Budget Catchup

I haven't posted for a couple of months on the subject of my budget and spending, I missed posting last month on account of us being away on holiday at the end of the month.

April has been just a regular month really, no big expenses to accommodate, so I used it as the opportunity to finally place the order with Ecco Verde, that I've been wanting to place since before Christmas.

I posted about the items I bought and have tried some of them. I was a bit disappointed with one of the items in particular (Benecos lipstick), which didn't have the pigmentation I'd hoped for. I would place another order with this company though, as they do have a really good range of brands and products.

The above order did bump up my toiletry/household budget for the month and unsurprisingly I went well over my budget in this area, but food budget wise, I only just went over the regular £400 monthly budget by about £20, which was pretty good for me.  I have really cut down our consumption of red meat and I think this has helped.

I did also purchase a few other small things from my wishlist, such as some Marseilles soap for making washing powder, a mount for a photograph that I've wanted to frame for several years, some more Eden perfume, as I'd nearly run out and a few other small but necessary purchases.  In addition, I stocked up on Easiyo sachets from Lakeland, to take advantage of a voucher, and because we use them regularly, which should keep us in yoghurt for quite a while.

This month, I also purchased one small Christmas present for a family member and got a couple of stocking fillers free with a My Pure order, so I'm slowly working towards cutting the expense of Christmas, as the year progresses.

Working at the charity shop two days each week this month, although stopping me going shopping and spending time online shopping, has incurred some expense in terms of travel costs and I've probably spent £20 plus on topping up my travel card this month, which I wouldn't normally have spent, but it isn't a major expense, so it's no big deal.

On the voucher front, last month I managed to save £47.53 cash using vouchers, voucher codes and loyalty points, but this month I had less supermarket vouchers, so only managed to save £20.35 this way.  It's still worth having though.  For May, however, I've got a whole new bunch of Tesco money off spend vouchers, so I am hoping to save quite a bit more from the food budget this month.  I'm also intending to bulk buy some whole foods, such as dried fruits, seeds, grains and cacao powder, which should boost the store cupboard for a good while, and allow me to make home made granola and granola bars on a regular basis.

May is going to be a slightly more expensive month, as OH's birthday falls within the month, which means a bit of extra expenditure. He needs some new club cycling shorts and that's going to be my present to him, along with a few other small items.  Other than this though, I don't think there's anything major to budget for this month, so I'm hoping to fare better than last month. I'll keep you posted.