Breakfast at epihanies...

dealwithdebtdot

Hello...it's breakfast time and It's time to force a bit of an epiphany out of myself...again. So, here I am in diary land again!

Last time I was here I was planning on moving to London, from Wales and all sorts of other things. Most of which are done, save paying off the debt. In fact, it has, of course, increased.

It has been a pretty tough year, the recruitment difficulties in the public sector has made gaining employment, especially the permanent kind with my new professional qualification. So I have been lurching from one payday to the next, overspending a little bit often in the name of making a life here in London. (Code for going out, eating and drinking!)

So the good news is that:

• I've got a job 'til next October
• I have a bit of a life here now, and can cut back a bit, helped a lot (1) by being in a choir, which is a cheap night out(£4) , lots of fun (and hard work) and I am meeting new people and having new experiences. (2) Have a little club going for late lunches at my house on Sundays every 6 weeks or so, very casual, and not too much on the food budget, and everyone brings wine! But am still finding the balance a little difficult...to say the least!
• I am a student again, which means I have no Council Tax to pay for a while, and cane get some discounts on travel and some shopping.
• And last, but by no means least my loan will be settled on the 5th of December.

The not so great is:

• Credit card 1 (£4,500ish) will come off the interest free term quite soon
• Credit card 2 (£500ish) has a hideous interest rate
• Overdraft is always used to its full £1050
• Only paying minimum payments!
• owe my friend £100 for a holiday next year.
• It's blikin' Christmas in a minute and I don't have much spare time!

So my short-term plan: get through the rest of this month and Christmas without using the £300 'room' I have on CC1. I reckon I have got a budget of £200 for gifts, food and social events. :eek:

Time wise for making things is small as I have, to get an essay written and 2 gigs with the choir and work/uni full-time. I feel my intentions of making cards and tree ornaments slipping through my hands! - Not sure Holly Golightly would make gifts...I wonder what she would do? I doubt it would be very MSE though :money:.

But ultimately, (the long term goal) is to be as carefree and light as Holly, but with out the long-term consequences of the debt it so often has. As well as being relatively glamorous, not quite as glam as Holly, but a little bit anyway.

I'd love it if some of you could join me on my journey.

Happy breakfast, at epihanies, definately not Tiffany's.

Knitting_Nora

:hello:Hey Dot...

Oooo, am I the first? How cool! Anyway, congrats on the sparkly new diary *subscribes* - and I love the name.

You've done so much over the past year - brilliant. Looking forward to the next installment.

Nora.x

dealwithdebtdot

Thanks Nora

So far today, in a bid for breakfasts I have made double the amount of bread I would do normally...ran out last week, and in a bid for Golightly glamour, have plucked my eyebrows.

DD seems to be on the epiphany wagon, she is making her xmas presents, all foodie bits. So have been cleaning all the jars in the back of the cupboard ready for her piccalilli that is in the making. There is a lot of glue sticking the labels on! Back to the scrubbing...

banwa

Good luck, hope you don't mind if I keep popping in and cheering you along too:)

*subscribes*

dealwithdebtdot

banwa wrote: »

Good luck, hope you don't mind if I keep popping in and cheering you along too:)

*subscribes*

Would love that.

The_Dragon

Another one subscribing here! Good luck with the debt free journey

Marty82

I'm going to be following you too if that's ok? Best of luck.

Lemon_Tree

hello, i so love the title of your thread and the film.
I'm sure Holly would have actually come up with a very cunning plan whilst looking beautiful and serene.

dealwithdebtdot

Welcome to Dragon, Lemon Tree and Marty. Gorgeous to have you come along!

All quiet in the western front apart from the grinding of peppercorns from the kitchen; DD is now making a spice mix for her mini hampers.

She is inspiring me somewhat, I am thinking maybe Florentines, marinated olives and something else may well appear before Christmas.

Anyway, on the more immediate front, it is my Grandma's and Dad's birthdays next week. Presents bought, if somewhat minimal, and I am sure I have some wrap kicking around somewhere, and a couple of cards I can make use of. The bank account is looking hideously tight, not an inch to play with, well actually not a millimetre. Not even sure I have all the ingredients to make the cake for the celebrations at the weekend...but I don't need to worry about that at the moment.

For the week, it will need to be NSDs all the way, I do have my money for choir, and plenty of food in the house, so it's all about organisation and resisting temptation.

dealwithdebtdot

Today provided and epic fail on the Golightly glamour stakes. Strike one, whilst applying make-up on the train i unknowingly dribbled some foundation on my necklace, said necklace spread said foundation all over the bosom area of my dress. Strike two my dress was in my knickers when i left the bathroom...I kid you not, and was pointed out by one of my colleagues. :eek:

In better news, organisation and resisting temptation, all good. Well feed throughout the day and not a penny spent.

Choir tomorrow, so see you Wednesday.

x

Lemon_Tree

oh dear, that's a rough day you've had. it can only get better though