elantan's diary

elantan

well i finally arrived and we were the last ones to get dropped off no surprise there then the luck continues) then we were given the wrong room imagine sharing a room with your 16 year old son but we got all that fixed and now were having fun i'm eating like a pregnant woman with twins and it is expensive managed to get some shopping in though so hopefully tomorrow will be cheaper...hope your all doing good

elantan

confession time...



ive taken my eye off the ball recently both with my 101 day challenge and spending money i did have but needed for other things, now that i'm back from my hols i thought i would have a look at the finances and they aint good so i did another soa last night on the night shift it wont be a complete one as i have no doubt i will have forgotten something or other but here it is any help gratefully recieved

income £1250 (hubby)
£940 (me)
£100 dig money (nephew)

outgoings
£640 mortgage
£180 council tax
£225 car
£108 gas and elec
£40 mobile
£36 endowment
£50 xmas/birthdays etc
£110 car repairs/t.v license/car tax
£86 insurances
£100-120 petrol
£20 son for gf
£60 ju jit su
£24 o.u
£225 food
£100 work hubby and me
£66 internet and phone (no cable tv anymore)


debts
£350 overdraft bank one
£500 overdraft bank two
£660 american express visa
£370 egg visa
car loan unsure but approx 18 months left to pay (i think)

it didnt take me long to get that much in debt again either i really could kick myself ...most of it has came from the holiday we have just gotten back from we had more money but with the car recently etc we had to use alot of it

i have even taken on overtime 20 hours this month same again for august and september...i really dont want to do overtime but i am realistic enough to know that i have to if i want to get anywhere

on top of all that i badly need to get a wall rough casted outside the house it is starting to fall down that will be upwards of £1000 i also need to start saving for a new car (dont know how long this one will last now) i would like to also do some other work to the house but it isnt essential like the wall ...we also want to go to florida for aour next holiday i am realistic enough to know that this wont be for a good few years now but i would like to have an idea of how to start saving for it....lastly i have no pension anymore well i have a frozen works one and one i did pay into but dont anymore (no money) but i do need to think about these things for the future
can anyone suggest anything???

i will do the spending diary again as soon as we get back from london and will re check i have the best deal for gas and elec but i checked not that long ago and we were actually doing ok on that front have gotten rid of the cable t.v now so just the internet and phone usage to deal with


on the bright side i got a cheaque through from the lawyers whilst on holiday paying me for time lost from work and the oesteomyologist so that is what we are using for london and any spare i'm throwing at the highest interest visa (not sure which one yet)

hypno06

Hey El, glad to have you back. I hope you have had a fabby time!!

Reality hits now though - mountains of washing, and getting back into your DFW ways. Of course you have made a great start - I am amazed that you have already got your SOA up!!!

How about having a "wall" fund and a "florida" fund and doing some of the challenges on here to boost them up. The olympic fund, or a Matched betting challenge or something that goes specifically to those two things.

Will try and come up with something useful soon, but it is still too early for my brain to be working properly!

Welcome home xx

hypno06

Good news about the cheque :T

elantan

thanks hypno thankfully washing is all done and put by now (quickened by the fact i dont do ironing no doubt LOL) the holiday was ok but i wont be going back (cant afford to now) hubby and son spent the time arguing i was referee i cant see any more family holidays with us all together but you never know... the cheaque came at the perfect time i dont know how we wouldve managed london otherwise even though most of it will be paid for by the mil we still would have to find money for food etc ...i have my snowball still so might make that the wall fund jar as that is the essential one just now will look at terramundi's etc for florida and a new car though cheers for the reminder ...the problem i have with challenges is my work i start off well then have to work those stupid long shifts and loose my way the 101 day challenge and lenny v the girls challenge was going great till week two of my hols but have hopefully sorted that problem out now so it's time to start the finances again i feel so irritated with myself for becoming so complacent and would love to be able to give myself a kick up the butt

Storm

Hi El :hello: and welcome back

I've had a quick look at your SoA, and a few comments below:

income £1250 (hubby)
£940 (me)
£100 dig money (nephew)
£2290
outgoings
£640 mortgage
£180 council tax
£225 car
£108 gas and elec This seems high - have you done a comparison recently?
£40 mobile Is this just 1 mobile? If so can you get out of the contract?
£36 endowment
£50 xmas/birthdays etc Could this be reduced for a few months whilst you pay off the cards & ODs?
£110 car repairs/t.v license/car tax
£86 insurances
£100-120 petrol
£20 son for gf what's gf?
£60 ju jit su
£24 o.u
£225 food
£100 work hubby and me what's this for?
£66 internet and phone (no cable tv anymore) This seems high - are you still in a contract or can you switch?
£2080

debts
£350 overdraft bank one
£500 overdraft bank two
£660 american express visa
£370 egg visa
car loan unsure but approx 18 months left to pay (i think)

There should be about £200 left over each month... I reckon the minimum payments on the CCs come to about £30, plus a bit for OD interest - £35 in total?

I know what you mean with the challenges - I often start with good intentions & then lose my way, but you could always set yourself one & post up for people to join you - maybe along the lines of 'each week I will do 1 matched bet, enter 10 competitions and list 5 items on Ebay/Amazon'

Also, when you're doing lots of overtime you need to cut yourself some slack - it can be so tiring even a few extra hours a week that you need to allow yourself some time to relax.

elantan

thanks storm i totally agree that the gas and elec seems high i got it checked only a few months ago and was on the best tarriff then howver it wont do any harm to re-check it i dont think, to be honest when i get my estimated bills from them they are way out so i reckon i owe alot more than the monthly payment and would need to pay it before i left no doubt....

i could reduce the b/day money no probs will try for £25 a month instead and see how i get on

my son is 16 and has a girlfriend we agreed with each other that he gets £5 a week to see her ..he's staying on at school so wont be getting a full time job but a part time job is possible if only he could get one he has been for interviews but no luck i think it's his attitude when he goes for interviews but he says they are looking for a full time worker ...i'm refusing to give him money for anything other than seeing his gf but he has grandparents that pander to every whim of his (and i wonder why i have issues with him) i have spoken to them over the years about this but i might as well talk to a wet brush so in real terms he has no incentive to go get a job when he gets everything hi little heart desires

the £100 for work well hubby works outside he does take pieces with him but still likes to have something hot to eat (which i can understand) i also do the two jobs and sometimes need to get something to eat as i wont get home in time to get anything i'm estimating the £100 but it could be less will find out more exact when i do the diary

the mobile phone is just for mine i am on quite a good contract 500 anytime any network mins and unlimited texts cause i work those long shifts i tend to use it (not all the texts) i also have a bar on the home phone for mobiles so if ever son wants to phone a mobile he has to use mine (which is alot as he doesnt put any money in his phone) i could go payg but i wouldnt get the 500 mins for £40 a month never mind the texts and some friends are payg so they are cheaper texting and wont phone so i spend a good bit of my time texting them

the cable well that's for 10mg download nephew and hubby want this and dont want to get rid of it they say they use it (i dont really know if they do or not) i also have the phone on one of those £25 unlimited call packages where you can phone landlines for an hour and not pay any extra and believe me son uses this to the extreme infact he has went over the hour a good few times now that was causing problems but now if i get a bill in and he has went over his time then i take his £5 off him that week even if it's less than £1 to try and teach him a lesson (still not working though)

i know it seems like i have plenty to chuck at the debts and on paper it certainly looks that way but somehow i never seem to the diary will come in handy here i think.. i will get there i have no doubt and things arnt tight for us like for some people but i am peed off at the fact we were doing so good just the car to pay and the plan was paying that off when i got my settlement in not that i wouldve had much if any spare for the wall etc i was planning on putting the car money to that ... thanks for your help so far anyone else any ideas or suggestions?

Gemmzie

Hey Elantan, your family situation kinda sounds like ours. My mother keeps wanting to go on a family holiday but I just can't see it working now.

Is your son going to college/6th form this year then? He may be entitled to the low rate EMA. September/October is the best time to find work, most places take on loads for 10 - 12 week for Christmas and then keep on the best ones after that.

Can't really think of anything else.

elantan

thanks gemz he is going into 5th year this year so he has two more years to go before uni (dont think i'm gonna last that long to be honest lol) i mentioned the ema to him but he says that we (meaning hubby and me) earn too much i might look into it myself however ...i think if i could just get him motivated although he says he is but right now he is more interested in getting an open air gig organised at the local castle he's meeting msp's today just wish he would put that much effort into getting a job sigh

hypno06

I think you should look into the EMA yourself. At least if you are told "no" then you know yourself, whereas you would kick yourself (and DS too!) if you didn't look into it, and then found too late that you could have claimed.