InaPickle getting out of a pickle!

InaPickle

Sorry, have just been really busy since I last posted: it's not that I'm avoiding the confession - honest!

Will post tomorrow as need to have another look at my CC statements as things seem to have gone up a bit too much, if that makes any sense. :eek:

EssexHebridean

InaPickle wrote: »

I just had a cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch. I'm sure that makes me a cannibal.

That REALLY made me laugh!!! :rotfl: :T

InaPickle

EssexHebridean wrote: »

That REALLY made me laugh!!! :rotfl: :T

Well, it might!

In_my_dreams

I am JUST like you, I post like a mad woman and then when I spend too much I don't post - so proof that this board really does work!

Confessional is over you may now return cleansed of all previous sins!

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Pickle where are you........................................xxxxxxxxxxxxx

InaPickle

OK, so I've spent some time looking over my bank/CC statements to see where I went wrong. And the news is very ouchsome.

Thanks to a perfect storm of low pay, taking my eye off the ball and looking God only knows where while my hand slipped into my purse to remove my CC and use it while the eyes weren't looking (cos my head was stuck firmly in the sand), my CC balance has now gone up to £1296.15! :eek:

Firstly, £47.07 of that was stuff I bought for my nail course. Some of it was picked up for a friend, and as I said I was using my Paypal money to pay course fees I am waiting for the PP cash to transfer through to my account in the next few days so that I can pay it back. Friend has paid money, which needs to be put in bank account.

£31.87 of the money was spent on some bargainous T shirts for little brother for his birthday. This was a bit of a dilemma as his birthday is not until July, but they are T shirts related to his favourite TV show, and I bought him one last year for his birthday and he was very pleased. As a result, they periodically (but rarely - once a year average I would say) send my e-mails when they have a sale on. I bought 3 T shirts for less than the price of 2, and they are now hidden away (along with the aftershaves and mug I also got in the Jan sales) for his birthday present. I knew that I didn't strictly need them, but it seemed a waste not to profit from the chance, so I'm not sure if I deserve a slapped wrist of not for that. I'm sure you will let me know!

And now to the bulk of the problem...it's two-pronged:

1) Not getting to the bank to pay money spent on card back in.
2) Being paid an absolutey pittance and not being strict enough about it.

Here are my thoughts on those two:

1) What a twazzock I've been! OK, so I have been busy and not really able to get to the bank, but I've also been a twazzock as there are times when I have bought things on my CC (often for other people, in passing, and I haven't put the money back in the bank to pay off the card when they have given it to me, as it was nice/necessary to have a bit of money in my purse and I've given in to the 'I'll deal with it next month when I'm a bit richer' mentality. How stupid: that's how I got here in the first place!) Case in point: I was walking through a department store near work when I ambled through the suitcase department. It was the end of the Jan sales, and there were some very good bargains on offer. Trying to be a thoughtful daughter I knew that mum was having to to and fro to another country a lot at the minute using the plane, and was always worried about whether her bag was too big or not. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have one of those little hand-luggage sized cases so that she no longer needed to worry and knew exactly where she was up to? So I rang mum, and explained the situation, and that they had lovely, good-quality cases down from £109 to £39, and would she like me to pick her one up on my way? Mum said yes, so I did, and when I got home, mum gave me the money for the case. Pickle put the money in her purse, with the intention of putting it into the bank, but somehow it never quite got there. Result: extra debt on CC, which Pickle justified as she knew that she would have had to have taken that cash out of the bank anyway to spend on her one night out of the month (to be fair, I probably did transfer that cash over to my CC out of the money put aside for going out that night, but the point being that I wasn't keeping a really firm track on things, let them get too complicated, and as a result didn't really know what was going where.) :mad:

Also spent money on concert ticket (for friend's birthday), clothes (desperate: no was I could have avoided, although the £20 boots were not strictly necessary), lunches out at work on the few occasions that there was no sandwich meat etc. a pair of shoes and bag in sale from work (bad Pickle, you knew you couldn't afford them (but I've not bought anthing else since I worked there and it is very hard to resist, you know! And it has stopped me from buying two other pairs of black shoes. )), some sale bargains as gifts (will save me money in the long-term but was it really wise?!), and some other bits for presents, one of which I have not used and like a lot, but am now considering that maybe selling it on Ebay would be a good idea. (Have just looked - don't think I would get my money back, but I will need one in the near future, so perhaps it's not toooo bad, but now I'm just trying to justify myself again and that is BAD!)

2) That was not good, but I should have adjusted accordingly and not lost my head. That is how I got into trouble in the first place, and I thought I was cured. I fully intend to keep a very close eye on my finances from hereon in. :mad: :mad:

So, what else?

1) Have changed mobile providers so that my base tariff should be £15 not £20/month. Every little helps!
2) Mother's Day: mum has decided that she wants DB and I to buy her a £50 lamp, if we can afford it. Result = £25 each. Money duly put in a pot.
3) Easter: have been considering eggs. Was thinking about the super-huge one for DB, but can't afford it so have spent £4 on goddaughter, and will be going to Asda later for the 2 for £8 on big eggs. Will get mum a tub of sweets as she's not that big a chocolate eater.
4) Min payment of £30 for CC coming out in about a week. Have funds in bank to cover.
5) Still job-hunting, although this month looks like it will be much better paid than last month as have been quite a lot of extra hours.
6) Still need a new external hard drive, but have talked myself out of just bunging it on my CC and will get it next month out of my wages. I have REALLY had to talk myself out of it, though.
7) I have £41.38 in my purse and £39.06 'spare' cash in my bank, which makes £80.44 'spare' to use until the end of the month. Or not, as I have just realised, as I need to pay £80 nail course fees, and that's not counting the final mobile bill I will probably have to pay for my old mobile provider (I assume it's in the post). I also have another £40-something lurking in PayPal, which will have to be removed post-haste. I have even more stuff that needs buying for this bloody course, as well.

That is very not good. I think I need to get Ebaying again and find some new ways of earning cash. (French tution, manicures, helping little old ladies cross the road (but I'm too much of a soft touch to charge for that).

Argh! :eek:

InaPickle

What makes it even worse is that I haven't had the chance to think about MOT, car insurance etc. which are coming up at the end of June! :eek:

taxi73

That's some confession..it's not all bad though as some of it was for presents and you have near enough money to sort out this months bills so not too bad.
Have you thought of keeping a spending diary?...
can you get a 0% card and transfer the balance?

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Breath!! ok i have done exactly the same esp picking up things for other people and not putting money back in!
It sounds like some of your expense was mse eg t shirts for bro and gifts for later in year! Sometimes to save money you speculate to accumlate such as buing gifts for later in year!
Lunches. been there done that sometimes its just nice to have a nice lunch to get you through the working day!
Have a lunch on the day you enjoy least at work the buisest of monday!
And have packed lunch four days!
Dont be to hard on yourself you have accounted for the money which is a good thing its when you have no idea where it is gone you are in trouble!!
Plan March as its a nice new shiny month tom!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

InaPickle

taxi73 wrote: »

That's some confession..it's not all bad though as some of it was for presents and you have near enough money to sort out this months bills so not too bad.
Have you thought of keeping a spending diary?...
can you get a 0% card and transfer the balance?

I do already, but I have a tendancy to write down what I spend and do little with the results. I've just got a new fancy spreadsheet thing off In My Dreams (:A), which I'm hoping will help once I have the chance to play with it, but I literally have NO money left over for the whole month once the bills are accounted for, and coffee to have with a friend next week. :eek:

I really want to BT my CC, but cos I earn so little I'm afriad they will reject me from that. A&L have some account Martin has mentioned for low earners with an overdraft facility and 0% CC which I have been thinking about, but have been put off by hearing about bad customer service (and there isn't really a convenient branch for me), and also the fact that is I stay with my current bank and want a mortgage relatively soon, they wave a lot of the fees (as a house-owning friend of mine found out when she applied for her mortgage). However, given the current situation, I can't afford to think like that at the minute. MBNA have sent me some bumph for a 0% card in the post, but I'm not sure that they would accept me due to my very low income.

Part of me thinks I should just go for the A&L deal as I need that, and need it now.