My S.O.A.

Kandipandi

Why not try doing a spend diary - every day for one month write down EVERYTHING that you spend each day, inlcuding which DD's come out of the bank that day and at the end of the month have a good look at it (you have to do it for a full month). It will shock you (it did me) and makes you think about that £3 magazine you buy every week or the £18 quick trip to Asda for some bread! Have a look and be honest and you can then break it down and see where it has gone. Worth a try. Mind after you have done it you have to learn something from it and think carefully about where you spend. Even £20 a month can have a huge impact on your debt the snowball calculator changed my view on wasteful spending! Good luck hun x

Effy

Im going to start the spending diary from when i get paid next wednesday, I spoke to my bank about the interest on my overdraft no joy there so my next move is to phone the a & l who i opened a current account with a couple of months ago (more fool me for missing the £100 offer ) and see how much of a 0% overdraft I can get off them and try and transfer as much as possible to that. my payment a day challenge has gone to pot so im gonna have to make a fresh start next wednesday, im spending the rest of this week pre planning food, roll ups its all money money money with me im obssessed!! but if i plan fior next month i might keep more control over everything! thank you for all the support and help its really appreciated and helps me stay motivated x

Effy

Thought I'd turn this into a little diary type thing! I managed to get £350 O/d at 0% from A & L so I have transferred that over to my halifax account (every little helps!) The interest I am payin on Halifax is 19.5% ear :eek: .

Went on Mazumamobile.com yesterday and turns out they will give me £20 for my old handset so I'm just waiting for the freepost envelope then sending that off. I have listed 9 items on ebay today just a couple of DVDs etc but ill clear some more stuff and list that a bit later and tomorrow. I am going to help my friend clean his house for an hour and a half a week it may not be much but I will be getting an extra £10 a week to throw at the dreaded O/d!

Feeling very motivated at the moment everyone on here is so inspiring! Instead of going out later as I usually would I have a couple of friends coming round for an "ebay party" they don't have a selling account so we will drink cheap vodka and list items! woo hoo! I have also found a student cookbook so plan to sit down and organise what I need to get into eat for the next month before I get paid!

I have been completely waylaid with regard to the payment a day challenge I have decided to begin that again the day i get paid and keep on track, Ialso found a 5 euro note which I will change up! haha! my mates think my new found money saving obssession is hilarious but I have started giving them all hints and tips so it can't be bad!!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Effy

Me again, how much can a mood change in a day hey! not ebayed anything else or got round to changing that 5 euro note yet .

My ex called me yesterday :eek: not spoken to him in months had text contact mind but not quite the same it completely threw me and brought up a load of old feelings I thought I had got past, so instead of keeping this to myself and after hours of thinking I was an emotional !!!!!! and text him to tell him I needed him to stay away from me and I could'nt handle it.

I actually feel like a crazy woman really I do and the first thing I wanted to do after speaking to him was go out and spend money! Fortunately I have none (never a sentence I expected to say!) so stayed in and wallowed instead! My point on the money front is this made me realise I'm clearly a bit of an emotional spender and need to keep a reign in on that.
Still feeling a bit low now and noone is about to cuddle might go for a walk just to get out of the flat and stop being such a misery, Im angry I was fine til he popped back :mad:

it could be worse and they do say what doesnt kill us makes us stronger so Im gonna stop moaning and start meal planning take my mind off it all! Might even look into growing my own veg though Im a bit worried with my mental state as it is that ill talk the vegetables to death! kamikaze cucumber anyone?!

Effy

Updated my signature today feels very good to see the amount go down even if just by a bit! Changed my 5 euro note got £3.75 back from that and posted my old mobile handset off to Mazuma Mobile apparently I should get £21.00 for that!! yay! Just need to get back on track with the ebaying now, very busy this week so sat night and sunday are reserved for sorting thru my old tat and seeing what I can flog!

In a much better frame of mind and have worked out a budget for this manic month determined to stick to it (don't have much choice really I have to!) but anyways I have discovered the joys of rolling my own cigarettes, menthol filters have made them actually quite nice so I'm nearly halving what I spend on my nicotine habit ...happy days. started my spending diary too and back on with a payment a day. Will do my best to be a good girl this month!!

Horace

Well done Effy.

Have you got an old teddy bear that you can cuddle when you need one? I still have mine, he's great all cuddles are free, he never complains and agrees with everything I say LOL.

I felt guilty yesterday for buying a bunch of lilies for £1 - they had two brown petals but the rest are alright, my flat smells heavenly now. The odd treat won't do you any harm, you just have to make sure you don't take piles of money out with you and make sure you leave your cards at home.

I was out the other night with one of my chums and her friend - the pair of them thought I was nuts because I talked about MSE and moneysaving. All my friends think I am nuts but at least I am doing something positive rather than spending money like water without a care for tomorrow.

Effy - have you got any rugs that need cleaning? I ask because to get the ex out of your system you can imagine his face on them and beat the carp out of them with a broom:rotfl: Trust me it works.

Effy

Thanks Horace! Loving the rug suggestion! I tend to find that scrubbing the flat helps too my flat mate can always tell when theres something up cos the flat is beautifully clean!
The nights out I have planned I will definately take your advice and leave the cards at home its all too easy after a few to not care anymore and suddenly think your rockefella buying everyone drinks!
I love Lilies and £1 is a bargain, it is important to treat yourself now and again as much as sorting out the debt kind of takes over you have one life and you have to enjoy it (work in a crematorium so have a very make the most of it while you can attitude!) As for an old teddy bear I hate cuddly toys (always have had some weird aversion to them don't know why ) Ill have to start hugging my pillow lol! Though I do have a tendancy to grab my friends and give them a cuddle when I feel like it luckily they are quite a tactile lot so don't seem to mind!
Im off to a hen do tonight nothing major actually just a meal in ask pizza drinks round a colleagues first so shouldnt break the bank. I'll be back tomorrow to talk about how much money I save. Im absolutely obssessed with it all now! I'm driving people crackers banging on about this website!!

Effy

Well can I just say that me and this payment a day challenge are not getting along to be frank its just not happening for me this month! Last night was the first of 2 nights out for my flat mates birthday spent £15.00 which isn't too bad its tomorrow im worried about and because of that im cutting my budget for tomorrow, taking no cards and stopping drinking when we get to the club, its the nightbus home fo me too woooohoooooo! We are supposed to be getting to camden for 7.30 :eek: I dont know if im gonna even make it to the flipping club ill be slaughtered and ready for bed by the time we head there never been a huge club kind of a girl much prefer to sit in a grimy old pub!
I received my cheque from mazuma mobile today £21.00 so thats been put straight in the bank, but the lead for my laptop had broken :mad: I'm borrowing my flat mates one at the mo but Im gonna have to get my own next month, want to dig around and find some more stuff to ebay today hopefully i can list it over the weekend though I have a ring i want to sell but im not sure where s best to go with it any ideas??!! Its costume jewellry real silver with swarkovski crystals ebay doesnt seem to sell rings very well!

I am off to update my spending diary and re budget again my cousin arives from glasgow next thurs and i have zero money to do anything with her gonna have to be inventive. oh well only 3 weeks til payday!!! :rotfl:

Got driving test next friday (fifth time lucky I hope) please god let me passI cannot afford to be a failure anymore!!

RAS

Hi

Do you know about www.freecycle.org - like e-bay but you get the stuff for free. You have to make an offer to start your account, but it does not ahve to be huge. Bet you could get a cable on there?

Effy

thanks ras i signed up the other day so ill have to keep my eyes peeled however my flat mate wants to keep the sky so im not sure im gonna get much choice as far as thats concerned!