Now that we’re already well into April on this Easter weekend, it’s time for a reflection on Q1 and my budgeting. It’s always a high-spend time for me as it’s my birthday in January, and you know that I love a stagey day trip! Here’s a look at my Q1 2026 spending diaries, broken down into my key categories.
CLOTHING
JANUARY = £112.50, FEBRUARY = £115.40, MARCH = £131.00
TOTAL = £358.90
This is way too high for someone claiming to be saving money! However, I always take a trip out of town to celebrate my birthday in January, and I went to Manchester for the day in March to prep for my spring capsule. On both occasions, I budgeted a certain amount and was under both times. I’ve since taken some of these items back and got £113.20 back. With a net spend of £245.70 for three months, that’s not too bad. I’ve decided to do a no-spend challenge on clothing for Q2, which is going to be a challenge!
COFFEE SHOPS
JANUARY = £116.14, FEBRUARY = £58.33, MARCH = £40.90
TOTAL = £215.37
Again, this is a bit too high a number for me. March was lower than usual, mostly because I used up about six freebie drinks. I’ve been trying to purchase gift cards from Jam Doughnut (£120 of it), because then I get cashback for each transaction. This figure fluctuates every month, because it depends on how many out-of-town trips I go on!
EATING OUT
JANUARY = £99.26, FEBRUARY = £41.09, MARCH = £47.74
TOTAL = £188.09
Around a third of this figure is from my birthday trip, but I do try to treat myself to a sit-down restaurant meal every month. Usually, it’s when I’m on a theatre day trip. I tend to go to a chain pizza restaurant, and almost always use an offer of some kind. This quarter, I’ve had free doughballs, a free side and 30% off food on various trips. I just love eating out, more so than grabbing fast food.
LOCAL TRANSPORT
JANUARY = £70.20, FEBRUARY = £85.70, MARCH = £79.50
TOTAL = £235.40
My local transport increased when I started my part-time job, as I have to commute on the train, as well as get the bus home, too. This is pretty average now, and in theory, I’d love it to increase, because that would mean I’m getting extra hours!
BOOKS
JANUARY = £0.00, FEBRUARY = £0.00, MARCH = £5.00
TOTAL = £5.00
A category that I’m really happy with is books. Even though I signed up to Kindle Unlimited in March again (I want to re-read the Off Campus series before the new TV series starts), £5 on one book is okay! Ironically, I’m looking to pare down my book collection, so I’ll be very picky about what I do add.
BEAUTY APPOINTMENTS
JANUARY = £28.00, FEBRUARY = £134.00, MARCH = £47.50
TOTAL = £209.50
This seems like a large amount, but it covers four nail appointments, two lots of dermaplaning and a haircut. For seven appointments, I’m happy with that. I don’t spend a lot on myself in other areas, so this is my treat for my well-being. Considering I grew up biting my nails, it’s become a necessity, and my nails have never been healthier or longer!
HEALTH + BEAUTY
JANUARY = £47.68, FEBRUARY = £14.49, MARCH = £74.31
TOTAL = £136.48
11 trips to either Boots, Superdrug or Savers in three months is too much. However, I have been overhauling my beauty routines (especially my haircare), so it’s not too disappointing either. I always take in my empties whenever I go to Boots, though, so I get an extra 500 points per shop. Also, I try to spend the minimum limit of just £10, which often results in multiple trips per month. In Q2, I’d like to spend less in this category, but I’ve collected 94 empties to recycle! I’ve changed my budget to £30-35 a month, so I can at least go on 2-3 Boots visits per month, usually when I’m out of town.
STATIONERY
JANUARY = £12.50, FEBRUARY = £5.64, MARCH = £19.99
TOTAL = £38.13
Despite not needing any stationery, I’ve managed to spend nearly £40 on it across the three months. It’s not a huge amount, but I don’t think I really needed any of it! I’ve been on a couple of visits to Flying Tiger as we don’t have one here in Hull. I also made use of a BOGOF bullet journal offer in Ryman. However, when I got home, I had already bought the same offer late last year and still not used them.
THEATRE TICKETS
JANUARY = £63.00, FEBRUARY = £20.00, MARCH = £165.90
TOTAL = £248.90
This is always a large category for me, but it covers both the cost of buying the tickets in advance, as well as any spending in the venue (often one drink, a programme and sometimes merch). This total has gotten me nine tickets, five programmes and some Legally Blonde badges. I don’t think that’s too bad value for money because I do tend to buy the cheap £15-25 tickets if I can, especially in Sheffield, Bradford, York and Leeds! Three of these tickets are for Manchester later in the year (Billy Elliot, Burlesque and High School Musical), so they were double my usual budget!
TRAINS
JANUARY = £14.10, FEBRUARY = £65.30, MARCH = £84.30
TOTAL = £161.90
This covers my train tickets for theatre trips from January to May. I’m trying to be pickier about day trips in 2026, purely because train tickets are getting so expensive! I’m too old for a railcard now (boohoo) and I mostly travel solo. Again, this covers nine trips, which I don’t think is too bad, all things considered. I’m hoping not to spend anything on trains in April as I’m all set up for the month!
AMAZON
JANUARY = £64.96, FEBRUARY = £0.00, MARCH = £5.19
TOTAL = £70.15
I’m trying to shop on Amazon less and less, because I just end up spending money on absolute crap. However, I started the year needing a refill on all my vitamins, which meant a hefty subscribe and save order! Since then, I’ve only needed to buy some hayfever tablets. £8.49 of this is also purchasing season 1 of Law and Order SVU, as it’s so hard to find the earlier seasons online (apart from dodgy websites).
MISCELLANEOUS
JANUARY = £61.23, FEBRUARY = £15.50, MARCH = £19.70
TOTAL = £96.43
Included in this is an A4 print, a few homeware bits from Primark, Asda and Flying Tiger, a foldable rucksack from Primark, and a trip to Art and Soul to buy bits from independents. £100 across three months isn’t the worst category, but it’s not the best either. However, I try to give myself a budget of £50 every month, so technically, I’m way under budget! I have excluded my tax bill, which I had to pay in January, though!
TOTAL SPENDING FOR Q1 2026 = £1964.25
£2000 across three months is quite a lot of money to be spending, especially if I want to have my own place! I’ll be looking if I have a spare couple of hundred quid a month in that situation. However, in Q1, I have managed to save over £1000, which isn’t too shabby. It’s in various funds, but it will all be going to a flat deposit and moving-in costs for my own place.
Q2 is all about reining in my spending in most categories, because that’s my main priority above! However, I have five theatre day trips and three concerts, the latter of which require an overnight stay. The idea is to limit my spending for the rest of the month and not overspend when I am away but equally still enjoy my trips!
And that’s a wrap on my Q1 2026 spending diaries. It’s always a spendy time because of my birthday trip, but I’ve gone overboard in a few categories around that, too. Budgeting doesn’t have to be restrictive, but it’s definitely a challenge, and you have to sacrifice some things!
If you enjoyed this post all about my Q1 2026 spending diaries, you can find my other money posts here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok too.
