Sorting through my rubbish

trixiepix

Well there i was thinking i had beat the system on the 'school fine policy' for taking DD2 out of school in term time and then what lands on the door mat on Saturday!!!! - humf!!!!

Oh well, so needless to say, money that was going to be used to start christmas shopping has now been used to pay the school fine!!, DD1 needed a new school logo sweater & 2 polo shirts, resulting in another £30 & as well as a few other unexpected expenses at the weekend it now feels as though we haven't been paid - oh well the best laid plans and all that !!!

321 - hope you had a great couple of weeks off of work & lil pup has been behaving him/her self

Ebay challenge for September - so far - wait for you - uh, well, it would mostly be Zero!!! - but it is only the 9th, so many days still left to hit my £25!!!

( i seem to be doing exceptionally well on spending money but exceptionally rubbish on making any!!!:eek:)

Well, similarly to you food shopping needs to be lean on all levels, freezer is totally rammed (thanks to the meat shop ) & finances need to stay on budget for the rest of the month - doesn't help when DH 'pops' out to get milk & then comes back to tell me he's spend £10 - £15 from my shopping budget on what amounts to nothing, several times a month!!

Enough moaning from me though!!!! - hope all good with you and yours & life treating you well

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All,


Trixie, those school fines are my biggest bug bear, I really get annoyed about it, it is not possible for everyone to take their holidays within the school holidays, it just does not work! We are going in October half term as we just about found a holiday we could afford then and DS2 has his GCSEs this year but in other years if we had to take them out of school to have a holiday I would not hesitate. Especially if going abroad, that is educational in itself and family time is priceless. Actually its probably still a lot cheaper to just pay the fine than try and go in the holidays!!


Our pup is lovely, and quite a good girl! Not too much has been destroyed yet and the house training is going ok. She is very affectionate and just loves being with us all the time. DD has entered her in a couple of low-key local Dog Shows so we have a collection of rosettes developing! Not quite Crufts level yet though!!


Money saving is rubbish! I have avoided putting things on my credit cards but I have spent far too much of my emergency pot so now need to try and replace that AND repay debts! Been an expensive month or two, puppy, school hols, car tax and mot, new uniform etc and returning to clubs! Plus need to find spending money for the holiday!!


I also have a confession, I have coveted a pair of short Hunter wellies for a long, long time, finally succumbed, but did get them for less than half price with free delivery, discount code and cashback, so treated myself to the welly socks too!! Waiting to walk the dog in wet weather now!!


Using up toiletteries and trying hard not to buy more. Well stocked up on bargain cleaning products, probably have enough to last at least a year but when decent washing powder is £1 a box I cant resist!!


Cupboards and freezer well stocked so my challenge this month is NOT to buy anything we don't need, I must stick to a list and use up things from the cupboards, this will hopefully mean I have some money for the holiday!!


I am also determined to clear the pile of stuff in the corner of the lounge and the landing, all of which needs to be put on Facebook/Ebayed or Magpied and the money stashed for Xmas. My Cashback money is earmarked for Xmas too as I have absolutely no savings towards it this year!


Trixie - is that flooring down yet and have you now finished the kitchen, if so I hope it's turned out well.


Hope everyone is well and making the most of the fine weather while it lasts.


321 xxx

trixiepix

Hello lovely 321 & anyone else lurking out there:rotfl:

Well.........the kitchen.........the saga continues, it's been a stop start project right from day one of starting and i am determined it will be finished by christmas (i had to stress to DH, i was talking about christmas 2014!!!!)

Floor was due to be started yesterday but there was an issue with the underfelt stuff so had to buy more (as usual another unexpected expense, tut!!) which in turn meant the timing was off this week with work commitments, so now due to be started again Sun/Mon!!!! - painting is completely finished though :T

My ebay procrastinating is continuing as just that, procrastinating!!! - 7 days to hit my £25 target so i best get my butt in gear!!, i'm rubbish at motivating myself once the nights start getting darker earlier, i get home from work & convince myself it's bedtime & not 'ebay' time, lol!!:rotfl:

Freezer is still rammed from WG, shopping budget has been all over the place this month so have to keep a rein on it in October as will have to start either buying saver stamps or non perishables ready for christmas as this year is going to be tigher than tight on budget!

Started buying a few christmas bits as Bodyshop had a spend £50 get £25 off offer going on, so bought a good few small toiletry sets for the friends/family who we just get token gesture gifts for - so at least i've made a start!!

Hooked up to hotdeal notifications too as they send you a deals of the day email which so far has been really good - might be worth a look

Gotta fly xx

trixiepix

well, it's a rainy windy old day today, could have easily stayed underneath the duvet rather than venturing out to work but needs must and all that!!:D

So far, day 6 of October, & the budgeting is going ok (touch wood, don't wanna be tempting fate) - although i have managed to do food shopping 3 times this week due to having friends & kids friends over for meals & also DD1 being poorly latter part of the week, but the monthly budget is just that and i HAVE to stick with it !! ( doesn't help that DH assumes £150 worth of shopping should cost about £70!! - if only!!)

Stocked up in Morris n's yesterday on their offers - dishwasher tablets (value range 40 tablets for £2.13), they had comfort fab softener for £2 too (honeysuckle & sandlewood, smells amazing) & my SW favoured linda Mc Red onion & rosemary sausages for £1 & mullerlights 10 for £3 - i don't know what it is at the moment but i just seem to be constantly running out of stuff!! - i guess we need to stop eating for a few weeks :rotfl:

Have a good day!

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All,

Can't believe it's been a month since I posted, slap my wrists!!!

I have been trying hard to be good and stick to a budget, with minimal spends on groceries (haven't done a 'big shop' for a couple of months), eating up from the stocks I already have to save some money for our holiday - we go next Thursday!!:j:j

I have finally got around to Facebook and Ebay selling this week, have sold 5 items and made £35 which I am really pleased with. Ironically I listed the ebay items really quickly via my tablet so the pictures were not good and the descriptions were minimal and the items sold straight away! I normally take ages describing items and then they don't sell! I have also got down my pushchair/travel system and bouncy chair, washed them all and am giving those to two young girls I know through my work who are expecting so thats a bit more room made. I have been holding on to them in hope I might need them again but I think that ship has sailed so better they get used by someone. I am going to sell some more items from the loft on my return from holiday to try and make some much needed money for Xmas. New and nearly new items will be facebook/ebay and other items will be Magpie'd. I need to clear that loft and 'thinking' about it isn't going to do it!

Going to pick up my currency later and have told the kids that I want their holiday clothes out and on their beds by the time I get home from work. I want to be organised and not leaving everything to the last minute as I am working up to wednesday and we need to leave early on thursday morning.

Not done much about Xmas shopping yet, hubby and I are going to have weekends away to go to concerts next year instead of Xmas and Birthday presents (Queen and Simple Minds booked so far), DS2 is having Xbox One and DD an ipad so not an awful lot more to buy for just my parents really as nieces and nephews like to have the money these days. I am going to keep food to a minimum too as my parents are off to my sisters and DS1 will probably be in Afghanistan by then. We already have plenty of booze so won't be buying too much of that either!!

Well that's all from me, not much 'MSE' activity but seriously need to buckle down and get in the zone to save, save, save. Perhaps when I get back from holiday I will be refreshed and ready to meal plan, bake, ebay and save - I live in hope!!!

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All

So it's been a month since I last posted and I have taken my eye well and truely off the ball.

Spent far too much on holiday BUT had the best holiday we've ever had! This was despite my son ringing on the first evening to say he was deploying before we got home so we wouldn't see him for several months and then DH's Aunt, who he cares for, having a stroke a couple of days later!! Anyway in the end DS1's deployment was delayed to the following week so we got to see him when we returned from Turkey and Auntie is making progress although we will probably have to find a nursing home for her.

Anyway I will be sitting down and sorting out my budget over the next few days, repaying debts etc.

Not much to get in respect of Xmas pressies, kids pretty much sorted, money for nieces and nephews, nothing to get for DH as we are going to lots of concerts next year so that is our Xmas and birthday pressies.

I saw my consultant yesterday, I have to have another operation at the start of next year, that will be 2 years into treatment and a whole year since my last op which never actually healed!! Really down about it as it is going to be more radical and means more time off work and countless trips to the hospital 25 miles away!!:mad:

Money Saving wise I have been trying eat from stocks since we got back from hols but nothing much else to declare!

Will be back soon - I promise!!

321 xxx

trixiepix

Well, it's January yet again and this year i fear will be my biggest challenge so far.

Really up against it financially, so this time i really do have no choice but to knuckle down, stop with the procrastinating & basically stop spending & get debt busting.

I've found myself in this position countless times and feel so fed up that i've reached the high's of being debt free & the low's of being backed into a corner financially.

I've changed my approach this year to try to establish as to what motivates me to stay on the hamster wheel of debt v repayment - boredom??, happiness??, sadness??, keeping up with the Jones'?? - who know's this is what i'm actively working on!

Well, time to get on with with it i guess !!! :eek:

trixiepix

Hope all ok with you & yours lovely - hope health issues are holding up?


Finally the end of January & payday - woo hoo !!


Note to self, remember Christmas happens every year (so plan even better for it), have a buffer in place for the inevitable overspend, oh and remember how long there is in between Dec & Jan paydays!!!


Hope the new year is treating you well lovely?
and hope to 'speak' soon

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi Trixie,

Sorry I have been missing for so long!!

I am currently off of work on sick leave following another operation, thought I qualified for two weeks paid leave but payroll deducted it instead!! I've queried it and received a weeks pay but no explaination yet why they haven't paid the second week!

Got told yesterday that we need to replace our boiler, it's been temperamental for a couple of years and has finally given up the ghost so that's being done next week and a huge bill will be heading our way!!! Terrible timing but it has to be done as we currently have no heating or hot water!

Xmas and New Year were strange for us with DS1 being in Afghanistan but he is home in a couple of weeks!! I am flying out to his camp to see him receive his medal, but he doesn't think I am going due to health and money issues, will be a nice surprise (thanks to Easyjets Happy Bums promotion!!)

We are also going to be up against it this year! The last of my redundancy/rainy day money will be used for the boiler and to cover my pay short fall. There certainly wont be a holiday for us this year, I have also got DS2's 16th and DS1's 21st in the next month!

We need to put our heads together and crack this, it has been going on too long. No wasting money, no more on credit and regular over payments to existing debts. I have signed up to the Experian free trial to check my credit rating, was a bit of a shock so today I have been closing accounts and querying others. My £50pm to the Tax Man ends in March and my £212pm loan ends in December, all extra to put towards repayments.

Chin up hun, we will crack this!!

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi All, Trixie are you still out there??

Well I am back and up for a debt busting fight, this is REALLY it!!

I have calculated my debts to be around £20k!! This includes a loan that will be repaid Dec 15 and will free up £200 per month.

I have just been promoted to Manager and will be receiving approx £300 pm pay rise starting from the end of May. Plus I help hubby with his second job (out of hours emergency helpline) and I get £150pm from that which is going straight to credit cards.

Soo the plan is this........

March, April, May, June, July August, September, October - I will be paying £500 pm to my credit cards (£4000) and for six months May - Oct I will be putting the payrise into my savings account to replace the money for my new boiler (£1800), this is my probation period for my new job and I dont want to assume I will pass it!

November and December (provided I HAVE passed probation) I will pay £800 to the credit cards (£1600).

Then from January - December I will be paying £1000pm (thats a scary figure) = £12000 and I will be just about debt free!!!

This will be fabulous timing cos DS2 will be 18 in Feb 17 and DH will be 50 in April 17 so I will be able to afford to treat them both. Plus by then I will be needing a new car and kitchen and possibly windows so will be able to save the £1000pm towards those things. It seems do-able now, hard slog for about 2 years but wow it will be so worth it. Plus if the new job turns out to be a nightmare I will be able to downgrade, go part-time or find something else so it will give me more options!

I am determined this time (yeah I know I've said that before), I have paid the £500 for March and it feels really good.

I am still shopping frugally but the homebaking has dropped off somewhat and the meal planning is non-existant, need to get back into that. I am saving my Morrisons vouchers for Xmas plus £20pm in a tin. £2 coins still going in my sealed pot til its full, £1 per toiletry item used in another jar. £30 pw from my little lady in my savings account.

God it sounds so easy but I'm sure it won't be!

Going to get back to posting on here regularly to keep the motivation up.

So onwards and upwards, heres to a positive new start!!!

321 xxx