Trying to Save

It has been a busy day yet somehow I managed to save money. I walked instead of taking the bus and I took my own lunch with me.

Yesterday at work my boyfriend bought my lunch with his smart card that he got. It wasn't actually his money on it, he got a "gold card" because he was mystery shopped and he got 100%. So really Asda paid for my lunch, so I'm not complaining.

I think I'm going to make soup tonight or tomorrow. I'm quite enjoying making soup once in a while, it's a nice change and if I make more this time it will save us money.

I feel as though I am not getting a single thing done today. I slept in this morning and missed one of my lectures. I have been trying to get in touch with people for my project but it hasn't been successful.

I saved money today by

bringing my own lunch
walking from my campus

However I did end up buying a sandwich because it looked more appealing than what I had.

Two driving lessons tomorrow, I can't wait until I stop taking them, I could really use the money right now.

I made soup last night, so we're having lentil soup tonight for dinner. I think I will also make carrot soup this week.

For my birthday night out, I got £40 which I'm putting towards my holiday. Also I took £20 with me which I didn't spend so that is going towards it too. When I get paid I will put £200 towards it which will take the total amount to £260. It would be nice to do that every month.

I paid for my graduation tickets yesterday so they're out of the way.Hopefully I can find a nice dress to wear for it now. Hopefully I will get money off staying at the hotel because i'll be at a function there (fingers crossed).

I just found out that we will have to pay the full price for the hotel. At least we've got till July.

It's my birthday today! We're going out for a meal tonight but I won't be spending any money. So far the only money I've spent today is £8 for a haircut. Tomorrow I'll try not to spend a lot when me and my boyfriend go out with friends.

I wish I had more days like this. I am going to try and aim for one no spend day a week, then I'll work up to two.

I have been thinking of ways to save money next week. So far I have come up with these ideas:

take my own lunch to uni..and not buying anything extra there
walk to my campus one day a week
take my own lunch to work
work to work
make soup for dinner at least once a week

The last idea has got me thinking: will making soup actually help with our shopping bill? It is just the two of us so it should last a couple of days. What does everyone else think of this?

My exam results are due soon, so it was for that reason that I was considering not going to the graduation ball in July. After all, there's no point going if I'm going to graduate later than everyone else. However I've decided that I might as well go, I have spent 4 years at uni so I think I deserve it. I've phoned the hotel so I know how much it will cost to stay there for a night so I'm prepared. I don't need to pay for the hotel until July, and my boyfriend is going to pay for half of the bill anyway so it should be okay.

On a completely different subject, my driving lesson was cancelled so I'm going to keep that money for my double lesson next week.

I've decided to sell some of my books on Amazon. I don't use them anymore so I might as well make some money from them. Any money I make I'll just put towards my holiday.

I worked an extra shift yesterday, and I went in earlier so I should notice when I get paid next week.

Due to it being my first week back at uni, I have books and reading packs to buy. In addition to this I had to re-order prescriptions at the pharmacy so I need to pay for them.

There is a ball at the end of the year for everyone who is graduating. The tickets go on sale soon and i am considering whether to buy one or not. If I don't buy one I will save some money and it can go towards my holiday. If I do then I'll be skint till next payday, which is only in a couple of weeks but I have to pay some bills and the tv licence is due too. I should have been organised last year and put money aside for it but I wasn't so I will just have to suffer the consequences. The price is meant to be increasing next year.

I have just been moaning so far and I haven't actually mentioned anything good so far. Today I only bought one packet of crisps at uni so that was good, tomorrow im working overtime. I just get so stressed out.

Oh well, maybe next month will be better, assuming I learn how to budget properly and tell my mum that I need her help sometimes (she doesnt work due to illness). She relies on me a lot for electricity money, bus fare etc and I don't let her know when I'm struggling but she has to realise that I can't afford to pay for everything at once.

It is my first day back at university now so I will need to consider bus fares etc when considering how much money I will need for the week. Right now I am planning to save money by taking my own lunch with me, it's amazing how much I spend here, and it's all mostly on stuff that I don't need (magazines etc).

I have found out that our holiday needs to be paid for by June. I am doing extra hours this week to put towards it. I want to start paying it now for two reasons: I can't afford to pay the full amount in one go and I feel as though I am actually accomplishing something if I pay it monthly. I don't need to worry about buying a passport, thankfully, as mine doesn't expire until about 2013. The resort is all-inclusive so I will only need some spending money. It's so long away but I just want to try and be organised.

It was our anniversary last week and my boyfriend bought me flowers and chocolates, even though we're both struggling with money at the moment. We've agreed that for Valentine's Day we will just get each other a card since it's the thought that counts. Also he has my birthday to worry about too. It's going to be a busy month.

I am having a great day so far. Although I just had a driving lesson and spent money, the lessons are getting better. I'm hoping to stop taking them by summer and pass my test by then. If I do I will have more money to put towards savings.

I'm doing overtime this week so i've decided that I will save money by:

walking to work
taking my own lunch

I haven't spent anything today so I'm hoping to do the same on my next day off, which is Friday.

When I started this blog, one of my aims was to save money for when I move in with my boyfriend. However, since we're going on holiday this year it looks as though we're going to have to concentrate on that instead. I'm a bit disappointed because I was hoping to have at least some money saved.

I did some overtime today so when I get paid next month I will put that towards my holiday. I just want to get it paid as soon as possible.

I'm so pleased. My boyfriend phoned me last night and told me that we are going to the Dominician Republic, it's been booked. The only problem is that I will have to save up enough money to go there. It will all be worth it in the end, I'll just really need to budget until we go. I have most of the summer so it shouldn't be too bad.

My last exam was today, so no more until May.

I went shopping today and I still managed to spend a lot, even though I had a list with me. I bought some stuff to help my mum out so I don't feel too bad.

Oh well my birthday's soon so that should cheer me up After that I will be more focused on saving.

Well I was going to save some money today but I had to help my mum out. I also have two driving lessons this week that I have to pay for then there's money that I will need for bus fare during the week. The only good thing is that I have put my name down for extra hours at work so that should help.

Well as it turns out saving isn't as easy as I thought it would be. It seems as though I'll need to do overtime at work if I actually want to save anything. If I do enough overtime this month I should be able to save something next month...well hopefully I will be able to.

Here is what I plan to spend this week:

bus fare: £4.00 + £1.60
driving: £18.00
day ticket: £2.30

Total: £25.90

Hopefully I will not spend any more money than this.

My saving is going okay as long as i budget. My boyfriend, however, does not have enough money to put away this month. I wonder if I can help him so he can?

Well I have come up with my financial resolutions for 2006. They are:

1. Save to move in with my boyfriend
2. Put money in a savings account
3. Save for a holiday

I will try and update this journal regularly so I can keep track of my spending.