Go For It - My 2010 Diary of Need!

ceebeeby

My Goals

I've thought long and hard about these, because I hate failing at anything I start. So I've kept them ambitious but achievable:

1. Not to add anything whatsoever to credit.
2. To attempt where possible to make extra payments.
3. To lose 2 stone in weight in 12 months.
4. Give up smoking - starting midnight on the first of January.
6. Keep house clean by doing Flylady and earning stars
7. Not to purchase anything unless it's on a list!
8. To save enough money for a singley holiday and a family holiday without putting it on a CC
9. No toiletries until the last drop from the house has gone ... should be around 2012!!!
10. No book buying - walk to the library
13. Make My House Better Project (started officially 21/02/10)
17. What I want to do in my life - full list here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/33993025#Comment_33993025
18. Join Weight Watchers in August and achieve 5% goal (8.5lbs by the end of September - 6 weeks)
19. Clear CC2 no later than April 2011 by making minimum 181.25 clear payment (+ interest) per month for 8 months.

Make my House Better Project

Hallway
Fix the boiler
Complete redecoration (walls, carpets etc.)
Lounge
Paint Ceiling
Redecorate
Matching picture frames in display cupboard
Fix window handle
Kitchen
Redecorate
New Blinds
Conservatory
New Blinds
Inner Hall
Radiator Shelf
Gloss Work
Cloakroom
Walls, gloss work
Replace loo seat
Eventually replace sink / loo
New Blinds
Garden
Finish of chipping - 6 bags needed
Replace missing fence bits
Turf to edges
Lift bark bits and turf under
Replace patio!
Put up outside lights
Fix over-flow leak!
En-Suite
Replace Lino
Bathroom
Replace Lino
Paint Shelf
Main Bedroom
Fix window handle
GENERAL
Replace front door bell
Replace all windows
Replace conservatory!

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2010 Savings Funds
Holiday Savings Fund (Singley's) 1: COMPLETE :j
Holiday Savings Fund (Family) 2: COMPLETE :j
Christmas 2010 Savings Fund: £250/500 - some presents already bought ...!
DD2 School Trip: £715/£715 COMPLETE :j(Amount added in October - £100)

NEW 2011 Savings Funds

February 2011 Mini Break: £0 / £400
Holiday Savings Fund (singley) 1: £50 / £800
Holiday Savings Fund (family) 2: £0 / £1000
Xmas Savings 2011:£0 / £800
New Boiler Fund: £0/£3500


_______________________________________________

December 2010 (25th November - 22nd December inc.)

My Debts (or the ones I'll currently admit too!)

CC1 - £battered (Dec interest added) Limit £6,700. (interest 1.52% monthly)
CC2 - £950.00 Limit £2,400. (interest 1.77% 2.17% monthly next estmate = £26.81)
Catalogue Account - £970.83 (0% interest)
Overdraft 1 - £1,450
Overdraft 2 - £3,100
Mum - £2,155
Gran - £890

START OF DECEMBER TOTAL = £15,658.62

December 2010 Reviews

1st Review 25/11: (-33.84:() Wow - what a way to start the month!
2nd Review 28/11 (+14.10) refund from IWOOT, recalc of expenses)
3rd Review 01/12 (+103.41) food money contribution from DH.
4th Review 03/12 (+56.71) spent a fortune in the shops!!
5th Review 04/12 (+22) I am totally lost I think and am not sure if this is right or not!!!
6th Reveiw after the emergency budget (+379.76) this is the maximum amount of money I can 'squeeze' out of the system!! and therefore all that is available for Xmas and beyond. There are still 2 weeks to payday, and major shopping still to be done, but can get that from next month. Wow - it's tight!

Post Xmas Review - we made it!!! The CC took a battering, but we survived!

December's Paying Out List

Income: CF + 134.80 + 2657.08 + 170.95 = £
Estimated Bank 1 Outgoings: 174.16
Estimated Bank 2 Outgoings: 89.42
Estimated Additional Expenses: 110.00
Total outgoings from Bank 2 = 1190.50
Bank 1 balance = 189.14
Bank 2 balance = 411.18

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EMERGENCY RE-BUDGET TO RECALCULATE WHERE WE'RE AT!!!

December 2010

Estimated Additional Expenses Break Down:
Petrol (£44.00 per week @ 4 weeks) = £90 - TWO FILL UP'S
Grocery Shopping (£50 / 2 per week @ 4 weeks) = £20.00 - Have to make it do
School Bus x 20 days = £0 remaining
Mini Break Feb £0 remaining
Exercise Funds - £0
Xmas - £0 but haven't got it all in!
Holiday 2011 Savings - £0 - I spent it!

Additional Extras Total: £1016
Total remaining to pay out: £110.00

Estimated Bank 1 Outgoings:

[STRIKE]Electric - 7[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]C Tax - 223[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Mortgage - 740.70[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Contents - 36.76[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Gas - 26.00[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Head in the Sands 2 - 740.00[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Sky - 91.00[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Pet Ins - 14.74[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Landline - 25.00[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Int and Charges - 12.00[/STRIKE]
Head in the Sands 3 - 105.90
Sky Protect 9.25
Build Ins 23.09
Home Care 28.92
Nat Trust 7.00

Total: £ 2090.36
Remaining: £ 174.16


Estimated Bank 2 Outgoings:

[STRIKE]Phone - 49.10[/STRIKE]
Catalogue - 60.00
[STRIKE]Car Ins - 22.72[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]CC1 - 154.00 (confirmed)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]CC2 - 225.00 (unconfirmed - incl. £200 overpayment)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Head in the Sands 1 - 312.38[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]TV Licence - 12.37[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Phone Ins - 7.99[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Life Ins 1 - 27.43[/STRIKE]
Life Ins 2 - 9.35
Int / Charge - 20.07

Total: £900.08
Remaining: £89.42
So - here goes 2010! I've got arms wide open and welcome all suggestions, tips and advice on survival over the next 12 months!

Nottoobadyet

Best of luck! You've set quite a challenge for yourself, but Im sure you're up to it.

For food, pester the OS board! Only have lentils, an egg and a squishy Banana? Those ladies can get you a recipie for a family of 6 which will leave you with leftovers .

Lurker1972

just want to wish you luck with the quitting smoking cold turkey - my OH did it that way having realised it was petrol for the car (& therefore the ability to see his kids) or fags......not to say it wasn't hard for him but 2 & half years later he is still a non smoker & hasn't looked back!

[Deleted User]

Good Luck - can't wait to see how you get on. I've got £5k outstanding on my CC and am looking at all ways of making extra cash to get it paid off

Starry_Skies

Just want to say good luck with your goals- you seem to be making a great start!! Will be popping in to see how you're doing

ceebeeby

Thanks for the early support friends!!

I work really well under pressure, so think if I set myself a weekly timetable that includes the exercise, house-work, kids time, DH time, work time, youth group time and me time - it will work out okay!

DD2 just asked if we can go out for lunch tomorrow! I said I had a better one, how about an ice picnic - all wrapped up in our ski gear (!!!) and we'll take a hot picnic down to the beach (we've got a portable gas stove from camping) and flasks of hot choc! Saved £20 I didn't have anyway, already!

I think my first task is to get the kids and DH on board! Well, they've taken to watered down milk, squished loo rolls, reused bathroom products for hand wash and half portions of soap powder in the past week (thanks to saving the pennies thread) - they must be getting the message by now!

DD3 is just back from cinema, and I asked her for the 80p change from the ticket (I agreed to her going before I worked out the sums above!!!!). Yes, I got a strange look. She then asked for a hotty botty (hot water bottle!) - but all our covers have mysteriously disappeared! Tonight it's wrapped up in a towel, but I said I would make her one on the (never before used impulse buy) sewing machine tomorrow - she looked reasonably impressed!! (I'll raid the material from the bag of clothes in the garage that was meant for the charity shop!).

Gosh, think I'll go and get a glass of wine whilst we've still got some!!!

longhotbath

Hi ceebeeby, and good luck! - where did the hot water bottle covers go then?????
LHB

ps - my DH went cold turkey the day we decided to go for children, and hasnt wanted one since - 11 years later, but boy can he complain now about others smoking!!!

ceebeeby

The nerves have kicked in now - I think more for the 12 hours until no fags time! Might be sooner if the packet I've got runs out before then!

In the bottom of my make-up drawer I've found 3 very out of date patches from my attempt to give up 3 years ago, so that will keep me going anyway for tomorrow and over the week-end!

I've just finished a cross-stitch for my Gran, and I've started on a long overdue knitting project (which will take about a week to do). I've just joined the 'make a patchwork quilt thread'. All designed to keep me indoors and occupied.

We're still off for our walk this afternoon - and the hotty botty bag hasn't been forgotten either.

[Deleted User]

You can do it Ceebeeby!!

ceebeeby

Day 1

Money Spent - zero
Extra Money Earnt - £65 (purchased Grans home insurance via quidco, saving her £50; changed pet insurance earning cashback and saved £10 per month, plus did a home contents search)
Money Saved - £10 per month (as above)
Hours / Days since last cigarette - 22 hours
Number of sweets / cakes etc. - zero!

Items needed for shopping:

Dishwasher tabs
Sugar
Soap Powder
Cat Food
Rabbit Hay
Nicorette patches - using one that is 9 months out of date today, but only have another 2 left. Anyone have any spares????

I've just posted up my food ingredients on the OS board (thanks for the tip!!) and have asked if it's poss for my food bill to be just £15 per week, but the cat currently costs £10 per week in food!!! So don't know if this is achievable!

I've also trawled through another 8 pages of the Sneaky Penny Saving Thread for some more hints and tips. Have just text Best Friend to ask for her left over pump dispenser bottles (she'll think I'm nuts!).

Tx again everyone for your support xx

ceebeeby

Day 2

Money Spent - zero (went to shop, but someone else paid the £10 ... is that cheating????), although did use petrol to go to beach and supermarket.
Extra Money Earnt - £22.50 refund from Amazon for pre-Xmas purchase now sent back.
Money Saved - £10.18 - the cost of the shopping that someone else paid for.
Hours / Days since last cigarette - 2 days
Number of sweets / cakes etc. - zero - although have eaten half a pkt of dried raisins / cranberries.
Hardest Thing So Far - Feeling Twitchy!!

The meal planning is going fantastically, and I'm so grateful to everyone on OS! It's really saving a fortune as I'm not very inventive with meals etc. the family were overwhelmed by todays efforts, and declared the dinner as one of their most favourite ever!!

The walk was lovely - really refreshing! Whilst on the walk, the kids started nagging me about smoking - saying when are you going to give up .... I asked them had they seen me or smelt me with a fag (I always smoked outside the house) for a couple of days .... they nearly knocked me over with hugs!! Worth it for their smiles!