Time to act my age and not my shoe size

Moos_mum_2

Hi all ,

After having a couple of very scary few weeks with money let's just say that all the purse had in it was scrunched up receipts and the funds in the bank followed a minus sign ( I have no overdraft facility)
I started lurking back on MSE ( yep been here before ) and have been inspired how fantastically well you have all done. And I thought "I want me some of that " so here I am .

Although the title says otherwise I am a very sensible 30year old ,single mum to a wonderful 8 year old daughter and apart from the cat and the bunny it's just been me and her since the day she graced me with her presence . So it is only me who brings in the money and only me who spends it (I can't even blame anyone else for this mess that is my life )

I am excellent at robbing Peter to pay Paul except Paul very rarely gets paid back. I have no true idea of where the money goes although on paper it all works out just fine . I have a DMP with pay plan and have had it since I was pregnant so a loooonnnnggg time I don't pay offf loads as life gets in the way and I do not want moo to suffer for my past stupidity . However that's all well and good but when you get to the stage where "Peter" has been robbed and "Paul's" not been paid and even then you cant buy a sweet for after school then things are way out of control

that's what has been happening to me the last few weeks and it's scary ,I don't like it and I'm smart and know it wont be solved overnight but it can only get better .

I need to sit down and do a budget and an incomings ,outgoings summary but not now dinner is beckoning .

Thanks for reading
Moos mum

Hovel_lady

Hello and welcome Moos mum.
Do a SoA (statement of affairs) and post it on here so we can help.
Keeping a spending diary is also really helpful. Get over to the OS (old style) board for ideas on living on less, cheap recipes, that sort of thing.
You've made a start, well done. It's a bit scary at first but there's loads of people on here to help and support.
Will be subscibing to your diary xx

Moos_mum_2

Sorry for a rather swift exit earlier I had a "starving" child to sort out !

Now is probably not the best time to be starting any major budgeting cutbacks as this is probably my most expensive time of year (apart from x-mas) with the six weeks school holidays at the end of next week . But I think I've got that sorted .

Currently I work part time doing 16 hours reception work and have done for the last couple of years .the money is not fantastic and get a free meal while at work which I decline ( not good for my ever expanding waistline) . My wages just about covers our food bill ,so I really do go to work just to put food on the table . But I have tried lots of different working hours and at the time when I took this job the hours were just what we needed as I could spend more time at home .

Other than wages I get the tax credits and child benefit which should pay for other bills but doesn't and I also get a very much fought for
CSA payment which after all the stress, upset and arguments it has caused to get it is put aside for fun things however this money is normally used to pay the bills as the bill money has been spent on other stuff . I also get a bit of housing benefit . I don't tend to count this in my workings out as it's for rent but if I'm short on other stuff I dib into it

I have a feeling that the whopping DMP amount is for about 11,000 can't tell you what I used all that money for and it is a very old debt that I have had from a long time ago , even then when I was on a good wage I still spent more than I earned and paying it back was not a. Problem . I have just tried to rummage around and find the exact figures but like the rest of the house the paperwork trunk is a big unorganised mess . Must sort that out a tidy house is a tidy mind .

So with school holidays looming and a trip away camping on the second weekend of school holidays (campsite paid for but at this moment in time we have no spends or money to buy food with eeeekkkk). I think it would be unrealistic to start knocking down the debt when such a busy time of year so instead I am going to give myself a slightly different approach.
I am planning to survive the holidays with out lending or having handouts from the bank of mum and dad, due to DMP I can't get overdraft or credit cards so they are all I have for backup (I hope to change this ) ,I am planning to fund these holidays with my own money.

Having said that I have only gone and got myself a new job today!!!! a few more hours than currently doing no more early starts!!! And the money is a bit more plus the job has other perks that are not financial .
But the only downed is that at current I get paid weekly and new job is monthly paid so there will be a few weeks while I wait for payroll schedule where i will have no money . I also understand that my housing Benefit will decrease as wages will be higher so I might not even be better off financially after all it's swings and roundabouts .

I have not accepted position yet as I am waiting for them to confirm the rota pattern I rely solely on my parents for childcare . (my ex and contact with moo is unreliable and patchy ) this positions is for some weekend work and I can't work every weekend it's not fair on Moo or my folks if I do so I am waiting for the company to agree to me working every other weekend fingers crossed as I really want this job .

Moos_mum_2

Evening all ,

I have had a great day today (very much needed) and the things that made it great did not cost a thing , Moos sports day and spending time with my sister who had me in hysterics all day my belly still slightly sore from having the giggles :rotfl::rotfl:

After watching sports day and being lumbered into handing out 1st 2nd and 3rd stickers to the kids as they crossed the finished line I headed into town with my sister , we headed to the nail shop . Whilst there I was thinking if I really do need false nails as I have perfectly good man made nails underneath these acrylic ones . My conclusion is no I don't need them and they are very much a luxury item. So will stop having them done this will save about £15-£20 a month

Also popped to supermarket armed with a list , pleased to say did not stray from list except to spend 15p on a back of exercise books which have now become my new spend diary, I have hidden the rest in the pack as I know they will be " borrowed" for Moo to play schools with
:rotfl::rotfl: . I will forget that I have them or where I have put them in a few months time so as reminder they are on top of the fridge :rotfl:

Good news is that food shop was cheap compared with the last few months weekly shop . This week £60 and last week 97.00 :j:j. I menu planned and stuck to the list so I should be fine however Worried i will have enough food in the house to last us and don't need to buy stuff between now and next wed . Only time will tell .

Wish I could be all MSE and have a shining halo and tell you that the 40 I saved in food shop has been put into some kind of savings or paid a bit off my DMP amount ( which I still have to find out exact figures for ) but I didn't have the extra money to start with this week I only had budgeted for 70.00 for food .

Although saying that after I filled in my spending diary for today I was amazed to see that I wasted £19.00 on sweets/macdonalds/drink and
lottery ticket :eek: didn't realise how quickly it all adds up .

And what shocked me more is that if I add that to the amount for my nails it is £40 which could of been put towards our camping trip (that we have no funds for) :mad::mad: I am sooooo angry with myself

Hope I have won the lottery now :rotfl:

Hovel_lady

Hello again.
Don't be too angry with yourself. We've all done similar things in the past. Just learn from it for the future. That's why a spending diary is so useful. I do mine as part of the diary I do on here - do drop in if you get chance (called the Hovel diary. Not very original I know).
The Hovel dog says "woof" to your cat and bunny

Moos_mum_2

I've checked the amount still left to pay on the DMP :eek:
Ladies and Gentlemen I can now proudly present on behalf of Moos Mum's stupidity the amount outstanding is .....................
£10,750.00

Even though it's still high and is going to take me forever to pay off it is still 8 or 9 thousand less than when it started about 9 years ago :j:j and I have no other debt.

I am pleased in a way because I managed to clear 8 thousand all by myself even when I was not working and was on benefits , I think that's something to be proud of . That knowledge has opened a can of worms as I am now excited by the possibility of what I could clear off my debt if I really put my mind to it

[]

• I've got a plan of action here goes
  to survive the school holidays withou t asking for handouts from the bank of mum and dad
  not go overboard on our camping trip stick to the budget set and not dip into money budgeted for other things
  put money away for the start of school in sept (fresh uniform ,new shoes etc)
  once september comes build up a emergency fund as I don't have a overdraft or a credit card.I have suddenly decided that emergency fund is a grown up and sensible thing to have.I'm thinking £300 will be enough but I will decide when I get there.
  • Start hacking away at the DMP figure I'm thinking to do this after the new year at the latest. This will give me time to save emergency fund and to spend at Xmas. If I manage to get going before then that's a brucie bonus

The above are a guideline for my long term goals and obviously I will be doing all I can to cut back and save more as of now . I have been doing well on the money saving so far ,this week alone I have reduced food bill and had a NSD

As for immediate plans here goes
- do a budget for the next few weeks and August
- change direct debits so all leave the same account on the same day if
If possible .
- look to cancel phone insurance do I really need it ?
- tidy up and sort out, organise,and file all paperwork which is scattered
On every shelve,in every drawer and on top of microwave in the house
( I would be an identity fraudsters dream ,I don't put anything away
Safe )

Hovel_lady

Well done on paying off £8k, that's fab :j
Sounds like you have an excellent plan. Emergency fund is a good idea if you have no other way of raising money. Mine consists of all the 1p/2p/5p's we get in change at the moment :rotfl:

patman99

If you have contents insurance, then things like phone and computer insurance are a waste of money.
Your food bill is high. We feed 3 adults on £50 p/w. Try googling for money-off coupons. Also, 'Approved Foods' website is worth a quick look.

My local ASDA usually has loads of bread at 20p a loaf at 9:30 on a Saturday night. I always pop-in if I am passing.
As for ASDA being the cheapest, bullcrap. By using the same comparison tool they used, my shopping bill was always £3 - £4 cheaper at Sainsburys. I kept a blog until ASDA took offence and complained to my hosting company who then took it down.

An emergency fund is a good idea. Trouble is, my car keeps developing nasty-sounding rattles that I know will be expensive to fix, so am now desperately trying to get enough cash together to get a replacement, especially as I drive country roads to work and public transport is non-existant.

chevalier

Welcome back onto MSE :wave:. Well done on what you have paid off so far.

If the debts are that old, you could start asking the companies what a full and final settlement figure would be. These would be less than the debt owed currently. Whilst I appreciate that you haven't got the money for these - yet:D, it would give you figures to aim for.

good luck with the continued debt busting...
chev

scubaangel

Good luck for clearing the rest of the debt and well done on clearing what you have done so far!

I know you say you work the hours you need but have you looked at the up your income boards on here? Things like surveys can take an age to get to the payout levels but when they do that little bit of extra cash/vouchers can be a fab boost - I tend to use cash towards my credit card but vouchers are either for household stuff or I put it towards buying gifts for birthdays/christmas, might ease the load somewhat if you have the time to look in to it?

RE hovel lady's suggestion of saving small change take a look at this thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3314530

Lemon_Tree

hi Moo's mum thought the name sounded familiar.
Good luck with your new found energy to tackle your debt. i think an emergency fund is a good idea given you no longer have access to other forms of credit. Big congratulations on clearing so much of your debt already, just think what it will be like when you start putting even more against it.
My only comments, try and start to make the changes now if you wait until the start of the new year then it may never get changed (well that's me anyway you're probably very different)

PS my cats, bunny and g-piggies all say hi to yours.