Tete en l’Air’s Feet On The Ground Diary

Tete_en_l'Air

Hi everyone, I’ve been an almost daily visitor to MSE since I heard Martin on the Jeremy Vine show about 5 years ago, and although I chat a heck of a lot on a few of the DFW diaries and lurk even more elsewhere, I never thought I’d start my own diary.

But this week I have decided to do just that, for a couple of reasons:

• I’m ashamed to admit it, but after paying off £3k of student debt last year, I have let my ‘emergency’ OD creep up for the likes of my car insurance and to be honest just little bits at the end of the month. I do have money in an ISA and I know it’s a cardinal MSE sin to have savings AND debt, but I don’t want to start dipping into my ISA for silly things like this – I’m sure you understand because I know many of you are the same! OD currently stands at -£754.89 – I want this cleared as soon as possible because...

• My OH and I are looking at moving in together in the spring, we’ll only be renting, but I’ll still need a chunk of money for deposit, advance rent and all the little costs of moving in to a new place, like mops and buckets and things. I’m thinking £1000 for my target for this.

• Because I’m having to resort to the OD at the end of each month, I’m going to start a strict spending diary to see where all my money goes. I already have a good idea but it’ll be interesting to see the totals. This will also give me an idea of the sort of things I’ll need to cut back on when we do get a place and the sort of rent I’ll be able to afford.

I just need somewhere to put things down in black and white and organise my thoughts, so even if no-one reads I think it’ll help me feel less overwhelmed about everything I’ve got on at the minute. And it means I won't be hijacking anyone else's thread any more than I already do!

Today is pay day so I think it’s a good day to start. I have a little spreadsheet with projected budgets for each month. December 2009 for me includes:

£200 rent (board)
£250 Christmas presents (haven’t started yet!!)
£250 spends for trip to London, inc show tickets
£30 phone (normally £20 but have a contract crossover this month)
£20 contact lenses
£68 car tax
£50 car saver (Just in case. I have a 14 year old car)
£40 OH birthday meal – my treat

Oh god, after all that I’m left with £177.60 for everything else, including petrol.

Giddy excited diary-ness has given way to terror.

Tete_en_l'Air

OK, I've amended my signature to include the dreaded overdraft, but I've put it in pink to make it less scary. I've also put that I've paid off £95 already because at its highest a couple of months ago it was £850 - and it's more motivating than having it sitting at 0.

Also included is my declutter challenge, in which, beacause I have SO much clutter (seriously), I've divided my room into 10 areas for sorting, I'm getting there with it slowly but surely and feel much better for it already. I read a motto a few years ago and it resonates with me now: "Tidy sock drawer, tidy mind".

Then I have a couple of voucher challenges. I've been Dooyooing for about a year and challenged myself to make £100 this year - quite a way off, will need to crack on with this. The 2010 voucher challenge is going to be for Dooyoo vouchers after New Year, and Bingoport ones too, but I'm cheating a bit and including BP ones from this year too.

Then there's Dinah's Diet Challenge which I'm not doing great on, I seem to be sticking around the 10st4 - 10st6 mark. And I do like to indulge at Christmas! This might be one to continue on to my birthday on 12th Feb...

Cinny91

Hi Tete (& her diary!) :hello:

I think the main thing you need to think of is, that while your debt is quite alot it isn't anything major. I'm sure you'll have no problem clearing it

Trying to think of ways to help you save! But I'm not sure where you can cut back on your budget. Maybe instead of taking your OH out for his Birthday you could cook him something and stay at home? Or if you don't fancy cooking you could have a takeaway, either way it'll still be a lot less than £40.

Off to subscribe

Tete_en_l'Air

And so to my to-do list:

- BP 10 posts
- 1 DooYoo
- 2 DooYoo
- Post RiSi book
- Buy birthday card
- Look in HMV for DVD
- Find shortbread recipe

- Supermarket - pick up baking ingredients and mushrooms
- Make packed lunch for tomorrow
- Litter tray
- Play through BP points
- Look at Bingo Britain
- Sort car tax
- Take pics and list on eBay some of my remaining [STRIKE]tat[/STRIKE] treasures
- Cancel phone contract
- Make shortbread biccies
- Sort through bag of random paperwork
- Sort through box of random electricals
- Open Quidco query - EDF

The top half I should be able to get done at work (shh) and the rest is for this evening, I'm sure I'll add to this.

Tete_en_l'Air

Hi Cinny and thanks for popping my Diary cherry! :T

Cinny91 wrote: »

I think the main thing you need to think of is, that while your debt is quite alot it isn't anything major. I'm sure you'll have no problem clearing it

It's NOT an awful lot, but I know how easily it can spiral. I should realistically be able to clear this in a couple months it I'm frugal, I just can't do anything with it THIS particular month :rolleyes: Bah humbug, chunter chunter.

Cinny91 wrote: »

Trying to think of ways to help you save! But I'm not sure where you can cut back on your budget. Maybe instead of taking your OH out for his Birthday you could cook him something and stay at home? Or if you don't fancy cooking you could have a takeaway, either way it'll still be a lot less than £40.

I think I've mentioned this before, I know it sounds extravagent but OH and I eat out three times a week - we both live with our parents in small houses and just don't feel comfortable cooking at home because there's not the space, unless we took it up to our rooms! The eating out costs are something I'm looking forward to finding out with the Spends Diary actually - I honestly think that rent and bills on a house plus food budget will work out the same/less than what I currently spend on board, food and eating out And anyway it's his 30th and he says he doesn't want a present, he just wants me to treat him to a meal out.

I wonder what people think of this actually: my boyfriend says he's not bothered about birthdays and insists he doesn't want anything, even going so far as to say he'll be annoyed if I get him anything, so I'm not - I'm going to bake some Hello Kitty shortbreads and a Victoria Sponge and take him out. My friend was astonished that I wasn't going to get him anything ... but I do think he's very 'says-what-he-means' so I hope I've done the right thing!

Sea78

HI

If he really means it then that's fair enough!! Are there any freebies you could get him? Perhaps a 'token' gift for the new house such as a mop, or something amusing? Best of both worlds then and might be funny?

Have you budgeted for christmas cards? Do you send them? POstage etc?

Look forward to reading your diary xxx

Have you signed up to BB? Might help with the overdraft little by little?

Can you ebay any clutteror carboot it?

Sea xxxx

Tete_en_l'Air

Hi Sea! I'm going to have a look in HMV for this French film he's been on about which he's heard is good - I'd said I'd get him it from Amazon with my BP points, but as his Bday's on Saturday I've left it a bit late - if it's about the same price in HMV (£5) I'll get it as a token thing. I think he'll appreciate the Victoria Sponge though

I'm making my Christmas cards!! I've already got all the stuff and bought a load of stamps last week (even the expensive ones and airmail stickers for Irish friends, how organsied am I?) so I'm sorted for them ... just need to make the flipping things now!

Ebay, I've a few things on there at the moment and going to list a few more tonight, but these are things that have been listed a few times and not sold, so might give it a rest for Christmas after this go and try again in January.

BB ... I'm racking my brains trying to think what this might be ...?!

wendz86

Yay Tete has a diary!

Sounds like it is going to be a tight month for you! A spending diary is a great idea though.

I am paying my overdraft off tomorrow when I get paid yay, I did it mainly on extra money made but also a little bit of my pay each month.

OHs present sounds nice, is a nice gesture and if he doesn't want anything then he doesn't!

wendz86

BB is Bingo Britain Tete. Is a good site. You need to deposit 5 pound sbut then you get 5 pounds bonus every day for 30 days. I think i won about 100 in total and loads of other people have won a fair bit too. You have to have 20 to withdraw but you can deposit and then withdraw your win.

kavics17

Hi and good luck with diary:),
Boyfriend doesn't want any present is ok, don't worry! My OH is the same, we never get any "surprise" present for each other, if he needs something and his birthday is close,than I get it for him. And he is the same with me. It was really hard to get used to this as I love surprises but accepted that he doesn't and he is not good at guessing either.We have already agreed that for Xmas we would just go to the sales on the 26th and get whatever the other want. BUT! it doesn't mean that he is not romantic, or we don't care-I always, always bake a cake for him for his birthday and he always,always cooks for mine something new we have never tried before. And last Xmas he proposed with a beautiful ring so I guess he improved since we've met:) So don't worry Tete, the cake will do it, he will like it!

Birdie85

Hi Tete! Yet another diary for me to keep track of!

Bingo Britain sounds good, although I have never ever won a game of Bingo, not even a line, so I don't know if it's worth me throwing away £5!

What design are you doing on your Christmas cards Tete? I'm seriously stuck! I've got all sorts of bits but I've no idea what to do!