Polesalot's Climb to Debt Freedom

Mags30

That's such a lovely post cherisong, what great motivation to save for something.

You might be able to do the room cheaper than £350, find a closing down sale or a clearance sale somewhere and get some fabulous things for Primark prices.

vasseur

cherisong wrote: »

Oh I know what you mean about having curtains that you love. I would definitely be designing her room around them then. I am also a believer in waiting until you can get just what you want and making do until that time. My friends will testify to that because in my first ever home I kept up some really awful brown flowery 1970s curtains that didnt match any of my decor because I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew that if I got a make do until pair then I would never reach the until bit. It worked and made me save even harder because every time I came home and saw them I put all of the days loose change in the piggy bank on the shelf next to the window with them on! I am sure that your daughter will understand and, if nothing else she will learn that it can be exciting to anticipate something and save for it. I think that is what a lot of people have lost sight of, enjoying the feeling of anticipation.

Yes I think we live in a 'want it now, get it now' society. I think the main cost will be the carpet as I am not prepared to do that on the cheap because it wears out quickly, you end up replacing it and it ends up costing you more. I have had a look around for a wardrobe and I want to get a bed that's got cupboards/drawers underneath, bedding we have stacks of so then it will just be chest of drawers, bedside table and desk. As it's all going to be white I can shop around a bit as I don't mind if they don't come from the same range - if anything I hate everything matching! Shows a lack of imagination IMO.

There's a shop that does loads of shabby chic bits and pieces and she's already picked out a lot of things she likes so they can make part of her xmas present - then I'm committed to doing it then!!!

vasseur

This week I will mostly be.........shopping from Sainsbury's Basics range

Seriously, today i have just had to renew my car insurance, so that's 2 months up front, pay for school holiday club and also pay After school club fees up till Xmas

Am worse than skint now. And this is quite bad for me because now I'm in the mindset of 'what's another £50' I'm going to end up spending money I don't need to. I can't even stay in because I need to go to town to get loads of bithday presents.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :eek:

I will report back with the damage next week...........

boredofbeingathome

I know that feeling sometimes

meersy22

Hi Poles

I just said on my thread that I "must stop frittering" but that "what's another £50" is me as well. It's very hard sometimes but we're getting there.

vasseur

I spent £35 on vouchers for birthday presents still at least it's done. I also bought myself a dress.....eeek! Actually it was only £30 and will do nicely for any Xmas parties I go to. I'm going on the principle that I only ever find stuff I want when I haven't got any money, so if I take it back and wait till I have the cash then I definitely won't find anything that fits . I actually took 3 dresses into the changing room and 2 looked fantastic so I was very restrained and didn't try the third one on because I knew it would look great on.

We only went in the shop because they have great mirrors that you can do that thing with your arms and legs that Harry Worth used to do on shop windows! DD loves it :rotfl:

Food shoping came to £34.85 so I was quite disappointed in that but at least that was it for the week.

Had a lovely night out Saturday so that cheered me up.

Off to tighten my belt now...........

vasseur

I have had a poorly girl with me this week DD has had a shocking cough, cold and temperature and yesterday she had the runs really bad (sorry if TMI) so I took her to the docs and he said it was gastric flu. I don't think it really was, I think it was a combination of all the calpol, nurofen and tixylix I had been giving her. She just seems really up and down - great one minute, low the next and really high temperature. She's at my mum's at the moment, which is where she wanted to be. I have to see her teacher later for parent's evening. I'm sure there won't be any problems to report, she's usually at the top of the class anyway.

Rang EDF on saturday to reduce my electric DD from £70 to £40 pm and the lady said I was £123 in credit! I gave an up to date reading and hopefully it won't be much different to what they estimated it at and they are going to send me the money.

Bit the bullet last night and rang the CSA. I haven't had any maintenance since 22 September I spoke to a really helpful lady who said that he'd overpaid (like hell) so it was on a drip feed system and they were due to send out £231 last night and another payment of £56 (maybe even 2 x£56) due to be sent on Friday. I felt about 3 stone lighter when I'd finished speaking to her. It does make me so annoyed that the system is so complicated that even the people working there are unsure exactly what's going out.

So together with the EDF money, my child tax credit and payday tomorrow things should be looking a lot healthier.

What a pity then that one of my accounts went o/d on Tuesday (when I was off with DD and didn't log on to the online banking :mad:). I've covered it now but no doubt there will be a £30 charge just for going o/d. That's the money saved from EDF spent then. Am so cross with myself

MrsMoo2U

Er that doesnt sound right. Why have they got so much money saved up to send out to you? I would be asking them for your papers under the Data Protection Act and checking that they havent just made a mistake and forgotten to issue the payments. If he had overpaid why are they hanging onto the money and not returning it to him (or reducing your weekly payments until you are even). I thought that the whole point of CSA was to keep children out of poverty - HA but then so is Council Tax and all they do is screw people up constantly. If you have gone overdrawn because they have failed to make the payment can you ask them to pay the charges? I am sure it is within your rights.

Hello, missed you sorry to hear DD has been unwell. Hope things pick up for you now. How is WLM?

vasseur

I don't think they'd been hanging onto the money, apparently his employer has until the 19th of each month to make the payemnts and that they (the CSA) had only just received it. I said didn't the employer realise that I had bills to pay and she said that they don't see me as a person, they just class the payments as another payment to a debt collection agency. So long as I receive it things will look a lot healthier but i will be by no means flush.

DD is now feeling much better and has gone back to school (had a glowing report from her teacher yesterday, I'm just so proud of her). She has a party on Sunday afternoon and after is going for her first sleepover which has all worked out very nicely for me - WLM is coming round to cook me dinner

Payday today so need to shuffle some money around....

MrsMoo2U

That is so annoying. I hope that you get it sorted in future and are not left in a mess. Great news on your DD, you should be proud of yourself too for bringing her up so well.
Even better news on the sleepover. A nice quiet evening is probably something that you and WLM could do with. Will pavlova be on the menu?