So here's to you, Mrs R....

mrs_robinson_3

Phew! Summer hols over, survived another summer - Mrs R thought it was time for her diary to begin......

Ok, so biography: female, early 40s, married yonks, 3 DSs aged 14, 12, 8. Independent schools - uh, oh - money pit. Mostly supportive OH. Busy busy busy life - lots of sport (watching DSs mostly) - football, cricket, rugby, sailing. All adds up. Work three-quarter time - 28 hours weekly. Too much with everything else, esp. the washing! But got to keep the pennies coming in, hey ho.

LBM - France last year. No money left in my a/c. OH v disappointed in me. Swore never to be so silly (or humiliated) again.

Since then - not quite reformed 'cos a girls' gotta have a little fun, but you know, better. In fact, now known amongst friends as queen of thrift! Johnny (Janey?) come lately, I know, but still amazing for me to have attracted such a soubriquet. Wound up small business I ran, and with left over profits (modest) after tax, overdraft considerably reduced - hurrah! Feels better. Now setting myself limit of not being more then £1100 o/d each month - a lot I know but outgoings huge, so do rely on it to bridge the gap.

Also since then - with advice on here, devised plan to pay off credit cards. Hope current balances have come out in my signature. All on 0%s with a while to go - fortunately am good for credit still! Basically snowballing. All were on virgin before but split into 3 now which makes it feel more manageable to me. Psychology? Maybe not best strategy but seems to work for me. So tackling Tesco first, then will roll that payment onto RBS, then Egg. Think DFD is Sept 2011 - not fast enough, want quick results now I'm into this!

Best of all, have not spent single penny on credit cards since August 2008. Completely amazed that have managed to live, if not within my means, then closer to them, for first time in adult life. Means of course CC balances are steadily coming down - feels so good.

Money weaknesses - emotional spender. Bizzarely, not really when unhappy, the opposite. When things are good in my world, I want to spend! And I love summer (who doesn't), so tend to spend more then. So emotional AND seasonal spender. Not sure if others feel like this, or if it's just me?

Also weak on personal appearance-related spend. Not so much clothes and love Ebay and charity shops anyway, more beauty-related. Had some surgery a few years ago - not what you think! - that's almost £5k sitting on my CCs still. Well, not all on mine actually, some on OHs - luckily, he likes result. Best 5k I've ever spent though, so worth it!

So that's what we're dealing with here peeps - both shallow and vain I'm afraid!

Current challenge - how to get those balances rolling down that hill faster. Get quite a thrill when I make my payments at the start of the month, but then due to huge outgoings, not enough left, so need to generate more income. Decided now to stop saving my personal modest £50 a month for the next few months (we save for the school fees too) which should mean I clear the Tesco this year. Going to start doing surveys, ebay, amazon, whatever.

Doubt I'll post SOA - we have complicated arrangements with a joint a/c for mortgage and biils, another for school fees, and an account each too. We pay into the joint a/c and school fees a/c in proportion to what we both earn, then what's left in my a/c is all MINE! Ha ha. Hollow laughter, because there's never enough, is there? So now, having paid all my bills including my CCs for the month, I have about £200 left for all my other things - but then really, that's just petrol and personal spending, and dribs and drabs for the DSs, so I know compared to many here, I am so v lucky.

Now allow myself £30 personal spending for the week, which covers social life, small treats, general stuff you need cash for. When it's gone, it's gone. But taking homespun lunch to work every day, I can clock up quite a few NSDs, which is quite a thrill actually. And have tried very hard to trim all joint spends eg done utility swaps, got deals on things etc etc.

Oh, and often shop at LIDL now, not Waitrose! LOVE IT!! Seems to me, it's a bit like a French supermarket, and as most of the staff at my local are from Eastern Eurpoe, it has an appropriately continental air.

Gosh, hope haven't been too boring. Other posts MAY be shorter. Anyway, if anyone's still reading and has any comments on my finaicial strategy, please fire away.

So, coo coo ca choo for now

Mrs R

In_my_dreams

:hello: Like your diary

Look forward to reading your journey, nothing to comment on re financial strategy as I'm hardly one to talk :rolleyes: Like you I get over excited for NSD's which don't seem to happen very often in my house!

Good luck!

hypno06

hi and welcome to the mad house.

With the level of debt that is in your signature, and a bit of effort and determination, you can certainly aim to be rid of that debt in a lot shorter period of time than you mention above. You have made progress with things like NSDs and the like so now you need to take it a step further in a way that fits in with your lifestyle etc. Everyone on here has different priorities and different expenses so it is difficult to say what should be done, but if you mooch around the boards a bit you will find a way of making a bit of extra cash, or saving a bit of cash, that suits you.

mrs_robinson_3

IMD and Hypno - thank you both for your comments. I'm all about excitement, me, so need to find exciting ways to deal with this debt quicker. BTW, that's just my personal debt, OH has some too but I'd get overwhelmed if I was worrying about his too - one step at a time! And he's OK with my strategy, he's doing something similar - but unlike me, he's not embraced this site and it's wealth of advice. Silly boy! Anyway, will pop into your diaries and be snuffling around for more tips

Mrs R

mrs_robinson_3

Hhmm - my evening so far. Finished work 3pm. Collect DSs. Home 4pm. Always get really annoyed it takes an hour, but one finishes earlier than other two. Prep dinner - well, due to my new found ways, know exactly what that is. Cook it - really lovely, if I say so myself. Have motherly glow. DS1 doesn't eat all - swear he's becoming boy-anorexic. Worry. DS2 eats all - always does - does a lot of sport and is about as fat as -oh, the nearest straw. DS3 - sweetpea - "that was a lovely dinner". Brothers "bleurggh, creep". OH arrives home - texts flying in, he's always "on". 615pm. 3 hours of effort in. DS3 out to football training. DS2 inexplicably has already done homework on arriving home, so sofa bound. DS1 off to do h/w. Me - off online. Post first MSE post. Then Facebook, Twitter, checking other stuff out. My on-line life is getting as exhausting as my real one. 730 pm - check out of MSE guiltily as OH arrives back. He says MSE really stands for LSD - addicitve and all users operating in parrallel universe where all debts paid off etc. Assure him many success stories here! 830 pm. Done 4 lunchboxes. Trying to cater for varied likes/dislikes but on hiding to nothing. Short of stuff - OH was supposed to do supermarket whilst DS3 at footie but didn't. Aarggh! He goes to local shop at 3x cost. Normally do on-line for Tuesday delivery (cheaper!) but have parents evening (so soon!) and football friendly match, so unless want to be putting away at 1130pm, can't. Do my best. DS3 and 2 showered (cheaper, and not EVERY DAY either - well, they're boys). 3 despatched. Finish lunches. Flagging and grumpy. OH helps!! Do dinner 2 - OH and me. Not v MSE but forgot, sort of. OH - what fresh hell is this? 930 back on line. Posting. Now dinner. When to do Amazon, Ebay etc? This crunching is so time consuming. Bye!

MRs R

boredofbeingathome

Hello and welcome to diary land Mrs.R ( that song will be in my head now) I am thinking that you could use Martin's guide to give yourself a 25% payrise, by shopping smarter and using every tool at the DFW's disposal.

I agree that crunching is so time consuming, but in a bit you will be saying like the rest of us.."How much????" and making do and mend with stale spaghetti and a spatula :eek:well not really, but you know what i mean:rotfl:

On another note...are you a closet Alvin Stardust fan?..he goes well on Amazon apparently:D

BOB x

In_my_dreams

Sympathies with the hectic day 3pm onwards and lunch boxes. This year I've bought some insulated pots and kids had pasta today that was still warm, sick of getting uneaten sandwiches back as a waste of money!

Sounds like a day in my household!

mrs_robinson_3

Hello BOBAH and IMD and thanks for dropping by again.

Just taking short break before going to parents evening - so soon, can you believe? Still, is new initiative for people going in to years 8 and 9 so you can meet new tutor, and every bit of contact makes me feel I'm getting my money's worth, so can't complain. DS1 now doing GCSEs (Yr 10) and has 8 in his class for history - I call that a pretty good ROI too, so feeling OK with school fees situ. just at the mo. So todays' debt-busting - well, clocking up a personal NSD so far and don't anticipate anything else, so all good there. Almost had one yesterday but had to pay 55p for milk at work. Then felt bad as it was avoidable - ie. could've taken it from home. That's how anal I'm getting - which is good, I guess. And I had three in a row last week - so long as I take my lunch in, which I do pretty much all the time, I don't need to spend at work really. And as I don't have a lot of hols left now, should be more to come.
Hurrah!

Also small good news - getting unexpected pay rise at end of month. Mind you, don't hold your breath, it's all of 1%, but feel in present climate, lucky to have job (even though i hate it - well, it's mildly diverting and the internet is free - but well, plenty I'd rather be doing...) let alone rise. Even better - is backdated to April. It will barely break double figures - well, by my calcs wil be about £120 after evil tax people have their share, but I will channel straight to my Tesco card. So all to the good.

And yes, BOBAH, I need to find that 25%, as in two years time, if I stay in my present job, my loyalty and years of expertise is to be rewarded with... a pay cut!! My employer has been doing a pay review which has resulted in massive shake up and whilst many people's salaries went up, I'm in the 22% of people going down. Well, it's gone down already, but not as such, IYKWIM, as current salary protected until April 2011. Imagine what that's all doing for my motivation, going the extra mile etc? No way, Jose, not me and not now, oh no. So yes, I need to find another job, but lack the time and I'm afraid, the motivation to begin the search. All of which is also fueling my determination to get DF, so I can maybe do something less financially rewarding, but more personally so.

Also agreed with former business partner to list all our old stock on Ebay, which should bring some more pennies our way. She was interested in buying some new stock, which as we have about £100 left in our bsuiness a/c, isn't really viable and there's no way I want to invest any more personally. So suggested this as way forward. Also been thinking about what I might personally sell - don't have masses as much of my debt went either on the little "procedure" I had or just day to day stuff, rather than tangible "stuff", but reckon I've got a few hundred pounds worth, especially books and such, so really ought to start trying to shift it.

IMD - looked over your old posts and caught your SOA - looks like our set up is similar, similar incomes etc. Luckily for me, my OH is pretty sensible so our total debt is about £20k I think, and nothing jointly other than the mortgage (and those school fees, natch). So am hugely impressede by the way you are knuckling down to yours and agree with your strategy re gym and golf. I can't and never would give up my school fees, and the other thing I won't give up is my monthly hair appointment! Like I said, shallow and vain, but at least I'm lucky enough to have some flexibility in my budget to manage that. Otherwise I'd be sooo miserable!

Anyway, got to dash but will pop into both your later.

And no, I'm more a Sweet girl than a Stardust fan - altogether now, it's it's a ballroom blitz.....

Coo coo ca choo for now

Mrs R

mrscmr

love your diary, will follow - we have lots of similarities!

best of luck!
x

beanielou

Happy shiney new diary

In_my_dreams

Oh to have only £20k of debt :rotfl:I do find after being on here for a few weeks I no longer walk around with the figure in my head. I found I was hyperventilating regularly as it never left my head, now I just keep it in my purse by my debit card incase I "slip" I'm sure I must have said the figure out loud in my sleep!

I felt really selfish saying I wouldn't budge on golf and gym unless I had to but I've got to have something to do for the next 65 months otherwise I will just sit and veg in a chair, so I might be debt free a few months quicker but fatter for it I also have my hair cut every 8 weeks (long so not too often) and legs waxed and these are my human right, if I didn't have my legs waxed I'm pretty sure it would be effective contraception however :rotfl: Obviously if it got really bad I would cut out the gym, hack away at my own hair and extend my leg hair growth - I am choosing not to do that at the minute.........

I am becoming incredibly anal with money, I mentioned in my diary having to spend £2.50 on coffees for me and my boss :eek: I'm sure I just glared at him as he downed his drink and left me thinking "THAT WAS MY MONEY!!!"

Good news on payrise but how bad being told you will get a paycut later, good for staff morale....not!

Subscribing to your thread as I type