I had a bit of a shock this month, a couple of annual payments came off my credit card. Nothing too outlandishly expensive compared to years gone by, but added together they took my balance to an amount that has virtually wiped out my current account.
Not too bad a total really for a month with a couple of largish payments and food shopping ... oh and there might have been a couple of books. 😉
The money in the bank before I paid the credit card off in full ... and YES I always pay my credit card off completely each month. In the years I have owned it I have never paid any interest, M&S Bank must hate me. 😁
Oh well, I have the grand total of £24.21 left until my next £25 repayment from my son and next months little pension payment. I'm not worried in the slightest, but I am going to be super careful this month and for the next few months to build up the account again.
Although, I have already been shopping and added the following to next months credit card bill. I meant to use cash, but just didn't get myself organised in time!!
Booths shopping £11
Just the very basics ... and a treat. 💖
Eggs - £5
Bread - £3
Wine Spritzers - 2 x £1.50 = £3
Sainsbury's shopping £8.51
Some fruit and vegetables ... and a treat. 💖
Tomatoes - £1.90
Apples - £1.70
Beetroot - 2 x 65p = £1.30
Bananas - 31p
Lemon - 30p
Chocolate Bars - 2 x £1.50 = £3
Too many treats?
Nope, but I will be a lot more careful for the rest of the month and use some of the cash in my little wooden box and the notes that I have in my purse. I also have the back up of a £20 rewards coupon from Booths and over £17 of Nectar points.
And now that I have sorted through the food cupboard, as shown on the last post, I know exactly what I have available to use. So really there's not much I need to buy at all is there. 😀
We'll see how it goes.
Sue xx
That's extremely frugal, but I have to say I wouldn't pay that much for eggs. The F/R eggs at the butchers are very good and £1.85 for 6. Not Organic I know, but I mainly bake with them anyway. What meals have you got planned for this week?
ReplyDeleteIf you got a dozen of the butchers eggs if would be £3.70, so not a huge extra payment for mine being organic. Most of my eggs are eaten as eggs, boiled, scrambled or fried, so I appreciate the flavour of these.
DeleteI have no specific meals planned yet as we are sharing meals while Alan can't cook or wash up after his operation. So I'm using bits of food from both our fridges and freezers and cobbling things together. 🙂
I had the same happen to me with my credit card bill last month! Ooops! I'm being more restrained this month.
ReplyDeleteI remember weeks when we were first married of raiding the cider flagon for halfpennies to buy milk at the end of the week... the lady at the corner shop (a real old fashioned one at the corner of the street) never raised an eyebrow at being given a handful of tiny coins.
Yep, I've been super careful this month and checked that there's nothing more due to come off the card, nothing left for the year actually, phew!!
DeleteI did a week's shopping from the contents of our giant whisky bottle of change once when the boys were small. Luckily I could shop on an indoor and outdoor market, so I could distribute all the copper and bits of silver around about 20 different stalls We survived. 😀
I remember getting the children to help me burrow down the sides of our two sofas to find coins to pay the milkman!
ReplyDeleteWe've all been there haven't we. I've never found money in any of our sofas, but I remember finding a crumpled up £5 note in a jacket pocket at a time when I needed it most. 🙂
DeletePs NOMO chocolate is made in Norfolk. The Kinnerton factory shop in Fakenham has some great bargains for people with a sweet tooth.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed, I just looked at the wrapper. 😀 It's really tasty these days, I think they must have tweaked the recipe a while back as it seemed to improve.
DeleteI want to change any annual bills to monthly, eg TV Licence.
ReplyDeleteI don't like nasty annual surprises.
We do the opposite with most things, as we both prefer to pay yearly. Usually, all household bills come out of our joint account, which is funded by our rental property, but there are a couple of things on my credit card that I had forgotten about. These are mostly mine so I pay them, this time it was Amazon Prime, which I was actually considering cancelling, but the payment came out while I was undecided. Bad timing on my part. 🫤
DeleteIf you message Amazon prime they may give you a refund 🤔 no guarantee but worth a shot.
DeleteAlso I love your little wooden box full of change. It's like a little treasure box 😀
I considered that, but then Alan said to just let it roll on for this year. He must be in the middle of a series of something. We watch totally different sorts of programmes. 😀
DeleteDon't you just hate those surprise credit card items. I guess they are not really surprises as we know they are coming but they kind of slip our minds for a bit.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Exactly that, yes. I thought I had checked everything so carefully, obviously not. 🫤
DeleteMy huge credit card purchase for May is to my dentist. One crown and one filling. Fingers crossed I won’t need any more for a while. I’ll pay it off as soon as it shows on my card. Catriona
ReplyDeleteIt's not cheap at the dentist these days is it, but they have to be paid if we want to keep our pearly whites. 😬
DeleteThank goodness for the little wooden box! The advantage of having loads of stuff is that we can easily sell something if we need cash! xxx
ReplyDeleteMy little box comes in handy at times. 😄 I do have savings that I can dip into if I really have to, but I should manage without doing that.
DeleteI have a can for spare change. It adds up fast and I'm using the contents for treats for me and food for the cat these days.
ReplyDeleteIt does quickly add up doesn't it. I should count what's in my wooden box, it must be a few pounds. 🙂
DeleteI don't like surprises like forgotten bills! Spritzer and choc...luxuries? Nah...necessities in my view :)
ReplyDeleteWe agree on our necessities then. 😄
DeleteSorry you had a surprise credit card bill that came due. I am sure, though, that you will manage very well with what you have left in your account. It'll be another part of your not a challenge spending. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, it really will. 😄
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