Jo_R's debt-free diary, slow and steady progress!

Jo_R_2

Cheers You're right of course, I need to focus on the positives. I got my Open Universty stuff yesterday and was looking through it all last night and I felt really excited, I know things will be tight with paying each month, but the bonus is that it's only for 8 months, I *can* afford it, even if it's tight, and it's an investment in my (our) future as working towards applying for a midwifery degree.

Bonus of having to do this as well is that I have time to focus on eeking away (LOL is there such a word?!) at the debt so by the time I get onto a degree (earliest that would happen September 2011) I should have made significant progress towards being debt-free in having paid off the Virgin cc and either paid off or be near to clearing my Tesco cc. I will also only have 16 months left on my loan then so I know if it happens like that then I will only have to work through a year and a bit of my degree still paying off debt.



Okay so things to do (revised list):

• change dentist appointment to after Christmas
• SOA for October - done
• pay council tax - done
• look at presents for Mum
• pick up form from doctors for DD2's blood tests tomorrow
• pick up parcel from Post Office (coat off ebay) - done
• transfer £56.50 to Co-op account (presents, dentist etc) - done
• transfer £15.83 to Saver (car tax) -done
• withdraw £30 for kids' stuff (DD2's lunches at nursery, DD1's milk at school and school trip) - done - paid for school trip and DD1's milk for next week and have 'enveloped' the rest with a running total over the month

Gonna get cracking whilst baby is asleep!

Jo_R_2

Still got just over £50 left of the clothing money my mum gave me. It was essentially for a new winter coat - one of which I bought off ebay for £6 and got it yesterday, it's bright red and gorgeous! - and have bought a couple of bits and some new school things for DD1. The rest is just sitting there in my bank and I do need some new bits so been scouring ebay like a demon to make the most of the cash I have left.

Got to take DD2 for a blood test up at the hospital this afternoon, so will have to fork out for parking out of my surplus. I haven't decided how much to allocate for pocket money yet, I don't have as much left over as last month. It works out at currently £49 but have overestimated my minimum payment to Virgin cc so have a "spare" £9 (need to check exact figure shortly as don't have SOA to hand) to play with.

I'm aiming for as many no-spend days as possible this month, I'm pretty much clued up as to when I'm going to need to spend so it could be a good challenge for me working out how to avoid those little spends such as treats for DD2 after nursery (can easily incorporate this into grocery spends.)

To do today (carried over from last to-do list):

• change dentist appointment to after Christmas
• pick up form from doctors for DD2's blood tests later

These two I can do together - have to drive over to doctors to get form but dentist is right just down the road so saving myself a phone call and popping in to rearrange appointment.

Also need to get petrol - have noticed the saving already with being able to walk to DD1's new school. Planning on putting £20 in out of a £50 budget and seeing how long that lasts.

Jo_R_2

Oooh it's all gone a bit crazy with the money this weekend!:eek:

I've had a stash of money in my wallet, which is from OH... He gets a cheque for the Working Tax Credits part of our claim (I get the Child Tax Credits straight into my account) and he's started giving me half.

So I have had five lovely £20 notes sat in my wallet all week... I have been planning to pay them into the bank but being strict, I have not allowed myself to go into town as I could not justify paying parking *just* to go to the bank.

Yesterday I spent £2.20 on milk and a bottle of pop, so can knock that off my surplus which is fine.

Today however... We were child-free for a few hours this afternoon so went out for something to eat. We were going to go halves; me pay for mains then OH for desserts. Somehow I ended up paying for everything, which ended up being just over £20 :eek::eek::eek:

I don't object as OH usually likes to treat me so it was nice, just a bit more than I had anticipated. I have the money "free", and I thought, well it's not as if it's had to come from another pot, or I've left myself short, but I think this is the trouble with being so vigilant with every penny - anything not spent on budgeting or overpaying means a whole world of guilt

I've marked it down to experience and an investment in time with OH iyswim

I also have a short list of money to chase up:

1. OH owes me £52 for last week's shopping
2. Ex owes me £10 from final phone bill at old house... Refund came via a cheque but was in his name as had never got round to changing it. Gave it him on the proviso he would add an extra tenner onto the child maintenance but hasn't materialised yet...
3. Sister owes me £10 from buying girls wedding shoes which she budgeted for but cost slightly more than we first thought - she's off on honeymoon but can ask her after she comes back.

Going to go and sort out my pots of money from the weekend and knock off spends to keep up with my running totals

Jo_R_2

Aargh more unexpected spends... Realised DD2 needs snack money for nursery which I hadn't realised, so had to fork out £5 - works out £1 a week so need to add that to my SOA.

Bought a bottle of Dr. Pepper for my mornign caffeine fix - 95p out of my pennies - this is the danger zone as if I didn't have that money in my wallet I wouldn't go to the effort of getting it out just for a bottle of pop - naughty me:o

Jo_R_2

Totted up my spends and receipts over the weekend. Not as bad as I'd thought, although it just goes to show that a) cash in my wallet is a real no-no, and b) I feel a lot more in control when I do a little to keep on top of money every day.

Also there's c) never think "this month's going to be a quiet one" because I'm invariably cursing myself :rolleyes: Already forked out for snack money for DD2 at nursery, looking like DD1 will need some new blouses for school, I need some new shoes-and tights, one of DD's umbrellas has gone for a walk and mine's broken and given the weather this morning I'm not going to get away with not replacing them:eek: On that note a pair of wellies wouldn't go amiss - anyone know where I can get some reasonably "pretty" ones LOL?

Main thing to concentrate on though is raising my £50 through ebay to pay for my first Open University instalment. Planning to list some things tomorrow so got some time to organise myself

beanielou

Asda had some nice cheap & cheerful ones~even tickled pink ones!

Jo_R_2

Think I'll be off down there at some point very soon then!

Have located the missing umbrella at my parents' house so don't have to shell out for a new one, though do need a new one myself - decent, not £1 "bargain" that breaks as soon as you look at it:o - you definitely get what you pay for with those!

Made bun cakes with DD2 earlier to they can do for snacks for pack ups tomorrow - they're "spiced apple" flavour - ahem - means I grated a little apple in along with a handful of sultanas and a shake of cinnamon

Been scouring my SOA to look where I can start with overpayments... Am loathe to touch the surplus as I suspect I will be needing it, though may shave off half (it's standing at just over £40 at the mo), use that for overpaying the Virgin cc then use the rest for pocket money.

Have £50 in cash to pay in at some point soon, £26 of that covers some money OH owed me for shopping and a couple of bits I bought, the rest... hmm not sure - I would use that to overpay but me and OH had a "discussion" last night about who pays for shopping and might end up going halves on last weeks so that would completely use up the rest of the £50...

Jo_R_2

Worked out last night there are two months in the next year that I will have a "spare" payment each of 1. Child Benefit and 2. Tax Credits. It took some doing - staring at that calendar for ages somehow scrambled my brain:rolleyes: but worked out it should be one in April and one in June.

That along with the two council tax-free months has got me thinking what to do with the "spare" money. Next year is going to be a productive year anyway: out of 6 debts, 2 are due to finish of their own accord interest-free and not being overpaid, that's Housing Benefit one in March and Tax Credits 1 (as named on my spreadsheet LOL) in September. Virgin cc should be paid off, aiming for June time at very latest now but likely be sooner. So can use some of these "spare" funds to throw at debts.

EssexHebridean

You've got me thinking about the two months with no council tax Jo - it usually justs ends up getting quietly spent without me noticing it - however, next year I think one month will get thrown as an additional lump sum on the mortgage OP and the other will go to our holiday money. Thanks for focusing our minds! IIRC there is a couple of months without water rates too - not a great deal but could go the same way I guess.....

Jo_R_2

That would be a bonus for me EH, our monthly water rates are £59:eek: Def need to check that out though have a feeling mine are over 12 months - worth finding out though!

Not much going on at the mo, just quietly tracking spends. NSD yesterday and probably today.

OH's mum off work so is stealing baby away this afternoon LOL Hoping to get a bit more baking done with DD2 (apple crumble - hoping to eek out two crumbles, one for pudding later and one to freeze) then some quality time with DDs after DD1 finishes school, possibly park as spend-free