Please Stop Me Now....

ROSIEGLOW255

Monthly Surplus: £361.05

Unbudgeted Items:

Groceries: £72.50
Petrol: £11.28
Daughters Birthday: £47.24
Cash Withdrawals: £50.00
Extra Childcare: £32.00
M & S: £5.31
M&S: £5.00
Bin: £40.99
Boots: £5.91
Light: £15.48
Shoes & Umbrella: £12.00
Mothercare Refund: +£27.00
Adjustment: +£45
Prescription: £22.20 (will be reclaiming this as signed up for pre-paid cert)

Remaining Monthly Surplus £113.14

ROSIEGLOW255

Day didn't get off to a good start this morning, ended up buying shopping I really didn't need, spent about £5 unnecessarily. Stupid thing was I only spent it coz i was stressed and dreading going into work as thought I'd made a major error that I was going to get in trouble for. Turned out I hadn't and was worrying all last night for nothing. So I didn't lose job as i imagined, was even working out if we could manage on oh's wage on my way into work. I seem to waste so much energy worrying over nothing. It's amazing how your imagination can run wild at times.

After that day got a lot better, just wish I could stop worrying all the time that I've made a mistake, should really have more confidence.

Anyway have been feeling a bit yuck for last few days but feel like I'm coming out the other end now. My moods seem to go round and round in circles like a merry go round. Seem to have 1 bad week, 2 average weeks and 1 really good week and just goes round and round, just wish I could find a happy/constant medium. Think am coming up to really good week where have plenty of motivation and energy, can feel it coming on as can't wait to get cracking tidying the houses and getting things organised, which is against character most of the time. The danger is though my up week can be a bad time for spending as am so happy don't worry about money, fighting the urge to go to IKEA at moment as want to get house organised and in my mind that means a trip to IKEA to buy boxes to store and organise things in. Could spend a fortune on storage boxes, I love them. How sad am I?

Does anyone else find their spending habits change with their mood? In my bad week I spend to cheer myself up and in my good week I spend coz I'm happy and don't worry about money so much, have an everything will be fine attitude. Thank god for my 2 average weeks where I would say my spending is neutral.

Well going to tootle off for now to get little one in bed and am going to have a bit of a sort out in front room. Will be back later to update my budgets.

ROSIEGLOW255

Got a nice tidy lounge now, have moved all daughters toys up into her playroom so feeling much better. Clear lounge = Clear Mind.

Have updated budgets now, am getting really worried about the monthly surplus as not much left, am one third into the month and have got through 2 thirds of the surplus. Am particularly worried as we are going over to Cumbria to visit my parents at the end of the month so need some money for then. Think will have to ask hubby to put his expense receipts in so we have that money available. Really wishing I hadn't bought that bin now, that would have been our petrol money for the weekend. Also now desperately hoping that we will be getting a bonus in our pay this month to bump income up. Think I better go and have a look at my spreadsheet and see what tweaks I can make there.

ROSIEGLOW255

Been on a bit of a splurge yesterday so now kicking myself. Not going to let it put me off but just wish I wouldn't sabotage my efforts all the time.

I think part of the problem is that I don't have the feeling of not having money (luckily). So if I go over budget a bit it doesn't really matter as there is money in the budget to absorb it or I can just reduce my payments to credit card a bit to make up for it. It's like I need the feeling of being skint to stop me from spending and because I don't have that I can't seem to control myself at times. Which is stupid as all I am doing is prolonging the time I am in debt for.

The damage done yesterday is, new bedding and duvet for daughter, new lampshade for her bedroom, new Harlan Coben book for me and reward chart for daughter and also some storage boxes from IKEA so all in all probably talking about nearly £100 spent on stuff that I wanted rather than really needed.

Been watching Bank of Mum and Dad and Spendaholics to try and motivate myself although I'm not sure if it is helping as look at some of them and think well at least I'm not that bad.

On a positive note I have set up a weekly standing order to Egg for £100pw this week, I also cancelled the direct debit but as OH has had three phone calls and a letter requesting he set it back up as it is part of the agreement I have had to reinstate the Direct Debit, am just hoping that as I will have already paid in excess of the minimum payment by the time the direct debit is due that they will not colect it, will be well peed off if they do as it will really through budget off, I'm doing a good enough job of that myself without their help.

My aim is still to be debt free within the year although I would ideally like to be debt free by February 2012 when my extra hours at work will be coming to an end. Although just done the sums and think it will be more likely to be within the year if I'm lucky as don't think I will be able to free up enough income to pay the monthly payments to be debt free by February. Or maybe it is more like I don't want it enough to make the necessary sacrifices.

I sometimes think debt doesn't seem real somehow and that I don't really believe that I will ever be debt free as i have been in debt for most of my adult life and the debt figure is just numbers really, it almost seems normal to be in debt. Maybe I need to think of things which might make the amount of money I owe seem more real.

chevalier

well done on setting up the standing order. I would watch though about the direct debit going out too. It almost certainly will....
chev

ROSIEGLOW255

Well after a rather expensive weekend am once again drawing a line under it and am moving on. Need to check bank accounts and update spreadsheet and budgets as well as setting the budget for next week.

I am thinking of doing a couple of challenges to try and focus my mind a little bit, going to spend some time looking at what challenges are available. The ones that immediately spring to mind are the No Spend challenge and 1 debt in 100 days, will have to have a think.

Well off to update budgets and will be back later to update

ROSIEGLOW255

Well looked at weekly budget and am totally lost off with this weeks budget so not sure how accurate below figures are:

Weekly Budget W/C 8th May 2011

Total Available Budget: £105.00

Groceries: £60.00/£50.87
Childcare: £16.00/£20.00
Other: £29.00/£34.02

Budget Remaining: £0.11 (put in money jar)

Actually had over £3 in purse and bank is overdrawn so obviously not accounted for something, too tired to work out where I've gone wrong so going to put cash in money jar and deduct overdraft amount from this weeks budget.

Have joined a couple of challenges, the first one is 1 debt vs 100 days, it's not going to be the full 100 days and nor is one complete debt going to be paid of by then as I only have one but my aim is to pay off £1300 by 3rd August. My current balance is £4577.70 so by 3rd August balance should be £3277.70.

Also joined weekly spend challenge, pledged £20. Must remember that aim is to try to spend below that rather than that being the target to reach lol. Think that is where problem with credit cards came from ,thought that credit limit was something to aim for.

Weekly Budget W/C 16th May 2011

Total Available Budget: £90.00

Groceries: £50.00/£0.00
Childcare: £20.00/£0.00
Other: £20.00/£0.00

Budget Remaining: £90.00

Going to try to not spend too much on groceries this week,kicking myself though as through bad management am going to have to throw some food out as gone past use by date, it's chicken and eggs so not worth risking it, this week am going to mainly just raid cupboards and freezer to see what I can rustle up rather than doing a big shop. Going have a scrat about as well as need to see what I can take in for lunches at work. Think I have some soup so will mainly be eating that I think, it's always quick and easy just to grab out the cupboard.

Quick meal plan off top of my head:

Monday - Tuna Pasta Bake
Tuesday - Vege/Fish Fingers with pasta
Wednesday - Tea @ MIL's
Thursday - Garlic Sausage Pasta dish
Friday - BBQ Pork with Roasties
Saturday - Chicken & Gravy Sandwiches

Well going to see about changing my signature then going to have a bath then I'll be off to bed.

ROSIEGLOW255

Well haven't spent anything today. For this purpose I am only counting none bill or grocery spending. I have paid childminder and will probably have to go and buy some milk later but not counting these as they are necessities.

Plan on having a no incidental spending day tomorrow too. Have paid £26.77 to Egg today so slowly chipping away at it bit by bit. Am hoping to have some money left at end of week to pay some more.

Weekly Budget W/C 16th May 2011

Total Available Budget: £90.00

Groceries: £50.00/£2.22
Childcare: £20.00/£20.00
Other: £20.00/£9.95

Budget Remaining: £57.83

ROSIEGLOW255

Bit of a mixed bag today, paid £5.28 to Egg but then made an impulse buy for £9.95, one step forward, two steps back.

Still feeling fairly positive, disappointed that I am still making stupid impulse purchases but am still heading in right direction, just taking smaller steps than I would like.

Also positive is that am so far this week below budget for groceries so hoping to save some money there. I have a hair appointment on Saturday morning but think I am going to cancel it and maybe rearrange for next month. Just heard yesterday as well that will be getting a small bonus this month so that will be an extra £50 in the pot.

ROSIEGLOW255

I can't say I have really had my LBM yet but today have really started to feel like it's on it's way. In the past I have always just thought is was ok being in debt as long as I could afford monthly payments and never really looked at the whole picture.

Just today have really realised that it is going to take a lot of effort to pay debt off. Have been plodding along thinking as long as minimum payments are made and I have money left over in budget it is ok to make lots of small purchases till all the money is gone. I have started to make larger payments this month but even then been kind of treating the money left over in budget as spending money, instead of thinking if I don't buy that I can be debt free quicker.

Ideally I would like to be debt free by March 2012 so need to really start knuckling down and make additional payments on top of the ones I am already making whenever I can.

At the moment the above is just a concept, will really have had my LBM when I start to put it into action.