I need a kick up the ****! Storm's DFW Diary

lynzpower

OK
deep breath

Can I ask you? Why are you walking around with a credit card in your purse?

Why dont you chop the little b****er up?

Its not there to help, only hinder

Storm

Hi Lynz,

The credit card is there cos I buy quite a bit for work that I then get reimbursed for and cos the process of claiming back is so long I can't spend it out of my current account (in December there was £500 of stuff!) A few bits were ordered off the internet too, which I prefer the cc as it's more secure..

Hopefully this should be reducing now though as the projects I work on are winding down, so I promise I'll take it out my wallet & leave it at home (not ready to cut it up yet, cos of the reasons above!)

Anyway, just been sorting out my dosh now there's some in the bank:j

Have paid £426.89 towards the credit card, still got £16 Next returns to hit there, so total paid off so far for February is £442.89 - which means I need to find another £107.11 to hit my target of £550 for the month (£100 to O/D and £7.11 to credit card)

I'm listing some stuff on Ebay tomorrow (figured it would be better to wait until people got paid) have nearly got a £10 voucher on Pigsback and going to count up my penny jars, so hopefully will make it!

Storm

Right, quick update...

Got my expenses cheque today, which is £23.80 (lower than normal) but this goes towards the target, plus some bits on Ebay have gone for £35.70 (going to pay the fees out of my weekly budget when the bill arrives!)

So I need another £47.61 to hit my target this month.

I have got some more bits to list on Ebay & books to go on Amazon or Green Metrolpolis, and neither have I managed to get to the bank with my change jar (my local branch doesn't open on Saturdays anymore, so it's a bit of a hassle!)

Oh, and I've got enough for a £10 voucher on Pigsback, so might order one & sell that on Ebay too...

summerday

Stick a sticky label on the credit card with these comments:
Do I need to buy this item for work? (to get reimbursed)
If not, put this item back right this second or you'll get further into debt!!


(Naturally if it is for a compulsory work purchase peel the sticker off and make the transaction!)

LJD1_2

I know how easy it to spend again. You should be pleased with yourself that you stopped after one month. Can your work not give you a company credit card? I know lots don't but it's worth asking. You sound like you're like me too...find it easy to overspend when you've had a bad day. Is there something else you can do instead of spending when you've had a bad day? Good luck getting straight again.

beanielou

You are doing well with your target & its only half way through the month-unless your month runs differently?

Storm

OK, quick update - didn't manage to get anymore towards the total this month, but have managed to set some stuff in motion for the future. I've got loads of overtime coming up this month, though unfortunately I won't get the money until the end of April.

Today's been a bit of a mixed bag however... payroll have messed up again in trying to sort out last month's mess up, and deducted twice as much money as they should have from my salary!!! It means I'm getting £70 less than what my 'basic' salary should be, which is going to hit me hard this month as it's a long un!

So, target this month to pay off should be £597.61 (making up for last month)...however from my salary I can really only afford £230 because of the underpayment. Plus sides though - BT are finally refunding £50 of mine that they've had for 3 months, and I'm still chasing NTL who owe me about the same. So... this month I've got £280 paid off so need to find £317.61 :eek:

I don't think I'm going to make it to be honest, but I will list everything I can find on ebay/amazon/green metropolis this weekend - fingers crossed!

Going to try and make this a 'good' month - lots of going round friends houses rather than going to the pub etc, no shopping except for food, and I WILL make sandwiches to bring for lunch.

Got my appraisal next week, and so hopefully I'll soon be posting with news of a payrise!

Right, better go sort out my signature!

simongregson

It sounds like your works payroll need a kick up the backside, not you!

Can I suggest that you demand they pay you the underpayment forthwith, not at the end of next month. This will be possible, but they probably won't like the idea as it might involve them having to write you a cheque rather than include the money in the usual payroll run.

Also, if you are carrying a balance on your credit card then you are paying interest on your purchases for work. Are you claiming this back on your expenses too? I would include the amount. If they don't like the idea then I would tell them that they should either:-

Provide you with a company charge card, and ensure you are give the funds to reimburse your expenses in time to pay the bill

Give you some petty cash in advance for work expenses (I don't know how large these are) You can submit receipts when the cash is used up.

Pay the expenses within a reasonable period of time. One week seems reasonable to me - it's what my work will do. They do it by not using the monthly payroll, but providing a cheque for expenses. After all, it's not rocket science, all they have to do is check a receipt and write a cheque!

Simon.

Storm

I'm having a really bad 'want to give up' day (or week, or month...) at the moment. Work is not being helpful with the pay mess up, and it looks like I'll have to wait until the end of this month before I get my overtime for December paid to me!:mad:

Not got internet at home (v.v.long story) at the moment, so I've not managed to list anything to sell as I couldn't face coming into the office at the weekend to do it, got a horrible feeling that all I'm going to be offered in my appraisal tomorrow is an inflationary rise, even though I know (but not officially) that others at a similar level are being paid about £3500 a year more than I am :mad:

I'm considering going to the doctor to get signed off with stress as I've been feeling so bad recently and had no appetite for a week (highly unusual for me, I normally eat far too much) but the company I work for has been abysmal over the last year with colleagues of mine that have had stress & depression, and I just can't face it.

I've managed to line up loads of overtime this month, which when it all comes through is going to be about £300 before tax, but it does unfortunately mean I'm working silly hours at the moment, which isn't helping either.

Anyone got any tips for appraisals - specifically how to say that I know I'm being paid less than others, so sort it out, but when I don't 'officially' know?

Sorry to have a moan, but needed to vent somewhere!:o

bobbie78

do you have a form to complete for your side? If not just make a note of what you have accomplished in the past year. it is a bit hard to suggest without knowing roughly what your job is, but you could put things like, increased sales compared to last year, improved relationships with client base as proved with these thank you emails from customers (dig out a few thanks for that emails if you have them as proof). Not had / only had x sick days (unless you've had lots of course) supported other members in the team with their work. These are the kind of things you want to list to show what an asset you are and that you're a benefit to the company. there are websites on advice on how to phrase how best to ask for a pay rise, if you hunt around in google you should find more help. Hope this helps a bit, and keep up the good work you are doing well, just think how much more in debt you would be right now if you weren't thinking more when you do use your credit cards etc, if you weren't posting on here it could be 20 times worse.