Bang...and the debt is gone! (Hopefully!)

miggy

MissShoes wrote: »

3 days til payday

You are so close!

Keep focused, prioritise and enjoy ticking off every last item you have to do in the next few days. You can do it!

Keep us posted - though we might just let you off on SAturday because you probably won't feel like chatting after shopping, however nice it is to have dinner with friends.

MissShoes

So payday has been and gone...should I start the next countdown??? 25 days til payday (I get paid earlier in December)

So all the bills have been paid. Only 2 more dd to come out for car insurance and phone. I've paid minimums on my LPF, Barclaycard and Ikea card.

I did a big shop yesterday at Mr T, a little over £100. Then filled the car for £50. All we should need through the week will be milk, perhaps some fruit and cheese. I've also done an online shop to be delivered next Sunday for £70- OH has paid for this.

From now until next payday, I have 3 days where I need £2.60 for travel plus today's shopping trip. I also have 6 evenings out. 2 of these have been paid for except for drinks. I'm budgeting £30 a night so £180 in total.

For the present shopping today, we are buying 7 presents for my family and 3 for OH family. Then I need to take out cash for 2 presents and I'm all done apart from OH. I will get his stuff out of my next payday as we aren't celebrating Christmas until a couple of days after.

Ideally, I want to pay off my LPF card so I need to find £190 to do this. After all the expenses today I will sit down and work out what I've got left and what it has to cover.

Stressful! Hope I can find some bargains today.

Shoes x

MissShoes

Hi all

been absent from forums for a little over a week so time to catch up. 14 days til payday

£38.20 on onepoll- no surveys which is so irritating as I am frustratingly close!

£80 coming my way from quidco but no idea how long this will take.

£85.99 in current account. Tesco shop coming on Sunday for around £60 of this, need to see how I can cut this down.

Have a night out Friday but spend should be minimum- £15. Have a meal out on Tuesday- budget is £30. Have a meal out a week on Saturday- budget is £30. Need to pay cleaner £25 on Friday.

So my outgoings before payday are £160 and I have £85.99 so I need to find £75. I have a £26 refund due from Next and 5 things (good things) listed on ebay which are going for £20 so far. Plus I have £20 cash at work and £5 in my purse. I do have £1000 savings so can dip into them and pay them back from ebay/quidco/refund if they take too long to clear- I'd just rather not.

Need to save another £3250 from 2 pay cheques which is a big ask. I haven't really missed the £1000 this month (yes I realise how crazy this sounds) and I've calculated I've had £507.73 extra spends than I would normally (presents, gifts, nights out, travel etc). If I hadn't spent that £507.73 then I would be able to clear LPF visa.

On the plus side, everything feels very doable. I just want xmas out the way, the car sorted, then I can be debtfree in a few months. A rough plan is:

Feb- clear LPF and BC visa
March- clear ikea and Next defaulted account

Then I only have my OD and my friend to pay back £2500 and I'm done.

I need to get an actual plan together and make it happen then I won't be so vague/spend more than I have etc.

Off to reduce tesco shopping- aim is £40 including delivery- eek

MissShoes

Ok success- Tesco shopping down to £39.91 including delivery. I would love to find some delivery codes- any ideas anyone?

MissShoes

Another success- payday loan entry on creditexpert showing as SATISFIED! Woo hoo. Unfortunately this has had no positive effect on my credit score as Orange have said I've paid late this month (I haven't) but at least they've finally set up the DD starting next month (3rd time lucky). So now I'm religiously checking creditexpert to make sure that Orange update the file accurately. Sigh!

ETA- have called Orange to get them to update creditexpert as due to their incompetency they have taken my payment for this month's bill twice AND put on my credit file that I paid late....it's laughable!

MissShoes

cottage pie mix (cooked mince/onions/peas/carrots/stock/gravy etc)- enough for 8 portions

2 x gammon joints- enough for 6 portions

3 portions of cooked shredded chicken- use in curries, stews etc

2 x pizzas

3 x packs of bacon

13 portions salmon fillet

700g beef mince

5 chicken breasts

2 lamb steaks

250g prawns- stirfrys

6 sausages

3 chicken thighs- enough for 2 portions

bolognese- 4 portions

plus bread, muffins, crumpets, frozen peas, frozen broccoli, one ww ready meal, 2 unidentifiable frozen meals hm, frozen fruit

MissShoes

Only spend around £4 last night! Have only 1 more night out officially planned for before payday which is a meal. I won't have dessert. Starters are no more than £5. Mains are no more than £12. A bottle of wine is around £18. Including service/tip I am budgeting £35. I doubt I'll drink that much anyway.

Savings have taken a hit so I am tweaking December and January budgets which have to make up the deficit and I'm expecting it to be very very tight. Initial estimations show that once all bills and debt payments, fuel living costs, food, travel etc have been paid, I'll be left with £100 to last me a month for everything. Every penny and pound really will count! That said, I like a challenge and I have lots to be getting on with so very happy to stay in etc.

Roll on February payday!

So the real figures until payday (11 days to go):

In my bank account I have £121.78 and I have £46.16 cash in my purse= £167.94 actual money
Coming out I have tomorrow's shopping at around £40.50 and a bill to pay of £40.00.

Leaving me with £87.44 to pay for a meal and a few of drinks things this week (2 drinks max at each as will be driving), plus postage costs of ebay items.

Additionally I have £28.73 coming in from paypal, a £38.78 refund due, a £26.00 refund due= £93.51 plus more from paypal

Onepoll still at £38.40. This is my mission for next week. No sign of £80 from quidco, think it'll be a few months. Looking forward to Feb and March without council tax to pay.

MissShoes

Onepoll- up to £38.80- £1.20 to go. I am going to attack those surveys this week and hopefully reach the payout balance. I just hope there are surveys- there seem to be less available than usual.

Big expenses this month- have been paid and spent like a crazy person. I want all my dd and so to come out of bank account, there is enough in there to cover everything.

I also have coming in

32
32
100
100
30
15
20

which I need to save. I have £150 cash in purse to cover ebay postage, socks/undies/vests for OH, hair appointment and nails. I also want it to cover party food treats for Xmas day- we shall see.

I now have £2000 in savings and need to save £2250 more. I've spoken to OH about January being very tight for me (from Jan-Feb payday)- he is happy to spot me some money if I need it.

I am on a new diet in 2012- cliche much?- and January has been paid for. £100 for all my food and drinks. Will need to have this ready for February as well.

All my meals out/socialising have come in on budget or under budget. I am meeting with a friend tomo/Tues or Wed but that's just for tea at her's so no cost. I have dinner and drinks with friends after Xmas- have a bottle I can take to that plus I'll drive or have a lift depending on whose turn it is so no cost there either. I also have lunch and drinks with family too but again have a bottle I can take plus I'll drive so no cost there. I have been invited to a small gathering for NYE- again, have a bottle I can take to that so no cost.

Today is a very chilled out day and NSD. I have:

done all OH laundry
made pizza breads and salad for lunch
fresh coffee and croissants for breakfast
dinner will be canapes, lamb and other weird combinations to use up stuff
set up DD to all my savings pots starting in February


Today I need to:

do my laundry once OHs is dry
sort out my wardrobe- charity shop/hang up/organise
sort out OH wardrobe
change bedding
complete DIY project
sort out bathroom baskets and cabinets
sort out coffee table bowl
sort out cupboard under sink
rubbish out
huge paperwork sort out
shredding session
soak in the tub

Lots more to follow...

Shoes
x

38 days til payday

MissShoes

Onepoll is up to £39.00- this is taking so long it's untrue- how frustrating.

Tonight I am devoting to snowballing/budgets for 2012/setting up payments to creditors. I am going to be debt free in 2012- it's just a matter of when, I expect it to be June 2012.

Just expecting 7 more packages from ebay purchases but some of them were made today so i'd be surprised if they got here before Xmas.

Still need to do a little shopping trip for socks etc- MUST do this tomo. If I'm up early I'll do it first thing and get it out of the way.

Also need a small food shopping trip and to pay cheques into bank.

All quiet in the Shoes household. Minimum payments made to all creditors due to xmas expenses.

Will post more when the plan is formulated.

Shoes

MissShoes

Savings payments from February 2012 monthly:

Christmas and Gifts- £50
Holidays- £50
Car Expenses- £30
Household Bills- £25
Rainy Day- £25

Household bills is if anything unexpected arises/needs fixing/needs replacing/if utility bills come in higher than direct debit has covered

Rainy Day is a just in case pot of money. I don't intend to use it.

In a few months when I'm debt free I'll start saving like a mad person to squirrel away a house deposit.