I Will Will Will Do It This Time!

If_My_Pennies_Were_Pounds

Hi Cakelover, can't help with the tax return I'm afraid but the Council Tax will just be a case of whether you were on a 10 month or 12 month payment option...sounds like you were on the 12 month option.

Hope that helps, Pennies x

cakelover_2

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I hate the tax office!!!! :mad: Finally managed to complete my tax return last night, for the whole £10! When it came to showing me what I owe it said £121.20!!!! Unfortunately I think they are right. I think this is to do with my current work and that they didn't take enough tax when I first started and my student loan repayments didn't start again for about 6 weeks, plus the measly £3 I owe them for the self employed work. When I started my job the director told me to put the money aside incase they asked me to pay it at a later date. The never asked but she said they will probably take it over the tax year, which it doesn't look like they did. We ended up needing that money I had saved for food so spent it and I was supposed to take it back out of the food money over the last year. That never happened because we needed the money. Luckily I still have approx £70 to £90 in my bank (think I have left my keypad thing I need to use to get into my bank at work so can't check) so that leaves me atleast £30 short. Luckily this month we should have a council tax payment free, so I will use some of that money too. I spoke to the tax office yesterday to double check the figures are right (you know what the tax office is like!) but their answer was ring back Monday when all the returns have gone through, grrrr! I bet I have spent more money phoning expensive bank and hmrc customer services numbers to get this return done then I even made! I am gutted though because I was planning on putting most of that money towards my cc. I guess the silver lining is that at least that would mean I have paid tax for when I am oldr (an old boss had to top hers up because she hadn't paid enough and if she didn't pay it she wouldn't have got her full pension) and at least my student loan is going down. We will see what the tax office has to say tomorrow, you never know, they could still be wrong!

Thanks Pennies. I didn't know they did 12 month payment options too. I don't think that's what it is as I found my bill from last year and it says were going to be paying in the Feb but not the March. I think they are going to try and say it was because they didn't put through our details in time so we had to pay in the Feb, but I will argue that as they told us we will be paying more a month rather than extending it, we actually pay less now because they have sorted themselves out.

cakelover_2

Oh one other point. Does anyone know (incase I need to do a return for 10-11 tax year (haven't made any money yet so not sure if I will) what happens about expenses that your employed work pays you? They ask for it in the return but I don't understand why, as they are expenses and not taxable income, surely they can't try and tax me on that?

cakelover_2

Signed up for my pension last week. The advisor come in to work and as I didn't have one and I had never spoke to an advisor, thought it best to speak to them. I think he wanted me to go straight onto paying 3% of my salary, that worked out at £36 a month which I just didn't want to commit myself to with paying off my debts, so I've started at 1% which is £12 a month with a view of going up to 2% or 3% when I've paid off my card and loan. This is still money I could be paying on my debt and I wasn't going to start a pension till I had paid everything off, but instead of putting the pension off I've just started with the lowest possible, it's better than nothing. I found out though that from next year if you earn over £7500 a year it will be compulsory at 1% of your salaray, then it will go up to 5% in 5 years. Apparantly alot of people don't know about it (I certainly didn't) and alot of companies arn't ready for it.
Still need to get in contact with HMRC to make sure my tax bill was right. Might have to wait till my next phone bill is through though, I can't afford to keep ringing the 0845 number and having to wait to speak to someone.
OH's birthday on Weds, have ordered his presents, I hope they come in time and I'm making him a nice steak dinner and a nice birthday cake
Start my cake decoration course on Monday night, I'm sooooo excited. I have some money put aside for when they give us the list of things we will need, I'm hoping I can buy things as I go along and that I won't need to buy it all in one go, will hopefully be able to spread the cost out. Apparantly I was the first to sign up, I tried to get on it last time but it was full, so I made sure I got on it this time :rotfl:

cakelover_2

Finally came on today for some updates on payments and my diary. Feel like I have been slacking lately, I think I am having a 'how am I going to pay this off' thing at the moment. I'm motivated to get the money paid but I don't know how I am going to get it all together. I was planning on using the council tax free month money this month but will be using it now on other stuff. In all honesty I need some of it for some things I have planned that I don't need to do but it's things I am really looking forward to. I'm struggling with myself because part if me says use it to pay off the debts, but part of me says I can't stay in the whole of the year to pay off my money or I will fall at the first hurdle because I will be fed up with not doing anything.
I started my cake decoration course this week, I'm really looking forward to learning everything and the tutor said we will be able to make cakes like in the magazines and books by the end of it. :j I always knew it would cost money as it's not cheap, the equipment you need really adds up, but this is what I want to do as a career and I am really going for it. There is an exhibition in Surrey next month and I am also debating whether to go to that too as I will need to use the council tax free money next month for my ticket and to get there and back. So I'm battling with whether to go to that or pay my card. It's so hard! I also need to buy a standing mixer. I have a hand held mixer which I thought might suffice, but, for example, the tutor said that a standing mixer is best, or to make things like Royal Icing you have to hand whisk for 15mins then use the hand held electric whisk for 5 mins or the motor will run out on the electric hand whisk. I know I don't NEED it, but in terms of learning and getting my stuff done quicker and making things when it comes to eventually selling, it will be much easier. The cheapest I have seen is £108 plus £8 postage. I don't want to use my card to buy it as I have vowed to not use my card this year, so I don't know how I am going to get one.
Right, I need to get back on getting money together again. It's actually going to be harder this month as I have more things that I'm doing, so I need to get my butt in gear for Ebay, surveys, free cashback etc.

cakelover_2

Hi All

Just realised my friend still hasn't given me the £3.90 she owes me. Feel a bit funny asking her for it now though, though it is money I should have paid off my card by now.
Was planning on paying £100 a month min on my cc this year. I'm really busy this month and next though so looks like I will just be paying the minimum. Feel like I have klet myself down a bit but I know sometimes we can't stick to it.
Out for my friends birthday next month and I cannot find anything to wear. Managed to get some skinny jeans for £8 but I cannot find a top anywhere! I can't wear anything I've got because I've gone up a dress size and the stuff that does fit looks bad! Really wanted a dress or skirt but just cannot find anything! It's like the world doesn't want my to buy clothes at the moment, lol. Either stuff is too expensive (do NOT want to put something on my cc) or it's all this beige and white that is out which I don't want.
Need to call HMRC and the gas company and also look into switching gas and elec, hopefully that will bring in some cash.

LittleBoots

Hiya

The cake course sounds great, making me hungry anyway!
There is always going to me times life gets in the way and you cant make that extra payment, its all about finding a balance I guess.
I know what you mean about the clothes shopping, I can never find what I want. Sometimes if I see something I like and it fits well I'll buy it knowing I'll have something to wear it to at some point.

cakelover_2

Hi Littleboots. I managed to find 2 tops in the end to go with some skinny jeans I bought and some other skinny jeans I already have, plus a couple of things for Zumba which my friend and I are planning on starting this month and I got it all under the budget I had set for myself! I was so pleased. I didn't get anything special, but at least I can go out in something new and that fits properly I am so determined not to spend on the credit card this year. My cake course is costing alot of money, which I knew it would, but I'm not sure how I am going to pay for all the things I need every week, I keep juggling my figures around and have managed it so far. I need to have a fruit cake plus some marzipan and stuff to start creating an easter cake from Monday. Needs to be fruit so it doesn't go stale as we will do it over a few weeks, I didn't realise how expensive it is to buy a proper one. I thought it would be cheaper to buy but I looked today and it is going to cost £18 to £19 for the cake alone! To buy all the ingredients is going to cost £14 plus a cake tin, but I can't find the right tin, so may have to buy the cake - it better be a great tasting cake! lol.
I hope you don't mind but I am kind of stealing your idea of making a list for the month. Carrying the list around with me as well but will be good to put on here too.

OH got some great news last Friday. He has passed his probation and been given a £3k payrise and it's being back dated to 1st January. He was really shocked and I'm so proud of him. He has only been there 3 months so it means he effectively got a payrise after 2 months. The people he worked for before were nasty and he rarely got a payrise and was on really bad money, he is basically earning half more again than he was 3 months a go so he is just finally getting what he deserves! He is going to start paying for all the petrol money now so that will free up £50 a month of my money so that's great. Will be putting some if not all of it on the cc depending on what I can do every month, that will start from next month.

Started paying into my pension pot this month. Only paying 1% at the moment but when my cc and loan is paid off I will look into paying more. I read something the other day that said about it being a long term investment that you can't touch till you retire. I obviously knew that was the case but reading it on paper made me think woah I can't touch that money for a looooooooooooooooong time! Glad I am starting my pot though.

My list for March:
Get money sitting in Bingo Site transferred to bank and pay off cc
Buy tins and ingredients for my Nans 80th cake and plan the cake - Done
Keep MSE updated and keep up to date with MSE
Book the hotel for my little brothers wedding in September - Done
Call Scottish Gas about price increase
Look into getting dual fuel
Call HMRC about tax return
Decide with OH when having a week off together and book it off work
Work out money for OH and I's week off
Get cake decorating catalogue from Almond Art and ask for student form
Get tutor to sign student form and send back to Almond Art
Check accepted on Facebook page for cake students Done
Check on OH's birthday order from Forbidden Planet - Emailed 22/2 need to keep chasing, ordered in Jan but out of print!
Send referrals for Quidco and Topcashback to my friend - Done
Make sure dates for the 4 weddings we are going to this year are on calendar
Book up beauty treatments that OH got me for Christmas - Done
Sort out what OH owed from holiday (OH is paying for V Fest weekend tickets - yay :j - but need to work out the difference)
Buy car tax - Done
Look into selling ring
Look nto selling bracelet
Sign up with Groupon which my boss referred me to
Keep doing cashback sites
Get money from savings accounts and pay on cc's then close them
Read pension information have recieved
Make sure dates for car tax/MOT/service/insurance is on diary
Look up Ace of Cakes
Look up NCFE and advanced cake courses
Start Ebaying

So just a short list then! :rotfl:Hopefully I will get it all done!

cakelover_2

Went to the Squires Kitchen cake exhibition yesterday, saw some amazing cakes! The sugarpaste flowers looked real, I kept saying to my Mum, nah they are real, but they wern't! Hopefully one day I will be as good as what I saw! The exhibition was smaller than I expected, but I saw some well known people in the business and saw a demo by one of them. Seeing it all just really confirms to me that this is what I want to do and how much I want to have my own cake decorating business! I really need to write to my landlord but I am scared he is going to say no about running it from home, then not re let to us at the end of the year in case he thinks I will do it anyway. I need to just do it though! Being inspired alot at the moment by Richard Branson as I am reading his book, his motto is "screw it lets do it", I am starting to go by that motto too, instead if wasting time thinking so much about stuff!

Was thinking of starting some Ebaying today but I don't know where the lead is to hook the camera up to the computer, will ask OH when he is up, has gone to bed for a while.

Can't believe it's halfway through March, feel like I could be doing alot better on the debt busting front. Today I spent £4 on Taco Bell for OH and I, and I really shouldn't have, need to check my bank tomorrow and hope I have some money left in my account for the rest of the month to buy stuff for my course, I am so determined not to use that card this year!

Off to do some surveys now and cashback sites, need to make some Royal Icing for my cake course as well a bit later.

cakelover_2

I can't believe I haven't posted on my diary since 13th March and that it's now the beggining of April! How are we through the first quarter of the year already?! So, I now need to post my April list. Some are new things, some are stuff I didn't do in March. Did more in March than I thought though so that's good.

List for April:
Get money sitting in Bingo Site transferred to bank and pay off cc
Keep MSE updated and keep up to date with MSE
Look into getting dual fuel
Call HMRC about tax return
Decide with OH when having a week off together and book it off work
Get cake decorating catalogue from Almond Art and ask for student form
Get tutor to sign student form and send back to Almond Art
Sort out OH's late birthday present
Make sure dates for the 4 weddings we are going to this year are on calendar
Sort out what OH owed from holiday (OH is paying for V Fest weekend tickets - yay :j - but need to work out the difference)
Look into selling ring - Done and sold
Look into selling bracelet - Done and sold
Sign up with Groupon which my boss referred me to
Keep doing cashback sites - In Progress
Get money from savings accounts and pay on cc's then close them
Read pension information have recieved
Make sure dates for car tax/MOT/service/insurance is on diary
Look up Ace of Cakes
Look up NCFE and advanced cake courses
Start Ebaying
Post renewal for small earnings certificate - Done
Write Nan's cake info in cakes to make/cakes made book
Change email address on survey/MS sites
Start MS'ing again
Look into Olympic tickets