Buckle up - it's going to be a bumpy ride!

GotNoRhythm

Hi GeorgeUK, still up too?
The presents are sort of averaged out - the biggest spend is at Christmas(!) I have family and friends who all seem to be pretty flush and I feel that I have to match them. Silly, I know... and we have a few kiddies in the family too. It soon adds up! Ideally I'd like to have an account where I can put money aside for Christmas, and for the car too, but that's a long way off yet.
Dad is pretty much used to buying his own presents - all three of his children are hopeless with money! I've tried talking to my mum about budgeting for food etc and she just said 'Oh, I tried budgeting when you were little but I couldn't do it so I gave up.' - must be hereditary, then! (no wonder my parents are divorced!!)
The more I think about that SOA, the more I realise how inaccurate it is - I didn't put anything down for holidays but I've been away twice this year. A weekend in Blackpool which my darling friend paid for, and a trip to Stratford to see Hamlet (one night only - staying at Travelodge for £9 thanks to MSE.com!) Travel costs, food and entertainment soon add up even on short trips, don't they?
I know there are some areas in my weekly spending where I can cut back - I get a couple of magazines that could go for a start, and I'm going to try to plan my meals in advance and make a shopping list accordingly. I could also try walking into town/to my friends/to my dad's instead of driving - better for the environment AND money-saving too!
Another expense I have is hearing-aid batteries, which I didn't think to include (approx £75 a year!). I guess it's the little things that I need to consider, after I've tackled some of those credit cards! I can't believe things have got like this, and I'm amazed that Lloyds gave me a loans 2 years ago (nearly £300 a month - what were they thinking??!)
I'm so glad that I posted on here - things already look clearer (scary, but clearer!) and I can't tell you how much it means to me to able to chat with you. My parents are brilliant at what they do to help me out, but they have no idea of the finer details and neither of them have ever had a credit card so they're not the best people to ask advice on these things.
Thanks for keeping me going!
GNR
xx

--Gem--_3

Well done for facing your financial demons. Good luck with the interview. x

tealady

Hi If you like your mags have a look for subscription offers (or ask someone to buy you a subscription for Christmas).
If you have to buy anything on a regular basis that you need a prescription for then look at a "season ticket", or look at cash back websites (great for things like insurances).
Hope the interview goes well. Good luck.
PS Perhaps you could point mum and dad towards this site, you may be able to save them a few quid as well.

GeorgeUK

Hi GNR

Sounds like a spending diary would be a good idea for you to keep. Update it every day for a month starting with the amount of money you are taking out with you and then puting in everything you spend during the day. After a month, you should have apretty good idea of where any money is being wasted and can hopefully cut down on this.

gossfam1

GNR,
I think you've missed a couple of things on your SOA..
Your Cahoot loan isn't listed, nor is your overdraft.
Sorry to inform you but this leaves you £5,600 worse than your SOA suggests?
Do you agree ?

Naomim

Hi GNR,

With regards to the presents, have a look at the Money Saving Old Style forum. (I think) Anyway, there's lots of threads on making baskets and hampers etc for Christmas. I'm doing it this year and people can like it or lump it If they don't like it then they'll never get another present off me again

Naomi x

GotNoRhythm

Hello to everyone!
Hi Tealady - my parents don't 'do' computers :rotfl:the thought just made me laugh! Dad's finances aren't a problem (it's his kids' finances that are!!) and mum's philosophy is 'if in doubt, do nowt'. I've tried to show this website but her eyesight's not what it was... She is worried about her savings though, but I'm not the best person to give her advice!
Gossfam, I wasn't sure where to put my loan and o/d on the list, I know it just makes it worse, doesn't it? Don't worry, I hadn't forgotten about them though. I guess they should go on the unsecured bit.
I don't usually have many prescriptions - just been a bit poorly lately (stress probably:eek:) so I thought I'd put them on to my SOA. It's probably not one a month really... I'm definitely going to ask for a mag subscription for Christmas (don't know if anyone in my family will agree to paying for Doctor Who for me though! :rolleyes:)
Naomim, I was thinking about Christmas hampers for the oldies this year! A friend of mine works for a wine merchant and can get some really nice wooden crates for me to fill - I must remember to ask her! (Wow - making a start on Christmas pressies already - that's organised!)
I just got a letter from M&S credit card today saying that they're putting my rate up to 23.9% - so bye-bye M&S, hello Mint! (Actually, I tried calling them tonight but I waited and waited with the phone ringing and then it went dead. I had a look online to see if I could do a transfer there but the registration process is a bit slow, so I'll do it in the morning. More like 'Hello??? Mint??' :mad:)
Spent £10 today on essentials - and 23p on value chocolate... (which I've eaten already - it barely made it into the house...) milk, yoghurt, bread and veggies - soon goes, doesn't it?
Thanks for all your good wishes for the interview - it's just to do supply work, so hopefully something will come of it (my friend got loads of work through them, and they also helped her to get a permanent full-time teaching job)- fingers crossed! I'll let you know how I get on.
GNR
xx
P.s. got into trouble tonight for watching Martin - apparently I'm not allowed to have the TV on in my room anymore. Feel like a teenager again! :rolleyes:

GotNoRhythm

I've just been looking at possible threads to join - I'm still looking for the 'go to sleep and wake up rich' thread :rolleyes:, and I'd be grateful if anyone could point me in the direction of the 'October Eat-Chocolate-Lose-Weight Diet' thread, I'd be very grateful! :rotfl:
Seriously, though - the sealed pot challenge looks good, but I may have a wee practice run first with coppers (I really need a job before I can commit to anything like that, don't I?) I can't wait for my interview next week! Why does time go slowly when you want it to speed up?? :mad:
I'll have to spend my time ebaying. I've bought stuff on ebay (ahem! ) but never sold anything. Does anyone know if it's easy? Anything to be wary of? Any top tips? I'm hopefully borrowing a dressmaker's dummy from my sister-in-law to display clothes on that I want to sell (to look nice in the pics!) I thought it might be a way of getting a little bit of income whilst I'm not working.
Just off to write my spends in my cash book then I'm off to bed. The car gets MOT'd tomorrow (going on dad's account) so we spent this afternoon making sure it would get through it - checking lights, horn etc and dad put in some diesel additive so it (hopefully) won't fail on emissions like last year!

ETA - My car passed!! Yey! (HUUUUUGE sigh of relief!)

GotNoRhythm

I was very good today and moved £4k from M&S to Mint (3.9% for 6 months for a fee of £120) and paid off the £41 outstanding on the M&S card from my Lloyds account, so M&S is now clear! Where are those scissors??! Actually, I think that card will go into my dad's deep freeze - he lives across town from me (and the freezer is in a big workshop/garage he owns) so I won't be tempted too easily to go and defrost it :money:

And I had to drive through town to get to the MOT station and I didn't stop AT ALL to buy ANYTHING!! So I've had a spend-free day :T (well, almost - I ordered a DVD for my little nephew off the internet but my mum is paying me back for it. RRP £13.99, I found one for £6.99 with free delivery ). I'll write it in my cash book so I don't forget to ask her for it!!
I decorated my cash book last night, so it looks less intimidating:o. I had a piece of pink wrapping paper left over from ages ago, covered it in that and neatened the edges with some sticky-backed ribbon from my craft box (another silly spending area - student teachers seem to accumulate all kinds of junk!) I finished at about 3 o'clock this morning - I'm not sleeping well anyway so I thought I might as well be doing something. I'm feeling quite crafty now so I'm going to make myself a 'magic wallet' type thingy to keep my receipts in.
Oh, and the mannequin arrived (much to mum's horror :rotfl:- she ordered it to go straight into the loft!!) so I can get on with photographing stuff for Ebay.
Spending a whole day at a primary school tomorrow, just to remind myself what a classroom looks like! Noah's Ark Art Day with a class of 7 and 8 year olds :eek: Wish me luck!!

GotNoRhythm

Had the interview!
It went okay and I think I'll get some work from the agency but they wanted another reference (apparrently they want one from from my final placement school - wish they'd have asked me that when they booked the interview... They could have had it by now!) and I also need my GTC number (??)
Bought some baking trays so that I can make nice cake things for lunch when I'm teaching - not sure if this is really very DFW though??