Diary of a Dramaqueen

PollyBanwell

Thanks Nottoobadyet! Congrats on becomming Debt free! Well done you! Hope to join you one day soon!

PollyBanwell

Ugh! How annoying! I had just written a massive long post about my evening last night, went to post it and the website went down! Lost it all! Grrr!

Never mind! I will perservere...!

Had a lovely evening last night - OH and I went to a carol service at St Martins in the Field in Trafalgar Sq! It was very Christmassy and there was a lovely choir! Only £2 in and I put a quid in the collection which all went to charity so £3 all in! Good stuff!

Then we went to the Stockpot and had a set meal which came in at £21.40 for both of us with wine! So £15 for a lovely night out.

We then met a friend for a drink after he finished work (my OH paid for my wine!) and then everything was going fine until...

We were on the tube when the driver announced that (sadly) a person was under a train on the track ahead of us and that we would have to wait for some time before we know when would move on! It's always so awful when someone thinks that is their only option and they have nothing else to live for, but without wanting to sound callous its such a nightmare when it's midnight and your trying to make it home! 2 tubes later we had got to Stratford - halfway home - then a bus to Leytonstone and a 45 min WALK home, got in at 2am frozen! I must confess that I bought some crisps at £1.79 so we could enjoy them thawing out on the sofa. They were delicious!

So spending for yesterday
coke 49p
carols £3
dinner £11
crisps £1.79 = £16.28

Today so far is
Energy drink 35p
Virgin Credit card DD £25

Tonight I'm having dinner with my Mum and cousin at Whetherspoons. I know its cheap and cheerful, and I'm not count my chickens, but I'm hoping mum might treat us as it's almost Christmas! If not I will budget £10 - that should cover curry and a glass of wine! Really looking forward to it!

Back to work now - I need to the loo but there is a rat in the kitchen (what ya goona do!) and I don't want to go in!!!!!

PollyBanwell

PS I don't want you all to thinkI'm totally moeny obessed! I am mindful as I want to get out of debt of course - but me listing the cost of everything is because this is MSE!!!!!!!!

PollyBanwell

Weel, thanks to a very kind tip off on the discounts and vouchers board I have now purchased £27 worth of theatre tokens for £25! Small I know, this means I have still managed to get all my Christmas pressies for some sort of discount his year. There was another thread talking about this and I worked out that so far I had spent £90 on Perfume, a book, wine, cookery book, jumper, t shirt, terrys choc orange, FCUK goodies bag, posh soap and hand wash, Fearne cottons eyeshadows, baby leggins and top, Stila Lipgloss and Urban Decay Rocks! I can now add £25 to that total with my Theatre tokens = £115 so far. I have a few more things to buy and a day off tomorrow so should have everything sown up by then! Need a couple of things for 2 5 year olds, a new born and an 18 month girl. Any ideas for cheap clothes/toys would be most welcome!

Todays spend so far
35p energy
Virgin CC £25
Theatre Tokens £25
coke 49p

PollyBanwell

Just been on Play.com through quidco! Never used quidco before - does it still work if you are already signed up? Hope so! Just got pressies for OH, my Dad and OH's Dad for £19. Almost done re pressies! Woop!

Todays spend so far
35p energy drink
Virgin CC £25
Theatre Tokens £25
coke 49p
Play.com £19

Quite a lot I know but not really frivoulous and I am budgeting for all of this. Am I kidding myself....?

PollyBanwell

Saturday again and I'm in work...again!

I'm not complaining too much - just a little bit! I'm the only one in the office, so it's nice and quiet and I can work at my own pace which this morning is a little bit slower than normal! I work in the HO of a childrens drama school. Today is the last Saturday of the term so have had lots of frantic phone calls about costumes for their end of term presentations!

Been a good couple of days...have ONE pressie left to buy (unless anyone I have forgotten!) and had a mamouth bargain hunt yesterday offset by my rather expensive but gorgeous hair cut! I have a few friends that have children now and so I have stopped buying things for them and only buy for their kids. So I went into the local charity shop and found 3 super and brand new teddies for under £5, then went to Matalan where it was buy one get one free so got luxury hotwater bottle and box a very posh chocs for £6 and also bought some kiddies gloves 3 pairs for £3.

On thursday I discovered Quidco thanks to these boards and will always do my online shopping through them if I can in the future! Excellent Idea! I used it to buy some pressies from Play.com which included a 3 film DVD of Casino, Scarface and Carlitos Way for under £5! Dad will love it!

I got paid on Monday and already my account is looking very low. I am due another 2 pay days from a promotions company this month though, so things will ease when that comes through but they can never give you an actual date. All they say is within 28 daus of your invoice. That should be next Wednesday but with Christmas coming up I'm just hoping they put everything through and don't leave us waitin guntil the new year. Although I have spent this week, the majority of it went on CC payments, rent etc and I have been very frugal with "spending money" although I have been out alot. On Thursday Mum paid for our curries and I spent £1.50 at the panto last night. I didn't really need half a lager in the interval, and afterwards thought it was a waste but it's these little spends that I need to cut out. Next week there isn't really any going out at all. we have friends over on Wednesday for dinner which my OH is taking care of and lunch at frineds on Sunday. We will have to get a bottle of wine but they will also get the free chocs I got in Matalan

Am working all week Mon-Sat but it's almost Christmas and the thought of a few days off the week after is getting me through!

Oh well back to work now. 5 hours left an dcounting!

PollyBanwell

Well its been a few days since I have written so thought it was time for a catch up! The biggest news is that I have finished the Christams shopping! Woo hoo! With a couple of trips to tescos and charity shops I managed to get all the remaining childrens pressies for under a tenner and that included 3 teddy bears, 2 colouring books, 2 set of colouring pencils, and 2 pairs of little gloves!

I had a big spend weekend but I knew it was coming and had budgeted. There was a moment when I was about to put my hair cut on my credit card, but thenI thought that's the sort of behaviour that got me into trouble in the first place so I used my debit card instead. Also had a great meal out on Saturday evening with a friend who was over from switzerland and again had budgeted. Yesterday though I managed to spend about £12 on not very much at all, just lunch and soft drinks at work for me and my OH. Its just so easy to whittle cash away. This is why I must remain focused and these boards are such a good way to get into good habbits. I found that when I did Weight Watchers. Just by having to think about food all the time eventually those choices became habit until you don't really have to think about it anymore. I'm hoping that this is will be a money diet in reverse! Today I should have a NSD as although I need to go into London I have already bought my weekly travel card. Then will take in lunch for work for the rest of the week.

It would be really great if my promotions job would pay me this week. Technically like I said in my previous post they have until next week, but with people going off for Christmas I hope they don't leave it all until after they get back. If I don't hear anything by Thursday I might email them and check.

We have been saving £2 coins since the beginning of Dec and have managed to save £18. Not huge amounts but just having £18 quid without really thinking about it is great. We are saving for a trip in March so by then we might have quite a bit to put towards it!!!

I'm really worried about the rise in VAT. Everything suddenly seems to be getting more expensve and I think brands are putting up prices now so when the VAT increase comes in they can put them up even more. For example (silly example I know) but Sainsbury's own orange juice used to be 90p per carton. It's now gone up to £1.14! Same with bread. It worries me because we don't spend a lot on food as it is as we like cooking and can usually russle something lovely up from very basic ingredients. But now those basics aer going to become more expensive. I don't know how the government can justify the cuts and the increases - usrely it has to be one or the other - and what about these poor families where someone has been made redundant? How are they managaing? It just seems to me the poor are getting squeezed, the middle income are becoming poor and the rich still have enough money that nothing really effects them. Maybe I'm being unfair but I feel very hard done by!

Anyway, there is a pile of washing that needs attending to so I'm off!

Have a great day everyone

ehallett

Hi Polly

Just read through your diary and will subscribe now .

I was thinking of joining the £2 saving club and have just seen that you do it so think I might do. How are you doing with the PADing? Think I might have to get back on board with that too. It really does work well.

Anyway, good luck with debt clearing and well done for finishing your Christmas shopping.

Emily xx

PollyBanwell

Well, its been ages since I have posted so I thought as I had a couple of moments on my lunch break I would have a little catch up!

The good news is that I have finished all my Christmas shopping and whilst I'm still waiting for one of them to come through the post (fingers crossed it arrives!) and everything was bought for £130.

Very pleased with myself! Although I haven't got much left in my account, I have paid all my repayments for this month, and my rent, and the electric bill and for once feel rather in control of everything! I should either get paid this week (fingers and toes crossed!) or by the very lastest 30th Dec and then I have another pay day on 6th Jan.

I have been saving my £2 coins religiously and its working - I'd rather save the coin than spend it on a can of coke or choc etc and my OH is observing the rule too! We only have £22 saved but its nice seeing the amount increase at a rate that isn't leaving me short else where!

I'm really hoping that 2011 is a little more stable with work. I trained as actress and whilst I have been fairly successful it is all abit up in the air at the best of times. (And I'm no where near a household name which would help!) I work also for a childrens drama school and a Wills Writing Service which together enable me to work 6 days a week if I want. I am lucky in that I have employment - I have noticed the very sharp decline in temp work available and know a lot of people are struggling to find work. Although my work isn't guarenteed its good to know I have options. I have been working 6 days a week since Novemeber and I'm feeling it now. Today is my last day until next Wednesday and I can't wait for a break! I have a lot of worked booked for Jan already and so hopefully the new year won't be as lean as it normally is. Do feel a little bit please with myself - don't mean to sound smug, and I'm certianly not out of debt, but do feel a little bit more in control of..me!

Hope everyone has a great Christmas/holiday season!

Polly x

PollyBanwell

The other thing is... I was thinking of treating my OH to a birthday treat of a day in Paris/Bruges via Eurostar. Anyone have any tips re discount codes etc? Or speacial offers in the press?

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