A month in review: April 2013

Wooosh. Another month over - goodbye April!

I have to say April was again mixed. I feel like we've taken our eye off the ball money-wise this month, starting with the weekend away and then downhill from there.

My aims for April were:

- lose 4lbs

- Overpay £600

- Get the Emergency Fund up to 25%

- Have 17 No Spend Days

- Have a date with DH

I'm really struggling with my weight at the moment - I appear to be an emotional/stress eater so I haven't been anywhere near weighing scales. I need to get a grip with this. 

We've OP'd £535.51 this month, which is short of the target but I'm not too worried. That's still a fantastic amount to pay off on top of our normal mortgage payment. 

The emergency fund now stands at 32.7% which is absolutely fantastic! I think I may focus more on this in the coming months, to try and get this finished by the end of 2013. 

Only managed 13 NSDs this month, which is a poor attempt really. Like I said, I've taken my eye off the ball.

Me and DH have been out for a meal, so I guess that counts as a date! :) 

A month in review: March 2013

This is slightly late, but never mind. I can't believe another month is over - how fast is 2013 going!? 

March has been up and down - it's been a very busy month for one reason or another, and money has slipped slightly. 

My aims for March were:

- lose 4lbs

- Overpay £600

- Put £300 in the Emergency Fund

- Have 18 No Spend Days

- Buy a new coat!

I've lost 3lbs, which is good going for me. I'm going to continue to try and eat healthy, though this past weekend is not a good indication of that...!

I've OP'ed the mortgage by £605.48 so I'm pleased with that. I don't know if we can continue with the big numbers for much longer, but it'll be good as long as we can sustain it.

Now, I've put nothing into the emergency fund this month. Nothing at all. Bad. 

I've had 17 NSDs this month, so one short of target. I'm pretty pleased with that. 

And, finally, I've bought a new coat! I shall post about it, but it's very nice and I am glad I took the plunge and bought a new one - I think it was 7 years ago since I bought a new coat. Oops!

So, overall, finance wise March has been okay. Not great, but okay. 

A month in review: February 2013

The end of the month, again! February has definitely gone fast. It's been up and down again this month, though work is getting slightly easier, so should see that as a positive! I keep toying with different ideas, work-wise, but it would take an awful lot of courage and lots of planning, so I think it'll have to sit on the back burner for now... 

My aims for February were:

- Lose 4lbs

- Overpay £700

- Put £300 in Emergency Fund

- Have 16 No Spend Days

- Make a new type of loaf

I've lost 2lbs this month. Now, again not as much as I'd hoped, but I am getting more into the healthy eating again. I've given up chocolate, crisps, sweets, biscuits and cake for Lent, which is certainly helping! 

We've over-payed £640.40 this month, so a bit short of my target. However, I think that's still a fantastic amount to overpay, and we've done a lot in the house during the month, so that fact we've still managed to pull off a big number is big achievement. 

I've also managed to put £300 into the emergency fund, which just shows that we can do this, if we plan accordingly. I keep changing my mind about what I want our emergency fund to contain, between 6 months, 9 months or 12 months, and then whether it's just mortgage payment and council tax payment in there, or all bills, or all outgoings. Hmm. 

I've had 16 No Spend Days this month, just. Today marks the 16th one. I am finding that not taking my purse to work helps enormously, as I just don't have any money to spend!

I haven't made a loaf of bread, not even though about it to be honest. 

I managed to get a free book today, on freezing food, of all things! It looks interesting....:

There are some interesting recipes in here, which I will have to attempt soon! 

A month in review: January 2013

To be honest, I've struggled this month. It's been hard starting a new job, which appears to be insanely busy every day with no let up whatsoever. It's been difficult battling through snow on a morning to get to work. But, January has also gone pretty quickly, because it's been so hectic.

My aims for January were:

- lose 4lbs

- over pay mortgage by £670

- make a new type of bread loaf!

- put at least £100 into the emergency fund

I have not lost 4lbs. In fact, I've not lost anything. My eating hasn't been a main priority this month, and to be honest, my snacking has crept up so this needs re-addressing this month. 

I have made overpayments of £670 this month, so target met! It could be slightly more, but we're keeping a small reserve in the current account at the moment, just in case things with the house crop up and need dealing with. 

I haven't made a new type of loaf - I haven't baked any bread at all this month. The oven we have now is hotter than the one I'm used to, so I'm trying to get used to the temperature of it before attempting something delicate like bread. 

I've managed to put £300 into the emergency fund, which I think is good going. The other reason why we haven't over paid more on the mortgage is because I also want to get our emergency fund building up quickly, so it's going to be a balancing act. 

So, overall hit and miss in terms of aims, though I'm pleased with the money ones. I'm going to have a ponder about my February aims overnight and will probably post them tomorrow. 

No picture today, as it's dark already. Roll on summer!