Walking the walk...

Hovel_lady

Hello, just been catching up with your diary.
Purse system is a very good idea. We do this - paying cash and know that once it's gone its gone concentrates the mind wonderfully
I know all about "popping" to the shop for something. Once it was muffins and we spent £80 :eek:
Good luck with your purse plans, look forward to seeing how you get on xx

E2006

Hi Hovel lady. Ive subscribed to your diary

Ive had the most major light bulb moment today!! I thought I'd had it last year when I realised that this couldnt continue, but after today I know that I just realised how bad things were, but didnt make as much effort as I could have to get the debt cleared, and whilst we continued to pay chunks off the cards, we also continued to add the same if not more. Two steps forward three back :mad:

I was working out the budget for the month as I get paid Friday, and realised (properly for the first time) how extremely tight it is. One little overspend will upset the applecart. The main reason is because we are making such large overpayments to the debt, but what this has actually meant is that because we havent kept an eye on the food and petrol budget, we have had to rely on the cc's to get us through the month. Because we are paying with plastic, we are not careful about how much we sopend etc etc. I feel sick about how much money we have wasted, and how stupid we have been.

I have came home and cut up every single card. I do feel really sick at the thought of all that wasted money! I cant believe I never saw it before!

So, as afore mentioned, its going to be really tight for the next 5 months. Thats because we're throwing a chunk of money each month at the virgin card and the argos card. I will have a little left to go into the savings acc, but that money is needed for the 2 weekends away we have coming up, and then christmas, so I absolutely cant dip into that. Im a little scared, but it will be worth it when those debts are paid of at christmas. It will enable us to maybe increase the entertainment budget a little (which is currently £100 a month but is a little on the tight side for everything we will need to eek out of it because it also covers DS's little activities that he does), and also concentrate on another card and pay that one off.

So ive been on and done the online banking ready for payday. I have the two purses ready, and are raring to go with that system, and hoping it will keep us in line.

I have batch cooked three portions of shepherd pie tonight. One for tomorrow, one for the end of the week, and one for the freezer. I have some other meat in the freezer and quite a lot of cupboard staples so hopefully next weeks groceries will be a reasonable amount.

Ah well, off to read some diaries...

Hovel_lady

Well done on cutting up the cc's :T:T
Thanks for subscribing to my diary xx

E2006

Just had an unexpected bill land! £350 :mad: Didnt think we would have to pay it yet. Its for some work that we've had done, that they didnt think they could finish yet, but then can so the money is due! I guess the positive is that the work is getting completed quicker, but the negative is that I have to find that money this month rather than next! Anyway, Ive juggled the money, looked at what extras we have, and should be able to pay for everything I need to this month - just!

I need:
£350 for the work
£50 for the remainder of DS's uniform
£50 for a one off bill this month
£200 for York (DH and I are going away with friends and I think thats the bare minimum we can manage on seing as though we need to pay for petrol, lunch, an evening meal out, drinks throughout the day and night, then breakfast the following morning).

Ive only allowed £350 savings this month so the extra is coming as follows:-
£350 savings
£60 cheque that I banked this week (an overpayment from a cc that was going to go on my virgin card )
£100 that we had already put to one side towards the bill
£140 from the bills account (this will be borrowed from the OD, but in September our car is paid off, and therefore we will have £130 extra each month, leaving only a short fall of £10 to clear the OD in Sept which we should have in surplus from the bills).

Im annoyed that I wont get to make the additional payments to the debt this month like the £60 cheque etc, but at least Ive managed to balance the figures to pay for everything that needs paying for this month. Thats progress on where we were only a matter of weeks (days _pale_) ago.

Not a no spend today but only spent on essentials. £10 petrol, then popped to Al** for some top up groceries - pack of grapes 99p, peppers 1.18 (was only 89p on Saturday!) and milk £1. Didnt buy anything extra, and wasnt tempted like I would have been in Mr A to have a rummage around the clothes, DVDs and homewears.

Ive been for a run tonight which has really cleared my head, but ive just munched on a strip of DH's chocolate - not very SW at all!!

Off to browse more diaries for inspiration

E2006

Ive had a really productive afternoon. Headed out of work at 3pm for a meeting but it was cancelled so I came straight home. Ive since, tidied, hoovered and polished the sitting room, hoovered the stairs, hoovered and polished the landing and bedrooms, put a load of washing in, went for a run, had a shower and then went to Al** for 2 items I had ran out of. All before DH and DS have arrived home. Im now enjoying my last hour of peace before they get in and cause havoc and mess up my tidy house

So not a no spend day today, but a LSD. I needed cheese for DH's packed lunches the next 2 days as I used the last of the ham this morning, and fabric softner. Im usually very particular about my softner - I must use branded. I dont mind who's powder I use, but my branded softner is my one luxury (Im sad, I just love the smell of clean washing - I could stand and smell it all day ). However, in the interests of MSE, Im giving AL**'s own brand a whirl. Just going to hang the washing out now - so will let you know my verdict!

2 more sleeps until payday and I knock another £625 min off the debt! :T I was hoping to get my payslip today to find out if Ive got any travel expenses this month (which will be paid off the virgin card) but they couldnt find mine and a colleagues payslips! Normally I wouldnt be that bothered becuase its the same every month, but ive been waiting for it this month to check for expenses :mad:

Also have had one of those days, and would love to cheer myself up with a glass of wine and something nice for tea. Ah well, it will do my waist line good in the long run not having the means for extra treats in the week...

Off to hang out the washing...

E2006

Hmmm, softner is ok. Will stick with it and see if it grows on me.

E2006

Just checked the virgin balance. Had to use the card (obviously prior to my major LBM and me cutting them up) because we had nothing left in the account and needed petrol etc, and the balance is back up to £1914 :mad::mad::mad:. Have put that on my signature.

The challenge this month is to reduce that to £1500 - so I need to find £414, I have already allocated £300 payment to it this month, so have to get creative and find another £114. I have a jar of loose change that im going to take to the PO and get it changed and paid that towards it. If my travel expenses are on this month then I will also pay them to the card, and I always allocate £60 to my mobile phone each month (thats for me and DH's phones) but last month it was only £45, and I cant see why it would be any more this month, so anything left after that will also go to virgin. If I can keep the budget down, there may be something left from that that can be used too.

Game on VCC...!!

E2006

NSD today :T. Also got my payslip and I have £70 extra for travel expenses so thats going straight to the virgin card. That means I have £370 of £414. Only £44 more to find to meet my months target.

Told DH about the expenses and he tried to persuade me to put it in the savings 'just in case'. If I do that we will spend it. If I pay it off the card we wont miss it! He laughed and told me at the rate Im going (because im really counting the pennys and vetting everthing he spends) that we will be millionaires before we know it. If only ey?

On a grrr note, our DVD packed up last night. We watch a lot of DVD's. We dont go out often, and this is what we enjoy. We have a subscription with LF and get 4 DVDs every month, and we are due 2 more tomorrow. So this needs replacing. Its not really something I want to be without. The dishwasher has been broken for months as I dont mind hand washing the dishes - but I cant be without the DVD. Anyway, they sell cheap ones in Mr A (I think less than £30). This isnt budgeted for, but can come out of the entertainment fund, as it is our entainment. To balance out, we will forgoe the takeaway we were going to have on Saturday and buy a Mr A pizza instead. Just as tasty but a quarter of the cost

Pay day tomorrow :j. Another big chunk will be paid off the debt :T

Im out tomorrow night but im driving so will stick to soft drinks. Will be a cheap night. DH is out at football on Saturday and hopefully wont spend too much of our entainment budget.

Had a freezer tea tonight. DS had fishfingers, faces and beans, DH had cheesy chips and beans, and I had baked salmon with roasted veg couscous mmm (the boys didnt want the same as me but it was delish). Ive also just finished the last of the cheese and crackers from Saturday night. The fridge is almost empty but thats a good thing because it means we have eaten everything that I bought

Hovel_lady

Well done on a NSD :T
If you have an Arg*s locally check them out for a DVD player - they often do really good deals.

E2006

Hovel_lady wrote: »

Well done on a NSD :T
If you have an Arg*s locally check them out for a DVD player - they often do really good deals.

We have a Ar*** local, but I managed to get one for £21 in Mr A so a bargain. All wired up and DS is watching labarynth whilst eating his tea (bad mummy, but we've been out all day and he is shattered and desperate to veg in front on the tv).

DH is out at the football. I wont see him until late tonight. DS and I have had a lovely day together. We hopped on the train to a local city (only had to pay for me, as he is only 4), and headed off to two museums. One a dinosour museum and the other boats, and interactive science things. Both were free. We were out all day, and just grabbed a sandwhich and some juice to share on the go (he is such a tiny eater).

I bought DS's school shoes this afternoon once we got back, and also his school jumper. I now have his full unform, but the shop only had one jumper in his size so I will need to get another one next month when they re-stock.

I havent been able to update my sig despite being paid yesterday - my standing orders dont go out until the 22nd. Grr wanted to see the debts reducing and im impatient!

Ah well, off to open a bottle of wine me thinks! Cheers everyone :beer: