Flying gleefully into 2009 - One Fresians adventures in debt-busting

mooomin

What I didn't mean when I said cuddle on the couch was falling asleep on him

This time I'm going to bed...:rotfl:

Primula

Hi there
Have read your whole diary tonight - you are doing fantastic and your diary is a great read. Keep up the good work. How do you stay so focussed and on track?
P
x

mooomin

Primula wrote: »

Hi there
Have read your whole diary tonight - you are doing fantastic and your diary is a great read. Keep up the good work. How do you stay so focussed and on track?
P
x

Hello

I don't think of myself as particularly focussed, I often make lists of things to do and do nothing about them :rotfl: I think that having this diary does help though, as more people have started commenting and reading it, I feel as though I should do the things I say I will! With that in mind, I normally post some kind of list of intentions in the morning, and update at night to say what I have done.

I also take part in quite a few challenges (As you will see from my signature!) The main ones that have helped me are the PAD Challenge (Payment A Day) and the Weekly Spend Challenge. Again, as these involve regularly posting and "confessing" this helps me stay on the straight and narrow.

One of the best and most motivating things though? Internet banking! I love logging in and seeing my balances come down :rotfl:

Hope that helps!

mooomin

Good morning lovely people

Well all our snow has b*ggered off and it seems that we just have rain

I have quite a few bits and pieces to do today, so have a wee list:

• [strike]Check online banking[/strike]
• [strike]Make PAD[/strike]
• [strike]Do more washing[/strike]
• Hang up said washing before I go to work
• Take flasks of hot water to work with me
• Make lunch and take that to work for me
• Return lovely trousers that I really can't afford (And that look as though they would involve ironing. That's an instant return in my house!)
• Make shopping list
• Go to supermarket
• Make yummy dinner at home - going to use my M&S food tonight. Om nom nom

Not a bad list of things if I do say so myself, it will be interesting to check in later and see what I have done :rotfl:

Also, while I'm on, has anyone ever moved their bank account from one bank to another using their switching service? I normally see my Scottish Power direct debit go out on the 2ns of the month, but it didn't go yesterday from either bank account. The direct debit is set up on the A&L account now, but isn't cancelled on the Halifax one, so surely somewhere my money should have been taken. Ideas please!!

I would go to the current accounts board and ask but they seem to like complaining about the greedy banks and their greedy bankers, and as a bank employee with a big mouth I should stay away :rotfl:

Have a lovely Tuesday everyone!

*edited to add* I will also be harrassing my Sun-reading friends for their tokens for two for one rail travel as I want to go and visit some friends Oop North sometime soon!

OliveOyl_2

I've twice switched banks at home and am doing so at work too :eek:
Their switching services have each time been very efficient. But it's other people who aren't :rotfl: Customers who ignore the new bank details I send them for eg.

I've always kept the old bank open for a couple of months afterwards too, just in case

Silaqui

Another SNOW DAY :-) sorry everyone don't mean to rub it in - it's actually sunny here at the minute ah well.

Re bank switching, I switch to A&L from Barclays (it was a while ago) and some of my DD's came out a lot later than they were meant to, but they did get paid. I think it's if they are in the middle of the switching process I think the bank pays the money and then takes the money out of your account later when it's sorted out a bit more. I think it's to stop you getting charged twice for stuff. I could be wrong though!

M&S dinner sounds nice - I am making Shepherds pie it's about the only thing I have the ingredients to make - my Tesco delivery was cancelled yesterday due to the weather :rotfl: but now I can't get through to them to arrange a redelivery! Might have to brave the icy wastes of Leicestershire and go to the supermarket myself!

xx

tomtombeanie

okay i now know the gyle is not an exotic place but it sounds good! anywhere with an m&s at one end has got to be okay. i live right near a huuuuuuuuuuge one (gemini retail park in warrington) but have found the last 2 years or so, everything is too expensive to actually buy, although i enjoy browsing... coincidentally, it's about 2 years since i discovered the large primarks in liverpool and manchester

however, i have already decided that i am going to do the dine in for a tenner valentine's weekend - we've never ever bought it, but it sounds too good to miss! and i may pop over there after lunch (if i manage to clean at least one toilet ) to see if i can get myself a nice warm, non-itchy hat as well (with xmas vouchers). it's sooooo cold here, but all our snow seems to have disappeared as well.

i think it's very dedicated of you to go home to get hot water. presumably there isn't a kettle where you work or you wouldn't have bothered, but what kind of work place is it that it doesn't have a kettle? a really big one where you have to pay for hot water from the machine? that's the kind of place i worked in before my (so far) 4 year "maternity" break!

mooomin

flying_fresian wrote: »

• [strike]Check online banking[/strike]
• [strike]Make PAD[/strike]
• [strike]Do more washing[/strike]
• Hang up said washing before I go to work Oops, still in the machine
  
• [strike]Take flasks of hot water to work with me[/strike]
• [strike]Make lunch and take that to work for me[/strike]
• [strike]Return lovely trousers that I really can't afford (And that look as though they would involve ironing. That's an instant return in my house!)[/strike]
• [strike]Make shopping list[/strike]
• [strike]Go to supermarket[/strike]
• [strike]Make yummy dinner at home - going to use my M&S food tonight. Om nom nom[/strike]

*edited to add* I will also be harrassing my Sun-reading friends for their tokens for two for one rail travel as I want to go and visit some friends Oop North sometime soon! Done! I now have two out of the four

I have had a day where I have done everything on my list!! The washing in the machine doesn't count.

Sadly, I am going to have to lend t'other half some money to tide him over till his student loan arrives, but hopefully I will get it back, as I will be tight for the rest of the month's budget if I don't...

I'm tired now so I'm going to faff about online then go to bed.

Night all

mooomin

tomtombeanie wrote: »

i think it's very dedicated of you to go home to get hot water. presumably there isn't a kettle where you work or you wouldn't have bothered, but what kind of work place is it that it doesn't have a kettle? a really big one where you have to pay for hot water from the machine?

Yup, 10p for a tiny cup full of hot water. I had a bus pass and an hour for lunch so off I went. I did get to see t'other half and play with the kitties though, so the time wasn't wasted!

mooomin

Good morning all!

It looks like it's going to be a cold day in Edinburgh today

I'm still going to risk the icy pavements and wear a dress and boots though, I'm sick of wearing shapeless trousers and shapeless tops! I might post with a broken ankle later on, but it's worth it

So, my plans for today:

• [strike]Hang up washing [/strike]
• [strike]Check online banking[/strike] My direct debit still hasn't come out, I'm going to pop into the bank later and ask about this...
• [strike]Make PAD[/strike] Just £1 for me as I have had to lend t'other half £40 for his bouncy direct debit and I don't want to be short for the month - I now have £80 to last me until the 23rd. Eek :eek: This isn't too bad though as I have money in the groceries budget to feed us, I have money in the Entertainment budget that I will break into if times get hard. I just want to stick to my budgets!
• Make my own lunch
• Take flasks of hot water to work
• Get t'other half to make dinner

Other things in the offing at Fresian Towers are a trip to the pub for me (Yay!) with a friend from work. I'm not going for too long though, two drinks maximum. Maybe three Then I'll head home, get my dinner and me and t'other half may head out to the pictures, we still haven't been to see Frost/Nixon :rotfl:

I would also like to sit down with t'other half and teach him the Ways Of The Budget, but I don't know how keen he will be on doing this!

I have booked in my half-price haircut as well :j I nearly had a fit, as the hairdresser is out in Kirkcaldy, and I thought that the train was £15 return. I was panicking as I can't afford to pay that and the haircut, but it's actually £8 return and I had put 2 adults in on the website quote not one. Muppet that I am So the whole thing will cost me about £22, which is still less than a haircut at a decent salon in Edinburgh. Yay! So, on Saturday I will get my hair cut for the first time in over a year. Whee!!