Cheesecake wants a bigger slice of the pie!

edinburgher

Tax credits have credited my account with £3331.10 today

Can I take it from the 'OMGs' that you weren't expecting this? Excuse my ignorance, but what are tax credits? Do they tie in to families who work and have children in the house?

lemoncheesecake

kind of - not sure taxcredits themselves know but they're essentially for people on a low income but also those with children earning less than 66k a year (I think) are entitled. How much you get depends on many factors e.g. childcare costs, salary, hours worked etc

then tax credits take these figures and cme up with a payment (seemingly just plucked out o somewhere)

am definitely not counting on this money actually being owed to me - they are notorious for overpaying you and then assuring you the figure is correct an 2 months later stop your payments for the year

will have to ring and see what the score is

edinburgher

am definitely not counting on this money actually being owed to me - they are notorious for overpaying you and then assuring you the figure is correct an 2 months later stop your payments for the year

This is the very reason why I try and keep my tax records constantly up to date, ring HMRC at the first sign of anything odd on my payslip and pay off my student loan The public sector can be very inefficient at times.

lucielle

I have got 4 (not so little ones) and decided that was enough. You are making great progress keep going.
L

lemoncheesecake

Thanks Lucielle - I guess with 4 I'm thinking as they get older the costs will grow so really need to sort out finances so we can aord driving lessons, university etc etc

am feeling rather excited and slightly trepid as well - tax credits assured me I was entitled to the rebate. I insisted a manager check it and went over my details about 3 times to check they were correct! So instead of buying hen houses and laptops :rolleyes: we have paid off Capital One and HFC in total bringing our debt down to 6.5 K. I really need to get a snazzy signature to show this progress!!! Glad Capital One has gone, they sent me a letter saying interest was going up to 34.4%:eek: and HFC loan had stoopidly high APR as well which is why we picked those two to pay of. I even managed to get the charges they have applied to the accounts since we started paying token payments taken off. (would never have thought to ask for that before finding this forum).

I'm still worried tax credits will say this is an oerpayment come april2010 but I figured I've triple checked now - gulp!!!

Other positives - have sold baby stuff for £150 so thats the start of saving to pay the rest off. Also £500 contingency fund is still intact. Doing really well with the grocery shopping have managed a shop for £62 which is for the week, incl. nappies. That leaves me with £8 to top up milk and bits. Have decided £70 a week is our budget for food. A far cry from the £120 plus I was spending!

edinburgher

Fantastic news on the tax credits (and the contingency fund).

so really need to sort out finances so we can aord driving lessons, university etc etc

Driving lessons are surely something that they can save up for from their own pockets/part time jobs etc.?

As for university, I don't see how it's the responsibility of you and your OH to provide the funding for this. I grew up in a family of 5 kids and my parents weren't in a position to support us through university (bar not charging us rent). Maybe you should move to Scotland - all 5 of our gang managed to go to university without parental contributions, without graduating with too much debt

As a fairly recent graduate (last five years), the current government's focus on ensuring more people go to university than don't seems fatally flawed, as there simply aren't enough graduate jobs to go round. By all means support you little ones if and when they decide to go to university, but in all fairness it shouldn't hamper you with a lifetime of extra debt/wrecked savings..

Primula

Hello
Just read your whole diary and wanted to say you are doing great and that's fab news re putting your unexpected tax credits to your debt. Stay strong re the henhouse/beds/haircuts, you will feel so much better for it if you do. I used to always come on here and look at the forum re bargains folk were finding, but I have had to stop myself from doing that as if I do, I just cannot resist sending for the bargain and I feel so much better for it. I'm going to subscribe to your thread and I vill be back! LOL
P

lemoncheesecake

:eek:Hello diary!

Well, there are good and not so good things to report! On the 'good' side I have pretty much stuck to my menu planning for this week. Have been reading the old style board loads and am having a go at boiling the chicken carcass to make soup later for dinner but Mr Lemon pulled a face at the thought so am hoping it'll be so tasty he'll have to grovel Also attempting to make some bread to go with the aforementioned carcass soup and going to make brownies with the kids later so if soup is a disaster I have another offering. Feeling a bit smug at being potential domestic goddess

On the 'bad' side I have to admit we spent £19 on a takeaway - gawd I love curry and am rubbish at cooking it myself. I must admit the guilt knocked the edge off the taste though - especially as I'd bawled the girls out earlier for glugging too much orange juice. Terrible mother :rolleyes:

Have 2 weeks till payday and it looks like I'll have something left over to add towards the debt (payment to payplan already gone). Must start selling stuff on ebay - have loads of stuff that could go but I find it mind numbingly dull taking photos and listing on ebay.

Mr Lemon has his job interview this week so we've had to pay for dry cleaning of his suit and a haircut. Made him go to Boyz2men as cheaper and he came out looking like he's off to join the marines :rotfl:but it saved money :A

Think I'm over my longings for new hen house and bunkbeds. Hens and Mini-lemons all ok in current beds so waiting to purchase things seems to be working for me. I am rather impulsie I must admitbut the thought of buying school uniforms to think about ater payday if enough to curb that for now :eek: