Diary of an Ex-Spendaholic - Sorting it out in 2010

Ex-Spendaholic

H Carlos, hope you had a good holiday.

Ex-Spendaholic

Revising once again as it seems school dinners have increased. Also will be paying for playgroup and electric has gone down slightly.

School Dinners 23 - to be reviewed when DS decides on choice
Kids Club/Church Activities 6
Kids Pocket Money 6
Kids Lessons 12
Playgroup 11
Groceries 70 - I will reduce this
Diesel 40
Gas 30
Electric 15
Papers 4 - One day I will cancel these
Sealed Pot Challenge 7
Other 26 - this will cover anything miscellaneous like kids going to birthday parties etc

Just a few changes will be paying for playgroup monthly in advance and also school dinners. If the 2 kids decide they are having school dinners every day and then are having tea at my parents 3 nights per week then it is a good excuse to cut the grocery spend. There is no need to be buying every conceivable sandwich filling if they aren't taking sandwiches. :rotfl:

Ex-Spendaholic

Targets for this week:


Buy parents Xmas present - Done

Take bag of clothes to used clothing company - Done

Send phone to Fonebank

Buy kids winter coats - Done

Ex-Spendaholic

Life on the whole has been generally hectic. There doesn't seem to be a spare minute in any day. :eek:

Have been working on the bedroom. It is now down to a bare shell with just a bed sitting in the middle of it. Will be replastered at the weekend and we have units, flooring etc chosen. One day it will be finished. :rotfl:

Kids are back at school and the daily demands for money are flooding in. Hopefully things will calm down shortly. :eek:

Got my £190 Health in Pregnancy Grant today. Its sitting in the account. :j Also posted off the Sure Start Maternity Grant application as we may get that £500 too. :j

Big ebay fest planned for this weekend. I have unearthed some ornaments which need to go.

Ex-Spendaholic

Things are still pretty hectic. Not doing too badly on the financial front though which is good. :j Haven't had a chance to do the ebaying yet. May get that done tonight. These are this week's targets:


1. List all ebay stuff - Done

2. Buy 8 tins of biscuits - Xmas presents for people who run the church organisations etc which my kids attend.

3. Send that phone to Fonebank.

Ex-Spendaholic

Well I have the ebay stuff listed for ending Sunday night. 8 items - 3 of which have opening bid and all of which have watchers. Hopefully I'll get shot of most of it and make some money.

Just had a £3.72 credit from Quidco. Took 2 bags of clothes to the used clothing company yesterday and got £7.80 for them. These aren't big amounts but they are handy to use for paying out for school expenses etc rather than use the household budget.

The guy from the Social Fund rang me this morning to say he needs a copy of my tax credit award to process the sure start maternity grant application. Hopefully that will all go through ok.

The sealed tin is bursting to capacity now. I'm holding off emptying it as the urge to buy something stupid is too strong right now.

Things to do:

Send the phone to Fonebank

Buy those tins of biscuits

Get the kids some more winter clothes

Ex-Spendaholic

:j :j Happy Days, I sold 8 items on ebay and got £140 plus made about £15 extra on the postage as I'd over estimated. :j :j Think I'm going to buy a new buggy with this.


Bedroom is progressing really well - walls painted, floor laid and innards of cupboards assembled. In the next couple of days the doors will go on. :j


Have managed to sort the youngest DD's winter wardrobe. Will do the older DD in the next couple of days. Have been buying bits and pieces for the forthcoming baby too.


Dropped the tax credit form down to the office who deal with the maternity grant so hopefully that will progress soon.


Had an asda grocery delivery on Saturday night which cost £70 (exactly the weekly budget)- however I'm going to try to make it last 2 weeks as the kids are having school dinners 5 days per week and dinner at my parents 3 nights per week.


Next things to do:

Send the phone to Fonebank

Win some competitions

Buy those biscuits

carlos*the*mackem

Happy days indeed...well done on ebay! :j

Ex-Spendaholic

More good news. :j


Sure Start Maternity Grant of £500 has arrived in the account this morning. :j


Yesterday I opened the sealed tin as it was bursting to capacity and wouldn't take any more money. I've been putting at least £1 per day in since the beginning of the year. There is £337 in it. :j:j I've put it all back in while I decide what my next move is.


Have found some more stuff to ebay - 3 pairs of kids Converse boots - reckon I could get about £50 in total for them. Will list tonight. :j


So I really am in the money at the minute (which makes a change) The £500 grant, £190 healthy eating grant £170 from ebay (including postage profit) and £337 in the sealed tin adds up to just under £1200. :j I need to now be very sensible and decide what to do with it. I do intend to buy a new buggy and there is Christmas coming up and also I will be having a portion of maternity leave on SMP. Won't do anything rash just yet.


The bedroom is coming along nicely. By the end of tonight the units should be fully built and we should be able to move our stuff back in thus clearning up the kids rooms.


Starting to look more into Christmas now as there are a lot of toy deals around. DS is almost sorted already and I have some stuff for the DDs. Would like to sort this all ASAP. All our relatives are sorted (apart from the people I've to buy biscuits for - will do that in the next few days)


We have a car which we put in storage every winter. Normally I insure it all year round in order to keep the no claims current but spoke to the insurers yesterday and they said that the NCB will stay in tact so I'm not renewing on 1 October, it can wait until 1 April. That will save £20 per month. :j


Right must go and see if any other ebayables jump out at me. :rotfl:

Ex-Spendaholic

Aaaggghhh the Grabbit board on here is causing me to spend money. That said it actually did save me.


I have now bought the youngest DD's presents for birthday next month and Christmas. I used a 20% off ELC code and got £154.99 worth of stuff for £123.99. I will also get 5% through quidco on that bringing the spend down to £117.80. :j I got her a dolls pram, doll, Vtech Storio and 2 sets of furniture for her Rosebud Cottage dolls house. She got that at Xmas and uses it loads.


I then went to Smyths Toys with a voucher - spend £49 and get £10 off. I knew that the Lotso bears from Toy Story are sold out everywhere and that they had them in stock. So I've bought that and a Toy story lego set for £39. :j


So even though I have spent £156.80 I have actually saved as it all should have cost £203.98. :j


I know this is all very boring but helps me to write things down here as then I know where I am a few days before Christmas and I don't know what I've bought. :rotfl: