Single and in Debt Part II

Hollyberry

Shoe_Gal wrote: »

Or to get your moat cleaned :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

If you are the other brand of public servant, expenses are a whole different ball game. I did once have to explain why my bus fare to a meeting was 70p going out and 67p coming back (bus deregulation, what joy). :rolleyes: :rotfl::rotfl:Now if I'd known I could get my moat sorted with less hassle...;)

Wot a lot of weekend everybody's had. Shoe Gal - I will forgive your lot for winning, as at least they only drew with mine, rather than giving them the severe drubbing they possibly deserve. Yes, I am a Gooner. I have had therapy and I am still Gooning...

Rosa - that sounds like a fine wedding. And a fine, justified rant to follow. It's a wedding, not an ark, and the guests don't have to go in two by two, nor be fixed up with a blind date when they get there. Grrrrr! Mind you, I can imagine those people in the bar being members of a Groucho Marx like club...which will undoubtedly keep them away from nice single people.

I've just come back from lunch with some friends. They always host the kind of lunches where you roll in at 2, drink a bit, play with the dogs, eat late afternoon, and sit around the table talking for hours. I have the rounded stomach of a snake digesting, my face aches from laughing, and I have carelessly offered to host next time and to do tapas. This will involve a shedload of , , and . Plus a lot of practicing, as they are both brilliant cooks, and I fear I am a bit lacking in that department, although I do make fab salad dressing...:rolleyes:

Hollyberry

RosaBernicia wrote: »

OK maybe I am just naive that I hadn't seen a skin tight catsuit at a formal wedding reception before...

:eek:

I'm sorry, I know it's really inappropriate, but I would have had real difficulty keeping a straight face. Something like "are you the entertainment?" might have crossed my mind.

and makeup - liking the sound of those vodka jellies - haven't had one for years. Strange how the nights out you dread often end up being some of the best. Glad it turned out ok.

eco

Hi Everyone,
Where's everyone gone? makeup never had a vodka jelly, cos I've led a sheltered life but might give them a go, am I right in thinking when you make the jelly you substitute a bit of water for the vodka?
Rosa you are right about the catsuit, although I wouldn't have kept a straight face and would have been laughing, glad you had a good time tho.
Got next week off work so trying to do all the bits and bobs this week, plus I keep getting the work experiance guy, if I hear init one more time I swear he'll be going home with a black eye, it's doing my head in, but really shouldn't complain he's doing all the boring carp I can't be bothered to do. Hope everyones having a good week and I'll be back later.

Lula-Hula

Hi eco,

I'm still hovering about here but I do have concerns for our fabby hostess

I order you to get some vodka jellies immediately, they are so much fun

Just flying by while stuffing my face full of salad on a work break

ooh yum yum, let me at that lettuce :rolleyes:

makeup

eco wrote: »

Hi Everyone,
Where's everyone gone? makeup never had a vodka jelly, cos I've led a sheltered life but might give them a go, am I right in thinking when you make the jelly you substitute a bit of water for the vodka?

Exactly, you have to be careful not to put too much vodka in as it won't set properly.

I went to Live 8 and they wouldn't let you in with alcohol so I made vodka jelly but prob was put in too much vodka and was really sloppy. V. funny pic of me and my pal eating runny jelly with a spoon sat on the floor amongst masses of people.

Hmm, I might wear a catsuit to next wedding I attend.....:eek:

Just got my increment on my wages so my pay packet is looking much better! Hoorah!! :j

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the lettuce

PinkTwirl

Hello everyone!

Took my car in for a service, I was so worried that it was going to cost hundreds, in the end it only cost £320! Phew!

Hope everyone is having a good day!

sarahb123_3

Hi all, have been lurking but still trying to get my thoughts together, am so sick of being poor and need to be free of it.

Nothing much has changed, work still carppy but getting better. I am obviously very reliant on my income to pay things off, so any little change of income just throws me out. However, as I have said before, I can only work with what I have, so for the first time in 3 years, I don't even know how much debt I am in. I obviously have a rough idea as it won't have changed much since last month, but I have decided for the moment to stop worrying about the exact amount as I am sick of it going round in my head.

The plan is this. I will keep reminding myself I can only work with what I have. Despite some hairy moments along the way I have not missed a payment on anything for a good few years and my credit rating is excellent. So, as long as I can meet the minimum payments each month I will be fine because the debts are going down and that is a good thing. If I have any spare left at the end of the month it will go to my Barclaycard. I will ignore all the other debts and keep on at that one until it is gone. Then I will do the 0% cc which runs out in May 2010.

As long as the minimum payments are met each month I will consider that a good month. Anything else is a bonus. As long as I am going in the right direction I will be happy. Compared to some of the people on here my debts are not that bad and not long ago I was technically debt free as my savings were higher that my debts, a few carppy months at work have reversed the situation but I will get back there again.

The overdraft will be cleared by Christmas if I keep up the repayments and don't touch it so I am tentatively ignoring it and letting it sort itself that way. When I have cleared all those the only thing left will be the loan and depending on how my savings are doing I might just pay it off.

All my overtime will go into the savings unless I need it. I like the security of having some savings and in the last couple of months I have really needed it, would have been in a very difficult situation if I hadn't had something to fall back on. All quidco money will go in my quidco account as when I finally get my own house I am planning to get myself something expensive with it (via quidco and using codes of course;)) a huge comfy sofa from M&S is on my wish list at the moment:D.

This is just my current plan, as all the fabby people on here know, I tend to come up with a new masterplan which will solve everything once an month;) But I need to stop looking at the whole situation and panicking. It's just too stressful. So I will work on a month by month basis,

• meet all the minimum payments
• not touch overdraft
• all quidco money into seperate account
• coins in piggy every day
• all £2 coins in pot
• put any overtime into savings
• any extra payment I can make is a bonus but not necessary, I know that with the above I am going in the right direction (must stop stressing and needing everything done immediately:rolleyes:)

I will ignore all the totals except for Barclaycard as I will know they are going down and I can think about them later. I know it might seem a bit strange to not know the total debt but knowing it has hardly helped me so far, it has only panicked me, made me think, "oh, I'll never be rid of it" and sparked a spending spree (my new M&S underwear is lovely btw;)). I know the total number of debts I have (4) and I will concentrate on getting it to 3. But the plan in a nutshell is to just keep meeting the minimum payments and remind myself it is going down.

Grr, wish I could just stop feeling so panicky. I am getting old and I want my own house! I don't want to be renting forever. Hmm. I shall be positive and something nice will turn up.

I have a feeling this post won't make much sense as I have been rambling again and repeating myself, but am too tired to edit it.

Anyway, tune in next time for further masterplans:

1. how to get a husband who demands you stay at home and have children because his salary is large enough for everything and you need never do a days work again unless you want to ( I don't, no need to ask again)
2. how to shrink to 9 stone on a diet of chocolate, cake, cheeseburgers and wine
3. how to swan around on mini breaks to Europe with piles of spending money
4. how to stop idly buying a few things on the internet and then being unable to move for parcels 3 days later
5. how to stop thinking shoes will solve everything. (this might be true though)

Must post this as it's late and have been typing for ages, hope everyone is ok xxx

moo2moo

Ooh Sarah the key to your recent masterplan is a geriatric MP.

1. how to get a husband who demands you stay at home and have children because his salary is large enough for everything and you need never do a days work again unless you want to ( I don't, no need to ask again) - meet one at least a decade older than yourself with an obsessive stay at home mother who has never worked thus he won't understand the concept of any woman working. Downside is he'll expect you to be at his beck and call much like a house slave 24 hours a day and will be incapable of doing the slightest thing for himself whilst within the walls of his castle.
   
2. how to shrink to 9 stone on a diet of chocolate, cake, cheeseburgers and wine - become incredibly depressed by being treated like a house slave that you get sick of cooking or in fact doing anything then panic at the thought at his arrival home and the house not being perfect thus sparking off a manic cleaning spree. Drink far too much whilst doing this and you completely forget to eat anything that isn't chocolate.
3. how to swan around on mini breaks to Europe with piles of spending money - accompany him on his very many business trips to Europe as his double hotel room will already be paid for and your flights will be a legitimate business expense as someone has to carry his bags and as for shopping money well his constituents can't be expected to see you wearing anything less than Gaultier and carrying a colour co-ordinated Radley handbag with every outfit. I mean without you as their role model what would they aspire to?
4. how to stop idly buying a few things on the internet and then being unable to move for parcels 3 days later - Never be available to accept delivery of the parcels due to your very many varied travels around Europe. Also having a house in your constituency and several other houses around the world you'd never know which one to have them delivered to anyway.
5. how to stop thinking shoes will solve everything. (this might be true though). Whilst The answer to life, the universe and everything else may be purported to be 42 the universally accepted answer known only to a select group of stealth undercover operatives of a little known underground sect is shoes. Lots and lots of shoes.

Hollyberry

to everyone, and Sarah - great to see you back.

Sarah - glad to see you working out a position where you can breathe again, and even be making us smile with the thought of future masterplans, of which I am particularly keen on numbers 2 and 3, so please do work on them early in the process. I am very firmly of the view that we can all only do what we can do, so beating ourselves up is not necessary. We are F Fabulous, remember? That idea of letting some cards ride on minimum payments sounds really sensible...I wish I could find something bright to say to stop you stressing, but then I am the last person to be giving anyone advice on how to deal with stress.

I had to go for a medical yesterday, so I have been a fine stress bunny leading up to it all week. Added to which, I was 45 minutes late going in, which made me scarlet of face and reduced to virtual whimpering by the time I wandered down to the examination room. The lovely doctor ended up squeezing my shoulder and telling me "please don't worry so much", which was great. OH had been witnessing high drama in the waiting room, with one woman screaming as she was removed by security that she had been through 5 operations, 10 medicals, and she wasn't going to leave quietly as she was a journalist... :rolleyes: She was outside still screaming and "avin' a fag" when we left...

Ah well, plans for today are to excavate the dressing room in pursuit of more eBaying items. I have my sights on the two left hand rails, as I am sure there are things buried at the back which could be sold. My big target is that by the time I go on 12 July, the dressing room contains only those items that a) fit and b) I like and wear. This is a radical concept, but one I could grow to like.

Take care of yourselves,
x

PS Has anyone seen Buffy and Gwen? Hope they are both ok. Hope Shoe Gal's goddess routine is going well, too.

Lula-Hula

Hail ye fabby friends - gone a bit mediaeval as was DDs Tudor Day at school yesterday.

Sarah - I love this months plan :j

I always love your plans, perhaps because I'm a big fan of having a new plan every few weeks myself

My last plan was to get the debt under £5,000 then apply for new CC with 0% deal ... I comepletely forgot this & started new plan which involves only getting £3,000 to balance transfer the barclaycard onto.

I then confused myself even more by trying to barter with Barclaycard who under threat of me taking my balance elsewhere have now opted to reduce the interest rate to a much more respectable rate although still not as respectable as the rate that I'm currently being offered by new CC along with 0% for 6 months. Trouble is they're only offering me £1200 at the moment

So, like your good self I decided to soothe my furrowed brow with some retail therapy & hey presto what should turn up today but a pair of lime green suede pumps - I'm sure lime green isnt everyone's favourite but I love them & they are my new best friends ... until I find a pair of red ones :rotfl:- still havent located a pair that doesnt scream "tart" but are still quite sexy.

I quite agree about not working, I watched the m BBC2 series about women working & was completely mystified by it all. I could easily fill my days with shopping, gardening, lunching, gallerying, travelling, reading & beautifying etc if I had the funds :rolleyes: call me shallow but I really dont see how getting up at 5am in order to prepare for a day of 4 children, one husband & a full time job is either empowering or liberating.

I do however, totally agree that any woman who chooses to work should be paid at least the same as a man :mad: I will not be burning my bra though.