New job, new start!

hjanea

Remembered after my last post that I'd got an email from barclaycard saying that if I went paperfree I would get £10 in march and could view my statement at anytime. So I signed up.
I owe:
BC-3824.88
virgin -1123.58
M&S-100.
A grand total of 5048.46!!!
So I've made a plan for payment. M&S has interest so will be paid in full in january.
Rest of December-pay normal 100 off virgin and 100 of my birthday cheque. Pay extra 150 off BC-other part of birthday cheque.
In january 100 to M&S from LO saved christmas money. BC-100 as usual and 120 of the LO christmas money. Virgin 100 as usual and and at the end of the month 150 from the money saved for DD's birthday. There will be 350 of that and most of gifts are already sorted, just her party etc to pay for. I've allowed 120 for that in case her dad doesnt contribute this year-so maybe more leftover.
That should mean that at the beginnning of feb M&S will be 0, virgin will be 823.58 and BC will be 3304.88. A total of 4128.46.
The BC is 0% until april and virgin until august so I'll then have to look around for 0% balance transfers. Luckily, so far, my credit rating is ok.
Then the problem will be the next round of fertility treatment to pay for-another 1600 or so. It'll add 18months onto my repayments but I so want another child before its too late.

Right better get shifting or DD's never going to get to grandmas.

hjanea

Made soup and shepherds pie this morning. Enjoyed (well sort of) the Victorian Fayre. Spent £2 on 3 books in charity shops for DD and £2 on a ride for her and she spent £1.50 on a ride and she didn't pester too much for more.
The exercise did us good walking there and back and she had a bath after tea and I put her hair in rags as she wants it curly for the school show tomorrow. We watched Strictly then she went to bed without too much fuss. And I've got the ironing done!!
Just watching tv and reading diaries on here-will go to bed shortly as DD is bound to have me up early tomorrow as its my birthday.
Don't know if anyone's reading this-probably too boring!!

LondonGirl252

I'm still reading

Sounds fun, you're DD sounds v sweet. Best of luck with the fertility treatment whenever it comes. I'm sure you've weighed up the benefits vs costs and when children are involved is there any question?

Well done for keeping on top of it all

hjanea

Hi Londongirl!!!

Well I'm 43 today-one of DD's friends told me that was young this morning!!
Got some very nice presents and they'll be a couple this afternoon at mums.
I'm taking pudding-frozen fruit, meringues and sweetened whipped cream that I've just got armache whipping! Oh and some basics yorkshire puds to go with the braising steak and mash that shes doing.
It's DD's nativity this afternoon so I'm looking forward to that. Will end up queueing (sp??) outside for best part of half an hour to get a good seat but at least its not too cold.
I've had loads of texts this morning which is nice.
Done some shopping this morning-found the basics iced fruit cakes in Mr S-still £1.90 but they are nice so I got 2!!! Shopping was £22.40 but paid £20 with nectar points-thats them used up till next december now. Needed some stamps so bout a book of 12 2nd class-think I'll only need 7 but I suppose they'll last for next year-£4.32!!-more expensive than all my cards as I got the 70% off in january!!!

hjanea

DD's nativity was great and I had a lovely day with lots of messages from friends and some lovely presents.

Mum and Dad gave me £250 and £20 of garden vouchers and I got £20 from my Auntie. I plan to spend this £20 on some new cushion pads for my cushions in the front room. I need to make some more covers for some of them too but already have some fabric.

Now after all my great plans on throwing the extra money at the CC's I'm now having doubts as they are on 0% (except the m&s) and I could put that extra money into my ISA to get a bit of interest and just keep paying off the cards monthly with affordable amounts that are around double the minimum payments. I'm really not sure what to do TBH and I would like to increase my emergency fund which is my ISA.

If as planned I pay off the CC's with £200 a month then I have to be quite tight with other things, however if I do them at £150 a month that extra 50 makes a real difference to my monthly budget. DD's afterschool activities cost around £15 a week and that extra would make things so much easier.

Hmmm I'm going to have to think about this.

Plan for today-get DD to school, take her christmas present to my Aunt's, go to the new B&M near them and asda and possibly to the marhet there to see if anywhere has cushion pads. Then beck to my hometown to meet friends for luch-weatherspoons so not too expensive. Then collect DD from school, take her to swimming, give her tea and take her to rainbows. Come home, wash up etc and then go back and collect her and her friend from rainbows and get her to bed. What a rush of a day!!!
Off to get started.

hjanea

Lunch yesterday was lovely-great to catch up with everyne and food was OK too. Cost me £11.
Rest of the day was a bit pricey-I really really shouldn't shop when I'm hungry!! However all my christmas shopping apart from the veg is done-just need to get it all sorted and wrapped now.
Plan for today is cleaning, shopping-milk, lightbulbs and tissues-why couldn't I have been more organised yesterday???!! And lots of cleaning. Early lunch as I'm helping with the creche for the last of the school nativities this afternoon so need to be up there for 1pm.

hjanea

Really chuffed-just got a waterbill and they are giving me back £57.87 tomorrow and my DD will reduce by £8 a month!!!

hjanea

Just checked and I haven't won the lottery so looks like work for me today!!
Weather permitting we are going to a christmas place tonight to do the enchanted walk and see Santa-should be nice and expensive but previous years it has been excellent and its planned for in the treats fund.

hjanea

Spent £20.50 last night-but the walk was excellent and the Santa present was definately worth the money spent, and we only go once a year.

DD's last day at school today. I'm working a late shift so hoping to get lots of jobs done this morning-well actually would love to go back to bed but really ought to try and get lots done!

I'm planning an NSD today too-lets see how that goes.

hjanea

Managed not to go back to bed and my home looks much better for it!!

Been contemplating my money. I know that if I restrict my grocery etc spending too much then I get stressed and cross and end up using my cards. So with the extra saved money that was going to go towards the CC's I'm thinking of putting that into my ISA-I will then (at the end of jan) have over £1700 in there which is a good emergency fund. I could then stop that SO for the time being and comfortably pay £200 a month off the CC's without leaving me too short on a monthly basis. I should then have around £360 per month, after cat food and litter and petrol(£120) for groceries, treats, christmas and the clothes and rainy day envelopes. I will have around £200 for groceries which should be more than plenty and I can then continue to put my weekly excess into my sealed pot. I think this is quite a good plan but it does make me feel naughty about the money that I had put aside for christmas and my birthday money, however it will make me feel more secure having that larger amount in my emergency fund so I think its probably what I will do.