dottyanne's debt diary

dottyanne

Evening all, how sad are we? :rotfl: coz thats exactly wot i did when i got home, updated the old bills spreadsheet to show whats been paid, it does give you a great sense of acheivment.:T

Paid the bills i'd been stressing about and feel much better for it, although i know its going to be a tough couple of months until im totally straight (espec as tax credits will go down) im more focused than ive ever been and determined to get debt free this time. Its suprising how low it maks u feel and how all you can think about is money, well im stilll thinking about money now but in a good, organised methodical way to keep me on top of things....organisation - it think thats the real key.

Hooe youve all achieved something DFW today - i know i have

dottyanne

morn peeps just posted a new thread, other week i had to give tax credit some info on hubbys job, when he left last place and started at this one, sent them the info, basically there was a couple months when we just had my wage but i never bothered to change tax credits after they messed them up so bad last time! anyhow today ive had a larger than expected payment, by about £200 - do you all think this is what theyve worked out is what we should have got extra when there was just my income?

OberonSH

It would look that way. Great news!! I notice Tax Credits have a habit of popping u just when you need them....You could always phone them to check.

Have a cheap day my love, you go girl.

dottyanne

It is great news. im so chuffed, just come at the time when i need them most - may be a tiny respite, as i have to do annual declaration soon so im thinking they would go down then but i will cross that bridge when i come to it.

Aiming for a cheapy day, have to put a tenner in petrol but ive budgeted for that anyhow.

dottyanne

Evenin all, just a quick post tonite as im soooo tired tonight:o

That extra money WAS tax credit payments and im so grateful for them this month as they are well needed.

Well ended up havin nip to shop after work for tea, spent 20.70 :mad:

Am aiming for a proper shop this week as its no good keep nippin for stuff as you inevitable pick up loads more than intended!

Also spent today but on fruit and veg from shop, got enough for most of the week.

Nothing much else to report today, siphened the old 20ps away into one piggy bank and copper and 5ps into another, going to leave both banks until full i reckon..:p

OberonSH

Have you thought about online shopping? I get mine from Asda - I never get more than I need, and you can ALWAYS find free delivery codes over £50 - I'm usually 30-40 and it's a lot quicker once you've used it a few times, as it remembers what you bought before. I go through Ipoints to get points as well. I've noticed my bills came down dramatcally.

You do need to be organised, and do a meal plan (not forgetting breakfasts and lunches) but we have the list on the fridge until order day, and OH adds whatever he wants, or notices we need in the house (which is rare - men have a blind spot when it comes to seeig the last loo roll in the bag and wondering wy you run out halfway through the next week.)

Good job on the tax credits, in the nick of time lol. How did you get on with yur dad?

dottyanne

Hey all not been on to update as been poorly..am on the best side now but u all know wot its like !

Loads of DD's and Bills paid already this month. Havent sorted with Dad yet as i havent left the house to go to the bank to get any money out!

All this credit crunch and the way my finances are so tight each month has really made me think...its not just a case of wanting to be debt free...i NEED to be debt free, if i could just get rid of all but my car loan i would be a happy bunny. Too much of our imcome goes on debt repayments and although these are what ive negotiatewd myself to get rid of the debts sooner rather than later its really hard work.

Have NO savings whatsoever and reall need to get a savings/emergency fund in place - ive heard all sorts from 2 monts to 6 monts worth of your average income should be set aside for the unforseen - what/how much does everyone else recommend?

If i could save £5K that would be a huge safety net - does everyone else try to save as well as bedt bust?

Still throwing the old change and 20ps away and looking to do a car booter when im totally better :-)

JAMIEDODGER

youre doing really well dotty:) have you been through your SOA lately to see if there is anything you can cancel, move or change?? i go through mine often to make sure i have the best deals on everything and am paying out as little as i can.

i do have an emergancy fund now, but it is still a very small amount, but it will grow.... remember to keep it simple and youll get there:D

*zippy*

Dotty :hello: I don't pop into DFW that often now, but what a lovely surprise to see your diary up and running again :T I haven't had chance to read back yet, but hope life is going well for you and the debt is reducing

Obie & jamie :hello:

OberonSH

Morning Dots,

Look at you and your bad, moneysaving, spreadsheet-filling, getting your stuff together self!!! Go Dots!!!

We tried to get 2 months bills behind us, but had to spend it on wedding stuff, but that's just ours - a friend of mine tries to keep 6 months behind her just in case. I figure 2 months is a reasonable amount of time for one of us to get a job if worst comes to worst. It just takes the pressure off should one of you lose your job, or come off work sick.

I try and also have a smaller fund for household emergencies - just enough to cover the cost of a new washing machine or fridge, cos one of those goes and you're in trouble. Tumblie I can (and did) live without, and I don;t use my oven more than once a week (I'm a slow cooker gal, cos my oven is so temperamental I can't trust it on anything other than roasts)

But try not to panic too much love - that's what happened last time - you loaded yourself and got panicked.