Hoping for a better 2011

Angela84

Right, thought I'd start a diary to help me see I can do this, get debtfree, and also hopefully be in a much better place next year.

My background is Im 25, and a SAHM.
Have DS number 2 on the way in 4 weeks,
DS starts school in 6 weeks,
Have a idiot dog with separation anxiety who goes insane if left, (training started today)
OH has 2 houses on the market that are just not selling, been 3 months on both with not an offer or anything,
Waiting for these houses to sell to be able to buy a house close to school, for now it will be a 20 min drive twice a day,
My car is a nightmare, alternator is gone so if not driven for an hour each day has to be jumped,
OH's car is waiting to be sold so can release the cash, borrowing a old banger thats windows fall down on with no warning,
Getting married next May, have paid caterers but nothing else, so have put all planning on hold until we can afford it.

Debt wise have House of Fraser and Littlewoods waiiting to be cleared. Really want to bite the bullet and clear them, but get too worried Ill need the money to give to Oh for mortgage if he's short, or for Tesco/petrol etc. Don't really spend on much else during the month, might go out for lunch once or twice, maybe a few clothes in supermarkets/primark but thats it.

The loan hasn't been paid since last year. Really need to get to CAB to sort that, but just haven't yet.

Have just opened a normal account with Natwest so can leave overdraft one alone and start just tranferring money in there when I can. Soon I'll start this.

RBS one I need to get the guts to leave the card at home, but always seem to tranfer a bit of money in there one week, and just spend it the next.

SO there's my story, my main issues right now are the houses not selling, stuck really as we've put them both down by 10k, still nothing, and any more would mean we'd lose the money in them, and wouldn't really be able to afford a new house anyway. ALso the cars, not ideal that I could go into labour and have to spend 1/2 an hour flagging down a car to give me a jump start! :rotfl:

pennywisepoundstupid

Hi just wanted to say good luck. Can you eBay, do surveys, mystery shopping to generate a bit more income.

Jacey53

Just wanted to say good luck - and hope you can get the:) car sorted before the baby comes.

Angela84

Thanks guys. You know Im going to go upstairs today and Ebay some things! Have only ever done it once before and was a bit worried about doing it, just scared of negative feedback etc! That'll be my job for the day.

Paid off £60 from my House of Fraser account yesterday, so thats down to £100. Get money Friday so that will go to the Littlewoods. Also have Landlord going to old flat Friday, so fingers crossed he's happy with it all and I can get my £700 deposit back. Have got a hefty shortfall in my Elec/Gas bill, (they said £50 combined would be sufficient, and it really wasn't) so I reckon half of that will go to NPower.

And now need to think of what to do about camera. Don't have one since lost mine at xmas, going to obviously want lots of pictures of baby when he arrives, but due my IPhone upgrade in Sept and the camera on the new one looks fantastic (2 friends have them already)
So think I will buy a cheap camera for now (not the £200 Panansonic I had my heart set on) and then when I upgrade my phone I can give it my DS1 (4yrs old) as a present. He'd love a camera I think.

Another moneysaving thing I should do today is if I go out buy a cheapy cheap home phone. We're still paying £9 a month to BT, but phones stopped working ages ago. And whenever I call 0845 numbers from my mobile costs a lot more than if I did it from a landline I believe.
No doubt the car won't start anyway as didn't go out yesterday though! And typical, the flaming jump leads have broken! Ironic I need the car to work to take them back!

Angela84

Oh !!!!!!! I actually am trying to put these damn pieces of rubbish Ive found lying around the house on Ebay and Ebay won't let me blinking sign in the list them. Why can't these thigns by easy! Just wrote out loads of crap about what the stuff was, and gone and deleted it all.
And on top of that damn idiot dog has to follow me everywhere like a shadow, god, just go off and be a dog somewhere else!

Angela84

Done! 13 items of pure 'who would ever buy that' tat listed on Ebay. Still, its a start, if one thing sells then I'm happy! If not, oh well, I can take them to the chairty shops and at least be pleased Ive got space under the bed now.
Think Ive got DFW-ness, mixed with that nesting instinct you get at the end of pregnancy that you want everything clean and tidy and in order for babies arrival.
I've got some other things I'd like to Ebay in the future, maternity clothes and some other stuff, and it feels a lot less daunting knowing I can just sit down one afternoon and do it, didn't really take that long.

Right, better get on with making the house look nice and myself look nice, got friends coming for dinner and to stay, and house isn't looking its best!

pennywisepoundstupid

I've got a dog just like that, has a habit of lying down behind me when i'm stood doing something, i turn around and nearly break my bl**dy neck.

Angela84

Had a nice NSD yesterday as OH took us out to the country park and paid for everything. Lovely place, and allowed to take dogs so Idiot dog met horses, pigs, reindeer, chickens and donkeys all for the first time. He went insane.

Had then a sad conversation with my mum later on, (we're not normally very close or talk about stuff) about her. She got married a few years ago to a right loser, no one warmed to him, but she wasn't thinking straight as she's only ever been with my dad, and he left her 20 years ago. She was talking about her will and how she's just made it so he doesn't get a thing, and I said 'Do you hate him that much to leave him with nothing' and she said 'yes' and then it all came out how she can't stand him now, but she can't throw him out or get a divorce as he'll be entitled to half of everything.
I just can't believe that. In 4 years he's just started contributing £300 a month in the last 4 months, before that he was in and out of work so much it made your head spin.
She genuinely thinks that to ensure I get her house, she has to stay with him till she dies. Sounded so sad. Also she got secretive since she met him, and she confessed she's now got 5k on a credit card which she didn't pay for nearly 6 months, and is now only paying the minimum, so no doubt her credit is shot.
When I was 18 and carefree, and had lots of store cards, overdraft, expensive clothes she'd always be horrified as growing up she was the most careful with the pennies, each week we'd go to the post office to pay £3.84 on the electric, etc. She didn't have a bank card or anything, just her purse and her cheque book and she'd work it all out at the end of each week.

Now this guys come along, she had to support him, and shes kept it all secret as she knew how upset me and my nan would be about it. She is best friends with my nan, her mum, they do everything together, and if my nan knew about this she'd be heartbroken.

Not sure what I can do for her. She's also got this car on finance that she was sold into by some right sales sharks at the garage, and she hates it, but she thinks now she'll never be able to get rid of it as she's had to go to reduced payments on that.

On happier notes for me at least (feel guilty for saying it now!) half my ebay stuff finishes today, so that'll be a little bit of extra cash, the Christy towels I got in Debenhams sale weeks ago and I picked up a couple of days ago have washed so nice, They would have been £180 full price, but worked out about £40 for the set of 10, so am chuffed. Also gonna put on the duck down duvet I got, £100 down to £20.

Gonn atry and have another NSD today, walk to the park, and then to the pub tonight for a friends birthday for an hour with DS and dog, but that'll be OH getting the lemonades in.

Oh, and silly me forgot to cancel the standing order to the landlord, so thats gone out my account, but just text him asking him to put it back in Monday, so that'll be ok. He went over yesterday for the inspection, and despite a foundation spillage on the carpet, made it clear he really wanted to be able to give me my deposit back in full, so fingers crossed that'll be £800 coming my way soon!

Angela84

Yep, managed another NSD day yesterday. Was tempted to sign up to the NSD challenge for August, but seeing as I'll (fingers crossed) be having a baby this month, might be not be the top thing on my mind. Another month maybe, when I can just take lots of walks to the park, but not up to walking that far at the moment. One thing I'll try to keep remembering is to take drinks and snacks with us wherever we go, much easier to ensure a NSD day then wherever we are.

God, can't believe that from next month thats it for DS1, school for the next 15 years or so! Weekends and school holidays to have days out in, thats it.

What will be good this month is the sales will hopefully be finishing now, have spent a few mornings looking at sites online, filling up my virtual basket, and then walking off and letting it expire. Have only actually bought anything once, from Debenhams, but just good not to have that temptation.

Oh, and yesterday had a moody moment when I realised I can't fit into/look like a moose in almost all my clothes, so started taking things out of the wardrobe to Ebay in a big maternity bundle. By the looks of it, I've taken out over 50% of my wardrobe! Think I better hang on a minute, don't want to leave myself with nothing!

Today hopefully go out somewhere with OH, DS and dog again, looks like the rains finished for the day.

And text Landlord about putting mistaken rent back in, and he said no problem, he also needs to get my deposit back, minus a replacement mirror (which had fallen of the wall, but only because it was hung with no raw plugs) 3 lightbulbs, and the carpet cleaned if his wife can't get the stain out. Really hope he doesn't charge me silly prices, a new full length mirror from Ikea is £10, but he might be one of those people who only shops in John Lewis, or something!

star_ka

Just found this thread and think its great!! Im an old lurker fairly new contributer, most of the other diaries have been going for so long, its difficult to get the whole story!
On the generating more income, pehaps next year it might be a good idea to do a car boot sale! some friends of mine do this (only in the summer mind - better turnout apparently!) and they make a tidy return, they have found that they get more for "normal" clothes than on ebay, however ebay is better for maternity.
Some thing Ihave discovered recently it that facebook has groups ie "for sale in a certain area". This has worked well for me as ther is no insertion fees - bought my daughters xmas pressie recently - a brand new bike for £20!!! Also sold my old banger for a tidy sum!
I wish you the best of luck in your quest.

Angela84

Thank you Star for reading! And also for the advice on the boot sales and Facebook. Ill have a look at fb today I think.
Im shocked by Ebay though, 4 bottles of half used perfume finishes today, 3 of them are at over a tenner! And to think I would have just given them to the charity shop, or chucked them!

Had a nice day yesterday with the family in the park for a long walk. Also OH has stepped it up a notch and is helping out so much more, I wonder if he's read this?! He cleaned my car out, cleaned the kitchen up, even cleaned the windows!

Its his birthday Weds, but we talked yesterday and he said he'd much prefer us using some savings for finishing off the garden, got a few plans for it. So very happy to put it towards that. If it can increase the value/saleability of this house Im happy. Although he said yesterday he's worried he might not even be able to get anouther mortgage now, but I think he's worrying about nothing. One mortgage payment bounced last month, so they had to apply again a few days later. 1 little mark on your credit score wouldn't mess everything up surely. And not even sure if that would go on your credit score, when they applied for it days later, it went through.

Looking at the prices of houses in DS's school area though, a 4 bedroom I think is totally out of our reach though. Just dreading this commute each day with the baby in tow. At the moment, I don't get up till 8.30, and DS can sleep until 9.30 some mornings! Gonna be a shock to the system!

Also gonna take some pics of me in these maternity clothes to put on Ebay I reckon. Might just be me, but I think clothes sell better if you can see them on a person rather than lying on a table etc.

Oh, and officially 37 weeks today, thats full term, so any time now Ill be making that trip to the hospital!