josiebabie's change of life diary

josiebabie

Right I'm back at work today so am well and truly on the DFW bandwagon now. Remembered to turn off my hot water and TV etc at the wall, got mince out of freezer for tea, brought in all my food from home and left my purse at home!

DD is at my dad's house in North Wales for a week so I have a quiet house now - finally! Have had visitors everyday for well over a week!

My challenges for this evening are;
- To make another shelf for my shoe rack, no idea I had so many shoes!
- Watch TV and relax
- Sort out dry clean HC and do ironing
- Cook bolognase for one...lol
- Bit of weeding
- General pottering around

Looking forward to it!

josiebabie

Right after being told off by DM for not updating my diary, I have put it on my list on the small things thread so I MUST do it today!

Things going well at the moment and I am feeling confident about being a single mother. Had a lovely day out yesterday with DM and DD, dropped DD off at her dads last night and had an early night with a book! What a rockin Saturday night! LOL

Today I have LOTS of things to do, including fitting in somewhere lunch with a friend to catch up, really seemed to miss out on my friends when ex and I were together so I'm looking forward to that.

I have still got an empty Cap 1 card, which I am proud of, despite all my recent outlays! I have a lot to pay for this month but it is my bonus month so I have budgeted it all in on purpose, ie: log delivery for the winter, getting my motorbike repaired etc. I have about £500 available for overpayments if I do not spend on ANYTHING except what I have to, ie: food, petrol etc. I need to allow myself some breathing space so will judge about £250 for overpayments and use the rest to enjoy myself! I know that's not really the DFW way but after everything that's happened I really need to breathe out a bit. I think I'm going to take a leaf out of Kel's book and make my overpayments at the end of the month instead of the start, then there's less risk of having to use the CC!

This is also my first full month of working out what I will be spending on food for just me and DD. DD is in nursery all week and so only really needs food from home at the weekend, and every alternate weekend. I am glad to read in the nursery news letter that she will be entitled to 15 hours a week free childcare from 3rd birthday (December), this has been upped from 12.5. Although they will only take it out of my tax credits so I don't suppose this makes too much of a difference!

Right I think this is enough of an update for now as I have sooooo much to do. Will try and give a mini update every morning when I do my small things list so I don't become a lurker in diary land!!!!

josiebabie

Money in purse: £3.00
Money in bank: £1941.93+£350=£2291.93
Bills still to pay: £1826.16
Petrol still needed: £75
"Left over": £390.77
DAYS TIL PAYDAY: 31

Well I promised a daily update and a daily update is what you'll get! Well today at least...

Had a good day yesterday, went to lunch with a friend and said friend paid for lunch and all the drinks! Must have felt sorry for me poor single mother etc! LOL Though am going for lunch with a different friend today and it's my turn to pay.......

Today is payday, hence all the monies coming and going.

Got so much done yesterday, was very pleased! Not very DFW but a lot done around the house. DD was at her dads so I had all the time in the world!

josiebabie

Money in purse: £0.00
Money in bank: £307.84+£300=£607.84
Bills still to pay: £288.46
Petrol still needed: £75 / £80 in fuel account
"Left over": £319.38
DAYS TIL PAYDAY: 29

Still not looking too bad on the money front. £100 of the "bills still to pay" is budgeted for food so that is variable. I have spent £38 on groceries since the 11th, not including food out (that comes out of my spends money) so I am doing well, I also have a huge amount of meat etc in my freezer as well as base ingredients. I will start another shopping diary so it runs payday to payday and I can budget it properly.

Mini update for the minute!

josiebabie

Today was supposed to be a NSD but I HAD to buy DD a lovely princess dress up set in Argos, loads of stuff but was £11.99! I know I could have got something cheaper elsewhere but it was convenient!!! Aghh that old chestnut! :rotfl:

Other than that a good DFW day, not spent anything else. Worked hard today as promised, sold a purge so that's another £2.50 in my pocket (before tax of course...) but on top of that I sold £2250 in labour as well so that's cool.

Need to go to Mr T's tomorrow for a few things so will write a list either before I go to bed or before work. Grocery budget still doing well for the month, hardley spent anything! Still awaiting on the pin number for my fuel account as I have forgotten it. Don't need fuel til Monday I think.

Ex should be putting £300 in my account tomorrow to top up my monies. Need to pick through and see where I am, although I'm only going to be £11.99 less than yesterday I like to keep an eye! LOL, does that make me obsessed???

I have the WM set to go over night and a load in the tumble. Shouldn't use it at the moment but I just can't judge the weather!

I feel like I should be doing something right now but CBA. Have a fair amount to do, I have enough washing up to do a bowl now but haven't turned the hot water on since yesterday so will prob drag that out until Saturday!

josiebabie

So today I am working for £85 overtime (for 6 hrs). I have friends and family enlisted to help with DD for which I am very grateful!

I have forwarded a Pinecone survey to my work email so I can sit and do that this morning, that is underway!

I am getting my motorbike back this morning! How exciting! That means I can use that every now and then instead of my juicy car. I had budgeted to pay the guys £80 for doing it including the MOT test, but they only want £60 so that's £20 towards the tax that I forgot to budget for!!! :mad: LOL, luckily it's only £35 ish for that though.

I am also having my logs delivered for the winter, which is £55 but budgeted for. Paid for in my bonus month so come winter they'll be all dry/seasoned and ready. I have also asked him to chop them a bit smaller than normal to save me some hard work...well I'm paying for a service!!! LOL :rotfl:

Must write a Mr T's list this morning, am running out of all sorts of stuff at home. Got loads of meal food and stuff in freezer but not a huge amount of inbetweeny food, not snacks but stuff to eat when I don't feel like cooking. :eek:

Money all looking good at the moment, ex is putting £500 in my account on Monday instead of £300 as he owes me for the TV I ordered from Next. I think what I'm going to do is wait until the 7th when my Next bill comes through and pay £200 off that, rather than paying it off Next NOW and then having to make another payment when the bill comes through! :cool:

I have finally got the pin number back for my fuel account, which is good as I will need to top up on Monday AM before work. This time I will change it to my "normal" number.............;)

OrangeFairy

Sounds like all is good at the mo

Great about the overtime. I sooo wish i had the chance for paid overtime.

Enjoy getting your bike back :j

How are you settling into single life?? Finding it strange or enjoying it??

josiebabie

Bit of both really! It is strange being on my own most evenings but I am enjoying it too. I love the lack of washing, ironing, general cleaning etc. I can watch whatever I like on TV even the really rubbishy docu-soap things that I shamefully admit to liking! (The Family....etc)

Hope all is well with you and your girls and that the wedding plans are all going well! Shame on you for not posting on small things everyday!

josiebabie

Money in purse: £25.62
Money in bank: £445.96
Bills still to pay: £55 logs
Petrol still needed: £50 / £55.10 in fuel account
"Left over": £416.58
DAYS TIL PAYDAY: 22
Also have a £10 Mr T's voucher from surveys

Well things are looking good on the money front - those with an eagle eye will have noticed that my Egg balance has gone up. Have used it for bits and bobs but will hit it with a large overpayment when it's the end of the month. As you can see from above I could afford to pay it all off now but want to keep my extra monies just incase. Also to allow a bit of breathing space for me and DD to enjoy ourselves. I think we deserve it after everything.

I'm getting very close on OnePoll, closer than I have ever been! (Obviously...lol)

I have my motorbike back but it overheated and pee'd out water yesterday evening so they're taking it back in today...boo! Ah well at least it means this Sunday I will stay at home and do housework rather than flying around on it when I don't need to! LOL, so I SUPPOSE it's MSE that it broke down..........lol

Ex ended up putting £400 in my account rather than £500, so it doesn't matter because I'd budgeted on him putting in £300 so I'm still up by £100. I will just make sure I get the extra £100 off him next month, although he is very good and doesn't need hassling.

Logs didn't arrive last weekend, think there was a bit of confusion over the "first weekend in August" as last weekend was the 1st of August, but also the last weekend in July. LOL Still haven't sorted out the shed yet so I'm not ready for them!

OrangeFairy

I am back on small things! I think i just feel i am not making much progree DFW wise as all our money is going for wedding bits! But i know i need the small things to keep me on track!

I hope you are well!!!

Get ready for those logs!!!!!!!