Only Dull Girls Write Diaries...Myth Broken!

Rainy_2

PAYDAY!!:j :j

Spreadsheets updated, squares coloured in and notebook scribblings of sums everywhere!

Am really happy to have £160 now in the Xmas Savings pot, so lists are starting to form as to who's getting what and who I'm feeding over the Xmas period-people are looking at me as though I am a crazed woman trying to get Xmas plans out of them!

Going to look at free b!ngo stuff tonight and see if I can turn my hand to a bit of extra cash for THE DEBT POT. Also have drafted a HUGE Ebay plan for November/December. Every Sun, Mon and Tue I MUST add 10 items. That way, I'm not overloading myself by doing it everyday, I'm hitting Ebay's biggest bidding evenings and posting is easily done as I only work 10 mins walk away from a Post Office :T

I'm really annoyed with myself that I've slacked off the Ebay stuff so November brings it back with a vengeance!

A few leads for OH on the job front so just keeping fingers and toes crossed!

savingholmes

Good luck with the money making ventures!

keza

hi rainy! was just popping by and see in ur sig 'coloured squares' ....whats this? is this a personal challenge or something i could take a leaf from? thanks and good luck!! xxx

Rainy_2

Hi keza :hello:

The coloured squares are a great tool that I [STRIKE]pinched[/STRIKE] ,[STRIKE]stole[/STRIKE] , borrowed from the wonderful DFW hypno06 :beer:

Basically I keep a chart of squares (just did mine with excel spreadsheet) with each square representing an amount of money, all adding up to your total goal, whatever that might be.

The one in my sig is for my debts. Each square is worth £50 and each time I pay £50 off towards my debts I colour a square in. 900 squares...:eek::o:eek::o

I have one for Christmas savings too that I started a few weeks ago, this time each square represents £10 and I'm on 16/25 :T

I just find it really helpful to have a visual aid and it gives me something to work towards.

And I get to play with pretty colours...:rotfl:

Rainy_2

Ooh and just had a proper look at your sig. Congratulations on the wedding!
Coloured squares might be useful for your wedding savings :smileyhea It's nice to see progress in physical form!

keza

what a fab idea!!!

*wanders off muttering to self pretty colours!*

Im on it! xx

Rainy_2

Well, the news hit on Friday that OH isn't entitled to Job Seekers Allowance...:mad: :mad:

Apparently (after being passed from pillar to post on the phone for almost an hour) there was a shortfall in his NI payments for 06/07. He worked abroad for 3 months around this time so it seems to add up but he's not had any indication from Inland Revenue that this was the case. I've had a couple of letters in the past indicating this for me, I assumed they sent them to everyone when this happened

So, I think (although neither the Job Centre nor the Inland Revenue were not particularly clear on this) if he pays the shortfall of £168 (available on loan from his dad, paying him back the JSA as it comes in), that will allow him to receive his JSA. So, he will still have to live on nothing for 3 weeks but effectively the JSA will pay for that shortfall and should anything like this happen in the future (hope not!) it is at least sorted.

Er...I think...!:o

All of my new offers of monthly payments to creditors should be hitting the matts today/tomorrow so may get a few comedy replies, mainly along the thread of "You must be joking..."

BUT my new surge of Ebayness will certainly help with extra payments this month and next month - if all goes to plan! Managed to list 15 items last night and by the time I'd completed the last item, my first item had 2 watchers :T

hypno06

Rant rant rant - this sort of thing really really annoys me - when someone has been working and paying tax and NI in the UK for the majority of their working life, and they are not entitled to the help when they genuinely need it.

Yet others, some through no fault of their own, granted, but some who make a choice not to work, are able to claim benefits without having done a days work in their life.

To anyone reading this who has had NO choice in being in that situation, I am not referring to you, but instead about those many people who have avoided work for other reasons. I'm not saying it is the fault of those people who DO claim, but I just feel it so wrong that someone is now being penalised for 3 months working abroad and not paying NI in that time.

:mad:

Rainy_2

So very annoying and very frustrating. He's never been out of a job and has been working full time since he was 18 :mad:

It would appear that being honest and going by the book gets you nowhere. But I still wouldn't have it any other way. I'm sure our time will come! :cool: *come on karma*

The most frustrating bit has been, as usual, the break down in communications between left hand and right hand over on their side. No surprise there I suppose! :rotfl:But no one has any solid answers. He's going down in person in the hope that face to face might produce something!

Rainy_2

*Karma answered*

Usually the Council is not known for being the giver of good news but...

I had my bill for the business rates on my old business premises a couple of weeks ago, which was, as predicted, £7,500, with my 3 month 'free' period up to April 2010 (little wonder small businesses are struggling!) I am still liable as I have not been released from the lease (signed up until Oct 2010)

I replied with my income and expenditure stuff in the hope of agreeing an affordable monthly payment.

Yesterday I received an updated version with the information that I am now only to be billed until 23rd June 2009 :j Looks like they have found another tenant for the premises (nice of the landlords to let me know :rolleyes:)

So....

My rates bill is now £1390 :j

My business rent liabilities should now estimate £9,000 (intead of the whopping £31,500 which I would have been liable for up until the lease ended) :j

This drops my overall debt to £64,900 with an estimated pay off time of 20 years :j Much better than 31! :eek:

This is all before I have snowballed, I'll pop those results up shortly.

Of course, the Council are demanding the whole chunk before 13th November which could be done from the debt pot. However, the debt pot has been reserved for my higher interest CC's/Loans but I'm not sure how 'nice' the Council is about paying in installments

Ooh this means I get to play with coloured squares and snowballs on my lunch break! :rotfl: