My name is Imelda, and I am a spendaholic

Chortle_2

I could be wrong Highguyuk - but I suspect that the maintenance is a payment to the management company that owns the freehold on her property - and will cover repairs/buildings insurance etc. It is normally a condition of the mortgage that it is paid up in full (any unpaid maintenance bills actually equate to a breach of the lease, and in theory, they can revoke the lease and kick you out of your own home)

Edinburghlass_2

No telephony bills in your list that we can help you reduce

Imelda

Chortle wrote:

I could be wrong Highguyuk - but I suspect that the maintenance is a payment to the management company that owns the freehold on her property - and will cover repairs/buildings insurance etc. It is normally a condition of the mortgage that it is paid up in full (any unpaid maintenance bills actually equate to a breach of the lease, and in theory, they can revoke the lease and kick you out of your own home)

You're absolutely right, went up from £35 to £50 the month I moved in! Typical really!

beverleyhills

:wave: Imelda

Congratulations on paying AVCs.

I think that you are a thoughtful and intelligent person who has got in a bit of a mess.

Read all the money saving threads and keep posting. There are a lot of compassionate and generous people who are an inspiration to us all, ready to help.

Health warning! Coming on to these boards turns your life around. You find out who your real friends are. The 'good time guys' melt away into the mist.
Personal values and attitudes can change.

Be honest with your boyfriend. If you mean anything to him he will see you through.

Start thinking about creatively about Christmas and Birthdays NOW.

How about working holidays? Probably totally different to what you enjoy now, but you will get a lot more laughs.

Good luck

bh

Imelda

Edinburghlass wrote:

No telephony bills in your list that we can help you reduce

PAYG, comes out of left over cash I suppose, such a small amount I always forget about it! I guess it would be £10 per month, I'm not much of a talker/ texter, I email when at work and would rather visit a friend for an hour than talk on the phone. I don't have a phone at home, or internet, have never quite got round to it...

Imelda

Thank you all so much, this is just what I need! I feel so much better already, I feel like I can regain control of my spending.
I have an action plan:
1. Notebook to make a spending diary, is this just for cash? I guess that's where the "leaks" are in my budget. Cost me nothing as I have a spare diary at work.

2. Lunches, each month, just after and just before payday, I vow to bring my own lunch to work. Then something happens in the 2 weeks in between, I forget one day, stay at boyf's another, it's someone's birthday (work tradition to go out for lunch on your birthday) and so on. I think I will have to be more organised with this one and have emergency tins of soup in my desk.

3. Boyfriend- he is in a very well paid job and is very generous. However I am your typical independent type, I do have a real problem with him paying for me. I guess I either have to get over it, or go out to cheaper places!

Chortle_2

If you want your spending diary to be accurate, I'd suggest including every single penny you spend for a while - with cards, cash, everything!

I use a spreadsheet rather than a notebook, and I know a lot of other people do too. It really focuses your mind, and shows you where your money goes!

Also - join in with the 'what have you spent today?' threads - I think much more before I hand money over now, knowing that I am going to have to post it on those threads, and be held accountable to everyone else on here!