I fell off the wagon

justruth

Well I borrowed the van from the roller disco to pick up my stuff, the owner kindly lent it to me with just over 3/4 of a tank and I returned it with a full tank, however that cost me just over £100 in fuel for the return journey to pick up all my furniture and return fully loaded! On the plus side it would have cost nearly as much plus £40+ to hire a similar van from a complany.

The electric is on prepay still at the moment, however I have decided against getting it changed. I used less than £20 in the month on electric, which is great considering the cooker is electric, so I topped up with £50 which I hope to stretch till the next student loan payment.

I have gone onto prepay mobile broadband which I can keep right down as I can pick up free internet at uni, and as such do any downloads there, and just use the mobile broadband for checking emails etc at home. In addition to that I have upgraded my mobile phone contract after taking part in some market research, and I now have a suitable package at £18.05 a month which includes insurance (which I will remove) and I got £30 for the research. I have to pay a little for the handset but I am happy with that. With occassional unavoidable 0870 and 0845 numbers I make my new mobile phone and internet budget per month £35.

I still love my job. Now the nights are colder and I have more study to do I am really appreciating not being stood outside all night. I have just enough work to keep on top of the small bills and I am in the process of sorting out the tax (currently on basic rate due to being classed as self employed) but I should get a significant rebate as soon as I do.

I have DD this weekend and as the family is all back home at the same time and my mum turns 60 in December we are all going out to celebrate this weekend. It does mean dipping my hand in my pocket and out of the 4 of us there is only my brother in a better position than me, so I have to accept that I will be dipping my hand in, but since they just brought me this flat I can't really complain.

On the flat front, we had a leaseholders meeting last night about the seriously high charges that we are all about to face for the emergency work that has been pushed through following the fire that killed those people in another council block. It will be nice if we can get that down a little and avoid extras on the variable service charge which I am told is a recurring issue. I still have to get the broken window fixed, completely re-wire and re-fit a kitchen on top of the main building works. My parents have been absolutley fantastic about it though, I told them that I would struggle when the bill arrives, we always agreed that I would pay for the repairs to be done from any rent money I would have paid, so they suggested that I just don't pay them any rent and pay these bills instead. It works for both parties, I can afford it all this way and the value of their investment increases with the works.

I have dinner at my friends tomorrow night and I have enough food in to last the rest of the week. I am more than a little excited by the quidco cashback on Asda shopping, I tend to get fresh fruit and veg on the market stall across the road from my flat so shopping is usually stuff that keeps quite well, so I could potentially save a fair amount by doing shopping online this way. The upside of putting everything into one flat has been the toiletries, splitting myself between staying with the gf, friends, my parents and a spare set for traveling means I have about 4 sets of toiletries which should easily last me till Christmas when no doubt I will get some more!

Feel like I have waffled a lot but not really updated in any detail for ages and been a little unsteady in the race, but not for long, with earnings as they are I am positive I can stay below £13k, just means I may have to wait to re-wire!

determinedtodothis

hey you!

Sounds like things are coming together finally! and i bet it makes a huge difference having the support from your folks!

I've just massively overspent on food shopping.... ooops might trying going to the grocers myself next month!

I hope you had a nice weekend with DD and Mum, its good to have a bit of a treat every now and then

keep up the positive vibes xxx

justruth

Argh, blown the budget. My laptop randomly stopped working and I did try to live without it but I just found it too difficult. There is so much stuff that I do on it that I just wouldn't be happy doing on a shared PC at uni. I had a couple of extra shifts which I thought were going to go towards a nice sofa but it turns out that they were part payment towards the laptop and the rest was on the CC.

It may sound silly but I did opt to get a slightly better one and avoided the £40 a month mobile broadband deals in favour of just paying it out upfront, but I do think it a more sensible way around. My spending is on 0% till Feb and the broadband felt like credit and more debt, as the deals are so much more expensive than the PAYG I already have.

On the plus side the council replace my broken window (from before I moved in) and the broken door (from when the flat was repossessed) next week and I only have to pay for the very secure and fire proof door as part of major fire safety works and improvements in the building, which we are being offered 0% for 3 years for starting next October.

I'm also doing a bit better on the food front but still no freezer.

I feel like I'm getting onto uni work like I should which is a good feeling, and work work is actually really good although some of the new shifts I will be covering for the next few weeks are a bit funky! I have to chase up the tax issue as I am still being charged basic rate and by my calculations thats really beginning to mount up, but due to the self employment earlier in the year it's not as straightforward as a P45. Just need to find time!

The flat is slowly coming along and my everlasting 'to do' list seems to just grow and grow but it is getting better all the time. All the lights now work, most of the building work outside has been completed. My friend from work is completing the electrical earth bonding for me in the next couple of weeks, and giving me advice on the rest of the electrics. I have to get some quotes for the new kitchen and get back to the council with a building regs permission thing that I did start on the old laptop, but I need the quote to complete. Once I have this done I have to complete the work by the time I want to sell so no great rush. I do have to get the kitchen and a dividing wall (now described as a screen) sorted out because they were done without permission and not done well. It's a big expense that I was hoping to put off until I had cleared the 2 big loans (and now CC). Today that feels a long way away, but actually I know I made the first hardest steps already, and I can see at least one of them and the CC gone by the end of the summer.

At least Christmas is relatively easy!

justruth

Got approved for a new CC today, it's got a 1% cash back on purchases so plan is to spend on that and clear each month, keep the limit relatively low. it sounds like I am getting into old habits again, but actually I feel more in control than I used to and I am not getting the card to get more debt but to earn some cash back on what I would have to spend anyway.

The new doors are on which is a little exciting, and I'll be pleased to get the window replaced. I'm doing well with my electric and while I doubt me being sensible about the communal hot water and heating system will make much of a change to the cost overall (included in service charge) I see no reason to waste it.

We had a reprieve on the electric work, the earth bonding now can be put back to after Christmas if it is too much, or I can get it done on 15th December in time for Christmas. This does give me a chance to get a cheaper alternative to council doing it for me.

Last but not least I am donating bone marrow and I have my date through for my operation, which very fortunately is not going to affect uni too much. I'm quite looking forward to it and trying very hard to eat well and avoid sick people to be prepared. Does mean I have dentist tomorrow and a filling I have to pay for but other than that I'm currently on all systems go!

Continuing to feel good about uni stuff, pleased I brought the laptop, it's being used - a lot!

justruth

A little nervous, dentist in the morning to get a filling that was temporarily fixed in the summer. At least I know it won't actually hurt as the root canal treatment has already been done, but still a little nervous.

As good as I was feeling about uni, I'm worried about the fact that I have my mid-sessional exams in the near future (jan 4th) and I want to do well. Last year I scraped the mid-sessional and passed the end of year exam a little more convincingly. This year I want to do well in both. My work situation has changed so there is no excuse this time round. I think I need to be a little more disciplined with myself.

As for the money saving, apart from anything else I am trying to establish a solid routine, and if I get into a good routine I can get back to no spend days and plan better spending. With 13 days left of the month, I know I will be spending tomorrow due to the dentist visit, but I still think I can manage at least 5 no spend days. I have to update my sig, but it's not going to be pretty and it's not something I am proud of, but it's going to be as honest as I can make it. Watch this space.

justruth

Well a couple of positives, now notched up 2 NSDs. Think I can fit another 3 in. Got some expenses money back - although a little lighter than it should have been which I am going to take up with work later.

On the down side, the dentist was a complete nightmare, they booked me for an exam not treatment - despite being told at the time of booking that I absolutely had to complete the treatment this week. I then had to find another dentist that could do the job asap, and had to go private. On the very positive side, the private dentist was absolutley fantastic, turns out I had some infection in there and he spent over 2 hours working on the tooth where I do believe that a lesser dentist would have removed it. £550 I couldn't really afford but he did knock it down from £700, fit me in at massively short notice and do a brilliant job. I think I may stick with this new one.

The debt clearly has increased substantially but I'm easy with that.

Thing is; I have had 2 high cost items (laptop and tooth) which added £1,000 onto the debt and were unavoidable. I am realistic about the fact that I do have this debt to pay off and it has set me back, but a year ago that would have ruined me! I am approaching my 1 year anniversary from my LBM and I don't think I am doing too bad. Not only have I cleared a significant chunk of debt, but on a functional level I am so much better off than I was as I am now managing to pay on all my debts each month without too much hassle and not killing myself with work on top of uni.

I get paid tomorrow and things will start to move in the right direction again. I'm going to include tomorrows pay in my sig update tonight. I will also email work about holiday dates and my allowance.

psychopathbabble

Hi
I've just subscribed to your thread as I have a similar amount of debt and enjoyed your honesty regarding increasing your debt.
Luckily I rent a room so am not liable for repairs and things, but there is still usually always something getting in the way of clearing the debt!
Also good luck with the bone marrow thing... can you let me know how it goes? I give blood and keep thinking about the marrow donor list but am a bit scared!
psychopathbabble

justruth

Hey psychopathbable, thanks for the support!

No sooner had I thanked you than I heard a disturbing dripping sound, the dodgy connection from the washing machine is leaking but I am hoping that I will get away with tape in the very short term, and get the kitchen work done sooner rather than later. At least thats something I already knew I had to pay for.

On the bone marrow front, my operation is on the 10th (hence having to complete the dental work on time) and I have a counselling session and medical on Wednesday. I have been warned that it does hurt, but I guess I will be able to tell you more about that after the op. Also from being contacted that you are a potential match to actually donating takes longer than you imagine, I was contacted at the end of the summer.

Glad you like the thread,

J

justruth

It does seem that every time I do one thing, another 3 things appear that I should be doing. I'm sure that the washing machine is about finished, noticed that clothes are coming out cold so probably not being washed properly, and it only works on one cycle anyway. Whats FAR FAR worse, and thank goodness for the anonymity of the internet so I can get this out without too much shame, I had a friend come round to do the earth bonding, and as I was clearing out the cupboard under the sink I found I have a cockroach problem! Seriously who needs it! After some research it appears that the boxed in pipework from where the previous occupiers did the bodge job of moving the kitchen, is actually paradise for them. Having pulled various things appart here and there it looks to be an historic problem but one that left me feeling a little sick at the same time. I'm not a dirty person but I am beginning to get a little obsessive about things being sealed now. That and I now have enough poison to take out the entire building. The only way I can be sure to get rid is to pull down the boxed in areas and clean behind them and make sure I get the poison where they are. Need to get the kitchen sorted out sooner rather than later.

Am I discouraged? Well to be honest very, I don't watch TV all my time is spent studying, working, doing stuff to the flat and a little facebook and MSE. I was just down with the amount of time and effort I already put into getting the flat looking in someway nice and now I have to rip it appart because I have beasties. I really wanted to get the flat sorted enough before my op to just relax and get prepared for my exam over Christmas.

I tried hard to think of positives, and believe it or not I managed! I'm actually currently REALLY pleased that I brought a new laptop and not a sofa, as I would now be picturing that full of beasties. It's not the end of the world that I pull down the badly done false walls and boxed in sections, and at least I can see where things were in the original kitchen in order to plan out the new one. Getting a new kitchen is not a new cost, it's an anticipated one, and every bit of work that I do for myself is hopefully going to reduce the cost. And last but not least, if you're going to find out you have a bug problem there are lots of worse times to find out, eg in the middle of dinner lol.

The medical for the op was just about fine, there may be some issue becuase I have a tendancy to be a little anaemic. The harvest itself (makes me feel like a factory or a farm or something) will make me anaemic so I have to take iron anyway, but if I am too low it would be dangerous to continue and the op would be delayed. While it is never actually convenient to be out of action and sore, I have everything in place now for the 10th, and after Christmas would actually be particularly inconvenient due to work I already commited to and a heavier university commitment than I currently have. Of course I would still do it, but I would much prefer to get it over and done with as planned. They offer expenses for work lost and anything I have to pay for (like the iron tablets etc) however with my job I am not contractually obliged to take on any shift, but I have had to cancel a shift that I would have worked so I am going to have to find out about if I can claim for it. To be honest I think I would do it anyway without the expenses and I won't go bankrupt on one weekend but is it really fair to claim? A note to anyone considering donating, they treat you like royalty, it's great!

I seem to have written another essay, but it's good to get things off your chest. Not done much money saving and of course with me the debt continues to creep up rather than down, will really have to work on sorting that out. Want to go to the tax office at some point and sort out getting some of that back, rather than waiting for the summer and completing the tax return. Figure I actually have a good wedge there that I can make a significant difference with.

Must get back to studying - at least if I do well it is all worthwhile.

psychopathbabble

Oh dear, sorry I talked the washing machine thing up! but the roaches aren't my fault! We all have down days (I'm having 7 a week at the moment) but I'm sure once you start getting into sorting the Kitchen and stuff you will be back on track and focussed again.

It's really interesting reading about the bone marrow thing, next time I go I'll definitely register. I keep meaning to and then just not getting round to it. I'm not convinced work would give me the time off I needed... but I'm sure the media would love to get hold of a story like that... You need to eat lots of spinach and red meat!!
Best of luck with everything!