May Budget Roundup

May has been a pretty normal, straightforward month.  I didn't have a lot of extra expenditure, save for OH's birthday, which okay is a pretty major one, but I had planned for it so didn't overspend and leave myself short.

In the end, I bought him at a new pair of cycling club shorts which he needed and was very happy with, a boxed set of the first two seasons of Game of Thrones (which I spotted new and unopened at the CS) for only £6, lots of consumables, i.e. coffee, biscuits, dark chocolate, wine, etc, which he loves, bamboo socks (you can never get too many pairs of socks and he wears them out pretty quickly!) and a book.  He is I might add, very easily pleased and was more than happy with these gifts.

On the food budget front, I came in a little over budget on food this month.  We did eat out a couple of times which OH paid for, but saving over £30 by using some Tesco £7 and £10 off £70 spend vouchers did help minimize any overspend too.  I've got a couple more left to use in June and then it will be back to using nectar points, if I've accumulated enough.

I brought some leftover bits and pieces of food away with us to Yorkshire, so when we stocked up the camper van today, I only spent about £30 on groceries such as fruit, salad, milk, bread, pasta etc., which should last us a few days, as there was no point getting more food when there isn't the room to store it.

On the household/petcare/toiletries front this month, once again I went over budget, due to multiple reasons.  OH had a cycling accident and needed lots of dressings buying for some serious grazes. They are almost completely healed by the time of writing this though.  I bought some plants and seeds for the new vegetable beds, some essential oils on offer Buy One Get One For One Penny at Holland and Barrett and the purchase of the new supplements and vitamins were quite costly too.  I also had small household/toiletry product splurges in Poundland and Home Bargains this month, which added to the costs.  In total I was £30 or so over on this budget.

I've also started a new budget category, which is for my wish list. I've set it at £100 per month, so that I limit my needs and wants on a monthly basis.  This category includes clothes, stationery and other items from my own personal wishlist. (Although these can and do include household items such as linen, crockery, etc.).  I went over slightly on this budget by about £20, partly because of buying the new shoe bench, but I don't regret it, as it means that I am getting to the point where there isn't very much left on the wish list, which is a great feeling.

I was pretty happy with how things went this month, despite going over my budgeted amounts.  I find that although I don't always stick strictly within the budget, having a figure does help to curtail unnecessary spending. I am looking forward to a new month, in which hopefully even less money needs to be spent.  I might even be able to start saving some money in the very near future.

Wouldn't that be something!