My debt free diary...determined to do it for my girls!!

helnag

Hi,

Right, so I paid home learning college this months money yesterday which was 5 days late but at least it was paid. I spoke to them on Friday to let them know it would be late and they made me do an income and expenditure form over the phone...13 minutes later, how ridiculous!! Oh well it's paid now

I have paid my council tax today and set up my dd again, I had to cancel it last week cos the money just wasn't gonna be there. It's the first time in a long time that I haven't had enough to cover my basic bills so feeling a bit disappointed but am now back on track.

Need to go and get a few bits today from Sainsburys but will write a list and stick to it:

bleach
toilet rolls
milk
washing powder
baby wipes
milk.

Think that has been a big part of my down fall. So will continue to report on here and if I buy any more non essentials I will expect to have my wrists slapped!!

Anyhoo, hope you all have a good day (if anybody actually reads this lol).

xx

helnag

Todays plan:


1) Check banking.

2) Budget spreadsheet for August.

3) Housework.

4) Go for a walk with LO to park (big one at grandparents).

5) 5.5 hours work from home.

6) Work tonight.

Bye for now. xx

helnag

[STRIKE]1) Check banking.[/STRIKE] Not looking pretty, hey ho, they will get better!!

[STRIKE]2) Budget spreadsheet for August.[/STRIKE] Things will start to improve mid August...then after our hols things will be firmly back on track mid September

[STRIKE]3) Housework.[/STRIKE] All done and nice and tidy!!

[STRIKE]4) Go for a walk with LO to park (big one at grandparents).[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]
5) 5.5 hours work from home. 1/2 done[/STRIKE]All done
[STRIKE]
6) Work tonight.[/STRIKE]

helnag

Yum yum, just finished beans and cheese on toast and thought I'd pop on here before getting back to working.

Did all of my jobs yesterday and am half way through my mentally compiled list for today.

Have finally set up my standing order to my new account so that as of next week I will have £35 spends for each week and the rest of my money after bills will just stay and build up. Means we'll be on a very tight budget but I'm hoping that doing it this way will make me much more aware of what I'm spending.

I'm hoping that by doing it this way by the end of November I'll have settled Home Learning College as well as Next and Capital One.

Off to have a catch up on other diaries whilst the kids are quiet watching Madagascar 2. Hope everyone's having a nice day.

xx

helnag

Long day today...

Left for work at 7 and wont be home til 7, forgot my flaming lunch in my rush so will have to buy some, I'm quite cross with myself cos I got my self so well organised last night but overslept.

dd1 has been sick this morning so she is sleeping in my boss' lounge but means she prob can't go camping with her Dad for the weekend which she is mega disappointed about but he's rubbish at looking after her when she's well let alone when she's ill.

Also means I have problems with working this weekend. It's easy to get someone to look after the girls normally but when one's projectile vomiting I feel it may be a problem. So tempted to phone work no2 and tell them I can't work but I know they're short staffed already due to it being holiday season plus it's pay day next Friday and I need to earn as much as possible so I can pay my Dad his final installment of the 'get ex brother in law home from America' loan.

Oh well, all fun and games.

Have just received a payment from Amazon for a book that I didn't realise I'd sold so I've paid £8.01 off the Cap 1 and will post the book tomorrow time permitting! Feel really bad cos they bought it a couple of weeks ago but I didn't get one of their normal e-mails to tell me and I like to post stuff straight away.

Anyhoo, bye for now, time to nip and get some lunch.

xx

helnag

Lots to do today,

I have handed my notice in at job no2, I just feel so thinly spread between the kids, the house, job no1 and trying to have a life!!! 2 more weeks and my life will be almost mine again.

It really was just getting too much and after tax etc it wasn't really worth it. It means I'll be around £300 worse off per month but at least I wont be too shattered to enjoy some of the holidays with the girls and I wont be too tired and stressed out all the time.

I've finally started using my new budget account. I have set up a standing order from my main account into my new account for £35 per week, which came out for the first time yesterday. I had to put £15 in the car and also got some onions and tomato paste for the pizzas we're making tonight so I now have £18.97 for the rest of the week. I also have £130 in my kids holiday fund, I'm going to try and take them for at least one cheap day out each week. This week I'm taking them to the Sealife Centre which I've got 50% off vouchers for so will cost about £9. Next week me and my sister are going to take them to Woburn Safari Park as she has vouchers and at some point I'm taking them to Legoland with my ex, again we have vouchers and apparaently that's his treat.

Me and my ex have been going out a bit and spending a bit more time together, we have talked about getting back together but I suppose, although I know we've both done a lot of growing up I don't want to rock the boat too much and ruin how well we get on now. If I'm honest I'm scared!!! I'll just have to wait and see I suppose.

As of September I will be going into my main job on a Monday as well so that will be more hours and a lot more work done. As much as I try to get as much done as possible at home I always feel like I'm trying to catch up with stuff so the extra day in the office should really help. I'm also changing the girls childcare arrangements as of September. The big one will be going to breakfast and after school club and the little one will be coming to work with me on a Monday and Friday and going to the local playschool Tues, Wed and Thurs mornings for a bit of socialisation. This will be my time to work from home.

I seriously feel that I lack organisiation and routine with regards to my time at home. I seem to be constantly trying to catch up with everything so I'm going to start planning my next day every evening. It just feels like I'm a headless chicken running round trying to get everything done so I think if I regularly assign myself set times for certain jobs then I'll manage my time better and the kids might get to spend a bit of time actually with me!!!!

Ahhh well, enough beating myself up, off to get the washing on the line and do the ironing and housework, I hope to have finished all of that before 11.00.

Then I'm going to take the kids to the park, back for lunch, then set them up in front of 'hotel for dogs' whilst I do 3 hours of work.

Tonight we are making pizzas for dinner which I know they'll love.

xx

Raini

Wow Helnag I'm exhusted just reading what your life is like!! I think it's probably a good idea for you to stop the second job, as you say if you're always tired & playing catch up that's no fun is it! You can't buy health or time so the money will just have to give!

Sounds like a nice place to work if you can take your little one?

Tricky one with the ex, I guess if it's meant to be you take it as slowly as you need?

helnag

Hi Raini, and thanks, was starting to think I was talking to myself!! Although I don't really mind if anyone reads, just writing it helps me keep on track.

Yeah, you're right, as I said before, although I will be £300 per month worse off, we don't get a fuel allowance so that's probably about £60 per month, plus as of September my car insurance will go right down, saving about £70 per month, then once I add in the extra money from going to work on a Monday, the savings I'll make from not sending dd2 to nursery any more and changing dd1 to the after school club it will almost balance out. And fingers crossed I'll be paying off my Welcome loan once my PPI settlement comes through so that's £210 per month.

Anyway, rambling on, the point is I'm sure after all that I'll actually be better off!!!!

My main job is actually at someones house in their garage (it's converted to an office) so I'm lucky that they're happy to have dd2 there now that she's a bit more able to occupy herself, it will be a trial at first but fingers crossed it will work out.
My Mum will have her most Mondays as well so that will be nice for them both and help me out!!

Yeah it's tough with my ex, we were childhood sweethearts then lost touch for a few years but he was always the one I couldn't get out of my head!!! Then we got back together and had dd2 but there were so many other things going on that it just didn't work out. It's hard cos we have always got on so well, we've always said we'll end up together no matter what but I guess life gets in the way and if we can't make it work when there are problems then I suppose it's not meant to be after all!! Shall just wait and see, at the moment I'm enjoying my independance financially and in other ways so until I feel I really have found my feet I wouldn't really want it to progress anyway.

When do you start your new job Raini???

P.s. Sorry for rambling so much!!!!

Raini

You're [STRIKE]allowed[/STRIKE] actually meant to have the longest posts on your own thread - so it has been written in MSE folklore!!

I start on Tuesday 2nd September & can't wait!! Going there tomorrow to have a look around, we were possibly going by helicopter but I think we are just going by boat now! :cool: They have arranged temperory offices for us in the town I currenly work in which is bit of a bummer as I was looking forward to spending less on petrol but they will get (buy I assume) something in the town where I live which is perfect!

I agree with the job & the other half. Things work themselves out in the end ... sometimes the end is just a lot further down the road than we hoped it would be!

I had a very strange conversation with LB's mom this morning, I had to pop some bits over to her before I started work. She asked me about three times if I & LB are OK, I thought she meant as in health OK etc so I'm saying yes & then she asks is everything OK in your relationship?! I was a bit shocked! It's good that I get on well with her I think! I'm assuming that she's worried about me working so much at the weekends etc, and LB has been away with work quite a few nights recently, so maybe she thinks we are drifting apart?! Luckily it's the opposite

Now I'm sorry for high-jacking your thread!!

helnag

Exactly. What will be, will be!!!

The job sounds great, at least you will start to get your weekends back too which can only be a good thing....life's too short and as much as we all want to pay our debts off as quickly as possible there is no point killing ourselves in the process.
Maybe your mum in law has just noticed how you're both so busy, again like I said at least you'll have your weekends back soon!! Shame about the chopper, although I'm a wimp and the thought terrifies me I can see what a great experience that would be!!

By the way hi-jack all you like, makes it more interesting than me rambling on day in, day out!!!!

xx