Week 3 Budget #Fabfrugal

Bonjourno Fab Frugelers!

Now this post is VERY late and this last week I'm in at the moment is not going well, but this post is for the week from Monday 18 July to Sunday 24 July.

So my budget for that week was as follows: -

Monday - £4.00

Tuesday - £20.00

Wednesday - £4.00

Thursday - £47.00

Friday - £4.00

Saturday - £7.00

Sunday - £0.00 NIL

But my actual spend looked like this : -

Monday - £3.57 – UNDER

Tuesday - £20.49 – OVER

Wednesday - £4.72 - OVER

Thursday - £46.44 – UNDER

Friday - £3.81 – UNDER

Saturday - £18.53 - OVER

Sunday - £14.00 - OVER

So from Monday to Friday I didn’t do too bad, when I went over it was only by a few pence and when I was under it was by enough to cover the previous over spends!

But on the weekend, we decided we should actually go somewhere, he had no money, and I had money left, big mistake.

On the Saturday, I had to go into town to get passport photos for my passport, as I needed one to go away! And I had to pay for Martin to Roller Skate as he ran out of money, and he promised to pay for us to skate on the Tuesday, so I thought ok that’s fair! After skating we got a bit hungry and decided we should have McDonalds!

On the Sunday we wanted to go out for the day, so we decided to go to The Grand Day out, it was a big craft thing near us, where you just have a day out and see all these things, it was £4.00 to get in, but I had to borrow £10.00 for diesel! Which was annoying but otherwise alright!

So I didn’t have a very Fab Frugal weekend, but my week was perfect!

Here is some before and after pictures from my hair cut on the Thursday! Then last of all I shall do my budget for the current week I'm in which is Monday 25 July to Sunday 31 July.

Before

During

After!!!

I am really happy with the new hair, did you like my before picture tried to make myself look really awful so there was a definite difference haha

So this weeks budget is as follows: -

Monday

£3.00 Lunch

£5.00 Passport Photo, the last passport photo had too much fringe! WHAT

£??.?? Passport

Tuesday

£3.00 Lunch

£16.00 Bus

Wednesday

£3.00 Lunch

Thursday

£3.00 Lunch

Friday

£3.00 Lunch

£5.00 Socks for Sock Monkey

Saturday

£3.00 Lunch

£4.00 Roller Disco

£5.00 Sock Monkey

£2.00 After Roller Disco

Sunday

£0 Hopefully

I hope you have enjoyed my update, I know its totally late, and I'm doing really badly but I'm really trying! I just took my bank card and it really buggered everything up, back on it next week, as I will envelope up again and not need any money at all!! (other than lunch and the usual).

Budgeting is tonight’s task!!!

Much Love <3 xxx

Week 2 Budget #Fabfrugal

Happy Monday Monkey Nuts

I just wanted to do a small post today about my forecasted spend for the week ahead, kind of a public budget, I don’t have a red suitcase but I have a Crimson Malden so that will just have to do!

I am carrying my Crimson Malden ready to announce my budget to the world of Fab Frugleness!

So for Today which is Monday, even though I have already spend money and below the budget oh yeah!

Monday

Simply £4.00 for my lunch!

Tuesday

£16.00 bus fair, I pay weekly and it is usually £4 a journey but they do a special offer where it is £16.00 for a 7 day ticket and I can go between two points as many times as I like, not that I use it that much other than the 5 days I go to work, which saves me £4.00!

Then my lunch money of £4.00

Wednesday

Simply £4.00 for my lunch!

But I also have the first of my Graze boxes coming, I'm rather excited about this, thank you so much Sharon, she gave me a voucher to get my first one free!

So today’s Graze box will cost me nothing! And hopefully it should keep me full enough I can spend hardly anything on lunch maybe a yoghurt!

Thursday

EXPENSIVE DAY!!!

£4.00 for my lunch!

Second Graze box that has only cost £1.74, I want to test out two then if I like it I'm going to budget to have one a week starting 3 August! It usually costs £3.49!

I will do a review at lunch about it, which pictures and all!

This bit is the hard to type part!

Now I'm getting my hair done and this shall cost £43.00! I am having a T-Section done and also a trim, I was originally going for a full head but I'm not that rich, so it has to be a T-Section!

Friday

Simply £4.00 for my lunch!

Saturday

Roller Disco, which is £4.00!

I will allow £3.00 for after the Roller Disco, as I get a bit of the nibbles and I get a bit thirsty, so I will get a drink then!

Sunday

NOTHING

So my total spend for the week should be no more than: - £86.00 Remember that does include my hair cut, without that it would only be £43.00!

I have not had a hair cut in 2 months or more! I need it badly!

Much Love <3 xxx

First Week of FabFrugal - SHOCKING

Sad Sunday today it be!

Well today, I want to show you a break down of my budget what I have spent, I'm going to show you every penny I have spent, I have literally written everything down even slip ups, I have tried not to hide anything from you as I would feel bad lying to you lovely ladies, and few men……

So I have overspent, but In theory that is a good things as it means I have not budgeted enough for things (my main overspend was lunch, I didn’t realize how much I spent on lunch I was quite shocked to tell you the truth!)

So here is the break down I will do it daily to show you my average spend (which I was so surprised about)!

Day 1 - £27.00

Day 2 - £10.15

Day 3 - £8.59 (including stationery)

Day 4 - £22.23

Day 5 - -£43.33 (yes minus I sold my bag so that made it so I didn’t overspend)

Day 6 – Today I have not been out yet still in bed as I’m writing this!

Week days this should be my spend: -

Day 1 - £19.00

Day 2 - £3.00

Day 3 - £3.00

Day 4 - £3.00

Day 5 - £3.00

Day 6 - £7.00

Day 8 - £0

So that is what my spend should look like and as you see mine is very over the top for my first week, I’m actually so shocked, usually something like this would make me give up, but this time its made me more determined to get it better!

So here is the break down of exactly what I spend, I don’t want to show you all the receipts as I don’t have all receipts (annoys me not all places give you them) and I thought as I only have 40% of the receipts it wouldn’t be a fiar test!

Week 1 Break Down

Travel - £22.50

Lunch - £29.51

Needed - £9.33

Unnecessary - £14.80

Income - £56.50

Budgeted - £5.00

Spent on average lunch per day, I divided £29.51 by 4 and got £7.37, which has shown me I need to have my lunch budget a day £5.00 as I buy breakfast and a snack for the bus, I get hungry! I know your all going to say have breakfast before you leave and take packed lunch, but that doesn’t work with me, I cannot eat before 10am as I have this thing in my head since the age of 14 that I cannot eat before that time as I feel really sick, silly I know, but this is coming from someone who can live off water and 2 packets of crisps a day!

If I take packed lunch I do not eat properly and I gained 5lbs in 2 weeks when I tired it last month, I buy water in bulk at the beginning of the month, to save money as it works out at around 17p per bottle, compared to spending from £1.20 – 50p per bottle in town, yes some places charge £1.20!!! Shocking I know!

So my overspend for this week was as follows: -

Travel - £6.50 (part of train fair to Philofaxy meet up)

Lunch - £17.51

Unnecessary - £14.80

Overspend - £38.81 TOTAL!

So my unnecessary spending was as follows: -

McDonalds - £8.13 

Milkshake and chocolate - £6.67

As you can see I’m being very honest with you all!

This has made me realize how bad with money I have been and I thank CP so much for starting this challenge its what I have really needed!!! I’m going to give her a huge thank you hug at Paddington when I see her in September!

So for next week I’m going to try not to bring my bank card with me at all! This is how I get in trouble every month, I seriously do not learn I cannot believe how stupid I have been with money!  I feel like I’m finally learning! Considering I’m just above minimum wage I am really doing badly with money!

I’m going to write a shopping list for Christmas to work out what to get people and stuff and I will set a budget amount, I am going to start shopping for it next month! I want to make it as easy on myself as possible!

Next month I also need to get a rail card in order to save me money for future train trips considering I go to London too often, I might as well move there!

So my last little thing I want to say a HUGE thank you to the amazing Steph at Roller Disco, she gave me some Filofax inserts, coloured pages and it was so nice of her to give them to me :-) She is lovely! Thank you so much Steph!!! Hugs

So I think I should end it here and I will do another post half way through the week! Ask me any questions you have and I will try and respond!

Sorry if I have given anyone a heart attack from reading this!

Much love <3 xxx

P.s. I have a £43 hair cut and dye this week

Fab Furgal - Why am I doing it?

Bonjourno Penny Pinchers ;-)

So I wanted to let you know how much I need to stick to this no spend to kind of show you my problem, I buy too much of certain things, and I thought what better way then to look at your problem with pictures and tell everyone about it!

So there are 3 things I spend MAJOUR amounts of money on, and I know your all thinking oh I bet its handbags you would be VERY wrong!

In 7 months I have bought one designer bag and had one bought for me, I bought my first one at the end of January which was only £535, no im not bragging or trying to justify my purchases im just trying to show that is not as bad as I may first sound, before I got my first designer handbag I was buying a bag a month for around £30-£100 a month, and if you divide my Louis Vuitton by 7 (which is as long as I have had it, it only works out at £76 per a month and I have used it EVERY day since I bought it, never not used it! So I have been getting my monies worth out of it fo sho!

I just wanted you all to know that I love to look and expensive handbags and touch them but I don’t have all that many I just have my Louis Vuitton and my Mulberry Alexa, here the two beauties are: -

So now on to my problems, I think I should start with the one you all know about first which is my Filofax addiction, now I will show you a picture of my Filofax family (two are missing as I have lost one and my boyfriend has the other).

Starting at the back I have my AZ Cuban Zipped in Chili Red, A5 Pink Finsbury,  Pink A5 Flex, A5 Black Strata (I think that’s what its called?), Crimson Malden Personal, Personal Juicy Grape Domino, Personal Black Amazona and finally the two Pocket Special Filofaxes which Filofax gave me! (Enter the competition)

So as you can see I have quite an issue with Filofaxes! So now what I need to do is to try and fix that issue in order to stop me wanting to spend the money and spend it on more useful things like clothes (from that you can tell clothes is something I’m not all that good at).

My next issue is MAKE UP – Well more eye shadow and lipgloss, now I need you to all take a deep breath before you see this, I know its not the hugest collection (and believe me I have more) but still its quite daunting! I really have no need for more unless one colour runs out!

Does not look as impressive in the draw, now I don’t really need to say much about the next lot of photos other than its worth well over £300, I usually buy 5 or 6 eye shadows a month, pallets or singles, I have problems!

Barry M

I really should start to review some of my products as it would give me something to do and I would actually get more use out of them! Hehe I will start reviewing them all next week! Starting with the lip-glosses!

Well I don’t need to say much more your starting to see I do actually have a problem (well I do want to be a make-up artist).

And my final problem, now this will shock you even more! This is my pen problem! I just want to appologise as this is a bit of pen porn, so if you don’t want to be tempted look away (im joking) to see my problem you need to look at all the pictures.

So I buy 5 – 8 – 10 – 20 pens a month, yes your not going to believe it, and I am going to review these as well, I will start doing one make up product and one pen product a week!

I don’t need to say much more so I will let the pictures do the talking!

The posh pens I use all the time are last, yes I have the same parker pen in silver and silver and pink!

So that is my problem you see why im doing the fabfrugal challenge!

Any questions or comment please leave them!

Much love <3 xxx

Filofax College Week 3 - Organising your Planner

Hello Happy People!

Welcome to Week 3 of Filofax College, I'm rather sorry it was a bit late and that I didn’t send out Week 2 to all the people on the e-mail! I had a hectic week and I'm not too well today!

So first of all the homework for week 1 is due in today! And thank you to you all for doing it in the time given, (Not that you had to) and I'm pleased to say that you all got grades between A and A* which is very good for your first lesson! No one got less than 9.5/10, only because small details were missing! I’m very proud of you all!!

P.s there was also a second post for Week 2 of Filofax College for a competition!

Also the Week 2 homework was due today as it would mean you can carry on and use it to conclude this week! If that makes any sense?

As you remember last weeks task was to plan for your planner, as I did and explained to you, here is a link to Week 2 now I will show you my organisation since then and then will give you your homework for the week you lovely pupils!

So here is my lovely Malden from the front to get it all started

Its just so unbelievably amazing and joyful to use!

So now I'm going to delve inside the beauty!

This is the inside cover you can see my oyster card map, everything my tickets to Philofaxy meet up!!! HEHE As you can tell prepared for any eventuality!

So I will show you my diary then I will explain the organisation that we discussed last week!

I love this format for the diary! As you can see I use it as much as possible I like to try and write lots and lots in it to make me feel happy that I'm getting my monies worth out of it! Hehe, I did only have 3 months worth in it, but then I wanted to make an appointment a few weeks ahead and didn’t have the choice so I had to put more in! and I like lots in there makes it fuller! MMMMM

So first of all here are the tabs I have set up, I haven’t decided all of them but I have 3 set up, I have planning, loves, lists and information. I will go in to each of these sections further as some sections I have take pictures of what is in them and of the main list to show the colour co-ordination.

Planning

So in this section I have chosen to have the following with a set colour scheme!

Youtube – Yellow

Blog – Pink

Travel – Green (I wish I used that for Christmas)

Budgets – White

Christmas – Purple

So its obvious what I use each section for, I would of taken a photo of my Philofaxy planning but then people would know my every move and I like to keep it secretive from people who don’t need to know!

Its literally all on those colour pages so I have written my travel plans on the green and all the other stuff on the other colours, not that I have used it much yet…..

Loves <3

Now I need to start doing this one, but I have chose then following categories and colours to se it up.

Websites - Pink

Youtubers – Blue (maybe with things like this I should of co-ordinated colours corresponding to other sections)

Bloggers – Purple

Quotes – Yellow

I just want it to be like my bookmarks on my computer, so if I'm out I can easily give people others websites etc…

But I’ve not filled it all in yet, like everything else!

Lists

Now I have started filling these out as you can see!

To-do – Cotton Cream

General – Blue

Shopping – purple

Bucket List – Green

Books to read – White – only started this since getting library card

So I'm using these but still need to fill them out!

Information

So here are the categories

Social – Pink

Addresses – White

Phone numbers – Blue

Clubcards – Green

Passwords – Yellow

Food plan – Orange

Weight – Grid White

As you can see I have filed out quite a few addresses like work ones personal ones etc, I just need to get It all finished, I really need to finish all the sections and fill them with all the information.

Then the last section which is blank at the moment is my random section as it has my No spend challenge and receipts, business cards and doctor prescriptions.

So as you can see, its all getting a bit confused!  I'm sort of trying to get it all right but then I'm struggling. Once I have been using it a few weeks I will re-evaluate the situation.

So on to your homework!

This week what you need to do (this is following on from last week) as you had last week decided how you want to use your Filofax as in what sections you want all the tabs etc, well this week what you need to do is actually set it up like I have done!

Once you have set it all up with all the tabs you want and any colour coding you need then post some pictures in the Filofax College Flickr Group! And write a little description about what the page is. So kind of what’s in my Filofax posts on Flickr really!

If you do not have Flickr you can just write below in a comment about it, its up to you! You can even do a blog post about it and then link below!

Thank you all for being such good pupils, I love to teach you all!

Much Love <3 Imy xxx

No Shop update and a peak inside Staples Filofax section!

Bonjourno and welcome to Tearful Thursday!

Well its not tearful but I thought I would update you on my No Spend and show you what my Filofax section looks like in Staples and finally show you a new Filofax that they had in the shop I took a few photos but could not photo the insides as they were covered up! Will explain in all good time!

Just one notification – According to Lord Dodo and my Dodo pad, Monday 18 is International go up the wrong escalator day! So if anyone lives in London I believe that’s the perfect place to try on the underground ;-)

So to the point in hand, my Fab Frugal challenge is going well! I have had a little slip up today but in theory it isn’t as much as its something I need and also something I ran out of! You will see at the bottom! I have been pretty good and have had lots of lovely help from @sjl1974!! Thank you so much! She’s helped me not buy magazines and whatnots! I will do a full update, I feel so proud with my progress!!

I'm really proud of this so far I need to update since lunch time though!

So the lovely Filofax section in my Staples looks a bit like this, I'm quite impressed and feel proud to say that this is the best Filofax Section in Cornwall, unless anyone knows of a better one, I would love to know!

In an ideal world I wish there was more of a variety of inserts! Its mainly just line paper that’s it :-( which is slightly disappointing and no Maldens to look at!!! Else I would have had on AGES ago!

Then out of the corner of my eye I noticed a second display, it was different to the other Filofax bits, colourfuler prettier in a way! (Do not worry its still Filofax)!!

Oh and there are NO Flex displays in my Staples which I was surprised about!

Then I looked around the other side and noticed they had a pink version of the Olympics Filofax (I think of this Filofax as more of a Fun Fax, I went to look at them the other day and oh my they have changed, I will go in Waterstones one day and take some photos)! Well the inside looks very nice! I was surprised, its very bent at the bottom isn’t it, I kind of want to buy one to inspect the inside and learn more, I couldn’t take the cellophane off I'm too innocent and good, I am not too rebellious when it comes to things like that!

I'm looking forward to inspecting more in to this!!! It’s the personal size btw!

The inside looks so bright why don’t they make like a college organiser insert set, I think they need a colour injection in some of the Filofax things! What do you think?

There were so many on display I can see they might not sell! (only as in where I live as I'm down the end of no where).

Pocket ones, which I ideal for the Olympics easily portable but personal is better for the general sizeness I believe!

If I was going to the Olympics I would 100% buy one of these and then use the stuff in side in my Malden or something? I think I would feel a little silly carrying it! But it looks like I want to buy another one, more for being nosey than anything…I wonder if Filofax will be realising another insert set like the city pack but for the Olympics (closer to the time probably if they do?)

Finally on to my purchase! I bought 3 things that were good priced!

I bought two eraser things for fountain pens ive been wanting some for ages but could not justify spending £1 on just one, but these were 35p for two!!! Then I thought I will look around for some help to find Lamy cartridges, no one to be seen anywhere, then I spotted the clearance, bad move, but they had parker pen cartridges for £1.50 for 15! And I need some so I thought I cannot miss that chance, mines nearly ran out and I have none left, I should be able to claim them back off my boss too, hopefully but he is away for a few weeks!

Lastly I bought a white notepad that is boxed as I want something to do my budgeting on clearer they cost £2.49, and the finance pages costed the same, I swear in WHSmiths they were only £1.99, I should of asked my lovely new Stationery friend at Martin Luck how much they would sell them for!

So I haven’t been too bad with the NO SPEND!!!! I bought things I needed and things to keep me better organised with my money so not too bad, I was tempted by a new BIC 4 colour pen, the fashion version, it was in a new pen grip and was so tempted it was £2.50 but I thought I have this pen already and I have 20-30 pink and blue ones so I have no need! And they had my favorite pen for 84p on sale and I thought oooo should I buy but I said no! So I have been not too bad!

So better go for now, knitting lessons tonight with the lovely Ohlittlecloud! YAY!!!

Much Love <3 xxx

P.s I claimed the £1.50 out of petty cash as i usually order my cartridges off the stationery company website.....

No Shopping Challenge!

Hello Muffin Mice

Today I start my Fab Frugal challenge (that’s just the twitter tag, easier for me to remember) you can read all about the lovely challenge that Caribbean Princess has set up HERE. There is also a Facebook Group and Twitter tag, #Fabfrugal

So today I am starting, not starting off all that well though, I'm having to borrow money on Day 1 of my challenge as my birthday was a lot more expensive then I thought (not buying myself presents but eating out and doing things) I didn’t want to repay the money with birthday money as I thought that would be wrong so I'm just going to have to borrow it instead, but on the upside I have budgeted all my lunch, bus and roller skating money so I can literally just pay it out of little envelopes!

So I will first of all tell you what I'm going to do towards my challenge then I will give you a list of things I'm allowing and things I'm not allowing to spend money on.

To try to stop me spending on my normal account I am going to FREEZE my Debit card! IN ICE!!! Yes FREEZE it!!! I really mean that! And if I need money I will have my Barclays Debit cart, but it will mean I will need to transfer the money via online banking which can take a day or so, which by then will of put me off the purchase!! I have just seen a lot about Freezing credit cards, I do have a credit card that I need to pay off, but I'm paying it off but not using it as I lost it in my bedroom so that’s just as good as freezing it!

Secondly I am going to take out my money for Lunch, Bus Fair, Roller Skating at the beginning of the month, and even though your all thinking Roller Skating, that cannot be a necessity, it is, as its good for keeping fit and it makes me really happy doing it! I LOVE YOU SKOOTERS ROLLER DISCO! :-)

After that I'm not going to spend any other money in my account! I really hope I have extra money left over at the end of my month, if I don’t by 31 August I will go until the end of September, so that means NO SPENDING AT THE FILOFAX MEET UP! I might shed a tear!

The things I will allow:

Make up ESSENTIALS (as in if I run out of mascara or foundation and have none left)

Toiletries

Summer Clothes for work (One thing I hate buying and its something I NEVER buy)

Filofax INSERTS (Only if I run out and its something I need)

Hair Appointments (Not that I can afford one)

ROLLER DISCO!!!! As its exercise!

Cartridges for my fountain pens

Any other essentials!

Things I will NOT allow:

MORE FILOFAXES!!!!!!!!!! My Malden is keeping me content!

EYE SHADOW!!!! I have enough to feed a huge family for 16 years and 5 days!

Magazines, I buy too many

Pens

Less Eating out

Things I don’t need and just want!

Well there are so many more things but I think I'm going to cut this short for now!

I will also sell stuff on ebay!

To be continued…………………………………….

Much Love <3 xxx