If I were a Personal Finance Expert

I would advise people to...

1. Work out how much money you have coming and going out each month.
2. If you find you are spending more each month than you are earning to try and cut down on the wants so that you can cover the needs more easily
3. Try and make a budget for the whole year so that those annual expenses get caught
4. If you have savings then invest in things you understand
5. To try and save money on payday, this helps 2 ways first it's harder to spend on unneccessaries and then if you really need it it's still there.
6. If you have a credit card pay it off in full every month
7. Start saving for a pension as soon as possible
8. Decide on your spending priorities and act on that
9. Don't whine if you spend a lot on luxuries you can't afford and then expect a bailout
10. Get your house organised so that you know what you have and where to find it, this saves time and money by not replacing stuff you actually have.

Of course very few people would take financial advice from me since I don't work. Heck, even my DH doesn't take my advice and yet I still have more in my a/c each month end than he does. I also have a pension, and savings. Since I gave up work five years ago I have paid for the fridge/freezer, the tumble drier, a washing machine and 2 dishwashers and 8 dining chairs. Plus, I can tell you what I paid for all of them (a dreadful habit). I'm quite careful with my money and I do get a small allowance each month from DH. But it averages around £300 per month and out of that I currently pay for the children's expenses as well so there is not a lot left over just for me.

About me

Yes, I know I could do a short precis, but since this is my first post I thought I would make it more detailed.

First off, I'm a SAHM in London, I am 39. I am married with 3 children.

We live in a 4 bed semi-detached house in NW London, UK. Our mortgage seems a lot, in fact everything seems a lot at the moment.

My DH works long hours, and earns a really good salary. A year ago he received a major salary increase of £20k per annum, and one would think that this would make a major difference to us, but instead we have little to show for it. We didn't go mad and spend, spend, spend with this extra money. So this blog is an attempt to work out how we can do better and to hold myself accountable.

There will probably be a whole load of moaning and angsty navel gazing. Some inspiration and a whole lot of honesty.