Carry on Questing

Karmacat

Happy dust in the garden, I like it

You're so close to finishing Barclaycard! Aren't you tempted to go for that instead of the Virgin card?

Interesting about the buying lovely things when you see them - if you're doing that, and still managing to pay down your debts with payments above the minimum, then you're doing something right, you must be! Its all about the balance thats right for you. Now if I could just find *my* balance ....

Lula-Hula

Hello lovely Karmacat,

I have actually paid off the Barclaycard in total ( twice :whistle:) & now I am now using it purely as a temporary payment method when I dont have enough funds in my current account to use my debit card.

I have been debating for some time as to which CC I should keep for emergency & large purchases & due to the generous credit limit I think I may stick with that for now.

The Virgin CC has been used purely as a balance transfer CC ( the previous attempt with a co op CC failed miserably so I paid that off & returned it in tiny pieces )

By using the Barclaycard, I know I will pay it off at the end of the month to avoid the interest but as the Virgin is 0% I may be tempted to not pay it so quickly. I know how to steer around my own weaknesses now.

I know there are many peeps here who have vowed never to use CCs again, but I am not one of them . I was fortunate to discover this place before I got into a debt crisis situation, have never missed a payment or got myself into trouble with owing more than I could afford & was just a bit naive about the minimum payment via monthly direct debit ploy . I am a wiser person now & for that, eternally grateful.

Work-job is about as good as it gets on a monday & home-job was far less manic than the last 2 weeks which was a great relief.

Sadly, all this honesty about my new & improved financial status does have a downside; just a few months after getting a years free council tax & a £200 rebate it appears someone at the civic offices has been doing their sums & realised that rebate was bit too generous. They want £170 back . On the other hand the letter did say that I'd actually been overpaid some council tax benefit in previous years when not earning so much, but as I couldnt possibly have known that this overpayment was occurring, they werent going to ask for it back :T. I shall be sending a cheque for the £170 first thing tomorrow & I think it goes to show that honesty is the best policy.

Otherwise it has been a NSD but I have ordered some books & a pair of boots for DDs birthday so that money will probably leave my account tomorrow.

I'm feeling really tired tonight so off to bed now
xx

Karmacat

I'm the same, Lula, I'm quite happy to use a credit card that I pay off in full at the end of each month - I think I've spread a payment over two months a couple of times over the last twenty years, but nothing more than that. In addition, mine is a charity card - something like half a percent of everything I spend goes to the RSPB as a donation from the cc company, and I like that

Not sure I follow you, tho, about the overpayment of £170... they're not asking for it back.... I wasn't really sure why you're sending it?

Lula-Hula

Karma,

I just spent 40 minutes typing out a very clear & detailed explanation which I then lost when trying to add the grinnny smilie at the end :mad:.

I've lost the will for now, but tomorrow it will all become clear ...

Goblin has been in fine menopausal mardy mood this week But I'm off tomorrow & she's off on firday when Im in so that's nice.

I also have a brilliant new visualisation technique for when I can feel myself getting riled by her mutterings & snarkiness :

If anyone saw Merlin last saturday you'll know exactly what I mean about the goblin licking all the gold coins before putting them in his treasure chest. I now just visualise her licking all the cheques that come in before she files them in her paying in book :rotfl:

On that note I bid you goodnight

xx

Karmacat

Oh no! I have to say, at one stage when posts kept disappearing into the ether, I used to Copy them before I pressed the post button, if it was a detailed one .... I was glad of it more than once,

Hope the connection holds up today!

taxi73

love your visualisation technique.Sorry to hear that you lost your post

Lula-Hula

I have had a marathon day involving sheer rage, pulsing headaches, manic shopping & kicking a$$ but will tell all about that later.

For now, I am determined to explain about this over payment & why I sent off the cheque ...

A while back I discovered that I hadnt received the 25% single occupancy discount on my council tax for 3 years, since DD1 moved in to her own place.

I was told that due to the large amount I had overpaid that I didnt have to make any further payments for the rest of this financial year & also received a £200 refund :j.

It was this event, coupled with achieving a Virgin CC at 0% for the exact same period of time, that made me realise that karma & the cosmos had given me a unique opportunity to clear my debts as painlessly as possible.

I receive a certain amount of tax credit & the figure I receive is always based on the previous financial years income. I live in a rented property & due to my previous low income have been entitled to an amount of help towards the rent & council tax.

The entitlement is reassessed about twice a year & on my recent reassessement due to increased wages I no longer qualify for help with the rent. Not a problem, I was expecting this.

The reassessment team did some investigating & realised that while the overpayment of previous years council tax had been correctly refunded, they had actually over paid me council tax benefit for that period of time.

This was because at the time the benefit entitlement was assessed, it was done on my being liable for the full 100% of council tax, rather than the 75% I am actually liable to pay.

3 & a half years of overpayment of council tax benefit is actually quite a scary figure :eek: however, the good & fair people at the council have recognised that this wasnt a deliberate attempt to get more benefit & that in fact I couldnt possibly have known I was being overpaid benefit, as at the time I was receiving the benefit I was in fact unaware that I was overpaying the council tax.


The £170 I need to pay is the outstanding amount of council tax still due up to March 2011. They are happy for me to pay in instalments over the next 5 months, but I'd rather just pay it now & what with the overtime due from last month & the days childminder fees I've saved by taking a days holiday in half term, I've pretty much covered it anyway .

I hope that is now clear ... ish.

Must go throw DD in the bath & do washing up, then will return later with the days highly emotive events.

bye for now
xx


The figure of the overpayment of benefit is roughly the same as the amount I overpaid on council tax during the same period up to 12th September this year when this was discovered so

Lula-Hula

Hmmm long time no questing.

I had every intention of bashing out a few choice sentences on the idiocy of the payroll dept by was feeling so ill by the evening that I just couldnt face it.


The basic facts are : my wages did not appear in my account on time. I had an absolute rage attack as I'd already swapped my day off with Goblin to suit her so needed to spend that thursday shopping for DDs birthday at the week end. No wages meant no shopping :mad:.

Livid, seething, fuming fiery rage enveloped me so I jumped in the car, stormed into work & gave a very eloquent speech on how as I manage to turn up for work on time 20 days a month, the very least I expect in return is for my wages to appear in my account on the correct day once a month :mad:.

Essentially, when they hired me they opened a credit account for my time & I offer a maximum of 30 days only. No extensions. This was the 3rd time out of 10 that my wages were late & the second month running :mad:. I am not amused & when they find the f***wit responsible for this recurring waste of my time please send them to me so I can tell them how I really feel.

Goblin declared exasperation at payroll's incompetence & Gropey rang them up suggesting they get it right in future as one of his staff had turned into a bullet-spitting warrior woman & he was very scared :rotfl:


Bank transfer was done & I carried on with my day, complete with pounding headache & dizzy spells. Think I need to watch my blood pressure, all this anger is not good for my health .

The next day at work, with just the 2 of us in the office, Gropey admitted that it was the Goblin s f**k up - she told the payroll dept not towrry about wages as long as they were in by the end of the first week :eek:. Gropey was not impressed & also mentioned how whenever he is out of the office, that she & Grumpy change things, ( suppliers, wroking practices etc) & it's driving him mad. Food for thought there.

Anyway, DD was delighted with her gifts but came down with a streaming cold so didnt enjoy her day too much but rallied enough for takeaway supper about 9.30pm.

It was a rather expensive weekend really, as I was determined to use my Tatco £9 off voucher so we stocked up on many many household items & toiletries, some new stationery items & also found that a lovely soft, fleecy throw had also found it's way into the trolley :whistle:. A very very scary £89 later we left the building.

I also had to get some groceries, so did a quick dash to waitrose & then co op & my total groceries & household spend for October is already at £92.38 .

I didnt have much home-job work on monday so when the sun finally broke through I dashed off to the garden to start heaving the giant rocks around in readyness for my new veg patch. That'll be why I'm sat here now rather than at work. Yesterday my back felt a bit sore but then getting out of the car at work I felt it 'go' & spent the rest of the day necking nurofens & grimacing with pain. Managed to get home-job work done & come bed time could hardly stand up. Hardly slept last night & took me 15 minutes to get out of bed this morning. Text both empolyers to say I wouldnt be working today & had to send DD to school on her own as I just couldnt get down the steps .

I earned just enough from home-job to top up all the cash funds & due to massive shopping last weekend can safely manage for a few days on current supplies. Will probably take tomorrow off too unless I make a dramatic recovery, I refuse to compromise my health & as Goblin is on hol ( again) next week she can cover any essential things that I would normally do - owes me that


There has been more spending though & I have to wander over to the Clothes challenge in a bit & declare that I am bankrupt ... Found a fab brand new pair of black skinny jeans on ebay for £23.50 & a lovely aubergine ish coloured tunic dress with ruffles round the neck for a mere £5. It would have been rude not to .

I also bought the furnitrue for DDs room online in the sale - saving me over £70 & also earning myself a £10 off voucher & £1.80 quidco cashback. It's being delivered on friday so I cant make up the day at work then .

In spite of all this mahoosive splurginess, I have paid the necessary £120 off the Virgin CC & next weeks' payment should get me below the longed-for £3,000 mark :j.

Time for another shot of nurofen I think ... just hope I can get up after sittting down for so long while I type this epic ...

museumworker

Can't write much as at work, but really hoping your back gets better soon!

[Deleted User]

Oh Lula, you have been having fun and games with your wages haven't you? I'm glad that you got them in the end and that you did manage to get on your shopping spree.

I hope DD had a great birthday despite coming down with a cold.

Take it easy and make sure that you rest your back, I remember when mine went and the months of problems I had with it. Get some Nurofen Plus as they are great for when it's really sore.

Tea
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