Friday 25 October 2013

Getting to the end of the month

And there aren't an awful lot of pennies left!  This has been a quite horrendous month spending wise, and it is plain to me to see why we have had to even eat into some of last month's meagre savings to make it through the month.

(image from sheffield.ac.uk)

Spends over and above the normal run of things this month have been out of proportion to a usual month, and contributed to the lack of saving.


  • The Aberystwyth trip cost me just over £220 with the hotel, the fuel, the meals and the toll road.
  • I had dental work done costing £128.50.
  • The house insurance was due - still a very good price with the Co-op but £196.31 nevertheless.
  • The Skoda needed a full set of new tyres and some repair work done - £449.69!
  • The YFG needed some new underwear - £42 for 3 bras!
  • School supplies for the girls have also had to be bought - a lab coat for the EFG @ £10.50 and revision guides for the YFG @ £8.25.
  • The YFG has been entered for her Grade two piano exam, for £41.
That comes to just over £1100 of additional expenses this month, and all of them very necessary.  I was incredibly grateful for the work done on the car before we went to Aberystwyth because I felt safe and secure driving across the country on wet roads.  That trip couldn't really have been made any cheaper as the train fare would have cost more than the diesel did, and wouldn't have helped the other end when we may have been in need of a taxi!  The house insurance price is the cheapest I found anywhere, and I did look for other quotes, and the dental work was also necessary.

All in all, a very expensive month which has damaged my savings plan irrevocably now for the year, so I will be re-adjusting my targets and looking forward to 2014 with some new ways to save and perhaps a different way of organising our accounting.  Onwards, ever onwards - I try to learn from months like these and then let them go!

5 comments:

Sue in Suffolk said...

Oh my goodness, what a month you have had! I shall do my review of the month before long and may well find we have overspent too. Still spending out on campsite and chicken sheds.
I shall jiggle money from Building society into bank and think thankgoodness for the winter savings in the ISA

Ciao said...

We too have had an expensive month new bed ordered, still hasn't come and my visitor will be here a week come Sunday! yearly contents/structure ins, gas/elec bill, visa which gets paid off in full always etc. I had enough (nearly) in the bank but due to OH wanting a super king bed I've had to get duvet, sheets, matress cover, duvet covers, too not to mention Christmas coming.Need new pillows to I dont think I can get those in the £ shop. Bye the way thanks for telling us about the voucher in the Daily Mail so that was a big saving at Aldi and I bought 2 papers so there's another one for next weeks shop.
Take care of yurself xx

Morgan said...

@Ciao - I bought two as well! Planning on a major stocking up session for my storecupboards xx Glad it helped you.

@SSS - I like to know where the money has gone, and keeping records as we do helps us immensely. I don't begrudge spending when I have to as every single one of these expenses has been necessary. Looking forward to seeing your end of month report when you do it xx

mallowlark said...

I can very much sympathise - I moved for a new job, and in the process went from a mostly furnished shared house to a distinctly unfurnished place of my own. Furniture, even secondhand plus IKEA plus sale hunting, is expensive... There was money in savings for long term purchases, and it makes sense to buy things that will last, but my head is spinning from the amount I've spent.

Morgan said...

@Mallowlark - thanks for commenting - I hope your move has gone well and that you are settling in to your new abode. Good luck in your new job x