That was February - how about March?

It was a mixed sort of month on the frugality stakes.

First the good news.  I managed to set aside over £440 in February.  Around £150 of that was from earnings but the rest was reduced expenditure.

Then there's the bad news.  I spent a lot on groceries, far too much at around £150.  That means I've spent £240 on groceries in the first two months of the year.  What I find fascinating though is that in the first two months of 2019 I spent £380!  It's fascinating because my concern about overspending in this category shows how much my mindset has changed - I certainly didn't fret about my food spend last year nearly as much as I am agonising about it now despite the fact that I have reduced it by over 35%!  

I've had my "Smart" meter for over a year now and I am beginning to see the effects of being more aware of how much energy I use.  My energy company is suggesting that I reduce my payments by a further £7.50 a month even though I pay £20 a month less than I did last year.  I shall wait until April before I do anything about that just to make sure we don't get anything like The Beast From The East this year.  I've put "Smart" in inverted commas because my meter is no longer Smart - I changed supplier and at the moment my new supplier can't read my meter remotely.  However, the monitor which sits in my kitchen still works and records my usage but the cost readings are no longer accurate.

I took a short holiday in February taking advantage of the very low rates many hotels charge in February.  This was much cheaper than the holiday I took at bargain rates last year but as I didn't enjoy this one as much I don't think I'll be going back to this year's hotel.  

I want a low grocery spend again in March, if possible below £40.  I have a couple of projects in mind as well which I'll post about another day.