Putting it down on paper...and making a plan (arrrghh!!)

Lemon_Tree

hi i love my OH as well, but he can't see that things such as getting breakfast before work whilst out and about will really mount up. I do his finances for him and feel i have to weigh up between giving him enough so he doesn't go too far in his overdraft (we're only talking less than £100) but without giving him lots of money to 'waste', whilst i try and put everything aside against my debt. I do keep reminding him that i don't get any money for 'fun'.

skyvicky123

Men! Can't live with 'em can't afford the mortgage without 'em!

I gave him the full £25 in the end, knowing that I short changed him a bit the week before. As he has made the huge sacrifice of giving up smoking it will be a hard enough week for him and I don't want any unnecessary rows.

Still not had a fag and yesterday was another NSD (i'm not counting the 35p packet of crisps for me and 25p sweets for dd) ....okay, okay you've caught me out we'll call it an LSD!

Breakfast was my replacement choc croissant. Big pack from Lidl (not the same as the fresh ones but never mind) and fresh pineapple.

I have my 10p quiche whch I cut into 3 (1/3rd in fridge for DD lunch, 1/3 back in freezer and 1/3 in my lunch box) along with salad and HM bread for lunch.

Dinner is toad in the hole which OH is cooking as he is on hols today to look after DD.

I have left a shopping list on the side so whether today is another NSD depends on whether OH remembers to go!

skyvicky123

Right well my DFW plans for at the moment are:

Music Magpie - get the parcel that's been sitting under my desk for weeks sent off and wait for my cheque! (lunch break)

Ebay - Iron lots of outfits ready for sale (tonight)

Table Top sale 12th June (village thing) Get stuff organised and priced up ready (this will probably happen at the weekend as I am at work today)

Tomorrow will spend sub £5 in total (have a trip to cafe planned with a friend and can get a meal for me and DD and a cuppa all in for that price!)

Lemon_Tree

sounds like a great plan, and that's a bargain if you can get all that for a fiver in the cafe.

i've just done a freezer dive to get things out for tonight and for tomorrow, why didn't i get organised and get tonights tea out this morning?

finished earlier today which was nice, means i can check on here and check the banking before OH gets home and then spend the evening with him. I've got some fasting blood tests tomorrow but can't remember if i fast from 9 or 12 which can make a big difference because i'm not allowed water either and that's all i drink.

skyvicky123

Hi Lemon Tree - I feel for you on the fasting thing. Never had to do that and can't imagine telling myself I can't even have water. I think my body would rebel against my brain!

It's my day off today with DD. Would normally be doing Rhyme time, stay and play etc but skipping this (and the cafe!) as I have things to do at home before I leave for my Auntie's who is doing me lunch which will be nice.

Woke up at 3am for some reason and couldn't sleep so ironed a load of clothes for the table top sale but still loads more to do. Plus i need to make a flipping scarecrow this weekend argh!

I popped into Lidl for a few things I needed last night and ended up spending £18. There were no luxuries there apart from my bacon bits for carbonara and 2 for £2 on OH's favourite cola, plus £5 worth of nappies, butter, veg oil, dzn FR eggs, floor cleaner and some other bits.

Actually found them to be the same price or more expensive than Tesco on many items so think I will give them a miss for a while. Plus no brocolli - what's that all about??

Still need to get:

Tea (Have tried tesco value / smart price and all disgusting so will stick with whatever is on the best offer!)
Squash (I wouldn't buy this from Lidl as their own brand is 69p and rank - Tesco Val is 30p and lovely!)
Cheerios equiv (Tesco do this the cheapest)
Milk (Would have bought at Lidl but didn't realise we were so low)

I have only got £40 of the original budget to last me to Wednesday. Obviously that's more than do-able but was hoping to squeeze a chinese out but this might not happen.

Dinner tonight is the leftover sausages, egg and chips. DD will have sausage mash and veg.

OH is having egg and beans on HM bread at work for lunch.

Couldn't get my barcode scanner to work on Music Magpie yesterday and didn't have time to enter each code individually so will have another go on Monday.

skyvicky123

Bit of a dilemma about the activities for this weekend...

Just had to put £10 in my car to get to my Auntie's and back. Now I'm back on empty again. This means I will need to put another £10 in - Petrol overspend of £20 as I only budgeted £10

I have £32 left in my purse and need to buy / choose between the following:

Chew treats for doodle (he keeps eating our carpet and if OH discovers he has been at it again he'll be for the high jump!) £4.00 for big pack
Tea bags £1.00 ish
Squash £0.60p
Cheerio type cereal £1.00 (might drop this and insist she eats weetabix)
Milk £1.80
Brocolli 50p
Pepper £1.00

So from my £30 I am left with around £12.10!!

Been invited to party in the park which is £15 entry for 3 of us. I can take packed lunch but will still end up spending on something if we go.

Mum has just got a new job and her new (over enthusiastic IMO) boyfriend has decided to throw her a surprise party Sunday afternoon. My OH doesn't want to go and will be stroppy about it and I will have to shell out for card, wine, beer etc (plus i'm not that keen on going either really tbh)

Thing is what I really want to do is turn down both events and stay at home but think OH wants to go to the party thing. Should I see if he's willing to hand over the £18.00 left in his beer fund in order to go...? (ha ha)

The problem is I left us short for this week because I overspent last week so I really don't want to overspend again!

I know what i should do...but it's so hard to say "no" isn't it...or is it just me?

skyvicky123

Right well, it's a no to the party one, and a yes to the 2nd one but will just take v.cheap bottle and stick to soft drinks (will get wine out of OH beer budget!)

Have about £7 left after the Tesco trip so will try and keep that in my purse all weekend. Think I can defo do another NSD tomorrow which will make 3 in total I think (or if I am honest 1 LSD and 2 NSD)

Dinner is sausage egg and chips.

YUM:cool:

Metguy

Hello

Just found your diary and read from start all the way through to here. You sound like you really know what you're doing and I can fully empathise with your occasional slumps in motivation. I owe a similar amount to you but haven't really set DFD as of yet. I have started a diary though which I find massively helpful and therapeutic.

Anyway just wanted to pop in to say hi and to hang on in there...in my opinion you're doing a blinding job at sorting things out

skyvicky123

Hi Metguy and thanks for popping in. I haven't set a DFD either yet. For now I am trying to get myself and the family into the right habits and breaking the bad ones!

I think that's one of our problems actually. I was lieing in bed this morning thinking that me and OH have always been too quick to give in to indulgence and also indulge each other. For example the expensive holidays, takeaways every night with more dishes than we can eat, new TV's that we knew we didn't NEED, as well as clothes to make us feel better.

I do know what needs to change and so much already has but it's just that compared to others we still have a lot of extravagance that we MUST learn to live without. I CAN and I enjoy cooking on a budget so that one is easier but I am missing my takeaways as well as the lack of little treats here and there but at the end of the day that's where all the debt went!

What's your situation Metguy if you don't mind me asking. Is it just the level of debt which is an issue or are you behind?

Anyway - plans for today:

Long walk for Barneydoodle
Bit of garden organising
Get paint out and patch up some bits in the hall
Get grout off the tiles
Iron clothes for tabletop sale
Make a scarecrow
Put bread on in BM
OH to fix DW
Washing on and out to dry

I know there is more but I can't think.

Lunch willl be some kind of sandwich. Tea is roast chicken thighs for OH and Carbonara for me and DD (my favourite meal!):j

Metguy

Yep totally agree with you - breaking the bad habits is key! This is one thing that worries me slightly because if i dont break my own bad habits then once im debt free it'll only be a matter of time until right back here!

Its all about changing your mind set and way of thinking. I would currently look at quite an expensive holiday in a brochure that I couldnt afford and convince myself that I should book it on credit anyway because its only a one off, i can pay it back later, everyone else is going on holidays so why cant I? etc etc... Its this type of thinking that needs to change.

Im not behind in any payments, i'm just sick of forking out so much of my hard earned salary to debt payments - its soul destroying!

On the plus side its just over two weeks till pay day and that means another 500 quid paid off Bank of Mum