Debt free before baby.

sazzle81

OOOPS!! Just seen how long ago it was since my last post!:o

Lots going on, Hurtlocker was dire and stopped watching it halfway through and the curry was also a little disappointing

Decided to treat myself to an eyebrow wax at the new Benefit brow bar in town last weekend. OH parked the car and stayed with it as I was only going to be ten minutes...I feel my downfall was there being alledgedly only one person doing waxing who was busy. In order to pass the time while I waited they offered to do my makeup. THREE QUARTERS OF AN HOUR of make up application later the girl explained that she would do the waxing after all :mad: Of course while doing my makeup I remembered that my stocks of Benefit things had dwindled and I was quite happy to let do so to save money. I felt very guilty after the girl had spent so long on my makeup (yes yes I know crazy!)
Eventually I left Debenhams in a slight daze with a carrier bag, an appointment for 3 weeks time and a rather annoyed OH waiting for me.

Annoyingly, the brow wax isn't really all that great...

Anyway, on a brighter note. Finally got the payment for the book I co-authored back in October.:j Honestly it seemed like a lot more money before I started the writing process! Think I'm going to treat myself with a little of it because it was the absolute bane of my life getting that book written.

OH has a half price voucher for some casino so if off out playing poker and I am stuck in watching telly, only thing I can find is an extremely old episode of Soldier Soldier so am considering an early night!!

Still thinking of a career change, but I just don't know what I want to do. It's probably just a case of itchy feet which I get regularly, it'll be wanting to move house next week!!

sazzle81

So I'm sheepishly returning to my forum.
Haven't had the best of months so far. Haven't had many NSDs and add to that car services (it needed it) and a wedding half way down the country tomorrow and it adds up to an expensive month! Also I muddled up when the road taz was due, thought it was next month but it's this month so have to pay that and coz my car is old...

I'm beginning to realise that my spending habits seem to linked to stress levels. Mine are through the roof at the moment and so is my spending!
Hoping to have a quiet week next week, have an engagment party next weekend but it shouldnt be too pricey a night.

On the plus side, finally got to the £40 on Onepoll!!! Cheque had arrived and is in bank account.
On the countdown to the Eater hols now. Am knitting a baby blanket for my friends and haven't really started it. Must find some time to get on with it!!

sazzle81

Well this weekend was a funny old one.
Wedding was lovely, as was the Hall itself. Initially we were going to stay in a Holiday Inn because we had been quoted £180 to stay at the Hall. Then realised because I am in the NUT I got a reduced rate stay at the hotel. It was still £80 but after umming and arrrhhhing we decided we needed a treat and figured once we factored in taxis to and from the event and then food costs it would be pretty much the same.

So we arrive at the Hall to find we aren't staying in the nice rooms in the Hall itself with the roll top baths etc. OH no we are in the room in the stable block WITH NO WINDOW! Don't even get me started on the chintz, the stale smell or the wallpaper! We requested a move and got one...to the room next door. Marginally better at least it had a window. A lot of the guests were teachers and I think a far few had done what we had, especially the couple who arrived after us and got our old room :eek:.

So we chalked it up to experience and decided to go to the spa and swimming pool. Pool was shut as it was too cold and wouldn't open until May. The spa reminded me of my local council gym.

Still the free bar and food sort of made up for it . However going to complain to the hotel about the lack of facilities and tempted to let NUT know.

Had a bit of a depressing talk with the OH last night, not making much of a dent in the debt if I'm honest. It's now below 10k, but is still about 10k more than I want it to be. Espeically as two of them now include interest and we've both managed to have most cards so won't get interest free ones. Looking at interest for life of balance but heart not in it at the mo. Added to finding out our road tax is £88 for 6 months and petrol now costing £180 a month just to get to work and back beginning to wonder if we need to look at getting a more economical car with free road tax. I do all the reducing petrol use things but I live so far from where I teach that it's all adding up.

Still on track for my 12 NSD this month though and have food in the fridge and a roof over our heads so it can't be all that bad!!

sazzle81

After the past few weeks, having a quiet weekend this weekend. Been out in the garden and made an attempt at cleaning out the [STRIKE]pond[/STRIKE] swamp in the back garden. Unfortunately cracked the thing standing in it trying to remove all the scanky water and leaves so going to have to remove it completely. It's in a really dark corner of the garden which doesn't get much light thanks to next door's conservatory. Think we'll put in some sort of water feature but not sure what - also want ot keep costs down (haha).
Not having a good month on the NSD will hope to get to 10. As usualy have ended up buying loads of things for work and for the schools I'm supporting and not got the money back. I always feel a little guilty for some odd reason!!

Pleased the sun is shining here though - might get the washing out on the line for ht first itme in ages!!

sazzle81

After investigating the cost for a water feature and discovering they are stupidly expensive, we now have a patch of garden with nothing growing in it or likely to grow in it due to next doors extension blocking out the sun :mad:. I would love to save up for something nice in there but with the wedding saves and paying off the debt there's not much I can do.

Got a bit down about it all again. Not paying off the debt as quickly as I want to, have realistically come to the conclusion that it's going to be several years before we pay the debt off . I so can't wait until that point but it just seems to be so far in the future. Still I keep repeating the mantra that I'm doing somrthing about it rather than ignoring it.

Think it's unlikely that we'll be debt free before having a baby. Have sold everything that we can on ebay, got rid of old mobile phones, signed up for all the polls etc so there's pretty much nothing else left! I did look into tutoring, I know lots of people do it but there seems to be insurance issues and union issues - not to mention time and work issues.

Still, me and OH are both healthy, as are our family,we have a roof over our heads and food in the fridge so we are a lot better off than other people.

sashybo

Hey sazzle, not seen you about in a while - how are things going?

J_pink

Hi Sazzle,

Where have you gone! Your last post seemed a bit fed up. I'm guessing the wedding has gone now and you had a fab time. I have fallen pregnant since my diary started (remember I was getting married and saving for a house and trying to get out of debt too!) Oh..and I think you said you were a teacher too!

I am now on a mission to clear debt and save my house deposit. By the looks of things we have similar debt so don't feel disheartened...come on here and tell us all about it!

Look forward to hearing from you.
J_pink

sazzle81

*Shuffles somewhat embarrased into forum*
Hello folks, me back again. Didn't exactly fall off the bandwagon but didn't exactly stay on it either...More on that to come basically had one hell of a year - got married which was amazing and a promotion but also had lots of downs along the way
Thanks for your massages Sashybo and J_Pink - hope you are both well and had great a great Christmas - will have to look on forums properly and catch up with you both. Major congrats on the baby news J - Just thought you probably would have had your baby by now and then looked at your signature - congrats! Love the name Oliver and spookily born on the same day as my friends little girl!! No news for us yet, we are now having a little help with some treatment, moving onto drug assisted next month so fingers remain crossed.
Sashybo how did things turn out on the job front?
Will write a more complete update later but essentially we were hardly even chipping away at the credit card debt and have ended up having to take out a loan for that and a few bits and bobs. Heart stopping moment for me as it means 4 years of debt, but at least I know for def that at the end of it we WILL be debt free!
Gonna use the forums this time to log NSD and try to get some savings. As this year has progressed we have realised that we live in teh house that bodge built. It all came to a head last week when I was holding a hot water bottle on pipes and burning out my hair dryer trying to defrost my boiler when my neightbour helpfully told me that the previous owner "didn't do anything right" and "that he bodged everything!". So as everything seems to be held together by elastic bands feel we may need some savings "Just in case!"
Anyway, was just going to be a short message and I seem to be rambling and am totally lost off on the Marple I'm watching so going to sign off for now!!

sashybo

Hi sazzle, nice to see you back again. Hope you had a nice wedding. :j

I ended up leaving my job as just couldn't face going back there full time - was unemployed for a few months and then got a much better job with better pay so it worked out well in the end. :j

boredofbeingathome

Nice to see you back again- i wondered what had happened, but then again knew that Life is the answer