Moving It.

Different_Corner

Morning
Is going to be a good day, 10 hour shift ahead of me but it will be busy, thats always good.
Catch you all tomorrow morning, hope you get a chance to enjoy some rays

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Hi DC

Hoping work is going well today and you get a chance to enjoy the sun. Am just about to put my washing out in the sun and follow that with sitting in the garden with a cup of tea for a few mins!! Take care.

Different_Corner

So my mission to reactivate friendships took a huge leap this week. Old school friend lives an hour away, stayed in touch through the last 25 years but not physically seen, came to see me. Breathe of fresh air.

Lawn mower is well and truly stuffed, have taken it to be seen to, bound to be £50, which honestly I don't have but will find. Garden is total mess.

Ebay bids are low.

Did have a good day yesterday, actually enjoying job at the moment, but that's because it's busy. Never thought I'd enjoy retail, but I do. Makes me sound fickle especially as I was so desperate to find something else a month ago.

Have had a taste of what else is out there and it's not pretty.

More tea and a mooch around diaryland methinks.

hypno06

hopefully the lawnmower cost will be a one off, and the tidy garden will make a big difference to the way you feel throughout the summer, so a good investment really.

Lots of positives in your post though - excellent to be seeing old friends, especially

MrsMoo2U

Great news on seeing your friend. My best friend from school is in NZ but coming over for a visit in July so I know how lovely it is to catch up.

Pah to lawnmowers.

As for the retail job it is not fickle to realise you are enjoying it. Remember that you had a golden opportunity to try out the grass over the fence without having the gate closed on your normal field. We all think the grass is greener sometimes so being able to taste it and realise that it doesnt taste as good as it looks is one sure fire way to help you realise that what you have is pretty good.

Different_Corner

Dear Diary
I have monumentally cocked up ! Got myself a big fat default on a CC for going over limit. Keep doing this, some sort of annual event, you would think I would have learnt by now ? Was juggling profusely at the beginning of March and thought I had it covered.

Well no point dwelling on it.

On a positive note I have a few hours OT under my belt. Last month I needed to make an extra £150, well I did that (even though it seems I applied payments to the wrong cards !) This month I'm aiming for £180, due to up and coming utilitiy bills and MOT next month. Can and will be done.

Ebay has def gone cold for me this week.

Morning off, must make use with menu planning and other exciting domestic duties.

Keeping_Motivated

DC I know I have bleeted on about this before but when I keep reading about up coming 'big' bills like utilities etc I still want to convert you to a bill account where you pay by DD and know where you are each month...how arrogant do I sound thinking I know best...sorry!!

Its just that I have never looked back or been so organised since I have had a bill account with no cash card that x amount goes in each month and the DD's roll in and out all month and I have the peace of mind that everything is being paid without big bills dropping on my mat IYSWIM.

My current account is then free for me to spend, save or be generally broke from...but as the bill account doesn't have a cash card I am never tempted to 'borrow' from it.

I know it can be hard to get the first months bill account (direct debits) money sorted when you are trying to pay everything else so maybe an ebay fest would a good goal to get a months direct debits together so you can start ahead of yourself?

Sorry for the preaching ....

MrsMoo2U

Oh well DC these things happen and sometimes there is just nothing that you can do about it. Ebay very quiet for me this week too. I think everybody is out enjoying the good weather.
I second what KM is saying. I find that by leaving all of my money for bills in one account and then taking any "excess" (ahem excuse me :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:) out and then only having that to last the month then I dont panic about bills hitting me at the end of the month. That said it takes time to get to the point of having excess. I also remove the CC from my being and have it locked away in a box to which I have hidden the key. Takes me so long to remember where the key is that it is easier for me to look for cash elsewhere. I have also made sure that when a new card came I didnt open the pin number so it meant that I couldnt use it anyway.

How old are the boys now? Is there anything that they can do to help? paper rounds, glass collecting jobs etc. Are you able to maybe consider other ways to make money than ebay such as a lodger or anything like that? Sorry if you have already thought of all of these things but sometimes I miss the obvious.

ETA - just had a thought, I know that it isnt the done thing to borrow more but as a short term thing could you maybe take out a Credit Union loan as a starting point to get you some excess/weekly living rather than using the CC. Maybe if you put the card away and set up a dd for the minimum payment, dont touch it. Credit Union loans are usually really low rates and can be for a small amount (ie enough for a monthly buffer) that might be a way of setting up a bill paying account. Sorry just trying to help.

Different_Corner

Hi KM
Not preaching at all. All things considered
Thing is my incomes are not always paid at the same time each month, currently being paid 'oldstyle' with an exciting brown wage packet and payslip, which I love. That means I pay some CC with cash, go food shopping with cash and deposit the rest in bank account. WFTC and CHB are the only incomes I can rely to be paid at regular intervals.

Now clearly as I sit here with budget spreadsheet, being paid with the real stuff each week (paydays can be Fridays or Saturdays depending on my shifts) I have to raise my discipline levels because as I've always said it burns a huge hole in my pocket. Thought about the envelope system, but I fail the minute the window cleaner knocks on the door because I've forgotten him !

So yes I do agree with your system, and at some point I want to be in that position, I'm always saying 'just get over this hump and we'll be on the right track'. Then something breaks, school trip needs paying for. I know it sounds like I'm making excuses but I really am scatty !

I really, really want to be in the position where cash is king.

Hope my ramble makes some sense !

Keeping_Motivated

Yes it makes some sense of course it does.

Just wondering though if your WFTC and CB could be enough to have a bills account for some things? Ie just the utilites and mortage or something like that then the cash if food, petrol etc etc would that help to make some bills easier? So that way you are doing part and part of a system if that makes sense?

Have you ever worked out a 'dummy' amount that your direct debits would be if you changed to paying all utilities that way?