Minty's incredible disappearing £700 thread...

mintymoneysaver

£200 put in the ISA!
Payday yesterday, and it's a great feeling to pay things off. Made a bit of money on ebay last week, so paid £35 off my Barclaycard to take it down into the next hundred on the next statement, and put some more money in my holiday savings. Only need £150 more for my holiday now, so hopefully I won't need to take very much at all out of the 'savings' to pay for it.

Daughter 2 is off skiing this week, so she has had to have some money for spends, and Daughter 1 did get into her drama workshop but it can be paid in 3 monthly instalments, so only £60 needs to go on that this month. However, even with both of those, plus the credit card bill I should still have about £400 in the savings this month:T out of the £700. It's already disappearing as my washing machine has decided to pack up ( getting it fixed tomorrow, quote around £45) and we have a mother's Day lunch on Sunday, so I'm aiiming for a £200 transfer again at the end of the month. if there's any more it'll just be a bonus!
Good thing about the lunch is that we were taking mum and mum in law, but sister in law has phoned to ask if they can come too, so hopefully she'll now share the cost!
Got a few more things to put on ebay this month, so will probably split any profit between holiday and Barclaycard. Will update again when the Barclaycard statement comes in.


Joined Weightwatchers and signed up for the weekly pass, £12.95 for the first month so that makes the classes a bit cheaper. Lost 3lb so far!

BARCLAYCARD:mad: at start £2973.81/£2847/£2709.15/£2609.15/£2530
Holidays saving £260:beer:
ISA £600 :j
Weight loss 3lb:T

mintymoneysaver

Just updating! Made £30 on ebay so have paid £15 to holiday fund and £15 to Barclaycard which will show on the next statement. Trying not to spend too much but it is the holidays here so just trying to be fairly frugal.

BARCLAYCARD:mad: at start £2973.81/£2847/£2709.15/£2609.15/£2530/£2399
Holidays saving £275:beer:
ISA £600 :j
Weight loss 3lb+5lb=8lb:T

mintymoneysaver

Not been a good month, moneywise, so I'll be glad when it's over! Currently £100 left in the 'savings' as had to have taps fixed, washing machine fixed, new shoes and a new outfit for each of the girls. BUT I need a new tyre on my car as soon as the tyre place opens on Monday, as there's a big piece of metal in it. Went to Kwikfit on saturday but the only one they had was £118:eek: so I decided to wait till Tue and go to my usual cheap place! I'll only be able to transfer £100 to the ISA and I so wanted it to be a bit more! The other problem is that the electric window has gone on the car too. I've had a quote for this before and I KNOW it was at least £200 if not more. Just when I'd started to think we finally had a bit of money to spend on the house, and now I'm going to have to spend some of it on that!
I suppose the plus point is that at this time last year I'd have had to put that on a credit card, so at least I haven't got to do that.

I get paid on Wednesday so can update a bit more then, and hopefully next month will be a bit better!

Weight loss now 11lb!

mintymoneysaver

Another month, and my diary goes on.... Had to end up last month paying for the washing machine and the tyre and for taps to be fixed, so only managed to transfer £100. Still it's better than nothing! Going to be a 'difficult to save' month this month too, as my car tax is due ( one of these days I'm going to be able to pay for a whole year, not just six months!) and it's daughter 2's birthday. She wants a TV for her bedroom but we've told her it's got to be off her grandparents too, as it's more than we'd usually spend, and she's happy with that. Plus £60 will be coming out towards the drama workshop for DD1!
on the plus side she finally has a job interview on Tuesday..... Mc Donalds! I so hope she gets it, she is desperate for money and at least it will pay her driving lessons if nothing else. If she does get it I think I'll be kind and carry on giving her some money each month untl she's passed her test, as otherwise she'd pretty much be working for nothing. Once her test's out the way though she can forget it! It would actually come at an ideal time as her AS levels are over the next two weeks so after that she'll have plenty of time to do extra shifts, plus the summer holidays are coming up!

Barclaycard is looking better, even though I only paid an extra £15 off last month. Ideally I'd like to find an extra £35 this month to get it down to the next £50 barrier, but I can't see that happening unless I win anything, I've got nothing left to put on ebay at the moment!

BARCLAYCARD:mad: at start £2973.81/£2847/£2709.15/£2609.15/£2530/£2399/£2284
Holidays saving £300:beer:
ISA £700 :j
Weight loss 3lb+5lb+5.5lb=13.5lb:T

mintymoneysaver

So long since I've updated! Well the first bit of good news is that daughter got her job, and has been happily working in McDonalds for the last 5 weeks or so. She's quite enjoying it, and it's so nice not to have her moaning about money! We're still giving her £50 a month at the moment, unitl she passes her test but then after that she's on her own. I'm quite happy still buying school stuff, and the odd treat now and again though.

Finally managed to pay the extra £35 off Barclaycard this month, as had money coming in from Quidco, so next month's statement will be under £1950. Feel like it's still al long way off, but proud of what I've achieved so far!

The 'savings' account is going to struggle to have anything left in it at the end of the month, there's about £150 left in there now, but I will probably have to put most of that towards the credit card bill as we've put a few things on there this month, the in laws birthday present, the part for the car window, travel and accomodation for university open days, so will probably not put anything in ISA this month, and hopefully have more to put in it next month.

The good news again though is that it now has £1000:T in it, so I have asked my odd job man for a quote for new patio doors. I should be able to get those done, then resave again for daughter's 18th and then have a few more jobs done in winter/spring then.

Off on holiday at the end of the month, and I have all the money to pay for it too! I know I haven't used this diary very often but I really feel it's helping me to get my head round things.

BARCLAYCARD:mad: at start £2973.81/£2847/£2709.15/£2609.15/£2530/£2399/£2284/£2184/£2084
Holidays saving £360:beer: ( paid!)
ISA £1000 :j
Weight loss 3lb+5lb+5.5lb+ extra bits over past few weeks=19.5lb:T

mintymoneysaver

Forgot to add, my new dining table and chairs arrive on Tuesday! Did some extra one to one tuition in school for 12 weeks with the sole aim of using the money to buy a table and chairs, so that's what I've done! Can't wait for it to arrive:j

mintymoneysaver

Not a good month money wise. Have taken my eye off the ball and it seems to have totally run away with itself! :mad: Credit card is standing at £440, and only £100 left in 'savings' so nothing will be going in the ISA at the end of this month. It's gone on uni open days, clothes for holidays, car parts, extra petrol with all the travelling, birthday presents, daughter's theory test.
I'll use that £100 plus what goes in there to clear that, which will leave approx £350. However my own tesco credit card is creeping up again as well, so I need to be careful! That £350 will need to pay for petrol for next weeks holiday though, which will probably be about £100. Plus next month is school holidays, and uniform time. Need to be very careful not to let this start getting out of hand again! Got daughter's 18th in November.
Will try to update more often next month to keep in control.

Weight loss =19.5lb + 1.5lb= 21lb!

mintymoneysaver

Well, thank goodness that month's over! Payday today, and I've never been so glad to see it! Have paid the £440 off the credit card and various other bits and bobs, including a very annoying £12 fee from my Amazon credit card which I very rarely use, and had forgotten that I'd put stuff on. Have set it back to paper bills so I can't forget now!

So the savings account, by the time stuff is taken out will only have about £200. If I want to save any of that into the ISA at the end of the month I'll need to be very careful. The alternative is to use that as cash rather than put things on the card, and then have myself back on the straight and narrow for September. That'll mean I have Sept and Oct to save for the daughter's 18th, Nov to save for Christmas and could then start 'money for house jobs' saving again in 2012!

The ISA money is going on new patio doors which have needed doing for so long. It's an expensive job, but if we don't get it done now while the money's actually there then it'll just get put off again until goodness knows when!

On the plus side I go on holiday on Saturday, and it's all paid for! Daughter has her own spending money, so I'll only need petrol and money for lunches which won't be too bad. We don't really spend much else when we're there. Daughter 1 has her driving theory test in two weeks so hopefully it won't be too long till I can stop giving her the £50 a month that I still do, as she was told that would stop when she passed her test.

Will update when I get back with nice new Barclaycard total.

mintymoneysaver

Aaarrrggghhhh!:mad: It's not a new nice Barclaycard total at all. I've relalised my Tesco account is getting out of control again, at nearly £500 ( including deposit for next year's holiday- we book before we leave as the week we go gets booked up fast!))so rather than just pay bits off it each month and pay interest I've cleared it by balance transferring to Barclaycard. Still at 0% till Feb, so about £10 fee to transfer it means that it's back to about £2500 in Barclaycard. I'm going to pack my Tesco card away as it's too tempting, and aim to once again get it down as soon as possible. I'm still paying way over the minimum balance and I've got a few clothes to put on ebay, so I'm still determined to clear it. It will just take a few months more!

On the plus side the holiday was fantastic, all paid for with cash, and just enough left in the accounts to get through to the end of the month. Already know I'm doing a bit of extra work in September so that paypacket shoud be about £150 up. I will get there!

BARCLAYCARD:mad: at start £2973.81/£2847/£2709.15/£2609.15/£2530/£2399/£2284/£2184/£2084/ £1949 + balance transfer= £2500(approx)

Holidays saving 2012- deposit paid
ISA £1000 :j
Weight loss 21lb (but probably put a few back on over the holiday!)

mintymoneysaver

So very nearly payday again, and I'm limping towards it, just about... All my plans have gone to pot though:mad: Car seemed to be playing up after our holidays, so took it in and as well as the service that needed doing we've been told it possibly needs a new sensor (about £100 ) If it's not that then it's the timing chain/ belt which it won't even be worth bothering with as it will be about £1000:eek: So my patio doors are on hold for the foreseeable future. There's still £750 in the ISA so far, but some had to go on the car ( it needed a new tyre too) and I had to transfer a bit back to the 'savings' account as it was very close to going overdrawn. The school holidays have also taken their toll, with our credit card bill being £600! It's all accountable for, unfortunately, with trips out, school uniforms etc, but I've learnt my lesson. Next year I want to have a back up fund! I will be able to clear it this month, but with that and the girls' allowances there won't be any money to play with till next payday at all. So September will definitely be a 'batten down the hatches' month on the joint money front.

I have to admit to a guilty confession though. From my own money I have just booked a weekend in Barcelona with a friend! It will all be paid cash, and I'll do without other things to go, and Barclaycard will still be getting paid, but we've talked for ages about going away, and I really need a break at the moment, so I've done it and there's no going back!:rotfl:

Need to update this diary more regularly though, maybe it will keep me on the straight and narrow a bit more!