My SOA :(

beabea81

faithcecilia wrote: »

Some people like socks and toiletries! My friends and I always buy each other picture socks, and my mother would be horrified if she didn't get a mountain of smellies!;)

Socks for xmas are a must! I made a hamper last year for my SIL that contained a hot water botle, fleece blanket and fleece socks as well as some hot choc and marshmellows. She works in City Centre Manchester and commutes via tram and bus so in the winter she often arrives home soaked and miserable... I wasn't shop savvy about it so it worked out quite expensive (I see a 'last minute' spend theme here!) but I know she appreciated it and I love seeing her 'Thank heavens for my hot water bottle and fluffy throw' status' on facebook! I could have gotten all that for less than £10 had I have given myself more time and shopped more carefully!

HappyMJ wrote: »

Personally I think that's a really good deal. I would suggest though that you use Topcashback for £35 cash back and also use the code TBB4M for 4 months free and I would highly recommend the unlimited landline calls package for a total monthly cost of £23.75. The cost of the landline calls on the normal package is far too high and you cannot use call override providers so you are stuck with making an expensive daytime call. For an extra £4 per month you only need make a few calls for it to be worth it. The first year cost taking the 4 months free and the £35 cash back will be £155.

Thanks for that great advice, are 0845 numbers covered on the free allowance, that is currently all I use my landline for as I have free minutes on the landline. Ringing the bank and Tax credits etc can mount up every month.

miggy wrote: »

I think I needed to read this thread! Last Christmas I spent far too much on stocking fillers (mum, DH, DS1, DS1's g/f, DD, DD's b/f, DS2!!!) and while I don't want not to give them stockings (I adore watching all the silly presents get opened, and some are very silly!) I decided I need to go for fewer items and better quality. I love the chocolate box idea - do you mind if I pinch it? Go ahead! I think one of the things my boys love so much about getting it is they know they can dive right into it with no 'Save it until after tea' or 'you must eat all your veg first' from me! lol I don't buy the toiletries sets, I found a particular scent that each of them liked and bought something small - like a shower gel - in that scent. I love this idea! I'll pinch that if you don't mind! lol

I think it's time I had a wander round and did some serious planing as it's been the last minute ideas that cost so much. I think that is one of the main things I have realised about my xmas spend. If I didn't leave it until the last minute I reckon I wouldn't spend nearly so much on the boys as i would be able to consider all of the 'fillers' for what they are worth and I'm sure I would shelve most of the ideas as not useful!

Thanks so much for all your awesome advice. I'm going to use my husbands dormant saving account to store all the money I save and pay my water bill from that account, that way the money is being used for what it was intended for and I won't feel tempted to spend it on 'treats'! I'm going to have a proper look around now and settle on some gift ideas for the family and the boys and set myself a new xmas budget, then I will shift the surplus to the savings account and take another chunk out of the water bill. I won't be able to over spend on xmas I've already spent that money will I?


Much Love, Bea x

atush

beabea81 wrote: »

Since I posted this morning, using the advice forum members have given me, I have found that I can save £1500 on my HP by taking contents insurance and therefore doing away with the DLC and OSC Brighthouse provide; Save £9.75 a month on Sky protect; found that I am now able to cancel Sky and I am currently looking at Tesco Broadband + phone line which will cost me just under £20 a month instead of £55; decided to switch banks saving another £13 a month and got some great ideas on how to spend less at xmas whilst still feeling like I am giving worthy gifts. i don't think, therefore, that I have missed anyone's point or not taken the advice offered to me. From my calculations I can repay my HP and Water debt in 3 years without even touching the £137 a month or losing anything that I currently have. If I can make further saving and use my surplus to pay off my father in law I will be debt free in 3 years and at this point I still haven't reduced my xmas spend. If I cut that by one third I will be debt free in 2years. Given that this morning I would have been paying off my water bill for almost 8 years I think this is pretty good going and surely shows that I have indeed taken all the valuable advice on board!

My issue was not with the advice that you offered or that you were telling me something I didn't want to hear but it was the fact that everyone knows that admitting to debt, or to your own short comings, is painful and hard for anyone and your response, and a couple of others too, only made it that little bit harder. Tact and diplomacy will go a long way to diminishing the effect of a good dose of 'home truths'. I have seen many forum users hide behind 'I say it as i see it' and 'I don't sugar the pill' but that just doesn't cut the mustard as far as I am concerned. Especially when dealing with subjects such as this, you surely understand that the recipient of your posts is fragile at best.

You have missed my point again I fear. I know it is hard to tell the truth about your debt, I had to do it many years ago. But you have made huge strides today so well done! Saving that moneyon HP will surely halp, not to mention getting rid of sky, changing banks, spenind less- all this will truly turn you around. So Congratulations.

My advice for rehoming was for my friend, not necessarily you. AS she was falling into debt trying to keep up with her former life and the life she wanted to give her children. But not getting more pets (or allowing them to breed) or not replacing them when they pass, was for you. This way you will cap and eventually reduce your expenditure in this area.

My friend HAD to rehome her chickens as she had to move from a 4/5 bedroom farmhouse in the country (so the mistress could move in) into a small 3 bed bungalow in town so could not have her chickens. She brought all the other pets with her and just did not replace them. And still her vets bills are too high today and she while no longer in debt is finding it very hard to save for hers and her children's future.

At no point did tell you that you should rehome yours, or rehome your children. I think you are deliberately try to find fault with my advice and dare I say pick a fight.

My hopes and wishes are soley for you and your children and your future. And I was only giving you examples so as to ilustrate. Good luck in your future, and try not to read things into posts that are not there.

Gettingtherequickly

It was great reading this, going from a "depressed" outlook to an extremely bouncy positive one, well done BB.! I'm not going to say anything about the gift expenditure, other than well done on realising the benefits of advance rather than last minute purchasing. I admitted to a friend last week (who is obsessed with Christmas and I am the complete opposite!) that I have already bought gifts for my nephews & nieces, ok admittedly they are only beanie hats and the like, but I know that they will love them and they only cost £1-£2 each. We are lucky in that the kids are not materialistic and appreciate everything they are given. It really annoys me that friends kids have so much that they cannot use everything and don't appreciate what they have.

You mentioned that you don't have a big enough freezer to bulkbuy any more than you do. Do you have space for a small one? If so, it would be worth looking on freecycle for one, often see things like this being given away.

miggy

atush wrote: »

try not to read things into posts that are not there.

Atush, I find your explanation gives a different light on what I perceived in your post - perhaps because I've read other posters elsewhere advising people get rid of pets, I read that into what you wrote. However, without your subsequent explanation, what I thought you were saying was a logical deduction from what you wrote.

I think what becomes clear is that we all jump to conclusions, and those conclusions are based on what life has taught us so far. I'm sorry if I misinterpreted what you intended, but it needed further explanation, which you have now given.

I very much doubt the OP is trying to pick a fight: she has responded politely, lucidly and in a reasoned manner to what she felt was someone jumping to conclusions and I am posting this partly because I admire the way she has done that.

HappyMJ

beabea81 wrote: »

Thanks for that great advice, are 0845 numbers covered on the free allowance, that is currently all I use my landline for as I have free minutes on the landline. Ringing the bank and Tax credits etc can mount up every month.

No they are not free. They will cost you a 9.24p connection charge and either 4.6p or 2.2p per minute depending on time of day. The evening rate is 6pm to 6am.

You can use 18185's free phone number 0808 1 703 703 or 020 81 80 2828 to call those numbers for a 5p connection fee and 3p per minute. You'll need to set up an account and it's only worth it during the day. If you made ten 15 minute daytime calls per month that would cost you an extra £7.83 with Tesco or £5.00 using the 18185 service. You cannot call 18185 directly using the shortcode.

chevalier

well done on realising you can make some quite painless cuts to help you pay off your debts nice one
good luck moving forwards
chev

orangesmartie

HappyMJ wrote: »

No they are not free. They will cost you a 9.24p connection charge and either 4.6p or 2.2p per minute depending on time of day. The evening rate is 6pm to 6am.

You can use 18185's free phone number 0808 1 703 703 or 020 81 80 2828 to call those numbers for a 5p connection fee and 3p per minute. You'll need to set up an account and it's only worth it during the day. If you made ten 15 minute daytime calls per month that would cost you an extra £7.83 with Tesco or £5.00 using the 18185 service. You cannot call 18185 directly using the shortcode.

Also, don't forget the very helpful saynotto0870 website. Type in the company or phone number you want to ring and it will usually throw up either a geographical number (01/02/03) number to call or if you're really lucky an 0800 number to call. Works for 0870/0845/0844 etc numbers

OrkneyStar

The presents budget is ridiculous, no matter how you try to 'justify' it, the bottom line is money/things never make us truly happy for any length of time. Cut that and you have solved more than just financial problems.
As for the rest, well sound advice has been given already really. Hope this is your light-bulb moment for real and all the best staying in the black and out of the red for the future!

miggy

OrkneyStar wrote: »

The presents budget is ridiculous, no matter how you try to 'justify' it,

I don't think she ever tried to 'justify' it, she knows it's a problem and is taking active steps to change it.

beabea81

HappyMJ wrote: »

No they are not free. They will cost you a 9.24p connection charge and either 4.6p or 2.2p per minute depending on time of day. The evening rate is 6pm to 6am.

You can use 18185's free phone number 0808 1 703 703 or 020 81 80 2828 to call those numbers for a 5p connection fee and 3p per minute. You'll need to set up an account and it's only worth it during the day. If you made ten 15 minute daytime calls per month that would cost you an extra £7.83 with Tesco or £5.00 using the 18185 service. You cannot call 18185 directly using the shortcode.

Thank you for such detailed responsed!

orangesmartie wrote: »

Also, don't forget the very helpful saynotto0870 website. Type in the company or phone number you want to ring and it will usually throw up either a geographical number (01/02/03) number to call or if you're really lucky an 0800 number to call. Works for 0870/0845/0844 etc numbers

Had no idea about this, Thank You so much

OrkneyStar wrote: »

The presents budget is ridiculous, no matter how you try to 'justify' it, the bottom line is money/things never make us truly happy for any length of time. Cut that and you have solved more than just financial problems.
As for the rest, well sound advice has been given already really. Hope this is your light-bulb moment for real and all the best staying in the black and out of the red for the future!

So, other than just wanting to be plain rude, there really is no reason for you to have posted on this thread then?