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Floozie's Lightbulb Diary
Comments
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I don't really understand tax credits either. I rang them to tell them about my change of circumstances and she didn't say I would get any extra money, and that the new application packs were being posted out between now and July and I had to return it at the end of July. Also, I'm scared of being overpaid and having to pay it all back.Start Date: 27/11/2010
Padding: Day 42
Target £8000
Amount: £562.230 -
Intergalactic_Floozie wrote: »
Virgin – If I cancel the home phone, how can I get internet access? The phone part of it is only about £13 per month, which most of it is line rental. I don't think you need a landline for broadband internet...I'm sure I've cancelled mine before in times of skintness
Yes – the groceries will come out of the £448, which is leftover from my wage. How many people is this for?
Also – another idea I have had. The loan that has a year left to run, I think I will owe about £1480 on it (DH will ring for a settlement figure later this morning). If he gets £5900 redundancy/notice. This will leave him £4420. The loans repayment will be down to £547 per month, which divided up still leaves 8 months cover, so do you think this is a sensible option? Sounds like a plan to me - it's one less debt after all, and you're still covered for the same amount of time, so it seems like the best thing to do. Just make sure there aren't mahoosive repayment penalties...
A couple of extra comments from me, it does sound as though keeping your car would work out cheaper, but make sure you have money hidden somewhere for repairs if needed.
How old are your kids? Could you sit down with them and explain about DH being made redundant and ask them to help? I got my first Saturday job when I was 13 and stopped getting pocket money then, maybe this could be an option.
Of course, if they are 10 there aren't that many options(Chimney sweeps? :rotfl:)
Hope all is well with you.
xx0 -
Hi FF - thanks for the comments. I'm feeling a bit more positive today. It's early days yet to be worried about DH not getting a job so I am trying my best to relax and not panic.
We took the kids and a neighbour's girl to the park yesterday and had 1.5 hours of free fun. They asked for ice-creams, but I managed to convince them I'd buy them some from Farmfoods nearby so afterwards we drove there and I got 6 x ice-cream bars for £1 so much less than the ice-cream van. That was my moneysaving thing for yesterday
The £448 is what I will have left for everything else which is food / petrol / stuff the kids need or want and everything else you can think of. There are four of us in the house. HOWEVER what I didn't add was that DH will also get £64.30 dole money per week on top of that but I will have to let him have cigarette & cheap bottle of wine money so don't know how much of that will be leftover for me.
The kids are aged 12 and 6. The eldest does have a paper round once a week on a Sunday morning, which nets him £4 per week. Obviously he gets to keep this. He is a good lad and rarely asks for money for expensive stuff. He might want to go swimming occasionally (but that is free now for under 16s) or the snooker club etc..and I pay for his football training once a week at £3 but that's coming to an end next week anyway until late July (thankfully). The little fella asks only for sweeties, and he also does footy practice at same place for £3 per week. So - they are actually quite cheap to run.
You've made my mind up about paying off the small loan. I rang them yesterday to ask for a settlement figure but they were closed so it will have to be tomorrow now.
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I am going to have a go at claiming back my bank charges from the Alliance & leicester, I think it's less than £200 but I'll have a go. I'm also going to try and claim under the hardship rules because of his redundancy but I feel a bit of a fraud doing that. If they don't agree, then I'll have to join a queue with the thousands of others, I guess.
I've re-named two of my (empty) savings accounts "emergency money" and "everyday money". I will keep my current account for bills and live off the "everyday money" (shopping / cash etc) and then anything that is left at the end of the month can go towards emergency money. Any overtime money and dole money can go in the emergency fund.
I want to try and keep my overdraft limit at £1100 (until his redundancy goes in), which means I have £44.24 to last me until Friday. I wont need any petrol but will need some shopping however definitely not £44 worth. I've joined the May grocery challenge and my aim is to stick to £220 (hopefully less).
I've got some Celebrity Slim diet-shakes gathering dust in my drawer, so I am going to list them on e-bay tonight along with my two pairs of size 18 jeans (which I will need to iron and take a photo of).
So - plan for today.
[STRIKE]1. paper round with eldest son.[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]2. Put clean clothes away in wardrobes/drawers.[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]3. Get washing dry.[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]4. Clean telly (very dusty)[/STRIKE]
5. Look through statements and print off reclaim letter.
[STRIKE]6. Go to Morrisons with a list.[/STRIKE]
7. Do some shredding (it's becoming a mountain)
8. [STRIKE]Iron jeans, take photo of jeans,[/STRIKE] list on e-bay.
9. List Celebrity Slim shakes on e-bay.
[STRIKE]10. Slip in a visit to Mum & Dad so they don't think I only come to see them to borrow money or need babysitting.[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]11. Tidy kitchen[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]12. Tidy Living room.[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]13. Tidy bathroom (note I say tidy and not clean)[/STRIKE]
There - if I do half of them, then my day will have been productive.Start Date: 27/11/2010
Padding: Day 42
Target £8000
Amount: £562.230 -
I know you're in an awful place right now but you do have sufficient to get through the next 8 months which is a great start. Can OH use his free time to garden? It would give him something to do and free veggies are always an added bonus.
Fingers crossed he'll find something soon!Saving for a Spinning Wheel and other random splurges : £183.500 -
I have thought about growing our own vegetables but wouldn't even know where to start! We do have a garden although there is a mahooosive trampoline smack bang in the middle of it and our back garden is north facing so it doesn't get much sun (apart from the end where we have a decked area). And yes, he has been doing gardening and has been painting the decking but the lawn does need mowing again, but it keeps raining...
Thanks for the message, hope you are well. I'm still reading your diary everyday, but the way *chortle*Start Date: 27/11/2010
Padding: Day 42
Target £8000
Amount: £562.230 -
Growing veggies is easy. So easy in fact that DD2 is in charge as the rest of us appear to have perfected the knack of killing anything green.
Tumbling tomatoes are fab in that they don't need anything doing to them to produce more tomatoes than you can possibly eat whilst growing so fast that there isn't any space left for weeds. They're happy in pots or hanging baskets.
Courgettes are another huge success but you'll be sick to death of courgettes after a while as the average plant produces 3 a day.
Meanwhile DD2s grandparents were the lucky recipients of much loved pots of sludge with as yet unknown seeds in them.Saving for a Spinning Wheel and other random splurges : £183.500 -
Damn. Remembered I hadn't paid paper bill in a long time so when we went to get Ds's papers, I asked the newsagent and he said it was 9 weeks, which is £29.97. Looks like self-imposed overdraft limit will need to be £1130 as I don't think I can cope on only £14 this week!!!
Have also found some more things I can e-bay:
Kids thermal trouser things (the sort sporty people wear underneath - although maybe I would be best waiting until winter for selling these for a premium price?).
My Fitness coach for the Wii. (used once)
Pair of boys Adidas tracksuit bottoms.
Had a look at my paypal account from the £8.10 payment and it's only £7.67! As well as my e-bay bill of 61p for selling the item! I didn't realise that they took so much off you - blooming rip off. Oh well, at least it's a bit of money for very little effort.Start Date: 27/11/2010
Padding: Day 42
Target £8000
Amount: £562.230 -
I blooming love courgettes, they are my favourite vegetables. I love them fried (well, in low fat stuff of course). I thought you had to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse?Start Date: 27/11/2010
Padding: Day 42
Target £8000
Amount: £562.230 -
Intergalactic_Floozie wrote: »Damn. Remembered I hadn't paid paper bill in a long time so when we went to get Ds's papers, I asked the newsagent and he said it was 9 weeks, which is £29.97. Looks like self-imposed overdraft limit will need to be £1130 as I don't think I can cope on only £14 this week!!!0
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Tumbling tomatoes appear to be quite happy outdoors on the top of a hill in wet and windy Wales. If they can survive here they'll make it pretty much anywhere. Because they're short and they drape theres nothing for the wind to damage and they're pretty compact too which helps.Saving for a Spinning Wheel and other random splurges : £183.500
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