Mrs. P's Diary

MrsPorridge

the fact that i haven't updated for ages says it all. I have taken my eye off the ball for the past couple of months and boy am I paying for it now! It hasn't even been anything extravagant - just the odd meal out here and there, a few items of clothing, etc. I feel like I am now back at square one. I have been transferring money from the good old Egg card to pay off my overdraft - because I hate having an overdraft.

OK am now going to face what I owe on the CCs at any rate. It is especailly galling since this time last year I had paid them all off - will I ever learn? I cannot afford the lifestyle of spending like a man with no arms!

This is the sad and sorry state:

Overdraft - NIL

MBNA CC - £4,400 ish - 0% till November

Egg cc - £2,500 ish - paying interest.

Plan - have now this afternoon been granted a Nationwide cc with a limit of £3,500 with 0% for 17 months. Once that comes through in about 10 days I am going to transfer the Egg onto that. Then I think I may cancel the Egg once and for all. My problem is that I can transfer money from the Egg into my current account and that is what I have been doing - because the cc is actually cut up.

I cut up the mbna the minute I got it and will cut up the Nationwide when I get it.

If I am brave enough to cancel my Egg CC then that will the end of that so called security blanket - its a big step for me to take though but it may well help to focus my mind on what on earth I am doing.

On another note - DH is desperate for a new motorbike and is selling as much of his stuff as possible to fund this. So far we have made £200 and that is going into premium bonds towards the bike. I know this is wrong and it should be going off the CC but DH isn't aware of the extent of the CCs and I don't want to tell him. I have sole responsibility for our money and that is that.

For what its worth that is my update.

Money_Fritter

MrsPorridge wrote: »

the fact that i haven't updated for ages says it all. I have taken my eye off the ball for the past couple of months and boy am I paying for it now! It hasn't even been anything extravagant - just the odd meal out here and there, a few items of clothing, etc. I feel like I am now back at square one. I have been transferring money from the good old Egg card to pay off my overdraft - because I hate having an overdraft.

OK am now going to face what I owe on the CCs at any rate. It is especailly galling since this time last year I had paid them all off - will I ever learn? I cannot afford the lifestyle of spending like a man with no arms!

This is the sad and sorry state:

Overdraft - NIL

MBNA CC - £4,400 ish - 0% till November

Egg cc - £2,500 ish - paying interest.

Plan - have now this afternoon been granted a Nationwide cc with a limit of £3,500 with 0% for 17 months. Once that comes through in about 10 days I am going to transfer the Egg onto that. Then I think I may cancel the Egg once and for all. My problem is that I can transfer money from the Egg into my current account and that is what I have been doing - because the cc is actually cut up.

I cut up the mbna the minute I got it and will cut up the Nationwide when I get it.

If I am brave enough to cancel my Egg CC then that will the end of that so called security blanket - its a big step for me to take though but it may well help to focus my mind on what on earth I am doing.

On another note - DH is desperate for a new motorbike and is selling as much of his stuff as possible to fund this. So far we have made £200 and that is going into premium bonds towards the bike. I know this is wrong and it should be going off the CC but DH isn't aware of the extent of the CCs and I don't want to tell him. I have sole responsibility for our money and that is that.

For what its worth that is my update.

Hi MrsP. how are you?

I am exactly the same as you, I have taken my eye off the ball. I need to get back into gear.

MrsPorridge

HI MF,

Yes I'm doing OK now - but really do have to keep my eye on the ball at all times - its so difficult

Moved my Egg to Nationwide at 0% so that's done.

Ebaying like mad and saving the money in premium bonds (always hoping for that big win) to go towards DH's bike.

Need to start thinking about my MBNA card where the 0% ends in November - hoping to pay at least half of this straight off and then put the remainder into another 0%.

Money_Fritter

Hi MrsP,

Long time no hear, hope you are good

Money Fritter

MrsPorridge

HI MF,

Yes I am still here!

Have been doing a lot of Ebaying over the past few months - getting rid of the very large hoard of items that DH has spent over 40 years collecting.

Have shuffled a bit of CC debt around - one balance on 0% and one on 6.9% for lifetime of balance. Have two others around the £600 mark and have set up DDs to pay both of those off at £100 per month plus am hoping to be able to double that with savings I make on my SOA and a bit of a top up with any Ebay sales.

The majority of the Ebay sales are still going into premium bonds to buy a new bike for DH.

Had a rough couple of months with both bike and car expenses - services, new tyres and I had a bump on my back bumper and had to pay the excess from the insurance on that - so it was over a £1000 for the car and bike during the last couple of months - I have had to use some of our Ebay money to try and pay that off. We have high costs for petrol each month as well as we live in a remote part of country and both do around a 40 mile trip to work each day.

On the positive side DH has had a rise at work which equates to just over £200 per month This is fantastic news in such a climate as we are in - at my job there is a pay freeze and I have not even had cost of living for over 2 years (that is public sector for you). But at least we both have jobs and that is saying something nowadays.

Am going to pay off as much as I can before Christmas and then do a tally of all my debt then.

Am still paying my family allowance into a separate account and am so glad as have got the money for DS trip to London with school next weekend and also I have the money already saved for his ski-ing trip in February By Christmas will have the money I need to buy ski-ing jacket and any extras for that trip.

So all in all I suppose even though I am still in debt I have shifted a little bit of it but more than anything I have learnt how to control it rather than just spending with no end in sight.

Money_Fritter

Hi MrsP,

Good news with the pay rise for DH, that will certainly help. Also well done on the E-baying, every bit helps.

Money Fritter

MrsPorridge

Right - start of a new year - so see if I can keep my diary going.

Positive stuff -

managed to Ebay enough for DH to get his new bike.
still Ebaying like mad and the next goal is to pay off the MBNA CC which is just shy of £2,000
getting a bonus at the end of January from my work
joined Weight Watchers last night - nearly broke down at the scales as I was 1 stone heavier than I thought I was
have a student teacher staying with us till June - so lots of extra pennies coming in from that
clearing "rubbish" (selling it on Ebay) and seeing a tidier house

Goals I have set myself to achieve by Easter - 12 weeks away

1. Pay off MBNA (hope to do this before Easter but don't want to be unrealistic)
2. Lost 1 stone in weight
3. Sort out overdraft which is running around the £300 mark at the moment so very manageable


In the meantime:

Carrying on Ebaying as much as possible - still have lots of stuff to get rid of
Stick to WW
Try to do some more exercise - I sit at a desk all day
Food planning


Today lots of items finished on Ebay so DH is busy boxing up the ones who have paid ready to take to Post Office tomorrow.
Packed lunch ready to take to work tomorrow

Going to log off, relax in front of TV and do my food planning for next week - this is something I have not done for months and it has shown in my food budget. Now I am on WW I need to plan what I am eating and need to be sensible with the food shopping.

Money_Fritter

Hi MrsP,

Happy New Year.

Well done with the plan and well done with the eBaying.

I know what you mean about the weight, I put lots on over christmas. I need to get fit, as I am going to complete the coast to coast bike challenge this year for Cancer Charity.

Money Fritter

MrsPorridge

MF - Happy New Year to you too - thanks for dropping by.

Today I did most of my shopping on way home from work - just a few bits and bobs to get tomorrow - stuck to the shopping list and was surprised at the cost - just over £90 and in that were 6 packs of braising steak, 3 packs of chicken, 2 steaks and the usual suspects - thought it would have been much more - just goes to show that cooking from scratch really is cheaper - the last few months have been using more and more ready meals

So far have stuck to WW points - although I am at my limit now - will just have a nice cuppa later for supper I think.

Tomorrow will be:

going to Post Office - DH packing yet more Ebay items
cooking Irish stew x 2 for tomorrow's tea and one night in the week
marinading chicken for a chicken curry on Sunday night
bit of housework
putting some more items on Ebay

If the weather is nice then DH and I will go out on the bike and do the Ebaying on Sunday.

Oh and I will be buying a lottery ticket as well.

MrsPorridge

Well just checked current account and still in credit with only another 20 days till payday. All the "big guns" as I call them mortgage, loan, council tax, water, electric etc have gone out. Really pleased about this as I would like to not have an OD each month. If I can sort the OD then that is one thing off my list of things to achieve by Easter and would give me a boost.

On the diet front had to use up some of my extra allowance of points last night as I had a bigger portion of dinner than I should have done (irish stew with dumplings), had a pudding and 2 glasses of wine However, that is OK as I still counted everything. Will try not to use up the extra allowance today if I can. I am OK during working week, but weekends I like to let my hair down a bit eating and drinking wise For breakfast I had porridge with a mixture of milk and water, lunch will be soup and dinner tonight is chicken curry (cooked from scratch and a WW recipe). I might have a glass of wine as well

Packed lunches ready for tomorrow; meals planned out ready for this week.

Student is just for 2 nights this week, Wednesday and Thursday so him room has just been tidied a bit.

Staying in today so a forced NSD. Weather is dreadful horrible drizzly rain.

DH working on something for me to Ebay and already relisted 5 items and packed 4 items for posting on Monday.

Afternoon will be spent vegging in front of TV.