Baldybears diary...trials of life!

Baldybear

Dear Diary,

An update as have been bad and not done for a while! Tut tut!

Finally managed to get the van cleaned and washed and have been fab tonight and uploaded it to Autotrader so am keeping everything crossed we get some interest soon! As could really do with the money to be of evil Cap 1 as that is the biggest bugbear of mine and the biggest interest and the biggest amount!

Not being great on the money front but OH & I have booked out week away in September. It is going to be mega cheap as we are planning to go camping in North Wales! Works out roughly approx £500 for the week including fuel, food, going out etc so shouldn’t be too bad. Really need a break away from the norm for my sanity!

Health wise pretty carp at the moment too L Gut isn’t too bad at the moment, but am suffering with the most terrible headaches/migraines. Really don’t know what is causing them but they are really doing my nut in. Ended up with one all day yesterday and went to bed at 8.30 and still felt ill/sick all night and had a really interrupted night. And bang as soon as I get into work today another one. Feels like pins and needles all the time round the back of my head and constant pain L Been to doctor and got loads of prescription tablets but they don’t seem to help much. Looks like I may have to go back as cant keep having these.

Think a lot of the headaches etc is down to stress too. What with money and everything else its all too much sometimes.

Also work is carp as normal, too much to do and too little time, and sometimes just cant really be bothered with it all as don’t really see any financial reward for it all as still on carppy 25% paycut. And don’t see that we are going to get it back anytime soon

Baldybear

Hello Diary, another quick update from me!

Work is still really busy and still feeling pretty carp in the health department, but getting by somehow! I am sure stress makes it 10 times worse! So cannot wait wait now for my hols. Yes its North Wales, yes its camping and yes probably it will be pouring with rain all week But hey it will be a break with no stress hopefully!

Fab news on the DFW front, managed to sell the van last night for £3k!

Now need to decide where to put the money too. Part of me wants to put it to capital 1 (my highest debt) but this wouldn't clear it, so very tempted to clear CC2 and put the remaining £200 at capital 1.

Feel as that is what I should do as with this months pay will be able to pay CC4 of as well and that will be 2 down completely. This to me sounds really good mentally. CC3 still has 6 months approx at 0% interest so not worrying too much about this one, but the money I was paying to CC's 2 and 4 will be thrown at Capital 1, so in theory shouldn't take too long.

Still roughly on track now to pay everything of my Xmas bar the car finance, not exactly sure so when my cheque clears for the van, the pay day at the end of this month and then after the hols going to have another sit down and look at the figures and see if there is still a shortfall and what I can do to make it up. Still got lots to e-bay but waiting till the kids go back to school as has been very quiet over the summer break.

Feeling a bit more positive as feeling really despondent at the beginning of the week so got to keep staying positive somehow!

Baldybear

Well life sucks today

Work is carp still with far too much to do and snidey comments from one of my colleagues as haven't done something that he wants straight away because got too much else on. Could well do without this today!

Mums oven blew up this evening so have had to call electrician round to come and have a look, but he wont be round till monday so a takeaway tonight which is expense I wasnt hoping to have to spend :mad:

Sisters car is broken too so hopefully garage can fix it tomorrow or Monday or will have to get her insured on my car so she can use it to go on holiday with, she is meant to be going monday afternoon! oops

Also just had steaming row with OH and really wonder why I bother sometimes as so frustrated with life and everything sometimes. Meant to be buying a house in the new year together but really not sure what to do at the moment, so going to give it till Xmas and see then. Got our holiday booked in a few weeks, only camping in Wales but still a break and hopefully things will be ok between us then, cant be any worse

Debt wise is the only good thing that is happening at the moment Cheque for the van has cleared so will do transfers on Monday and will be able to repay all of CC2 and £700 on CC1 and fingers crossed will hopefully have another £200 left at the end of the month for more overpayments. Cant wait to update my signature :T

Also looking at the payments that we are currently making that we should be debt free by Xmas pay day apart from the car loan

Then comes hopefully the big mortgage in the new year:eek: but may have a few months saving whilst everything goes through so aiming to save enough to pay of the car early and would be great if can build up a bit of savings too, well can always dream :rotfl:

Baldybear

YAY! Money all cleared ok in my bank today so CC2 is no more!

Also managed to pay £500 of CC1 so that looks healthy too. Have worked out my budget for this month and should hopefully if we dont overspend on holiday I should have another £400 left over for overpayments!:j

Have budgeted £320 for holiday as already got the cash for the campsite so this is for fuel, food and spends so should be plenty, hoping to not spend this much so can pay some more of as well.

Work was ok today but really looking forward to my holiday now, really need the break. Just got lots to do before I go away and not sure if I will achieve it all. Will have loads of work to come back to too:( so going to have to enjoy the break while I can.

Baldybear

Good Morning!

So glad to log into the bank this morning and see the CC2 at £0 :j

Just working out a few extra finances bit last night and after my holiday am going to call up CC2 and see if I can do a 0% balance transfer from CC1 to save myself a load of interest. have £3950 on that account so should be great! Still want to have it all cleared by Xmas but even if it only saves me a few pounds will be fab.

Have still got about £1k shortfall so hoping balance transfer will go ahead to help with this. Also got approx £73 coming in from survey payout and paypal so this will help.

Got a lot more stuff to ebay as well but it has been so quiet over the summer, when I return from hols going to really crack on with that one, as a few things I have people may want for Xmas pressies, so heres hoping!

Suppose I should get on and do some work!

Baldybear

Well some more carp that life throws at me today, my car that I have lent to my sis and bro in law on holiday has managed to break :mad: Has a chip in the windscreen that will need replacing soon and part of the spring fell of the car yesterday, so has gone in the garage today down south to be replaced but thats more money for me to find and probably wont be able to use the car to go away with now.

Am lucky that we have 2 cars or would have had to cancel my holiday.

Just so fed up with life and everything at the moment, just nothing wants to go right at all this year.

Nothing I seem to do seems to make anything happen for the better.

I really do try and keep on top of everything and think positively and try and see the best way forward for what I would like to achieve in the future and life just keeps throwing curveballs my way.

I know a lot of people suffer 10 x what I am currently going through but it doesnt help my current state of mind.

Am really worried about depression and whether I may be heading that way. I just dont know.

I changed my contraception a few months ago as they were meant to stop my migraines, they haven't and am wondering whether or not they are contributing to the way I feel at the moment as cant seem to feel happy at all and everything is just too much at the moment. So when I get back going to make an appointment with the doctor to see if can changed anything to see if that helps at all. Willing to try anything at the moment!

Just got to get over the next few months up to Xmas after my holiday which is when I can have my next real break to get through, although not looking forward to these months at all.

Dad will be going in some time for his triple heart bypass surgery, work is still carp and no sign of pay reinstatement on the horizon although I have asked. And also if this winter is bad how will my pony survive, got to get the vet down when I am back from hols too, to do another assessment so something else to add to my to do list!

Sorry if this comes across as a whingeing post, just need to get it all written down somewhere as it whizzing round my head is just making everything seem 10 x worse!

Oh well, just carry on I suppose with life somehow! :rotfl:

Baldybear

TFI Friday!

No more work for a week now as well! Got most things up to date at work, will have lots when I get back but just going to forget about that for now!

Had stupid letter about pay reinstatement, am currently on 25% paycut, effectively losing £300 a month which sucks! It looks like 5% back in October, 5% in January, 5% in April, 5% in July and then the final 5% back in July 2012! :mad: Am not happy at all about that! When I get back from holiday going to say to boss that if he wants me to carry on with the level of work I am currently doing (e.g. 2 peoples jobs) then I need my pay back quicker or I am not doing the other persons work. They will just have to employ someone else as cant afford that. Its one of my major stress areas and am sure it makes me depressed even worse then I feel anyway and am just not taking that anymore. Will do the work up to Xmas and then thats it, either more pay or I wont do the work. Watch this space!

Really looking forward to my holiday now, its only a weeks camping in Wales (and it will probably rain all the time:rotfl:), but be nice just to get away from everything!

Got money budgeted to spend and hoping wont need to use all of it so fingers crossed end up at the end of this month with lots of make extra over payments!

Baldybear

Hello:)

Haven't updated for a while so here goes!

Holiday was great even if a tad wet and windy! Spent more than planned unfortunately but that was due to having to buy a new tent on day 2 due to our tent not standing up to the horizontal rain and gale force winds, oops! :cool: But it is a great tent and was half price and will last for ages so a good long term investment.

Back to work which is always fun but could be worse I suppose. Looks like will get my pay rise back eventually but in stages.... so 5% in October and 5% in January and then back up to 100% by July 2012...something to look forward to I suppose! :rotfl:

I am going to try and budget on my existing salary at the moment so when I get my increase back can use that all for over payments.

Just sorted out my salary for this month, just need to sort out OH's so so can see how much needed. Going to write it down here as a good reminder for myself!

Have 1,256.26 currently available
Expenses:-
305.20 VW finance
40 phone (should be around £35 but not sure and putting more than I need at the mo)
£65 pony rent
£25 pony farrier
£35 CC3 min payment
£150 CC1 min payment
leaves me with £636.06 available. Have done a big shop recently so have tonnes of food in for lunches and dinners so shouldnt need to spend much there so am budgetting for the remainder:-
£50 for food for month
£50 for fuel
£50 miscellaneous spends
£150 for vet that is coming down next week (should be less I hope!)
Have paid £250 extra payment to CC3 which has bought the total down to £1311
which leaves me with £86.06 left for the rest of the month.

Am hoping the vet and the phone bill will be less so will be able to make extra overpayments on the money not spent there

Have given myself a budget of £50 for misc spends which should be more than plenty, again hoping not to spend this.

Going to leave the £86 in my bank for emergencies and then hopefully use this as overpayments on next payday as this should be surplus!

This will be my first month of being really strict with the spending so going to see how it all works.

Still trying to keep up with the surveys and like as they seem to bring in quite a good steady roll of vouchers for birthdays etc which seem to really help as not needing to budget for them as this covers them.

Also got a lot of stuff to go on ebay between now and Xmas which should bring in a few more pennies:T

Overall feeling a lot more positive which is great just need to keep on track and I WILL be debt free (apart from car finance) by Xmas! :j

Baldybear

Well another weekend is almost over and back to work tomorrow.

A fairly successful weekend money wise. Have managed to sort my own budget out for this month, its tight but doable, but not a lot of money for over payments and saving.

Been reading other diaries and really need to try and set out a permanent budget to use up to the end of the year so can pay all debt off and ideally some sort of savings.

Just need some ideas for how to achieve this now!:cool:

There always seems to be some things cropping up which break and need replacing and general odds and sods, and dont have any savings for this so have to find this money from somewhere!:o Need to save for car mot, tax etc as dont have any savings for this either.

Just need to get motivated some how just not sure how to do it all, never been a one for budgeting!

So must try and get head round it all somehow

Baldybear

An update....as find this helps me keep on the straight and narrow!

Budget as follows:-
Allowed £40 for mobile bill actual is £37.36
Misc allowed £50 have spent £32.28 on printing photos (a years worth!) and £20 cash so over budget here.
£50 allowed for fuel, have filled the car up today and was £42 and in theory shouldnt need anymore before the end of the month.

So in theory should have £8.36 extra left over at the end of the month.:j

Not going to do anything yet with this but leave till end of month, and keep adding (hopefully) extras from budget too so can make up an extra overpayment.

Not going to count this "spare" money as mine to spend, going to see if I can stick to a strict budget!

So fingers crossed