Dealing with 'The urge to shop'...

This week, sans payday and with most of my Christmas shopping done (go me!) - which never usually happens The urge to shop came over me. On my morning commute a girl stood in front of me who seemed to be wearing the exact same blazer I had lost last week (sob!) and after logging onto the H&M website I realised that a) my bank card STILL isn't working as it should, and b) I had left the joint account card at home, preventing it from taking another battering (which it really doesn't need!). I had a few quid in my purse to buy food shopping at lunchtime, so said clothes shopping was put on hold (phew!). However, after a turn of events in the office someone piped up that they had my little black blazer at home, after picking it up at the end of the night, and this morning I was reunited with one of my wardrobe staples- happy days!

This week, so far has been fairly frugal (didn't really have much of a choice!) I have only spent money on food for lunch supplies from Sainsburys across the road including;

1. A mini loaf of bread (will keep in the freezer and take out as and when) 
2. Six pack of McCoys crisps (on special offer £1, two down, four to go- around 16p per bag!)
3. A packet of crackers (nom..nom)
4. A punnet of plums (loads left- will take to Centre Parcs this weekend)
5. A packet of cherry tomatoes (again, loads left but should last in the fridge until next week)
6. A bag of satsumas (two left, which will be eaten today)
7. A bag of spinach (last handfuls will be wilted in pasta tonight)
8. A budget ball of mozzarella (finished; made four sandwiches 11p per sarnie)
9. Six pack of diet coke (also on special offer £2.50, 41p per can opposed to 65p two left for the picnic) 
10. Two sausage rolls (52p) 
11. One mini french stick baguette (50p)

All of this came to around £11.00, which really is the equivalent to a couple of lunches from a posh coffee shop, and this should do me for lunches for the rest of the week.

 Last night we were also taken out on another media night, this time to Byron a very posh burger chain which has just opened up around the corner from the office near Centre Point- all expenses paid of course. I tend to be like a kid in a candy shop at these events, and last night was no exception. I ordered the Byron burger with blue cheese and bacon, accompanied by courgette fries (yummy!) and a HUGE Oreo ice cream milkshake- delicious, but somewhat of a bad idea, followed by a full fat coke. I had been sooo hungry all day I had eaten loads, and by the time I had made it to the tube station I was feeling more than a little sick.....

Anyways, enough of that, this weekend I'm off to Centre Parcs for four days with the BF and the family which should be nice, and relatively low cost too (M&D paid as a VERY late part 21st present for me, and part 21st present for my sister) We've both always wanted to go since we were little, I think mainly due to their clever advertising campaigns, so looking forward to it. M&D want to keep the cost down as I think it set them back a fair bit, so it will be a weekend of relaxing in the spa, being forced to do Zumba and cycling about, spending the evenings having a few drinks (probably non-alcoholic as I think alcohol makes my skin worse!)......

Is anyone up to anything nice this weekend? .. x

Budgeting

So payday has finally arrived, and due to the car repairs putting me back in my overdraft I now (sadly!) have a very similar budget to work with as last month- around £1100.00. I put the odd £13.00 into my ISA to make the number nice and even to remember and this is how I reckon next months finances should (hopefully- fingers crossed!) pan out:

£220.00 rent
£200.00 into the joint account to pay for bills and food
£33.00 phone bill (am thinking of downgrading at the end of next year to save the £££)
£42.00 gym membership (again I think I will be cancelling my membership when my year is up at the beginning of March)
£94.00 x2 weekly travel cards (due to my week off over Christmas)
=£589.00
+30.00 approx. additional money from working at Twickenham rugby match today
Leaving £541.00 disposable income

This weekend I have spent/plan on spending very little. Last night I was tired and feeling a little worse for wear from the night before so I went for a swim and steam session before zonking out on the sofa. And tonight a friend was holding a house warming gathering, so I took round some soft drinks and posh crisps to share as me and my other friend were both driving and generally had a little natter and discussed the reality tv show strictly come dancing.

Tomorrow, the BF is off work so I plan on sorting out the mess which has accumulated on top of our wardrobes which has started to annoy me, finishing off my Christmas shopping online (hello Amazon!) going to the gym and finishing off the day with a cosy evening in watching a film and eating a nice dinner.