End of the Week Catch Up

Spending recorded - tick

Receipts filed - tick

Bag completed to hide battery pack on lights - tick

This is some fabric from a fat quarter that’s my sister gave me. To try and brighten up a fire that isn’t working we’ve got twinkly lights round it, but the battery pack isn’t that decorative! Over Christmas we had a festive gift bag concealing it and now that the other decorations are packed away it doesn't look right.. enter my sister’s gift!

And while on the subject of bags...

Month 1 - Bite 13

All those handbags, evening bags, holdalls, purses,etc. scattered throughout the place need sorting. They need to be gathered together and the collection surveyed.

First I need to remove all those that have reached the end of their life with me and decide if they should be scrapped, donated, recycled, swapped or dumped. The same rules apply as to clothes - they are only to stick around for a very short time if they are going out.

Before saying goodbye to or packing away any bags, each one needs going through. Contents need checking and any scrunched tissues, dried up lip salves, fuzzy looking sweets (sorry, but it happens) and so on need binning. Mind you there’s always the possibility of finding the odd coin or two.

Month 1 - Bite 14

Okay, after that rummage through the wearables have I created any space?

I need to hunt down or clear a corner or two - a drawer hopefully, or a box to go in the bottom of the wardrobe or even a suitcase, it needs to be easily accessible and convenient.

This is where to store some clothes later in this sorting and saving process so I can really get to grips with everything that gets worn - really gets worn, not just hung onto because it cost a lot,or I’ll be that size one day (I won’t) or, well, just because.

That should be a quicker and easier task than the last few!

Month 1 - Bite 15

No recording or filing to do today as there's no spending going on... or is there?

There are, however, some expenses that are invisible (think electricity) or won't crop up this month (the TV Licence for one). Good idea to start a list of these so that when a review of spending happens next month (as it will when the elephant meal moves onto its second course) these other bills can be taken into account.

So what's paid for over a longer period of time? Well as mentioned there's the TV Licence, then insurances, land line rental, subscriptions. On the list go the other utility bills - those invisible ones that just come out of the bank account leaving no trace, but a financial gap! - council tax, mobile payments, thankfully no longer rent or mortgage. At the moment I've no loan repayments, but there might be in the future who knows? Finally there's the car - servicing, MOT and so on.

The list once it's as complete as possible will go onto the financial paperwork box to be added to as something occurs to me that I've forgotten.