little_h's big dreams :)

little_h_2

oh, and I forgot to add, went online to check my John Lewis credit card balance ( I've decided to keep it for 3 months and have set up the DD to pay in full each month, to see if I can keep some discipline going on my spending - plus it's 1% back on all spending, in JL vouchers which I want to use towards a new telly next Christmas ), and they have INCREASED it from £2500 to £3200.

I thought credit card companies weren't meant to do this any more! First Direct did the same just before Christmas!

Snowmoredebt

Hi just popped by to read your diary your doing really well.

dalleDF

Good luck! Especially with the no-booze month. Have subscribed to your nice new diary.

little_h_2

thanks!

spent £1.60 on a sandwich today :rolleyes: but at least I didnt buy a drink and crisps for lunch as well.

good job as I was so cold and hungry when I eventually got into work, that I bought a lovely hot chocolate (60p but easily as nice as the costa ones!) and a muffin (90p but again probably double that in costa). and I had been doing so well by resisting!

Picked up my dry cleaning, reached for the debit card but remembered I had cash in my wallet. I am getting better - that would have been my credit card a few months ago!

So I am trying to survive the rest of the month with just what's left from my xmas money, about £37, for day to day spends including lunch at work. looking very doable especially given the current weather :eek:

it looks beautiful outside but it was a very scary drive home.

If you are driving through Essex and you see a lass out playing in the snow on her own that will be me :j bf lives about 25 miles away but he has masses of snow too so unlikely we will see each other this weekend.

So I have stocked up on bread, milk and coco pops, and i am planning a big magazine clear out, and some demolition therapy chipping tiles off my bathroom wall.

I also had an interesting job offer today back at my old place, probably a little less money than what I was on before. And a good bit less than I am on now. But a couple of days a week working from home and a much more interesting job to do which I know I will be good at. Might even mean I can look at getting another dog as I will only need a dog sitter a couple of days a week.

I also saw the perfect house on rightmove last night. Perfect in every way other than the price it bloody should be perfect for £1.2m :eek: but hell it is nice to daydream :A

stay warm and safe everyone :cool:

dalleDF

Oooh! Job sounds exciting. Do you think you might take it?

A mere £1.2m for the perfect house? I'll take two!

little_h_2

Having another low one so thought I would come and post in here to keep me focussed on what I am trying to achieve.

Had 2 NSDs as I havent been out because of the weather.

I'm cooking chilli tonight to use up some mince from the freezer so that should do a few meals over the week. I also have veg and a few bits to make stuff for the nights when I am not eating chilli, plus have milk etc so should get through the week without going to the supermarket which will be great!

No alcohol last night either - after the mid week blip I ended up finishing the bottle off on Thursday and Friday. I have nothing else left now though so should manage all this week and next weekend without any wine. Still finding it hard to sleep but also still waking up with a headache so clearly it's not just the alcohol that is causing this!

Had lots of time to think but still no clearer on the job front.

For me there are two issues, first is the salary drop and second is the fact that I might feel that if I take the job I am somehow going backwards, also that I will be quitting early into the new job and I hate feeling like I am quitting.

I am also stressing about the house - got a few damp patches around the place and worrying about how I can get these sorted out without having to spend out a fortune. it's just me here and I feel lonely and miss my ex when things need doing on the house - not that I am incapable of sorting it out but he was very practical and felt like at least we were in it together. I'm really missing the emotional support at times even if he did stifle a lot of other sides of my personality.

Oh well. hopefully a nice big bowl of steaming chilli will cheer me up (even if my workmates won't thank me tomorrow )

I shouldn't be that grumpy really, rang up to sort out a joint savings account left over from when I was married and have been meaning to get sorted for ages - I thought there was about £100 in but there's actually £146. So this will be split and will be going towards my debt :money:

hope everyone is still nice and warm (dreading when I will need to get my oil topped up, was hoping I could stretch til March again this year but I doubt it with how cold it has been!)
xxx

beanielou

To quote the lovely Pap keep plodding.

little_h_2

thanks, I am feeling much more positive today.

i am still stuck in the rut of buying lunch each day but I have at least got it down to a nice Prawn Mayonnaise sandwich from M&S for £1.60. before I was spending £2.99 each day on the Boots Meal Deal.

It's good as well because I have noticed that I am not having a big carb slump in the afternoon, clearly my body is finding a little sandwich enough and doesnt need the fruit juice and chocolate too! (hoping my bum will get the message and shrink right down!)

My halo slipped a little today and I couldn't resist popping into Lakeland. I was nervous as I knew my resolve would weaken further once inside, but I was relieved to escape a mere £2.49 worse off, having bought an egg separator and storer. This was reduced to half price and is something I will find very useful as I bake quite a lot :A

Still unsure on the job front. I am popping in to see my old place on Friday to see what the job there is. But I have had a better day today and am starting to see a future at the new place too (which will see me a bit better off financially).

Decisions decisions!

hope everyone else is doing well and not finding January too depressing.

xxx

little_h_2

busy few days, lots of thinking done!

I found £40 in my purse that I had forgotten about - left over from some money my bf owed me which he gave me after xmas and I tucked away at the back of my purse to stop me spending it. Clearly it worked as I have only just found it!

I did crumble a little and spend £20 of it - the usual pattern, late night at work and wanted a "treat" to perk me up (and a quick dinner) so went into the supermarket on the way home... also bought a bottle of wine :rolleyes:

but I also used some of it to get my car washed. I was going to take it to the car wash at the petrol station but decided not to, it would have cost me a lot for a proper wash. I had to go to tesco's today to get some bits for a casserole and got it cleaned there for £5, half what it would have cost at the garage. I was very pleased with how well it was done, they even got most of the crud off the alloys! :eek: Given how many miles I have done through the snow and on the motorway over the last couple of months, this is quite a result!

I am now well into revamping the bathroom - demolition therapy is great :rotfl:

my de-cluttering is going well but now my house has junk everywhere while I wait to take it to the tip - it is chucking it down today and I can't face getting soaked through so will just have to wait.

de-cluttering is good but it has been quite hard, I still haven't been able to go through all the cards and photos from when I was married. I know I need to do this at some point but I guess the time will be right at some point and there is no real rush.

I went to see my old work yesterday and feel quite positive about going back. It will see me £180 worse off a month but I can work from home for 2 days a week which will mean it is much easier to get all the work done that needs doing on my house as I will be in for tradesmen etc. I also like being at home as I don't see much of the place at the moment! So the time at home for me is worth the £180....i think.

I need to make my mind up over the weekend. Really I've only had the extra money for the last 3 months since I started the new job, but obviously have planned my year's spending on the house to include this. There is the possibility of bonuses etc at the old place, but having been burnt on this one before, I will treat these as genuine bonuses if they come!

I also bought some boots and some undies. The boots were a bargain and will mean I can make much more use of my wardrobe - lots of lovely dresses and skirts but I don't really like showing my legs (work that one out!) and knee length/over the knee boots will help this. It's funny how we can justify these things to ourselves isnt it :rolleyes:

I'm going to put my ebay stuff together and get it photographed. I also have a few books to get on amazon. Some of the ebay stuff is bike stuff and will really help the debt situation so really I should get my !!!! into gear!

have a good weekend xx

Corona007

Hi Little_H, have just been reading your diary. Sounds like going back to your old job might work out well for you - it is always nice to take a job where you know the people and generally what the heck is going on. And on the plus side working form home two days a week could mean over 100 days a year where you don't have to spend any money on petrol and lunch etc. You could also try and persuade them to pay for some of your broadband costs if you are using it for work.