Money Diaries: One Last Hurrah
A few months ago, I talked a little bit about some of the financial goals I was setting for myself. Well I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to achieve some of them! The big one was paying off my credit cards, and starting to save. Ticked both of them off the list! Now the name of the game is money management. I should pay more attention to how I’m actually spending money. So I thought I’d keep some little money diaries every once in a while, so I can be transparent about my spending! I’m calling this one the last hurrah…
MONDAY
We’re heading back into lockdown on Wednesday so I’ve been taking it easy, trying to ease the transition back to being at home. The first lockdown was a real rollercoaster so I’m trying to work out what I want to focus on. So I’ve spent the day at my laptop. Oh, yeah, it’s my turn to cook dinner tonight… so I need to pick up a few things from the grocery store. – £9.95
Total: £9.95
TUESDAY
It’s Election Day and oh boy am I stressed. I didn’t sleep very well last night, and have decided to focus on updating the blog. I’ve been feeling uninspired by my set up. Perhaps slightly impulsively, I’ve decided to invest in a new theme! – £157
Later in the evening, we ran out of milk so I had to go to the store. Ended up picking up a few other things we needed as well. – £8.10
Total: £165.10
WEDNESDAY
It’s the last day before lockdown begins so I have a few errands to run. I need to collect a package in Central London, so I’m hopping on the train, and then the tube. – £10.40
Boy, I forgot how expensive commuting is… under normal circumstances I just buy a monthly travel card. I also forgot to eat breakfast before I left the house, and treated myself to some Krispy Kreme – £5.25.
I met up with Carrie for one last hurrah (we were meant to catch up on Thursday but had to pivot) and we went for a walk through West London. Lo and behold, we ended up at Panzer’s Deli. Apparently they carry products from the US, which I discovered to be true. I got overly excited by the boxes of graham crackers and goldfish, so in an act of self care, treated myself to some. There’s s’mores in my future and that is really lifting my mood. – £17.54.
I headed to my usual Wednedsay counselling session. – £60.
I walked to Plaster Beauty as my last stop of the day. Treated myself to a manicure before lockdown hits and I’m obsessed with it… I had already had this booked in before the lockdown was confirmed, and decided to stick with it. One last hurrah indeed! – £55 + tip.
Oof today has been a bit spenny, hasn’t it?
Total: £148.19
THURSDAY
Today I had planned on going for another run, but we woke up to fog and rain. That’s the second day this week that my run didn’t happen because of the weather. I’ve decided I should probably buy some more weather appropriate clothing to run in if I’m gonna keep this up. Scrolled though the Adidas website and bought a windbreaker and a hat – £71.85.
Oh, and some base layers and gloves for when it’s cold… – £37.42
I camped out at home for the rest of the day.
Total: £109.27
FRIDAY
We decided we wanted to treat ourselves to some Lina Stores pasta for dinner. Placed an order to be delivered today. Three kinds of pasta, two sauces and two cannolis. It was worth every penny, and there’s plenty left over for next week as well! – £49.65
We’d planned to watch a film, but our projector is acting up. I called Richer Sounds to see if they have any advice and the model we have has been discontinued, so they don’t have the parts. Isn’t that always the way? So we bought a new projector, but split the cost between us to make it easier. I had an invoice paid today, thankfully, so I’m feeling the sting a little less. This is why I wanted to focus on saving money for an emergency fund… – £389.
Total: £438.65
SATURDAY
After an expensive week, I’m determined to stay in all weekend. We’re having a cheese and wine night for dinner, and we’ve already got everything! I spent the day making the most of my new blog theme, reformatting old posts, and working on new content. I’ve been periodically checking in on Election results, but it’s so stressful that I’m wilfully ignoring it…
Total: £0
SUNDAY
I’m nursing a hangover, poor me. It was announced last night that Biden is projected to win the Presidency, and I was filled with such a sense of relief and joy that I over-indulged in our bar tray… So, I filled my day with lots of cups of tea, a nice breakfast as made by my husband, and more blog stuff… when my brain could handle it, that is. In a moment of weakness (or self care, depending on how you look at it) I decided that I needed to buy some more books to read. – £52.42
Total: £52.42
There you have it… my money diaries for a week. I definitely spent a bit too much money, but without the blog theme and the new projector it wouldn’t have been too bad. A more normal level of spending, perhaps? The good thing about keeping these money diaries is that it’s making me think about my spending. That can only be a positive, right?
