Paying the car tax via EBay, and other shenanigans.

debtfreeoneday · 31 January 2015 at 5:48PM

I get frustrated having things to sell at the wrong time of year so I end up having to store them. I've had things on ebay for weeks now which aren't selling, guess I need to change the price, though they are on for only a few quid as it is!

mfmaybe · 6 February 2015 at 11:43PM

Quick reminder to myself. Applied (and accepted) for the Santander 123 card. Comes with an annual fee, but 0% on balance trfs for 23 months so worked out cheaper than even the lowest of low fee cards (for the amount I want to transfer). Also got £12 cashback already tracked, so even better

. Takes the pressure off trying to pay off the debt before I go on mat leave. That said, I've put the current DD to £150 a month and will still try to overpay as much as I can. Perhaps set myself a fleabay target or something. Anyway, I haven't actually done the BT yet as I want to double check the deal is as I think it is. So the reminder is to actually do the transfer!

Had quite a low spend week, don't think I bought lunch at all (hurray). But still 12 days till payday and cash budget squeaky.

The family member I still owe the £2k told me there was no hurry to pay it back. But I held strong and thought I'd rather not have that still owing. I am not sure I'd be as disciplined at chucking it into savings, so just need it gone.

Have been a bit spendy in other areas - bought some yarn to create things in small sizes

. But it's making me nervous so not ready to start quite yet. Trying to finish other craft projects first.

Have looked out one item to put on fleabay - go me :rotfl:.Not actually got it on there yet though. Doh.

debtfreeoneday · 7 February 2015 at 8:47AM

Just caught up on quite a few posts and the emergency fund 'dilemma' is an interesting one. Like Steph, I just want to fling everything at the debt.. but also conscious of building an emergency fund.. we could access other credit if we had an emergency, but that doesn't feel right.. I dunno.. for now I'm putting aside £10 a month (tiny I know) and flinging everything else I can at the debt.. feel like it's easier to stick my head in the sand and hope an emergency doesn't arise.. probably not very MSE..

mfmaybe · 10 February 2015 at 9:42PM

I think it is partly to do with setting up new habits. £10 is a start. Soon it will be a bit more, and before you know it, you'll be there

So BT transfer done to the new 0% card. I think I get a month off paying officially but will make a payment anyway. Balance is now just under £6k which is a small milestone.

Only another 8 days till payday. Banks very squeaky but hoping I can leave the "bills" account untouched.

Otherwise not much news. Spent a little bit on yarn this month but have used some quidco payments towards it. Spent my Amazon voucher too on stuff I needed anyway.

mfmaybe · 10 February 2015 at 11:02PM

Hmm have spent a bit more than I thought. £50 on yarn and some needles I needed :eek:. Should be enough for a blanket and a few cardigans but even still. Yikes. Then £35 on Mat clothes.

Bank account has £180 in it. DDs account for £121. I might need one more bale of hay before payday which is £25. So I need to try not to spend any other money so that I can put about £30 into the monthly card account. Would require me to bring lunch every single day and not buy any coffees. However I could try to only be in the office two more work days before I get paid so it might be do-able.

Looking forward to next month, think I'd be about £600 short to having all the payments I want into annual bills, as well as all credit card payments set aside. (It sounds like I'm overspending - I'm not, I'm just trying to get ahead of the game so it means I'm trying to double or even triple up. Pay the monthly credit card, plus put money aside for the equivalent current spend, plus set money aside for future bills). I'm not pleased with how little I've managed to put towards the monthly CC this month. So far a measly £27

. But if I can make that £60 by payday, it's better than the £0 I have normally set aside. Or I can look at it another way - between the annual bills and this, I will have set aside over £400 towards future payments. This in the month I paid a £1200 annual bill, and a £1000 joint annual bill, both of which were saved for :T

Ah see now I don't feel quite so bad. Kinda

Off to knit a few rows before bed, to make me feel better about spending so much!

mfmaybe · 11 February 2015 at 5:47PM

Gosh what a confusing lot of nonsense I posted last night

So a DD came off today, £37, so balance now £143. About £84 left to come off and the maybe-bale of hay. Got veg out to make soup tonight which should help with the lunch issue. Managed a NSD which was good though hardly surprising as I've not left the house other than to go to a midwife appointment!

Anyway the last of my yarn order arrived today, it is beautiful. I am trying to finish something else off first (it feels a bit too soon to knit stuff for small person) but I'm now worried I will run out for that project. That's a bit of a problem as it was hand dyed stuff that I am unlikely to even closely match.

Also been doing some swagbucks when on calls etc, so getting close to a £5 Amazon card. Stealing from Scatty Skewbald here who uses them for gifts, though I buy some of my toiletries from there. Also need to get back into the habit of 1-poll and using the supermarket cashback options via Click snap etc

mfmaybe · 13 February 2015 at 12:02AM

Not too expensive a day. Took soup for lunch, just bought a roll to go with it. Resisted a coffee (first time in ages) so managed to just spend some smush on the roll.

Working at home tomorrow. So just have Monday to get through, office-wise. Will try to work at home Tuesday, and then Wednesday is payday. Should be do-able. Might even manage to stretch the hay until payday too, if that's the case I should have another £60 to put against my monthly credit card. I think in total that's about 1/3rd of what I put on it, being food, fuel, some yarn purchases etc. Next month I will aim for a bit more, and hopefully soon I'll be at 100% set aside.

Have also had another go at Sw@gb*cks. Have enough to claim a £5 gift card which is good.

BT onto the new 0% card has gone through. There is £40 on the old one (did a little bit less than the full balance to force myself into an overpayment

) so will pay on payday. Will probably keep the card open though, as you can use it to get more clubcard points when you buy fuel. You don't even have to pay on the card, just use it as your clubcard. Bit of an odd one!

Anyway need to update sig for the new date. Should be Jan 2017 by which time I will be well back to work

debtfreeoneday · 13 February 2015 at 9:13AM

All sounding great in here

mfmaybe · 13 February 2015 at 1:33PM

I don't know about Great, but at least I know where it all goes wrong

Have a knitting dilemma. Have only one skein of yarn left to finish a sweater, with a whole sleeve plus the ribbing at the neck to do. I've weighed the other sleeve, and it weighs more than the yarn I've got left. I'm going to run out

. I don't know what to do - I thought I'd bought plenty but it seems not. I think I'm going to have to make stripes in the arm or something (and re-do a whole sleeve). Wail....

Have cashed out a £5 sw@g card and don't have an immediate plan to spend it. Go me :rotfl: Not much else in financial news. Did a wee bit of analysis though. Only "spent" c70% of my income this month. The rest went on paying the monthly card (I count it as true spend when I buy something) and setting money aside for other bills. Once I get the monthly card amount fully set aside things will look a lot better.

mfmaybe · 14 February 2015 at 4:57PM

Food shopping went a bit over budget. £73. However bought wine as we are visiting friends tomorrow, a Valentine's card, and had run out of lots of staples and jars. We'd even run out of tea bags :eek:. Also I think MrM only did a half-shop last week so hopefully evens out.

Otherwise I browsed in a couple of stores (braved Babies R Us to start educating myself) but didn't but anything. I even resisted yarn in Hobbycraft. Went in to seek inspiration for my sweater issue. Didn't find any, but resisted the 3 for 2 on a lovely baby merino. I have spent enough recently.

Realised however, looking at prams and cots etc, just how lucky we are to be having so much gifted. Very amazing family. :A

Paying the car tax via EBay, and other shenanigans.

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