Or anyone who is watching their money. I need to get on track again, my bonus is due this month and that will let me clear my credit card (I put a few things on there in anticipation of the bonus ) but I need to get in the habit of watching my money. I am going to take out £40 at the start of each week and let that cover food, going out, lunches, taxis and any little incidentals. I'm noticing already how quickly I go through it in silly little things, although this week I made a big pot of soup for less than I was paying per day from the sandwich shop. So here's my spending diary, hopefully others will join in.

Monday
£23 on my weekly train pass
£2 to a birthday collection in work

Today
nada

Tomorrow
£5 to a birthday collection in work (a group of us all put in a fiver for each other's birthday so I can't escape this)
I plan to only take that and leave my purse at home. I have never left the house without my purse before

Monday - About £3-odd in Sainsbos on pasta, milk and chocolate.

Tuesday - £26 on oystercard, £3.60 on breakfast/lunch, £17 in Asda.

Tomorrow - No idea if I'll be back at work or not.

I took my purse today So to add to the birthday fiver:

£4 on cards (mothers day, dad's birthday, little cousin's birthday)
£5.80 on a bag of salad, garlic bread and cheap wine for dinner

I can still come in under target this week as I am staying in on Saturday night. Drinks after work tomorrow and on Friday but tomorrow we'll go somewhere cheap and the friend I am meeting on Friday owes me £10.

I spent £38 on a kettle, toaster and liquid soap in Tesco and £14 on lunch for Puzz and myself at The Real Greek. I really need to go back to work tomorrow as being off sick is costing me a fortune

Got paid Friday - after rent, council tax (higher this month than next) tv licence, water (may pay some off gas - I hate them they have fleeced me- I think I am paying for the entire 200 flats here) I am left with about 600 quid, not bad, but I really need to do a big shop, I have no food in, I know I will have another electricy and gas bill next month so I need to keep some back - saying that I am more than grateful because I am better off than I was abroad.

I thank God that these days I don't smoke, because it makes all the difference.

I really need to do this again too. Things are going to be a bit tight this month as I haven't been able to do any of my other jobs. So:

Got paid on Friday and have done all my "shopping" straightaway so I know how much I have left once everything goes out.

£77.50 off credit card for renewing passport (ouch!)
£10.00 off Debenhams store card (about £20 to go on that one)
£20 off Oasis card (about £60 to go)
£57 - my first supermarket shop in about 2 months! I had to get it delivered which is very lazy but I got all my Easter eggs in it as well
£8 - Glee soundtrack (payday treat)
£20 - flat pumps, as I can't wear a heel on my good foot at present and I have no suitable shoes so I really do need Disco's breezeblock shoe!
£25 - cleaning stuff, Easter cards, stamps, various odds and sods which my bruv picked up for me
£5 - taxi back home from work on Friday as I couldn't get a lift
£20 - birthday gifts

That should be me done for the whole month now apart from a couple of dinners and then my bills which all go out at the start of the month. I have to start paying my student loan back this month too, so I need to get up to full earning potential again as soon as possible. Keeping a spending diary on here will helpfully make me behave myself.