Mrs. P's Diary

MrsPorridge

Tuesday

Should not have overpaid on the CC yesterday - have to get some new tyres for car plus more money on DH's bike - total approx £300 to find.

I just cannot seem to get an emergency fund up and running. So far there is only £50 in it. Am kicking myself today for overpaying that CC I should have put that money into my emergency fund.

Ways to go forward:

1. Go overdrawn for a couple of months while I recoup the money via Ebay, boot fair (we are planning for next month) and general cutting back.

2. Take £300 out of our savings (£600) total.

3. Use the CC

OK, option 3 is definitely out.

That leaves 1 and 2. Don't really want to go overdrawn. Option 2 - what is the point of having savings if we don't use them when we need to i.e. an emergency which is what that is for?

I will sleep on it tonight but at the moment the obvious solution is Option 2. The savings are in premium bonds so I should get them within a week.

MrsPorridge

Wednesday

right I have decided to cash in £200 worth of premium bonds. DH is dead set against doing this but there is no other way as I am determined not to use the CC. DH is convinced its our only chance of winning some money! We have had premium bonds for the last few years and the most we have won is £100 and that only once. Anyway, hopefully next month we won't get hit with anything and perhaps we can put it back in. Maybe I will call the premium bonds my "emergency" fund.

MrsPorridge

Wednesday

I cannot believe what has happened to me today.:j :j

A few weeks ago I received the newsletter from Martin and it mentioned something about child tax credits and claiming before the end of January. This was about 6 days before the end of January. I quickly read up on it and it seemed we did have a claim. I submitted the documents in DH's name as he earns more than me.:mad: I was under the impression that if we qualified then we would be entitled to £520 which would be paid back via the tax code in other words he would earn more from April as his tax code would change and we would get that money over the year. I forgot all about it.

Came home tonight - armed with a form to cash in premium bonds and there is a cheque from the Taxman for £602.:j :j :j I tell you it could not have come at a better time. No panic about my tyres now. I will use it to get the tyres, put some money aside for my "emergency fund" and overpay on the CCs.:T :T

MrsPorridge

Sunday

Not very MSE today:eek:

I've just said to myself "If I don't go out at all then I can't spend"!

Friday is pay day and so begins my new routine of having £40 per week "spending money" and writing down every penny I spend. The meal planning is now working really well but the incidental spending is not. I still need to cut down all the extras. For instance this weekend was Costa Coffee plus a game for the Wii plus a couple of extra foody type treats.:eek:

I'm all ready for work tomorrow, clothes laid out ready and lunches made and in the fridge.

I don't plan to spend any money this week other than on petrol which is unavoidable as I do just under £50 miles a day.

MrsPorridge

Wednesday

Today I applied to MBNA for a life of balance credit card - they said they would get back to me within 7 days - I am afraid I may be turned down. I want to BT from the Egg card which is the only card I have which is charging interest at the moment and its also the card with the biggest balance.:eek: I am paying around £40 per month in interest and just need to try and shift it. The other three cards are all 0 percent but one is due to finish May and the other two in July. I know that I will not have paid the balances off by then - however they should be greatly reduced. There is no way I will be able to pay the balance of the Egg card off within a year which is why I have opted to go for the LOB option. Fingers crossed they accept me. I think I have trashed DH's credit rating as all the other cards are in his name as he earns more than me.:D So this one I have tried solely on my name.

Have decided not to put the heating oil on direct debit. They wanted a minimum of £60 per month. Spread over the year we pay about £360 for oil so only about £30 per month. I certainly can't afford to give them that extra money which I could be putting towards one of the CCs. I have decided to try and be really disciplined and put that money to one side each month.

Sunday I aim to sort out more stuff for Ebay.

My main aim after payday on Friday is to try and keep within budget on absolutely everything. I will be starting my spending diary on here and recording all I spend and hopefully that will spur me on.

Horace

You seem to be doing well MrsP so don't beat yourself up about it. Am glad the tax man came up trumps and at the right time too.

I have been ticking along can't believe how much 'free' money I have made this month either which is why I have signed up for next month's £10 challenge. It is a sticky month because I have lots of birthdays but most presents are already bought thanks to the january sales:j The only person who is bloomin' difficult is my dad, I swear I shall scream if he asks for socks when he has more socks in the wardrobe than M&S:rolleyes:

Best go and rummage in the freezer for something to eat.:D

MrsPorridge

Hi Horace - my Dad is very difficult to buy for as well. He's just had his 82nd birthday and I made him up a hamper of Cornish goodies, shortbread, fudge, Cornish cider etc. He loved it.:j

Yes, thanks to the tax man I will be able to pay for two new tyres on Saturday - £240:eek: :eek: inclusive of VAT and being fitted. They are run flat tyres which means I can drive for around 50 miles on them if they burst:rolleyes: I need this as I do a 50 mile round trip to work every day and live in a rural area so lots of little windy roads to drive down:D

I will also be able to overpay on the CC as well which is a bonus.

Good luck with your £10 a day challenge - I will be interested to hear how you get on.

MrsPorridge

Thursday

I have been meal planning today and working out my shopping list for my big monthly shop which is happening tomorrow night as its pay day tomorrow. Normally do the shop on the Saturday but as my new tyres are being fitted Saturday morning its going to be tomorrow night.

Meals for next month are:

sausage pie (this is my own invention and is simply sausages chopped up because they go further, baked beans and chopped toms and onions. All cooked up together in a big casserole and then put into individual dishes and topped with mashed potatoes) These I will batch cook and freeze

Cottage pie also batch cooked and frozen.

Haggis (we have at least 12 haggis or haggi in the freezer left over from when we went to Scotland for Christmas)

Egg and chips - potatoes cut into rounds and fried in the frying pan for DS and DH and potato wedges cooked in the oven for me.:D

Jacket Spuds - with a variety of fillings

Slow cooker chops - chops or similar cooked in slow cooker with veg and mash.

Chicken risotto

mince - batch cook and freeze individual portions of mince, onions and veg which is used for jacket spuds, stromboli, spaghetti etc.

I have honed my shopping list right down this month in the hopes of trying to keep to a budget of £150. For the last few months I have been a bit lapse with this and overspent on food weekly so I hope to keep an eye on this during March.:j

MrsPorridge

Friday

£200 paid off the credit card - that takes my total paid off so far to just over £1,000

MrsPorridge

Saturday

Grocery Money spent so far: £132 on my big monthly shop. (inc. £10 top up for DS mobile)

Took out my £40 this morning for this week's spending money. Paid out so far:

£2.00 DS pocket money
50p for DS golf
£5 for two teas and two teacakes
80p car park
£8.00 on rucksack for DS to take on his school trip (reduced from £16)
£2.40 on veggies

Total spend today: £18.70 left for rest of week: £21.30. I'm hoping to stay in for the rest of the weekend to avoid temptation.

I have batch cooked some sausage pies and cottage pies. Hoovered downstairs and cleaned kitchen.