improve all the time. I signed up for a distance medal for March, £10, but worth it if it keeps me accountable!

Spendy also bought a tub of whey protein shake mix for £9. It is cheaper to eat eggs of course (the same amount of protein from eggs would be £6), but I don't much want to eat eggs for dinner every single day. My self-discipline lately has been pretty good and I eat a small bowl of muesli for breakfast, then salad and fruit for lunch, and then never want the hassle of cooking anything much for dinner. So if I get lazy and make an egg sandwich, I can just add a shake and I'm good for the day. It's quite nice, if I keep this up I found a cheaper version online in bulk for next time. My white carbs are usually very limited (wheat/rice/potatoes) so I am mostly in keto, and I feel amazing ♥

Spendy ordered and assembled a cheap wardrobe... it was getting annoying having every hanging item I owned draped on hooks on the back of a door. I also paid for a haircut today, but in my defence it was very overdue.

On the plus side money-wise I have gained an extra contract for work, so now I can not only cover bills but tackle some loans. I have an agreement in principle for a mortgage, so I am starting to get to know the market and see what is out there. Touch wood I can think about buying within a year.

New credit card: this one is a balance transfer on 0% interest for six months. Here be dragons!, these require discipline, you can't do a transfer to pay something off then keep buying things on credit, and you need a plan on how you'll clear that whole balance off before the interest-free period ends. My income has gone up so I have the "pay it off" plan in place. I just figured I might as well be paying less interest for a while on what I owe.

I've also done so many extra shifts over the past month that I can afford a week off - I have booked a flight to Finland and I cannot wait to see everyone!