Women and cats will do as they please! :)

A question about : Women and cats will do as they please! :)

Hi all

I'm not actually in debt as such but I need this diary to keep me on track with all of my plans and for all the wonderful support people here offer

I'm 27 and I have a 6yo son, I'm a single parent.

I work full time in finance and study CIMA on a side, life can get pretty hectic

Me and my son terribly want our own home and a kitty (I absolutely loooooove cats) and I am looking forward to being free of restrictions renting causes.

So, the plan is to save as much as possible every single month and to put that towards the house deposit. We are both super duper excited about this and gonna work damn hard to get the money we need so I'm going to use this diary to record our milestones and keep us focused

Best answers:

• So a little background, I have realised a long time ago that if I want something I'll have to get it myself.
  There's no bank of mum and dad, there's no partner's income, there's just me and my son and everything I have I have bought myself.
  So now...onto our biggest purchase - the house.
  It hit me last month when the landlord wanted to do an inspection (standard enough). But I thought, I don't want this! I don't want to be checked upon like a naughty school kid, don't want to be told what I can and cannot do in my own living space. And most importantly, we want a cat I adore cats, beyond words. And I really miss having one so here, we are on a mission to get our own home, our own space
  My son is completely on board and helping me save. He's responsible for our entertainment budget and chooses how we spend it. It's given him responsibility, understanding how money works and how much it can buy. I'm responsible for everything else, of course
  My budget is fine tuned and we have done really well this month, will get the exact figures on Friday but should have saved around Ј1300. It won't be quite as much every month but I'm aiming for Ј1000. The plan is to have Ј15,000 by this time next year.
  Budget on the next post
• So, budget...
  Our entertainment budget is Ј50pcm, it buys us 2 cinema trips (no popcorn, my son brings treats from home and I get a student discount) and 1-2 meals out. I feel that's plenty.
  I don't smoke, I don't consume alcohol, last time I had a drink was about 2yrs ago. I don't go to bars, clubbing etc, when we're out it's for a meal with friends or they come to ours I don't enjoy big crowds anymore. So our entertainment budget is usually in tact come end of month.
  What suffers is the food one... I need to tweak it and learn to save money on that so any advice would be great. I shop in Ald* and Asd*. I allocate Ј300pcm but that includes all toiletries (I have braces so need special toothbrushes, floss and wax and my skin regime takes probably Ј30 of the budget). But we still have plenty left over, especially as there's only 2 of us but I still struggle...
  Problem is, I'm against all artificial carp and sugars so our diet is mainly meat, fish, dairy, eggs, porridge and veg, I always have apples and bananas too. We don't eat bread, pasta, rice, cereals, noodles...you get the picture. I've got a slow cooker but have found the last 3 times I cooked in it food turned out awful. I'd really appreciate some flavoursome recipes that don't involve sugar/sugar substitutes.
  Thank you for reading and hope you all have a peaceful night
  TheMagician
• Hope everyone is having a lovely day
  I'm very excited about my upcoming exam results on 18th Dec! Why oh why do you they take so long? Feeling positive though
  Anybody else awaiting exam results or any other important news? Good job I learnt to be patient many years ago
• Seeing as nobody else bothered I thought I would, Good luck with the saving and I'm not waiting any results as a bit past that stage in life tbh.
  Hope you get what you want/need with the exam results to.
• Good luck Will follow x
• Well I wish you luck then.
• Have a look on the Old style board for meal ideas, also if you're on Facebook there's a page called 'Feed your family for about Ј20 a week" which has some great cheap recipes. Have you heard of A Girl Called Jack?
  https://agirlcalledjack.com/
  Another excellent source of cheap, healthy recipes.
  I can totally understand your feelings about getting a cat, I was absolutely desperate to get a kitten but luckily managed to find a flat with a landlord who was open to pets. I've got one cat now and when I get on to the property ladder would like to get a couple more.
  Ј1000 a month is a brilliant amount to be able to save, good luck
• I love how you give your little one control of the entertainment budget, that is a wonderful idea.
  You sound very committed. A year will fly by and then you can have as many cats as you want.
• Good luck Magician - in money saving and exams! After 5 years at uni I do not miss them!
• Can you ask the existing landlord if he / she will review the no pet rule, to allow for a cat?
  Good luck
• I'm subscribing. Must be hard being a single mum but good on you for going it alone and your positivity. You are an inspiration and when you do get a cat please share a pic as I love cats too! X
• Well well well... Day No1 and so much support already thanks a million everyone
  Lulabelle, I will definitely post a pic, or 10
  NSD today, didn't keep track this month but I think I had about 6. There's one main thing that stops me from getting a lot more NSDs and is another reason I want my own place - my fridge is tiny. And I mean absolutely tiny, 2 little shelves and one for a freezer. It means I cannot batch cook and freeze, I can just about fit in a bag of frozen peas and a couple of chicken breasts in the 'freezer' and I cannot do a full weeks shop cause there's no room It's frustrating and the first thing I'll buy when I move is a massive fridge freezer And a big sofa cause this one again is tiny, me and DS just about fit in it and neither of us is remotely large Sigh...these are the things that spur me on.