Mrs Average strikes back

Standingtall

That's fantastic LuckyLouise:T. I shall look forward to your diary too:)

It's quite funny reading over my own posts as it happens. Lots of typos:mad:, also some contradictions.

I never did make the Christmas cupcakes, but it was a good thought:rotfl:

Also, I neve wrote about me sudden urge to upgrade my phone to an IPhone. Stupid me! Do I need an IPhone, NO! Absolutely not. Yes, they are cheaper now but then even on the £20 a month package for the IPhone 3 with Orange, I would need to add insurance so would send my current bill from £19 to around £28. So if we say a £10 a month increase (easier to calculate) over 24 months then that is £240! That is a weekend away for me and DD at Alton Towers, or even more sensibly money towards a F&F.:j

iPhone indeed:rotfl:

Standingtall

Well, I logged on this morning and there they were! Two shiney new accounts:T. I have to say that ny Natwest online banking is far superior to that which I had with Santander.

So, I now have 4 accounts; one current, two savings and one ISA - all instant access and managed online.

The current account.
I have left this named current account. It will receive wages, pay direct debits and standing orders, be used for grocery shopping and petrol. At the end of the month any surplus will be swept into savings account.

Savings account
I need a name for this so any suggestion welcome:D
This will be used for other expenses such as haircuts, clothes, etc. My work expenses will also reside here until payment day.

savings account 2
This is known as Car and Christmas. On payday I shall move £45 into this account. It is for annual expenses associated with the car (tax, service, etc) and Christmas presents. The children wil be very lucky, therefore, is we have a good year with the car:rotfl:

ISA
This is for emergencies:mad: and any savings I have:T. I am hopeful that one day this will be a very large number:A

So, the plan is now in place, here's to it working:beer:

Standingtall

So, things are getting serious now - I now have an avatar and colourful signature. Anyone new to my post will not realise this of course, as any changes show through all your old posts aswell. I would like to think that I look similar to my avatar - however this would clearly be alie:p

One of the posters on Debt Free Wannabe, has been feeling really down over Christmas. Her DMP is due to start but she is really short of money. Others have suggested she continue to pay token payments to her creditors and start her DMP a few months later. Goodness, I really wish I had done this:mad: I was more like her husband, just wanting to get the ball rolling - what an idiot. In the scheme of a long term DMP what is a few months of token payments! Imagine the nest egg I could have built up:eek:

Still, no good crying over spilt milk. Onwards and upwards:T

There were also comments in the same post about stress. One poster said her children has picked up on this. I have to say that now my DMP is in place my stress levels and enjoyment of simple things have improved considerably. Yes, the debt things and lenght of my DMP are scarey, however I am IN CONTROL!:j

This morning I extended my spreadsheet to show a full years incomings and outgoings - at the moment it is fairly healthy which is good news:j I am also due a pay rise early in 2012, fingers crossed;) My annual review isn't until September so that will be nice.

I also added my total debts per creditor and payments against them etc. My debt has gone up due to charges when I first made the token payments, plus interest on Santander overdraft:mad:, however, provided the latter gets sorted my total should start reducing by March, yippee:j

Hopelessly_Hopeful

Morning ST

Found your diary and have subscribed.

Good luck with 2012!

I too learnt to cook from being on a DMP. I think the grocery budget is one of the few areas there is the opportunity to be flexible with. Bulk buy and freezing are defo on my list of tips.

HHx

Standingtall

Hi all.

Thanks Hopelessly Hopefull - I am actually thinking of having a regular weekly meal plan to run on a 7 or 14 day rota. It's not something i have ever done or considered before so it will take some getting used to - I think I shall have a think about it tonight:cool:

I had some fantastic news yesterday - my parents have agreed that instead of my daughter and I having birthday and Christmas presents in 2012 - they are going to pay for the two of us to spend Christmas at Centerparcs (Whinfell) for 5 days:T:j:T:j
They realise that times are tough financially, also that it can be quite lonely at Christmas (thus my spending so much time on these forums). I can't wait!

It's surpisingly inexpensive actually - cheaper than Easter! I expect it is becuase the demand for the studio apartments for only two people, is fairly low at Christmas due to people wanting to be with their families.

I have already decided that we will take our own food and maybe eat out twice. My present to DD will be a twilight spa session - she will just a say be old enough so that will be really nice.

The rest of the time will be spent in pool, walking and generally spending quality time together.:) So a budget of £100 plus Christmas pressy money.

I also have to save up for holiday to Corfu - this was mainly paid for prior to DMP. Cheap 2* self catering hol. We will have one case for food (pasta, cereal, bread, etc) and one for clothing. Budget £300 for the fortnight.

These are achiveable but I think it's going to be tough. Lots of ebaying and also lots of overtime - thank goodness I get overtime! If the recession continues though we might have a ban put on it as we did a couple of years ago:eek:

Tip of the day
If you have teenage daughter who has just discovered Topshop - hit ebay:rotfl: I've just got DD two preloved Topshop dresses - one for £2.40 and one for £8.40 (in a size 6 - anyone out there remember been a size 6!). They are for summer so with last years clothing probably will only need a couple of pairs of short / tshirts. Even her feet don't grow so much now:T

So, that's this year mapped out. If I can get £500 put aside for the two hols, not go out at all (I don't anyway), get some travel at work so profit on expenses (these are paid gross aswell as not taxable:T), get overtime; then this year should not be too much of a struggle.

alibob30

Hello standingtall, have read through your diary and it all seems very positive. Am so jealous of you going to center parcs for Christmas next year! Good luck!

Standingtall

alibob30 wrote: »

Hello standingtall, have read through your diary and it all seems very positive. Am so jealous of you going to center parcs for Christmas next year! Good luck!

I know, I am very very lucky with my parents. Having said that I am an only child so no sibling competition, lol. On the down side it means that my parents and my two kids are ALL the real family I have. However, that is so much more than many people have.

Regarding positivity, I am just generally made that way. I also see the funny side to situations and am generally cheerfully- this can result in a perceived lack of gravitas at work mind, something I have to battle against constantly. :rotfl:

Standingtall

I've done it, a two week meal plan has now been devised:j. You know what? How nice it will be to now have to make decisions on the lines of;

"What shall we have to eat tonight then?"

Can't wait to get started":j

I might even stick on here tonight, it might inspire someone:rotfl:

brummiebabe

Hi Standingtall - just caught up with your diary and thought I'd have a read!

Meal planning is one of the best things I've started doing since being on MSE. I love the fact that I don't have to stress about what to cook for dinner, I can just check the list, take whatever's needed out of the freezer in the morning, and then cook when I get home. It also means that, when you go shopping, you actually buy things that you'll eat rather than spending a fortune but having very little that you can put together to make a meal!

Have you had a look at the Old Style Moneysaving board? They do a grocery challenge which can be a good motivator to.

Best of luck...I shall be subscribing.....

Standingtall

Well, here I am again. Meal plans are going well. Made shepherds pie and spring cabbage for dinner this evening. The kids are in shock - they keep giving me strange looks. :rotfl: A few months ago it would have been a take away, or olive bread with sun blush tomatoes, stuffed olives and the likes. They seem to prefere the 'proper' food I now cook! Quite humbling really.

Having a bit of a stress at the moment. Off to India with work again this week and having the usual panic in case the hotel will not accept
Amex works charge card. I think I could cover bill though anyway if I had too - but only just. Nice hotel though, and v.expensive. So when my expenses come through they can sit in my savings account and gain interest until Amex bill comes in. There should be around £500 on bill, plus I should make around £160 in allowances, so as long as I do not eat ... Lol.

It's really funny when I travel with work. I am a 'professional' in a large company. I travel business class and stay in 5 star hotels. Who would imagine that the sophisticated woman in the business class seats has a debt problem and is in a DMP!:rotfl: It just shows how deceptive appearances can be! I sometimes have to pinch myself to bring myself back to reality. Little me, from North East market town, struck lucky temping after doing business degree as mature student - now travelling the world in luxury! Saying that, my salary is crap, but the opportunities are more than making up for it so far!

Talking of which, i shall find out v. soon about annual pay increase. Fingers crossed it is substantial. My two colleagues earn nearly twice as much as me and I had to damn well train them! I won't bore you with the details but it is mainly down to my having a 30% rise 18 months ago and so no further rises were allowed (I went from clerical position to professional post). Wonder what I will now be awarded, anotheer 30% would be rather nice although I suspect 5% is likely on the cards. Of course I will lose 9% student loans, 10% NI, 5% pension, 20% tax.:mad:
Then, come September, it will be my DMP annual review and they will take the rest. Oh well, at least that will be reducing my debts.

I am now sitting here dreaming of how it would feel if they made my salary similar to that of my colleagues. My net pay would be over £2000 a month!!!! Imagine that! I get £1505 at the moment. Wow! I know it's not going to happen, but still. Actually, my net pay is really a little more than £1505 as I have an annual Tavel insurance, Bupa contribution and health plan coming out, but they are only £45 in total. Imagine The emergency fund I could build with the extra £500 a month! Plus all the overtime I am doing right now, that would all be at the higher rate. 15 hours this week!

Oh well, it's nice to dream. We can all have a good laught when I log in next week, or whenever, to report the rise I have actually received:rotfl: