Raychee's DFW diary - cutting back to move forwards

Raychee

I typed a huuuge update the other day, and then lost it all. GRRR :mad:

Things are going OK. Well, actually, I suppose they're going better than OK, it's just that I'm impatient. I forget that I built my credit card bill up and my overdraft up over the past 3-4 years or so, and it will take time to pay them off! It is less than 2 months since I started paying all of this off, and I am proud that I have paid off more than £1000, and that I've also started to build my savings.

However, I do have my pub wages (with a PROPER payslip...) and as they're cash, they are burning a hole in my pocket! I spent £15 in town the other day, which included £10 on a pair of (ahem! size 16) jeans from New Look, hairbands and my boat back to the car. (Water bus - great! ) I then went out in the evening and spent £20 on a night out, which included a bottle of wine and £4 for the car park (for once I WASN'T driving!). There was some change, but I've put that into my sealed tin.

With the rest of the wages, I'm weighing up the pros and cons of a slow cooker (would I use it?, have I got space for it? Do I really want one?) and a bolero jacket to wear to a wedding this week. (I know.. I can't justify that one!)

March seems like it's going to be a busy and expensive month. Not sure if I'll hit all 13 of my NSDs, and think that with weddings, birthday meals, outlaw visits, MY parents visiting, a possible 400 mile trip to my family (in a weekend), and other stuff, I'm going to be spending loads!

Any encouragement and words of wisdom are welcome!

beanielou

Slow cooker sounds like a good idea
You could just get a small one if you are on your own & see how you go with it

Primula

Slow cooker definitely a good investment. Try Argos - they often have the Cookworks one for around a tenner and it's perfectly fine. This would save you money in the long run in electricity/gas costs, I don't use mine nearly enough, but I highly recommend one, I love it when I use it - fab going home from work and tea all ready!
:beer:

Raychee

Hello again!

It's been a lovely week, but not much of a DFW one...

On the plus side, I didn't buy the bolero jacket, and I haven't bought a slow cooker - yet. (I am investigating them, to make sure I buy the right one for me... not that I know how they differ...)

However, I did go out for a meal last night (very DFW, come to think of it, as we used our pub quiz winnings to pay for the 6 of us, so only had to pay £10 each (which my OH paid for me... ) and afterwards to the pub (see, there was a point to this extra long sentence...) where I spent £16 on a round of drinks. I very rarely have to buy drinks, so to be honest, it was nice to take my turn, and I had budgeted for it.

We went to a wedding on Friday which was lovely. It was very posh though, and no expense was spared.

On the way back, we had a long chat, and OH told me that he'd just realised that he'd been paying PPI on his CC which he didn't realise he had signed up for. I now need to look into how to claim this back. We have been checking this site, and I now need to persuade him to get his backside into gear and do something about it.

Have spent £49.33 on the weekly shop. We bought a large pork joint, and a couple of special offer things - but they were on our list, so buying 2 at a reduced price instead of 1, is fine, as we will use the bits we bought. I'll just adjust my meal planner a little...

Going to stick the oven on for the roast now. Because of its size, it needs longer than the usual size we buy, but it will do for a couple of days sandwiches and a meal tomorrow evening too.

Have a good week everyone.

Raychee

ohhhhhhhh! Now I have some more things to become debt-free for. We could be planning for a big happy party on September 12th 2010 and I'd like to be debt free for it!

We haven't quite decided! Our steps (as always) are pretty tentative and we're still tip-toeing round the idea of marriage, but we've chosen a date, we've chosen a (vague) venue and I've been given permission to investigate (which is as good as saying it's going ahead!)

I'm about £1300 into my debt journey, and pleased with my progress so far. With the extra expense we're thinking about here, I'm going to have to do some big budgeting - I know my parents have a wedding fund (made from the rent I paid them for years) but after waiting for many years, they may have spent it on themselves! If they have, fine! If not... it will certainly help lots!

That's all... I can't tell anyone else, cos we want to keep it a secret for another few months at least!

So shhhh! Don't tell anyone!

mooomin

Secret congratulations

Raychee

OMG! I am going to have start DFW-ing extra hard!

So far, I have been happy with the progress that I've been making, the Credit Card bill is diminishing, and my OD has reduced - though not quite as quickly as I would have like it to. However, priorities are changing...

Our Social Worker today told us that he'd like to take us to panel in June! :eek: I now have 3 months to try and pay off CC and to make a BIG difference into my OD!
So, this is what I've decided.

1) To organise everything for car-booting in April.
2) Pay pub cash wages into bank, instead of using it as 'treat' money.
3) To up my CC payments by £20 pw.
4) To consider using savings towards bill as we approach our deadline.
5) Look for a summer job.


I suppose that I should have felt prepared for this, but it's come as a shock to realise that in less than 3 months time, we could go for adoption approval.
I'm so excited, and yet, so scared!

This is the time when I really need lots of support and reminders to do the right thing!

mooomin

I saw on someone elses diary that it's now free to list items on Ebay if they start at 99p or less, so that could work for some of the things you can't car-boot.

Well done on more good news, if I were you I'd get a lottery ticket - these things tend to come in threes

beanielou

You can go this!
Go you!
Amazing news on the adoption panel.:)

gallifreyangirl

Good luck you making progess and you can do it. Well done for the secret wedding maybe date and the news regarding the adoption.