Mrs. P's Diary

Money_Fritter

Hi MrsP,

Well done to your son.:j:j:j

Science field eh, I am a Dr of Chemistry and I would think long and hard about going into organic chemistry and Pharmaceuticals (bad spelling), the industry is in quite a big dip at the moment and I don't think there are that many jobs out there. Although in a few years time that could all change. It depends what area he wants to go into.


Money Fritter

MrsPorridge

Thanks for that MF - I may need to pick your brain in a year or so!

MrsPorridge

Well things are going OK at the moment. Am really into MSE and determined to try and sort stuff out once and for all

I have a secured loan with Ocean (I know biggest mistake). It is for 10 years and yes I took PPI on it because DH said we should. Turns out the PPI is only for the first 5 years. I tried to claim some of it back via the templates off this site a few years ago. They wrote back and said "no". This site advised that this would happen and to then send another letter to them. I didn't do this as I was afraid they might call the loan in or something and just learnt to live with it. Last week a letter came through the door from Ocean saying that I may have been missold the PPI if I wanted them to investigate it I must sign and return the letter. This I did (exactly what happened to me with NR the other month). I am trying not to get my hopes up though as they turned me down the first time.

Today I have come in to a letter saying that as I have now paid 5 years off of the loan without over-paying or missing a payment or making a claim I am due some cash back - they referred to their terms which I signed 5 years ago (and of course I cannot remember it). To cut it short it appears that within the week I will get this cash back payment of £2,495. It just goes to show how much I have paid in PPI this past 5 years I don't know how this will affect anything - but am of course going to let it run and get that money

I have decided to use it as follows:

Pay off my Moorgate loan which has a balance of £690. This will the free up £104 per month and this I will split up between overpaying a MBNA CC and paying more each month for my car fund. (It is the tyres of my car that skupper me each time)

Pay off my OD (around £1,000) and use the balance to pay something off the MBNA CC.

I have 3 CCs. MBNA which has the most interest and is approx £4000, Barclays on an interest for life thingy also around £4000 and Nationwide which is just over £2,000 and is interest free (not sure for how much longer- but as its the smallest amount will have to let that run for the moment).

That's the plan at any rate.

Am so determined to try and clear as much as I possibly can of this once and for all.

We have done well with living out of the freezer this month and have kept food spending to a manageable level.

Money_Fritter

Hi MrsP,

How are things?

Not heard from you in a while

Hope you are ok?

MrsPorridge

HI MF,
I am still here Not much to report on the MSE front though - still finding it hard to keep the CCs under control. Same old story - I really need to get my act together.

A letter arrived today telling me I could have a 0% balance transfer for 12 months on an old card I cut up ages ago - £6K credit on the card - so am going to transfer some of the MBNA onto that one tomorrow morning. DH will have to phone as its in his name - the card has a zero balance at the moment. This has given me the incentive to get cracking again.

Money_Fritter

I know how you feel MrsP.

I am just plodding along too.

Good news with the 0% though, that is what I did.

Don't give up, you can do it

Money Fritter

MrsPorridge

OK well it was a bit of a mission as I had to set up the online banking etc., but now its done and I have transferred the MBNA to 0% for 12 months on the Tesco card.

While looking I logged onto my old Egg/Barclaycard credit card to find "no offers" but I do have over £7K of credit and zero balance I used it to purchase DH's bike tax of £60 in the hopes that now I have used it they will give me a balance transfer offer. If that happens I will transfer my Nationwide to it.

Have decided just to "tread water" at the moment and have a reckoning in January - which is also going to our year of austerity

Money_Fritter

Hi MrsP,

How did you get on with the Marmalade Loaf

Money Fritter

MrsPorridge

MF - it was delicious and is ideal for packed lunches - however it has now gone so I will have to make another one!

MrsPorridge

Well once again - i need to bite that bullet and STOP SPENDING. Have had to use the CC this month and am cross with myself. Will update monies owning on CC's and then tackle them one at a time.

As usual food is the biggest outlay and as DH and I need desperately to lose several stone each then hopefully if we cut back on the food shopping and go back to basics and stop eating out (which we have been king quite a bit lately) then we should be able to get back on track.