making sense of finances so that I stop buying stuff!! SOA

sheba

So... for myself again, whitterings to help me organise my thoughts and todays 'to do' list.

So was thinking last night about my Egg cashback due in March and realised that the amount I will get ( alittle over £180) signifies a 18,000 spend on that card in a year!! Jeepers!! So even allowing for our indulgent holiday/christmas/food budget and that if my boys make cash purchases (eg elder son bought himself a laptop last year) I put on card and he gives me cash- purpose being insurance properties of using card and of course CASHBACK- still probably using card double what we should be, and although up till now I have always managed to clear it monthly I have never managed to overpay the MBNA debt- thus only reducing that my a measly tenner a month- RIDICULOUS!! so thats gotta stop.
Plus point is I do clear it monthly and as I have always had a tendency to over budget there is obviously enough surplus cash to make modest inroads into MBNA debt if we curb our un-budgeted for spending, (in the past year this has been; new 'wardrobe' for me, dvds, tools, Powerkites for hubby, Climbing gear for us all, skyplus box (£160 all in- yikes- but has stopped us renting/ buying DVDS so will likely pay for itself in time but still) and god knows what else- but we have it all now so no need to buy it again.
So I will get credit card usage down to less than £400 a month which would be easily clearable and still net me some cashback and allow me to overpay MBNA- which btw I need to move over to Virgin 0% soon as not gonna clear before interest kicks in. So food for thought there.

Anyway today I will:

Make a fire- am freezing my heinie off.

Need to get all surplus junk down from attic, research and sort into suitable sales/lots and photograph, put pics into pc, and then can list whenever I get a spare 5 mins- this give advantage of not driving me mental and staggering the finishes so I can stagger wrapping for posting off all at same time- thats gonna take best part of school day time so other than that just some usual stuff.

Divide chicken, put some in freezer, some in fridge and make stock for soup with rest.

Put washing in after son comes home from school as he breaks up today for half-term so can get uniforms in.

Washing on airer before bed.

tidy all

hoover all

cook tea- just 'chips and' tonight I think- but fajitas tomorrow- yum

if have time read £10 a day thread- get inspired? sigh up for March? or even- gulp- rest of month?

x x

sheba

so read it through- sounds good- off for brekkie and cuppa and then get started

Naarwich

Another great update Sheba, sounds like you're well on the way to getting yourself in a position to get yourself sorted! I used to do a lot of climbing in my youth however don't seem to have any time these days! Since joining and writing a diary, I've been looking at my serious winter stuff, i.e. Axes, Crampons and thinking should I eBay them. Haven't used them in ages however I can guarantee that if I do sell them, i'll be offered a trip in the winter that I can't turn down! Think i'll have to hang onto them for the time being and maybe try and get myself round to organising a trip down to the local climbing walll!

Horace

Great update Sheba - over on the £10 a day, we do allow you to make a fiver a day instead or more than £10 if you are feeling particularly daring:eek:

Check out your local library because you may be able to borrow DVDs from there - I think that Martin sent something in an email a few days ago about selling DVDs, can't remember the exact details but it may be on the Up Your Income Board. Green Metropolis is a to get rid of books too.

Sounds like you have a great day planned. An old friend invited himself round and my flat is a tip although it is a little tidier now as I have been around like a whirlwind clearing up stuff:eek: Well, best crack on with some work - I need to create my budget wedding package and contact my web provider to update my site:rolleyes:

Have fun.

sheba

Hey there N and H :hello:, thanks for the positve encouragement!!

Have just finished clearing the attic (and so have lovely clear attic and a dining room like a car boot sale:p ) and have stopped for a wholesome lunch and to let my heart stop pounding!! Not sure what affected it more- the gazillion trips up and down the ladder and up and down the stairs or when I teetered on the edge of the joist- not cool!! ()but good for getting the blood pumping and incresing weight loss??-I wish!!

N- you have a diary? I will make sure I pop in sometime for a nosey- I mean inspiration!! btw please don't think I am any good at climbing- I suck- really. only been at it a year and a life of couch potato antics and 28lbs extra junk in the trunk means my body doesn't really want to go vertical and my low centre of gravity can ping me off the wall at anytime!! But fun!! and good motivation to shift the extra booty- yep I have 2!!

H- can't wait to see how you guys do it- I do pigsback but thats gone really bad lately, and globaltest, lightspeed and valued opinions and do okay, but £10 a day!! should be an interesting read!!

Getting late in day now so gonna use my skills in prioritising to shift focus on to other none-ebay related chores- and then can switch back later when son home and house tidy- thats the theory anyway!!

byee x x

sheba

Hello to anyone that has the strength to read my inane whitterings!! and Happy Friday the 13th to you!- hope it's lucky for you and you have a great day.

Following on from yesterday, I did everything but underestimated the amount of attic junk (I mean ebay treasure:p ) to sort out- so I'll continue that today- not forgetting Thurs forgotten chore of getting new breakdown cover (has ran out but car is very intermittently used, although vital, as hubbys faminly live 70 miles away). Other than that need to do some weekend food shopping- have decided with that I will be more careful with what I buy-keep bill low- pay by egg- for cashback and move same amount of cash from food budget to other account so I have 'paid cash' in theory- we'll see how that pans out. Obviously its Valentines day tomoz - have a card and gift already but need to get something else- useful and cheap(ish)- will have look around shops and focus on only getting that item and nowt else!!

CV and work stuff will now need to wait till next week, once I have my 'house in order'- probably better anyway(???!!!) as a friday application to recruitment agencies could get overlooked (self-justification anyone? lol)

EGG payment goes out on Monday and once that has cleard through on Tues I will update my SOA debt totals and repyments and see if I can do a signature thing like you all do.

So:

carry on with ebay chores

shopping from list and gift- nothing else

more washing in tonight

tidy/clean out fire etc

get breakdown cover

That'll do me for today I'm sure-off for brekkie

xxx

sheba

So it's Valentine Night- my lovely hubby is snoring way on the sofa stuffed with choc and I have come on here to say how excited I am that I just went over the 1000 point threshold on GLOBAL TEST MARKET and so have cashed in my points! It will be the third cheque I've had from them in a year and last time got about £30(ish- can't quite remember- but know I was way impressed as was my son- who wanted to sign up 'tout suite' spelling??). Very exciting (and very sad that I should rush on here to tell you all???) I will record how much I get when it comes (be ages yet though) and then will have a permanent record for the future-and will pay off MBNA card- coolio!!!

sheba

Just looked back through my online bank statements and think I £32 last time- nice! Don't expect that much again but anything is better than nowt in my book

sheba

So- nothing interesting and just for'mesen'- I have amended my SOA to include £10 payment (min- must improve!!) to MBNA each month and will update again on Weds after egg payment cleared through (have 'stolen' some more from Son to complete that payment and avoid interest- will obviously factor that in on Weds to those unsecured debt figures). Very early days so can only hope that every month after clearing egg my total unsecured debt will have gone down. Fingers Crossed

sheba

Good Morning to Anyone that may accidently wander into this thread full of ramblings, whitterings and inane posts!! There is, unbelievably, an attempt there to get my thoughts, finances and life strategies together, albiet in a shambolic way.

So todays whitterings and to do list:

Just had my 9th driving lesson (but only 3rd since christmas due to holidays and weather) and only got into blooming 4th gear and drove home!! Very exciting- and how fast did 4th gear feel to me?? Def warp speed 2!!

Child Benefit into bank this morning -putting that into the 'cash for egg card purchases' fund so that hopefully in the next week or 2 will become 'credit neutral' and therefore my egg card usage will not be a debt- just a source of; insurance on purchases and cashback.

Today I will (attempt- half term- messing with my mojo a little)

Sort out bloody breakdown cover!!

Sort out bloody carboot crap/ ebay booty in Dining room.

Washing in/out

Tidy house/ dishwasher empty fill/ organise coat cupboard and wardrobes/ hoover

Ironing- while watching this weeks choice of telly hour

Update CV

look at local authority for likely job openings- download any applicable.

Enjoy having my son around

How sad am I that I can't wait for todays egg payment to clear so that I can get my totals together and update SOA?? (Weds LATEST!!) not sure it will have gone down too much but nice to be in control of it and I think it is going down- whereas in the past few months it had always gone up- even if by only a little- really can't wait-deary deary me- what happening to you kid???

Byeee