Mrs Sparkle's sparkly debt diary

Snaggles

Ohhhh, have you seen the lovely baby clothes in Next??

Arrgggghhh....MUST.....NOT.....SPEND....MONEY......

Mrs_Sparkle

Snaggles wrote: »

Ohhhh, have you seen the lovely baby clothes in Next??

Arrgggghhh....MUST.....NOT.....SPEND....MONEY......

I know, they're gorgeous aren't they. Thomas was wearing a gorgeous little stripey t-shirt from there today. *Whispers* I don't even look in shoe shops anymore but show me a baby clothes shop and I'm there...

ZTD

Mrs_Sparkle wrote: »

I know, they're gorgeous aren't they. Thomas was wearing a gorgeous little stripey t-shirt from there today.

Is that so it doesn't show the puke marks? :rolleyes:

Mrs_Sparkle

ZTD wrote: »

Is that so it doesn't show the puke marks? :rolleyes:

Absolutely! My washing machine is on every day as it is :eek:

Snaggles

I bought Natasha a green coat from Next, it's so cute. I love all the acid brights that are in for summer. It's got a little pink patchwork elephant on it.........adorable!

None of my clothes fit properly at the moment, I'm a bit smaller than I was pre-pregnancy (it wont last....I'm sitting here with a bag of kettle chips lol) because of the morning sickness, but have I bought myself any clothes....no! Just baby things lol!

Mrs_Sparkle

That sounds adorable. It's worth the money you know because it washes well and holds its value better so you can sell it on fleabay later. That's what I keep telling myself anyway...

Snaggles

Mrs_Sparkle wrote: »

That sounds adorable. It's worth the money you know because it washes well and holds its value better so you can sell it on fleabay later. That's what I keep telling myself anyway...

That's our excuse and we're sticking to it!

System

Hey Mr S good to hear from you again and Thomas looks like he enjoys his baths just like ours. Lenny x

Mrs_Sparkle

OK, here goes with the maternity leave story. It started off so well- I got a bonus in January as well as a full salary and paid off a few little outstanding balances and bought the last bits for baby. My gorgeous son arrived on 3 February and this was also a good month. Recovering from my c section meant I couldn't leave the house for 2 weeks so I lived very cheaply! I got paid 90% of my salary in Feb so that was fine- I managed very well. Then March came... by now I'm on 50% salary and 50% SMP and that didn't even cover my outgoings. Hubby was great at giving me pocket money so I could meet my friends from the antenatal classes or go into London for the day but I started dipping into my overdraft to cover essentials. April was even worse- I received the princely sum of £330 after tax yet had to pay out £460 in childcare and £70 in train fares to come back to work in mid-May. I have ended up living off my credit card- it's really disappointing. I am up to my overdraft limit and now have a balance on my first direct card again. Plus I am nominating myself for Numpty of the Month because I forgot to pay my MBNA card (£5 minimum payment, interest free until Dec) so they've slapped on interest now- over £100 a month. All because I forgot a £5 payment!

Anyway, time to move on. Tasks for this week are:

1. Find another 0% credit card deal (God I'd even consider a consolidation loan rather than give MBNA £100+ a month)
2. Invest my child trust fund voucher- and I know where thanks to Martin's guide.
3. Have at least 2 no spend days a week.
4. Plan meals and eat cheaply... no more than £15 in top-up shopping this week.

I'm feeling quite down about this at the moment because it was all going so well at one stage. Now I'm a year into this DFW thing and I've only cleared £6K which is rubbish.

atypicalblonde

Hi Mrs Sparkle, first things first to congratulate you on your lovely baby boy. He is really lovely and I bet you are really proud.

Now, please dont feel too down on yourself hun. You have had a lot going on in Sparkle-world over the past few months, and really shouldnt be hard on yourself. £6k is still a wonderful achievement, and you should congratulate yourself for that. Setting goals for the week is a great way to stay focussed, and you sound very determined so I am sure you will be making great progress again within no time.

All the very best hun xx