Payday

Finally. The end of the month. I'm not broke anymore. Well, at least not for at least a couple of days. Although it's been a short month it has felt like one of the longest ever and I am glad I've gotten paid again. I had a few unexpected expenses this month so I really want to add that money back into my savings. I like to have a bit of a cushion and although I don't ever seem to manage more than a few hundred (and not the six months salary that's recommended), I hate not having that little bit of money in the bank for emergencies.

I'm ditching all the unused chemical cleaners still left in my house this month. I've been trying to use them up but it could take years (I used to be a big exponent of the buy loads when they're on special offer style of shopping). So, instead I am going to bring what's left down to the recycle depot where they also accept hazardous substances (paint and car batteries are about the only things I usually see there). So, this month I'll have a little bit more of a spend on some more eco-friendly products. I already have ecover and Lilly's toilet cleaner, ecover washing up liquid and generally use e-cloths and very hot water with a few drops of tea tree oil for cleaning the kitchen and the floors. I'll buy some kind of eco-friendly spray cleaner as there is a new girl moving into the house and I don't know her feelings about all things green so it seems easier to have something resembling a "conventional" cleaner around for her to use. I'm also going to stock up on things like vinegar and bicarbonate of soda for future use myself.

Otherwise I have budgeted money to buy a new pair of trousers for work. Badly needed and I can't put it off any longer telling myself that I'll lose weight and fit into the smaller ones I have. That'll probably happen by the end of this summer but I need something to wear now before the one pair of trousers I have suitable for work at the moment fall apart. I have a €75 voucher for Clery's department store which one of my bosses gave to my for Christmas. I'm going to check there for trousers first but if they don't have anything suitable I'm going to head for their kitchen department and see if I can spot something useful (and fun) for myself. In which case I'll head to Marks and Spencer or Evans for my trousers.

This month I'm going to do my best to start tracking the cost of things properly and not just my spending. So I hope to start posting the cost of various meals, similar to Jeff and Joyce from Low Mileage Food's Nitty Gritty. This weekend I was supposed to go away but can't as the friend I was to visit has a family illness to deal with. So I've invited some friends over for fondue instead. Haven't done any this winter at all and can't think of anything better to satisfy my cheese tooth for the next few months (I want to try and cut way back on cheese over the next while). Am off to ring the bakery now to see if they'll keep me some bread on Friday as it's usually best to use day-old bread for fondue.