Due to paying off the car & home insurance and our holiday all in the space of a month, my bank account is running on empty for the first time in ages. So, to help cushion the fall into overdraft territory we decided that May 2006 would be a budget month.
In order to cut out the unnecessary expense of multiple short trips to the supermarket we went and done one mega shop at the end of last week. It consisted of things like a bag of pasta so large we can go camping in it after it’s empty (some time circa 2008, most likely), and other odds and ends that were two–for’s or own brand items that aren’t that far removed from their more expensive counterpart.
Disappointments so far have included the Asda own brand apple shampoo, which is pretty average as far as washing goes, and the apple fragrance is so weak it just washes away. The own brand fun size treats are pretty grim, too. I’d agree that in a budget month we shouldn’t have any fun size treats at all, but I like to have a couple in my bag to eat with my lunch at work, plus they were two for one, so they seemed like a steal. A couple of them are alright, but the caramel and peanut variety are disgusting, so I wouldn’t get them again.
Good buys come in the shape of the Asda own brand coconut bubble bath, which certainly does the trick bubble wise and it was a three for two offer, so that’s a result. I also got a whole bunch of decent bread rolls, too, but since our fridge has started playing up again I’m afraid they probably wont last long enough for me to eat them all.
I’m happy that my beer and wine sacrifices saved a around ?20 from the get–go, and I’m sure we could have made more effective cost cutting measures if we’d thought more about it. If June ends up being another budget month I’m certain we’ll be better prepared for picking up cost reducing items.
This might sound pretty obvious stuff here, but as previous dinkies we’re used to quite the consumer lifestyle. Now that we’re not so well positioned financially, though, we really should budget a bit more than we have done in the past. With three of us to feed and only one income for the next six months, it’s much more important to cut out unnecessary waste and extravagance.
