Evan's DFW & Wedding Diary

~evanesco~

Have just gone through all the debts and sorted which ones I can pay with my debit card, and which ones have to be standing orders. I don't like to have them as direct debits, because at the minute, my money is all over the place, as in all in different accounts, and sometimes I have to pay so much from each one.

Hopefully, now cash flow will be a bit easier, since it adds about 5 days onto some of them. What I mean is, for example Littlewoods would be due on say, the 21st, meaning I would have to pay it on the 16th. By paying with my debit card I can pay it on the 21st, meaning I may have an extra pay day before it. The only one that isn't possible is Vanquis. And CapOne still requires 2 days before, but so long as I write it in my diary for 2 days before, it won't be a problem.

Next, this month has been a nightmare, I've paid 2 lots from seperate accounts, and I'll still have to top the remaining up with a debit card payment next wednesday.

~evanesco~

Woohoo! OH has now got a job! I've managed to convince my boss I need promoting, so OH is going to come in and cover for me, while I do my new bits! Yay. I'm just going to work out how this will effect our tax credits, housing benefit etc but she's happy that she's finally got a job.

hypno06

Excellent news :T

~evanesco~

hypno06 wrote: »

Excellent news :T

Thanks Hypno, it's been a long time coming. We live in a town were job prospects are not great, so for me to get her in is fantastic. He's going to get her to cover at the other site too if necessary. He's desperate for me to learn to drive so I can run another of his sites, but it's just not something I'm looking at doing right now. Now if I could convince him to finance it, well obviously! Looking into the tax credits situation, nothing changes there, with the exception of some childcare credit, our tax credits dont change, since they're based on what we both earned last year, and this years will only be about £800 more. And even if they stop our housing benefit completely, we're going to be better off to the tune of £300, at least. So I'm definately up for 50/50 debt:wedding savings. It's going to be so much better, since we both get paid on the same day of the month, there won't be any of this pay £12 out of one, and £45 of of another nonsense to get bills paid. I got so caught up in finally pinning him down to let her start that I didn't even stop to consider the resposibilty he's giving to me. I've wanted this for so long, I know I can run it better, because I can be there more than he can, he's has too many commitments to fully manage our site, which means I've been reluctantly struggling along, waiting for him to train me up, but now he doesn't have an excuse, because I've got it covered!

~evanesco~

Spreadsheets done right up until December 2009. I really should get out more. If all goes to plan, we will be debt free by then, plus have saved £10,000 towards the wedding. I don't want to be coming back here in December '09 in the same position I was in December '06. There really will not be a suitable excuse at all, I would expect to be hung, drawn and quartered. Not being debt free by then will mean we'll probably end up starting married life in debt. Neither of us want that. If we can save £10,000 in a year, while also paying £451 a month towards our debts, then after the wedding, we can be well on our way to start saving towards a mortgage, which we'll be looking at saving a 30% deposit of £30,000 for the houses we tend to look at on our daydreamy days. But it is a reality. I want to be debt free by Jan 2010 and in our own house by the time I'm 35 (Nov 2015). It's do-able. We have to make it happen though.

hypno06

blimey, talk about organised :eek:

~evanesco~

hypno06 wrote: »

blimey, talk about organised :eek:

On paper I am. In reality... Look at how I've wasted the last year!

~evanesco~

Checking in...

Everything is still going to plan right now. Gave my Dad the £250 I got for my Grant, he said he doesn't want the rest back, so I'll 50:50 that in January, when it was due to be paid. Shell's first week at work went well, we're actually a pretty good team, so that's great. Tax Credits got sorted super quick, need her first wage slip to send in to the council, see what will happen there. These bills being this way around, with me paying on my debit card rather than standing order is working well too, only, maybe not quite so well, I forgot to pay the Cap One until yesterday, hopefully it'll clear in the morning, since that's when it's due, otherwise there'll be a £12 charge, which I really don't need. I've just had a lot of other stuff on.

~evanesco~

Checking in.

Have decided to put the bills on direct debits, makes sense really, then I can sort out the over payments at the end of the month. We're going to open 2 more net savers after Xmas, for Xmas and birthdays, since it always creeps up and we never seem to save for it, but we will next year. It's all budgeted for this year, but it's in big chunks and will mean getting an advance if we see something that's on offer, for example. I can't update my totals right now, because I'm at work, on my 14th out 19 days in a row. I'm pretty whacked, but I need 2 weekends off in a row and this is the only way I could do it without losing any pay. I pretty certain they've risen, due to some ill thought out BNPL's earlier in the year, which means my Littlewoods is now £215 a month, about a 90% increase. Still, it has to be paid. I'm going to check my credit file either later, or tomorrow, since as of today I should no longer have a CCJ listed on there. How long should I wait before I apply for some 0% deals? I'm thinking at least 3 months. OH is still paying for her coats, straight onto the Next, like I said she would, every week. Capital One did charged the late payment fee, but tookit off again, without me even asking them. That's all for now.

~evanesco~

Siggy updated. It has risen, by about £25. Not good. =( I also realised I need to have 2 envelopes on the fireplace, one for bus fare and the other for school dinners. They are budgeted for, but I end up taking £10 out the bank and spending the change on junk. This way, at the beginning of the month, I'll put in what is supposed to be in there, before I put my wages in the bank.