January Was A Short Month

I have not completed a yellow sticker post for January. I was only home for 11 days and haven't been shopping, opting instead to use what I have here (since I left with a full freezer) and save the cash. The day I arrived back it started snowing, and it's been intermittent but heavy ever...

It’s 2021 – How The Hell Did We Get Here?

Well here we are. And it feels a lot like March 2020. We've gone full circle. Everyone is in lockdown and everything looks pants. I've spent some of my Christmas break away with family prepping spreadsheets for the next 12 months. I need to be as tight with my money as in 2020 which means...

12 Easy Steps To Cut Your Energy Bills Whilst Working From Home

Whether you're trying to cut expensive bills on principal or you're actually broke, here are the things I do to cut the cost of running a home.

A Year In A Pie Chart

I couldn't resist putting all my figures for the year into a pie chart this month. I am a sucker for a spreadsheet. Compared to last year, some bills have gone up, some have gone down. No surprise there. This chart only accounts for personal bills not business costs which is a whole different chart...

December Yellow Stickers – The End of Another Year

I am wrapping up the yellow sticker reports early this year. I will be away for Christmas and my shopping forays are now over until next year since I will be at 'Hotel Mum and Dad' for the duration. It's been a quieter month because I haven't shopped as much but equally the budget has...

Reblog: LifeHacker – How to Budget When You’re Broke

Practical budgeting and sticking to it are playing the long game whether it's for a specific goal or as a lifestyle change. Even when you don't have much, doing it differently can stretch what you have, a little further. The balance between in and out works on all sorts of levels. You have to look...

November Yellow Stickers And A Rant About Pandemic Health Care

I have been really cutting back on my food spending. I've been using MyNetDiary to plan my meals more efficiently to make sure I can stick to my £50 budget. By doing this and allowing a lot of my purchase behaviour to be dictated by yellow sticker purchases, I've found myself eating less which is...

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait!

I've been pretty impressed with myself this month. I managed to make a 50p pack of 5 donuts last 10 days. I had one every other evening as a dessert, warmed in the oven. It felt like a decadent treat because they're custard filled (not something I've had before) and in these chilly temperatures it...

Gifting vs Charity Donations

I don't know about you but I get a lot more satisfication from gifting something to someone rather than donating to a charity shop. I've worked in a charity shop. Let's face it they have overheads and I imagine more of the money goes into wages and CEO bonuses than it does to the charity...

Heating, Water And Getting By In Winter

I'm not sure whether it's because I've toughened up since last autumn, or that I've acquired new warm layers or even if the weather is warmer now than last October (or perhaps a combination of all three) but I haven't felt the need to put the heating on yet.  That my combi boiler has lain...