Lois_E begins a long MFW journey

gratefulforhelp_2

AF gets you like that, random food, I mean.

Lois_E

Well, I have kept my spending diary for the whole of May and am carrying on into June. During May I made my first OP of £35. Actually this was not to the mortgage but to one of the two loans, but they are all house purchase money anyway.

I hope to be able to make much bigger OPs in future, but until all my building work is sorted and paid for, I need to keep saving until I find out how much it's going to cost in total. Not that there is any work going on at the moment. My builder says he may be able to come back next week to finish off some stuff and install my shower - yay lower water bills AND getting clean more quickly than in a bath! However, he's not been well recently and has got behind on a few jobs for various clients, so I'm trying to stay relaxed about whether it's actually next week or rather later than that.

From now on, I've decided to count the months from the 7th to the 6th, though. Lots of things come in and out (pay, mortgage, council tax, DD for CC, DDs for utilities etc) between about 24th of the month and 6th of the next month, and then there's a lull in regular stuff until the next busy season starts again. So it makes sense to have all that together, winding up with the mortgage standard payment on the 6th (and I will make OPs on the 6th too).

Lois_E

Got tax credit notice - going down by £150 per month (well, per four weeks). :eek:

Got childcare bill for after school club - £480 :eek: (although that is for the whole term so haven't had to pay since before Easter and won't have to pay again until the autumn)

June is not getting off to a good start.

CathT

Lois_E wrote: »

Got tax credit notice - going down by £150 per month (well, per four weeks). :eek:

Got childcare bill for after school club - £480 :eek: (although that is for the whole term so haven't had to pay since before Easter and won't have to pay again until the autumn)

June is not getting off to a good start.

Ouch, it seems we are all worse off this financial year. I have another 5 years of childcare bills to look forward to. It's such a lot of money to pay out every month but after so long it becomes automatic and you try not to think about it too much or it'd drive you mad!

Lois_E

Thanks CathT

I've had a busy weekend and haven't been able to post anything or even keep up with more than one or two diaries. I'm just dropping in, though, to say that I've just updated my spending diary, so I'm keeping up with my challenge.

Hope everyone's had a good half term, and good luck to anyone who's got exams or who's got kids with exams.

sutwam

Hi

Your doing great Lois_E.

Good idea to go from the 7th to the 6th to make it easier for you to see whats going in and out of your account

Your watching the pennies so the pounds will come rolling in!

Keep up the good work :beer:

gratefulforhelp_2

Childcare is ouchie, but I just think we want the best people we can have looking after our most precious assets!!

Great idea the spending diary, think I will start a spending-and-food one.

GeorgieFTB

Well done on your over payment, I'd count it too!!

I've seen my tax credit as well, not good, ahh well not my money in the first place, well thats the way I have too look at it as they never get the amount right, so always want some back...

Gx

Lois_E

Another expensive day today

Had to renew kids' passports so we can have our cheap holiday this summer staying with family abroad - over a hundred pounds :eek:

DS has been given a second hand video camera and has been having a blast with it for weeks. He's been pestering for ages for the wherewithal to download his stuff onto the computer, and today I couldn't put it off any more - one expansion card for laptop and one firewire cable - thirty-something quid! _pale_

While in the shop, I spent £2 on a wind-up torch for DD which I hope will reconcile her to the idea of not leaving the landing light on all night, so that should pay for itself eventually.

In good news, I had lunch out at a sandwich place with a friend and she decided to pay for both of us.

ETA I have got my act in gear enough to text the builder to ask when he's going to come back and finish off my stuff. I don't want to hassle him too much because he's been ill recently, but I think he's been better for a week or two, so I thought a text wouldn't be too pushy.

Onecoincloser

well done Lois!! :D

not impressed with the tax credit thing though...that makes life so much harder for you....:(

Keep up the good work though!:T