To remind myself how far I've come - my debt diary. - SOA added

lunar

wow, if someone wanted to come round here i think i would need an hour at least, to throw things into draws! Actually its not to bad right now because i have got ready to put my decorations up on saturday and that always inspires me to stay tidy. but its not normally that good. Its a shame he didnt think of the size of the house before coming to look, just gets your hopes up.

oh well at least you are prepared for others coming over.

chocaholic110

Actually, most years I need to do a big housework blitz before putting the decorations up. Won't need to this year. Wonder if I can plan a baby for every January?? Mmm..maybe not!

Had a rotten night's sleep. My eight year old woke me to say it was 9.10 and she was late for school. As my sleep befuddled brain struggled to adjust I realised it was still pitch black, checked the clock and it was 3.10! She immediately went back to sleep, I tossed and turned for the next two hours! She said this morning her eyes were blurry and it made an extra line appear on the digital clock!

Health visitor coming today to "let me know aboout services available in my area" so need a quick blitz over all downstairs rooms to make sure everything still clean.

chocaholic110

Health visitor been. I managed to ask in a rational manner about them oming out early eg "I didn't realise you did antenatal visits" rather than demanding to know if I was on their to-be-watched list. Turns out they do just come out early these days, though I got my appointment a bit earlier than usual as it should have been on Christmas Day and oddly she didn't want to do it then!

She did give some useful info about using gro-bags for babies to sleep in that I was quite interested in as my nephew died of cot death a few years ago and even though I know our risk factors are minimal it still niggles away in the back of my mind. She asked some quite personal questions though eg was it a planned pregnancy and do we use recreational drugs (though I find it hard to believe people would answer that affirmatively even if they did!). Plus I was just answering that I hadn't drunk alcohol all through my pregnancy when a delivery man turned up with a box of alcoholic miniatures I'd ordered for hampers (honestly!)

Bloomin' well forgot to ask her about using reusable nappies though, i knew there was something else!

chocaholic110

OK, so I'm bored and restless today. Not got a lot to do unless I venture into the attic and not sure whether I have the motivation for that.

What I really feel like doing is going out and going to the shops but I know I really shouldn't as a) there is nothing I need and b) I haven't got any money anyway. But I do have the urge to go shopping

To try and put myself off (and shock you all!) will post the spending diary for November. I know there is still a day and a half left but other than a newspaper for OH tomorrow I can't see anything getting spent.

There are some really bad areas in this month's spends though where we need to cut down next month! As I am an especially sad individual I am also going to look back at last month's spends and put amounts in red where we have spent more, green where we have spent less and black where they are the same or didn't appear last month!

SPENDS FOR NOVEMBER

ADVENT CALENDARS (£1 each on martket) £3
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB £11.50
BABY ITEMS (Toiletries 1/2 price at sainsbury's) £15.93
BABY SCAN: £50
BINGO (Won this back though!) £10
BIRTHDAYS: £30
BREAKFAST CLUB: £10
BRIDGE TOLL (reimbursed through OH pay): £11.60
BROADBAND: £17.99
CAR PAYMENT: £260
CAR REPAIRS: £215
CHARITY: £18.14 (High again this month because of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and events arranged for Children In Need and Anti-Bullying Day at children's schools. Also got stopped twice by street collectors and couldn't refuse) Quite a shocking amount though!
CHRISTMAS: £260.32
CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCE TICKETS (School): £6
CLOTHES - DD: £15
CLOTHES - DS :£13
CLOTHES - BABY: £53 (oops!)
CONTACT LENSES: £15.50
COUNCIL TAX: £94
CRAFT EQUIPMENT: £26.69
CREDIT CARD: £300 (this was the final payment)
CREDIT RECORD: £7.50
DANCING LESSONS: £101.66
DIGITAL TV: £45
DINNER MONEY: £34
EATING OUT: £37.75
EBAY FEES: £14.25
EBAY POSTAGE: £72.94
ELECTRICITY: £38
ENTERTAINMENT: £76 (includes tickets to high school musical on Ice for Christmas presents for DD and nieces)
EXERCISE BALL: £2.70
GAS : £75
GROCERIES: £349.29
GYMNASTIC LESSONS: £38
HEALTHY TUCKSHOP (School): £0.40
HOUSEHOLD: £69.98
INTEREST (Overdraft) £7.90
LIFE INSURANCE: £17.45
LOTTERY: £32 (OMG! But does pay my work syndicate three months in advance and catches up the weeks I owed)
MAGAZINE: £2.50
MORTGAGE: £340
NEWSPAPERS: £7.95
PARKING: £2.20
PAYING OVERDRAFT OFF: £573.20
PENSION (OH) : £63.19
PET CARE: £7.63
PETROL: £150.65
PHONE: £36.36
PHOTO ALBUMS: £32
POCKET MONEY: £5.55
SANTA LETTER / CALL: £12.98
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH: £8.50
SERVICE CHARGE FOR USING CASH MACHINE: £1.99 (anoyed about this but OH said he had no choice!)
STUDENT LOAN: £92.11
SWEETS: £8
SWIMMING: £12
SYMPATHY CARD: £0.69
TOILETRIES: £9
TV LICENCE: £11.37
UNION SUBS: £15.50
WATER RATES: £19.50
WINDOW CLEANING: £6

Total for November: £3884.05 (Last month was £3629)

Slightly too much red there for my liking!

chocaholic110

Just ordered another £10 Argos voucher from Ipsos which is good as I only ordered the last one last month. Will be a good start on the free christmas challenge board when it gets going!

chocaholic110

Pay day today, woo hoo! Not that it's that exciting when it's all spoken for anyway, but never mind. The overdraft goes today and that's an achievement in itself if I can only keep from using it over the next month.

Currently typing wearing only one contact lens. Woke up with something in one eye this morning so took lens out. It's the day that I change them anyway but haven't got round to doing that yet. Will have to put it top of my list as it makes it very difficult to read the screen - yet I can't drag myself away!! So ignore the typos - I make that many anyway you probably won't notice!

Ventured up into the attic yesterday. Put the radio on loud and had a great time singing away to myself while sorting. As is usually the case I made more mess than I tidied but I did sort through the baby clothes and I now have several heaps lying about the kitchen ready to be washed. With what i have bought and what I was given from my friend and cousin I have masses of stuff - I think I could dress him in a clean vest and babygrow every day for the first three months and not have to do any washing (said optimistically as if he'll only need one change of clothes a day and won't be a projectile vomiter like his big sister!!) Plus we have lots of little outfits and suits; think I'll have to take him somewhere every day to get the value out of the clothes!

Bit out of routine today as DD slept at my Mum's and I didn't have to take her to school so had nice relaxing bath instead of quick shower. Trouble is I'm still sat in my dressing gown with a towel around my hair and haven't done anything yet. Must get ready and get on while I'm still in the mood to tackle the attic...maybe after I've caught up on a few other boards.......

chocaholic110

Just received a parcel form ebay of clothes for DD's doll for Christmas. it was supsoed to be a new item, which it is but instead of wrapping the whole item they've just put a label across the fromt and sent it as it is. Consequently the box is all bashed and has marks where the sellotaped address has been - how hard would it have been to wrap the whole thing?? Went to leave feedback and a couple of other people have left bad feedback this week for the same thing and the seller has immediately left them bad feedback which I don't really want. Not sure what to do now. Have mailed the seller to make my point but have left feedback for the minute!

chocaholic110

OH finished work at lunchtime today which was nice (although it was because he worked last Sunday and is working this coming Sunday, which makes it not so nice but financially lucrative this close to christams and with DD's birthday party to pay for next week).

Popped to nearby town to go to Aldi and buy a make-it-yourself Gingerbread house which looks great fun. Had a look around some other shops but apart from two cards for BIL's birthday resisted buying anything.

hypno06

yum.......a gingerbread house.

chocaholic110

Morning all. Been awake since before 4 and up since 4.20am. Have done loads of ironing including a whopping pile of baby clothes but a bit stuck for what I can do now that's quiet enough not to wake OH (the kids will sleep through anything!) so thought I'd come here.

I actually woke with my head buzzing with thoughts for the celebrate Christmas for free challenge so may as well spend some time updating my first post on there even though I'm sure I had some fab money making ideas in the night that are eluding me now!

As for the rest of today, DS desperately needs a haircut and some new trainers so need to pop into town to do that, then I think we're going to a local ex-prisoner of war camp(!) that is having a Christmas market. It's all quite 40's including an old fashioned sweet shop which is nice and might find a treat for OH's grandma's hamper. We haven't got a lt of money to spend but will be nice to have a look out and that can be one of DD's "Christmas Things To Do In December" for today.

Oh and Happy December!