First Week Of Using #DaveRamsey Envelope System

Pay day has come around, and the budget is done, so now I'm taking out my cash requirements for the month from my account. My DH (Dear Husband) has been constantly taking the mickey out of me for writing everything down and budgeting to the nth degree. Constantly following me around the house shouting "WRITE IT DOWN!". 

Here's my envelope breakdown for the month - bearing in mind that everything else is on direct debit:

• Entertainment - £300. That sounded a lot to me. Having worked out average spend per month on meals, going to the pub, date night once a month - that was what I budgeted for. And I KNOW Dave Ramsey would shout at me "eat rice & beans, beans & rice" - but I neither like rice, nor do I want every meal to be monotonous.  And if I didn't go out, then I'd be a miserable moo.
• Petrol - £160.
• Food - £300. I'll refer to the rice and beans note above. Although I have bought a lovely case of Branston baked beans for breakfast. 
• Me, Me, Me Fund - £300. Us ladies, in general, aren't used to spoiling ourselves and I'd say this was a huge amount to spend on me. I'm not used to putting away money, just for me. So, at the end of the month, I'm hoping that I've either learnt how to spend on me (doubtful), or this money will be a lovely bonus at the end of month. For popping on the mortgage...hopefully.

I went out for the first time a couple of days ago - just with money from the envelopes - no debit card. And it felt WEIRD. And I got ever so slightly panicky. 

"What if I wanted to buy something?" YOU HAVE MONEY IN YOUR ENVELOPES.

"What if I needed a "big" shop?" YOU HAVE MONEY IN YOUR ENVELOPES!

But an added side effect that it did have was that I really thought about what I was spending. No more wandering around the farm shop, picking up artisan sausage rolls for £3.50, or a rosemary and cheese topped focaccia. Oh no sirree Bob. A chicken, some broccoli, potatoes, carrots and asparagus were all that went in the basket - for a Bank Holiday roast tomorrow. I'll let you know what I did with the giblets later (bleugh - giblets!).

I'll let you know how I get on with those envelopes in a post at the end of the month. Has anyone else found any other positives coming from using this system? Are there better ways that you have found to do your budgeting?

Replacing my old mobile phone

Last week, I was carrying too much into the garage and dropped my phone. Smash goes the screen and a bill from the good old market man for £70 to replace it.  Or did I have to do that?

My DH had replaced his phone a couple of months and did a comparison of how much he'd get to recycle his old phone. You can compare yours here. After being quoted £80 to have it recycled - he then received an email saying that they would give him £22 so the phone has come back to us, and is sitting forlornly in the hallway.

I'm sure you know this already - when you get a new contract for a phone, it usually contains an element for the purchase of a new phone. For example: if you buy an iPhone 6 - the price of the phone might be £300 and the monthly rental is £15 per month. You pay off the phone as you would with any hire agreement ,and pay the £300 over 12 - 24 months. 

Because I had my DH's iPhone - I didn't have to shell out for a handset. Using MSE's (#moneysavingexpert) great guide to switching tariffs - that can be found here, and using their money saving code, I am now paying £17.00 per month with EE. I didn't have to switch my PAC code (bonus) and saved a ridiculous £18.13 per month. 

Needless to say - I've called up my lovely bank again and asked them to increase the automatic mortgage overpayment by £18.13 per month. 

Total May 16 Mortgage Overpayment (adding in last week's "easy" savings) £810.70* + £18.13 = £828.83

* see last week's post on how I scrutinised my monthly outgoings to get the £810.70.

Top CashBack Savings

I've recently starting going away occasionally for work and sometimes have to book myself into hotels. I'd got out of the habit of going via Top CashBack (#topcashback) to book or buy anything, even though last year, I received £190 back from purchases.


Top CashBack is easy to use - even if you are doing supermarket shopping. Go onto the app before you shop and see if there are any offers on there that you'd normally buy. If so, buy it and keep your receipt. Then all you have to do is snap the receipt - using your phone - and upload to TopCashBack. 

The money usually comes through within a couple of weeks. I now save it up to the end of the year and cash the money into my bank account or, if there is an offer on, you can sometimes get an additional 10 - 25% by converting into shop-specific vouchers e.g. Argos.

And now for the Frugal Recipe

Yum. Yum. Giblets out of the chicken I bought earlier. DH shouts from the lounge, after he's been asked what I should do with them "chuck the buggers away!" There must be something tasty I can do with them? The bag contains a slightly mushy bag of heart, liver, gizzard (stomach) and neck.  And some of my friends - who love eating lamb hearts and kidneys, would practically be salivating  over this bag of awesomeness.

What to do with them?

Google is awash with lots of Paleo recipes but frankly, they make me want to be ever so slightly ill. What I'll do tomorrow is put the giblets with the chicken carcass, bay leaves, celery, carrot and onion in a big slow cooker and hope that it adds to the flavour of the stock. 

And then just not tell DH when we next use the chicken stock....


That's all for this week. I'd really love to know how all of you guys are maintaining frugality and paying off your mortgage early.  Have a wonderful week. Sarah