Making money go further...

So in my last blog I mentioned I'm planning travels later this year. 3 or 4 weeks of travel to far flung destinations isn't cheap. With today being a late start at work I've had opportunity to look at my finances.

Well I made a start...

A lot of filing (starting with refiling the stuff on the floor, then the stuff on the side, maybe tomorrow I'll make it into my drawer of stuff 'to file').

Spent ages trying to find the renewal for my breakdown cover, which I know is for more than I'm willing to pay given my current level of car usage is dropping, however found out it's still at my parents, so will have to wait to deal with that.

Being self-employed, I have the January Joys of an online self-assessment to complete. So I got a few more details into that. Sufficient for them now to do a calculation. Knowing I was overtaxed in my PAYE work this year, I was hoping it might balance out the tax on my self-employed work and student loans repayments that are due. Sadly it doesn't. I've still to enter a few more bits, which will reduce what's owed by a little. Still wish I hadn't left it so late to put everything in, like every year!

On the plus side,  I found two £10 notes among my receipts and the receipt I've been meaning to claim from work worth £50. Woo...

But despite that, it's clear if I want my money to take me around the world, I need to be a bit more careful with what I waste my money on (so less take out and more home prepared food...)

My budget

Ok, so I've just received my pay from mt casual work over March. £837. I have to make that last last till 8 May. (Well I'm expecting about £40 come in from some work elsewhere too). I'm not very good at budgeting.
I don't know how to do it, but I've promised my parents that this month I should not need bailing out. It really does not help that my biggest expenditures are towards the end of the pay month (rent and a loan repayment).
Having had a run of busy days I've spent an awful lot on grabbing food on the run. It's hard to prepare food when you're home for less than 6 hours a night. But I must get this sorted....