Another Debt Free Diary :)

PercyPig

Wow! I am impressed by your willpower. I need to find some to keep me away from Expedia .....

Percy

Lemon_Tree

Percy pig - i am only able to reduce my overdraft in £50 lumps, so what i did was put a dummy £10 amount through in my accounts ( i'm sad they're all on the computer etc) so that i didn't spend it. I've managed to wipe £500 off the overdraft this year, but my situation has changed so i am able to put larger dummy amounts through these days. I do have to say, i still remember the feeling of achievement of being £10 less each month than the month before

ElizabethJH - this is YOUR diary and your way of keeping in control, do not appologise if things aren't always sweetness and light, that's just life. It's better to get it off your chest here than in a shop buying something you don't need.
And congratulations for using the NO word - i really should use it more often as well.

ElizabethJH

Thanks for the support - it's making me feel a lot better saying No to everything!

I'm leaving my overdraft until last to look at but i'm slightly worried that people are posting about there's being taken away etc. I've got a spare account with A&L That I can quickly swap things over if need be though and just leave the £1500 O/D as a debt or something!?

Well done on getting yours down - It'd be so weird to be in the black each month - my wages don't even get me out of the red these days with my OD!!

HAve worked out my spending for Decembers wages.

Wage

1180

Rent

-300

PayDayLoan

-150

Specs

-10

C Tax

-132

C Tax

-17

Orange

-35

TV

-12

Water

-36

Virgin

-21

Centro

-47

Gas

-22

Electric

-8.1

Interest OD

-15

Lfilm

-10

Barclay Card

-34

Abbey

-125

HOF

-15

Berlin

-150

Xmas Pres

-20

Total Surplus

20.9

So in order to not take out any further Pay Day Loans I have £20 to spend plus any money that I earn from my second job!! I'm going to use that though to try and get me out of the reserve I'm in at the moment and back into my normal overdraft... don't think I'll manage that all in a month mind!!

Might get my money through from Quidco though so I'm in with a chance

ok - so weekly budget £10 for December :eek:

ElizabethJH

Just got out of bed and getting ready for work now - make myself look pretty got to think of the tips

Turned the heating off tonight when I got home as it was too hot! Think I'm going to have it going on for less time in the evening. I live in a Maisonette with a little old lady who has her heating on full all day and night so you could never call my house cold! Also my Mom and Dad paid to get the Walls all insulated (subsidised by council - they're good for something I guess) so really it's a cosy little house.

Tonight might be a good night... fingers crossed the music doesn't look too bad (I'm pretty happy unless it's hard core techno or drum n bass) so let's hope I enjoy this as well as earning some money!!

Anyhow hope you all have a fab weekend - I'm going to attempt to log on tmw so I can do my payment a day still. Got £10 back today from Love Film so will have £10 extra in my bank and can knock £10 off my spending next month (Had a £25 voucher that wasn't working and is now ) which is bringing me nearer and nearer to maybe clearing my reserve next month!! :j

Cheers :beer:

ElizabethJH

Well a quick update worked 10-5am last night, earnt £45 and £6 tips :T (it was dead!) Was a fun night though, had a couple of the "10th anniversary" mystery flavour aftershocks, a bacon and brie bagel and a bottle of coke for free... also took a croissant home for my breakfast in the week. Paid £10 on a taxi home, but it was 5am and though the buses were running it's a 20 min to bus and 15 min walk home from bus stop - they're very infrequent, it was cold and dark and town was a bit dead so didn't fancy it :huh: !! Still £41 earnt and another night to work tonight (that should be busier!)

Going to put £35 into my bank on Monday Morning and along with the £10 refund from lovefilm for putting my gift voucher through wrong will make my balance a lot healthier - will pay the £17 I owe to the bailiffs on Monday as they haven't contacted me - will ask for breakdown of charges when I go in as well and dispute before I pay them :mad: !!

Anyhow - told my boyfriend of my £10 budget, not sure what he thinks. going to be going German Christmas Market :snow_laug before work tonight with friends - not sure whether I should allow myself to spend anything or not?

ElizabethJH

Well an update... I had an awful day yesterday, felt really down and ended up staying in all day and then just going to work, so a no spend day for me! Same today - I suggested a free visit to a museum but noone is up for it so I'm stuck in alone all day again!! Bit fed up with it all - but at least I'm not spending any money!!

Finished work at 2 last night as it was dead but earnt £30 (£10 on taxi) so total to put in my bank tmw morning is £55. Kept up my payment a day over the weekend as well so Vanquis is slowly going down!!

Am ordering some new glasses on Monday - under £20!! Thanks to peoples help on here - be really nice to have a pair I can see out of and means that I'll be changing my contact lenses to dailies and hopefully saving some money on that! In fact I might even sod specsavers and go direct online once I've got my prescription off them

Anyhow going to go and take a quilt to the living room and mope about there by myself for a bit - got a film and a book to get me through - can't believe I'm actually looking forward to Monday!!

Hope you've all had a better weekend then me!! :T

ElizabethJH

Well the weekend is over and I'm happy to be back in work!!

Managed to spend ZERO pounds on the weekend and earn £61 so pleased with myself :beer:

Going to have to spend something today though as my BF is coming around for dinner and can't just feed him the rubbish I feed myself!! (We kind of have an arrangement that I feed him etc and then he pays for most of everything else like petrol, meals out, cinema......) I've decided to make potato wedges with cheese and bacon (Just buy 4 baking potatoes!) and that shouldn't be too expensive a meal. Also means that I'll have bacon left over as I have a pasta sauce that I could use it with next time he comes!! :T

Overall though I'm feeling better - I've got through the horrible PMT weekend and have a good morning unexpectedly training someone up - I normally hate doing anything like this and it always surprises me when I'm quite good at it!!

Have premade up some naughty vodka jelly shots for tonight as a little treat after dinner as well - stop me buying the bottle of red that my bf has become acustomed to round mine :rotfl:

looktothefuture

ElizabethJH wrote: »

Going to have to spend something today though as my BF is coming around for dinner and can't just feed him the rubbish I feed myself!! (We kind of have an arrangement that I feed him etc and then he pays for most of everything else like petrol, meals out, cinema......) I've decided to make potato wedges with cheese and bacon (Just buy 4 baking potatoes!) and that shouldn't be too expensive a meal. Also means that I'll have bacon left over as I have a pasta sauce that I could use it with next time he comes!! :T

My mother-in-law's mum was a thrify woman and she really knew how to penny pinch so I've learned alot from what she's taught me from her mum!

One of our most favourite meals in the whole world is Bacon and Potato's... basically you make roast potato's (boiled with some slices onions before roasting) and then put 6 rashers on top of the roasties about 20 minutes before they are ready - it is fantastic! Normally make a few veg to go with it but it is just lovely on it's own.

Keep up the good work with the spending! I had a very minimil spend weekend, just bought bread and milk and the rest of the weekend was subsidised by my father who came into the high street with us for a walk and landed up getting us a quick bite to eat, and then gave me a tenner for doing his ironing! Bonus! :T

ElizabethJH

Ok paid in £17 to CT and still waiting for them to contact about remaining charges - lasy has chased up bailiff to call me!!

Bank Q was too long so still have £35 in my purse to go in there - eek lets hope it stays in my purse - ready money is just too easy!!!

Going to struggle on this £10 a week!!

So far have spent £4.56 on cheese (half price), potatoes, bacon (Tesco value!) and 4 breaded chicken (reduced to half price!) but I think that'll be ok to last me the whole week what with the food I already have in the house!

Then spent a £1 on 2 scotch eggs for lunch

ao eek only £4.44 left to spend until Saturday!! Should of picked up something that I could of made lunch with as well! Oh well I'll survive!!!

Galaxy863

Hi there, just wanted to say well done so far, I know it can't be easy but you will get there.

You might want to take a look at the grocery challenge thread on the money saving old style board, its a real eye opener as to what you can get for your money! I noticed you tend to buy your work lunches, so if you can prepare things at home to take in with you this could end up saving you quite a bit of money ( home made soups etc are very cheap and easy to make ).

Although I'm not in debt as such I'm having to save every spare penny I have at the moment to help towards my mortgage so I know how hard it is to be stuck in and not have the money to go out. I only allow myself a night out once a month ( if we can afford it ) but you have your own place so you could always organise for your friends to come round to your place? That way you still see them but it doesn't really cost you anything ( except maybe a bottle of wine! ) I know its not the same as going out but just think about the long term goal.

I hope I don't come across as patronising or bossy, that wasn't my intention!