Saturday 6 June 2020

Bye, May. Hi, June.

Ah well, it's only 6th June.  Sorry I'm more than a little late.

I actually did my May wrap-up of finances on Sunday but I didn't get a blog post written.  These lazy long days are doing me no good at all in the getting-things-done stakes!

My food expenditure remains high and I think there are several factors at work.  Firstly I am not eating out at all.  I always have "eating out" as a separate category from "food".   I have been having an occasional takeaway (to support a local business) which I have counted as groceries but from June I shall call it eating out.  I am having a few treats to compensate for the things I can't do.  Other people are shopping for me so I can't shop around for the best deals.  So, all in all, the grocery bill has been too high

I am managing to save during the lock-down, largely because I am no longer meeting friends for coffee. no longer having pensioners' pub lunches, and driving much less.   Because I'm not going out I'm not buying any clothes, not even tights - I spent £265 on clothes in 2019, much of which was on tights and underwear.  My craft group is no longer meeting and although that was only £8 per month I often decided I had to have something to make me a better crafter.   The stash is being used instead.  That will save money around Christmas.

I'm spending quite a lot on paid help because my gardener is coming every week at the moment and I am still paying my cleaner half wages.  However, I think this is all money well spent.

I have been doing as many surveys as I can but I am usually paid in Amazon vouchers so this doesn't appear as income although usually it does reduce expenditure.  I'm also being paid to be a participant on a year-long survey concerning corona virus.  Again I am paid in Amazon vouchers so I have decided to save up for something special.  

Quite apart from that, I am still managing to salt away a little money each month, in fact slightly more than usual so I am still a happy bunny.  I wonder how all of our finances will look when we get to the other side of the corona crisis?