Finally reaching out for some help...

kerri_dfw

psychopathbabble wrote: »

It's ok... hope the bed is still amazing!

I can't wait to get home to it this evening!

I have a slight confession to make today. I used the c/c to pay for things online last week, DR meat for the parents/sister, coach ticket to Cardiff. But I've just paid it back and then some, so my total on there is now £350 owed. My sister and my Dad will owe me £48 each for the meat, but they will have chicken to last them until the middle of June and sausages to last them until end of September.

I'm about to go and make one final purchase for some elastic lace, rick-rack, and gardening pots/compost/propogator then I won't be spending anymore money other than my weekly veg box and any work expenses. I'm going to try to make my bread this month, as I am finding I miss having toast or a sarnie. I've got all the ingredients so I may as well give it a try. I'm also going to try to make some cakes, but I need to find a cake tin (or old sweet tin) at my parents house that I can pinch.

I'm now over 50% of the way to being debt free, without using any windfalls, although had I done so I would be even closer to being debt free. This month I'm going to try super hard to stick to my weekly budget. I'm going to keep it at £50 and see how I do with that, any extra will go towards the c/c as that will start to charge me interest as of 20th April and I really don't want that to happen.

Right, best get out in the sunshine. Speak to you all later, I will try to catch up on diaries this evening as I'm really lagging behind and I miss reading them xx

brizzledfw

Hi Kerri

Thats sounds like a plan. Well done for being honest/confessing! I was wondering whether to, myself, a few weeks ago and as it would have played on my mind if I hadnt I found it easier to do so..and it helps you keep on track next time..

I am just about to join the sunshine too. Have got my YouTube tutorials over for single crotchet (can't face learning another stitch yet) and now will just have a late sarnie and practise in the sunshine of the garden!

Have you sorted your mountain plans for Easter?

kerri_dfw

I've got no idea what's going on with me at the moment, I seem to think I have this infinite amount of cash that I can just keep on spending, but I don't!

Yesterday I spent £5 in fabric land, then I spent £27 in the garden centre on pots and £7 on compost. Then this evening I spent £27 on a strawberry planter, 200lt compost. I did find a 20% off label that hadn't been taken away, but I still feel guilty for spending it. I know my plants needed to be repotted and it was just cruel not doing it sooner, but I feel really bad that that is money that should be coming off my debt instead of being spent

I'm having a fleabay and rainforest spend ban at the moment, I'm not allowed to buy anything from them until next month. But I really want to make some knickers, but I don't have any knicker elastic although I do have the material and I have some normal elastic, I wonder if that will work? My mind is just in spend, spend, spend, spend, spend mode at the moment and I can't snap out of it. I've also decided that I need to save £20k for a deposit on a house, but how am I ever going to be able to afford to do that if I can't even pay off the £2k I have hanging round my neck like a noose? Which reminds me I really need to pay Wesc0tt before they start to chase me on that. At least it'll be another £90 paid off my total, but still I could have paid off so much more if I hadn't spunked it on gardening & fabric, and although I know these are things I'm doing to stop me from being bored because I can't afford to go to the pub, I feel reeeaallly guilty for buying them in the first place

I have so much food stocked up that I don't know where to start when it comes to eating it, although I am liking the strawberry bonbons. I think if I can start to get into the fleabay madness again then I'll start to feel happier as I'll be making a bit of extra cash. I don't think the OH being away is helping either as I'm finding subconsciously that I'm doing things to make him not want to go away again when he comes back. For example I realised the whole reason for making a lush quilt and bedset is probably so that he feels at home and doesn't want to leave when he comes back. Now that is a bit bonkers, and I didn't even start out like that, but I think it's in the back of my mind somewhere.

Hmph! *sigh* I don't really know what to do with myself this evening either which isn't helping. Maybe I should download the fleabay app thing for the pc and start to list things on there? You can list them on there at 99p and set it all up without it charging you if I remember rightly. Might give me something to do after I've had my shower.

I really need to catch up on diaries as well sorry everyone.

Edit:

I've just added up all my spends, and seeing as I had £70 to spend at the end of last month, from my second purse, on bargains I've actually only spent about £250 on gardening, fabric & clothes. When I take into account that I've got £165 coming back that's all mine from expenses (£500 is going back to OH), then I've not actually done as bad as I think I have. But I still feel guilty!!!

Cherryjack

Good evening lovely, i think your still doing extremly well.. and coping considering OH is away. When does he get back? You are allowed a hobby and that can be sewing or something else..so i see nothing wrong in purchasing a few materials..and bits , plus they wont go to waste if you dont use them straight away.
I'm on half term week and its madness! x

kerri_dfw

Right, I've rounded up all the receipts that I could find and this is the damage payday has caused, and I'm a bit worried that I've overspent but we'll see...

30/03/2012
£6 Oxford Pillowcases pair
£10 Pillowcase
£10 Pillowcase
£45 double duvet cover
£27.50 double fitted sheet
£17.50 Double valance
£35 Petrol
£3.98 double deckers
£6 Cake mould for my sister
£11.99 Cookbook stand for my sister
£1.80 Veg brush
67p Birthday card
87p Birthday card
87p Birthday card
67p Birthday card
67p Birthday card
£11.99 gap hoodie
£8.97 gap jeans
£8.97 gap jeans for my sister
£27.99 gap jeans
75p Birthday card
£1.17 Birthday card
£150 vanquis - overpayment

31/03/2012
£16 Clinique mascara
£16 Clinique concealer
£14 Clinique Facewash
£28.26 olive oil x 14
£30 vanquis

01/04/2012
65p jelly tots £0.65 for my nephew
39p chewitts
£26.97 3 x pots
£1.99 kneeling pad
£5.99 cutting pellets
£1.50 elastic
£1.75 fabric
£0.79 bra extender
£1.80 bra cups
£1.49 propagator lid
£1.29 seed tray
34p frazzles
£20.04 petrol
£4.99 pour and feed 3l
£3.49 10l compost

02/04/2012
£5.27 compost
£5.27 compost
£5.27 compost
£12 strawberry planter
£1 vanquis
£20 riverford
£90 wescot
£35 gym membership

Upcoming expenses
£811 rent
£26.07 vet insurance
£35 car insurance
£25 savings
£18 mobile
£200 weekly budget (split into 4)
£100 veg boxes (split into 4)
£50 monthly bills

So I work that out to be £2004/£2066 spent/allocated. I'll double check this when my expenses are approved and paid into my bank account. I'm going to make a conscious effort to stick within my weekly allowance now, I've had a mad spend and it's time to reign things in. I'm going to try to remember to record everything I purchase on my spreadsheet. It's so far interesting to say that I've not spent as much on food as I had thought.

I've got my quilt to make when the other fabric arrives this week, then I can make a start on the pillowcases and duvet cover. Then there's the gardening, so I can do some weeding to keep the fruit happy.

I possibly shouldn't have spent so much money on clothes, but I really needed new clothes. The plants needed repotting so that was definitely a need instead of a want. The mascara, concealer and facial soap were possibly wants more than needs, although I needed to replace the facial soap in the pack I took it out of for mother day, and it made sense to get £3.50 worth of points and the bonus gift for doing so. Plus they gave me a free lippy that I'll whack on fleabay with the bonus giftset to get some pennies back. Still guilt-ridden though. Must try better, that's lots of pennies that could go on debt!!!

kerri_dfw

Cherryjack wrote: »

Good evening lovely, i think your still doing extremly well.. and coping considering OH is away. When does he get back? You are allowed a hobby and that can be sewing or something else..so i see nothing wrong in purchasing a few materials..and bits , plus they wont go to waste if you dont use them straight away.
I'm on half term week and its madness! x

Hey Cherry Thanks, I feel really bad for spending so much money on bedding and clothes though. I've bought some elastic so I can make you your plastic bag whatsit now Half term??? Runaway!!! hahaha hope the weather stays nice so you can sit in the sunshine and enjoy it xx

Cherryjack

Hello ) you did really well tho to spend on sale clothes.. (liked the thrifty GAP child purchase lol)..they really look no different so that was a good move
Awww thank you xx but please dont feel that you need to or rush .. i will still be here and yes half term..... du du duuuuuuuuuuuuu!! Getting some grey hair haha..
Im off to a little village shopping tommorow (will be good) and for a coffee.. will use my points card

kerri_dfw

The hoodie is annoying me as the zip is the wrong way round! Why do they put the zip on the wrong side for boys? Hmmmm.....

I've had a NSD yesterday yay but today I bought things from appr0ved fo0ds because they had a postage offer if you spent £30. So I've topped up on lots of baking mix type things, chocolate bars, crisps, biscuits, well things for my lunchbox basically, this should save me a pretty penny as I won't be buying it. Best buy was luc0zade for 25p/bottle when I normally pay £1+. I can take these with me when I drive anywhere instead of buying them at the petrol station. That all came to £32.08 including postage and it's definitely worth more than that. That's the last of the things I'll order now for some time as I have loadssss of food and no more room for anything else

I may be insane, but I've just added my OH as a cardholder to my credit card for the sole purpose of him getting a hire car in Canada. The alternative was that he would take out a credit card in his own name, which would mean he'd end up spunking the credit and getting further into debt. The lesser of the two evils was the better option just need to see if it gets approved now.

He has asked me whether I'd consider going and living in Canada for a year. So I've turned round and said the only circumstances I'd consider that under would be if I took a year off for maternity. I'm not compromising my job with the best company I could go to, just because he wants an international masters. He doesn't even know what he wants to do within his field of study as a career yet!

Oh and I've started paying £1 a day to the credit card it's encouraging the NSDs

ZTD

kerri_dfw wrote: »

The hoodie is annoying me as the zip is the wrong way round! Why do they put the zip on the wrong side for boys? Hmmmm.....

No, it's on the right side for males. It's on the other side for the ladies as they were expected to be dressed by a maid (usually right-handed) whilst gentlemen were expected to dress themselves.

Old "traditions" die hard.

kerri_dfw wrote: »

Best buy was luc0zade for 25p/bottle when I normally pay £1+. I can take these with me when I drive anywhere instead of buying them at the petrol station.

Well that *is* a saving. Stick a few in the boot so you don't run out.

kerri_dfw wrote: »

That all came to £32.08 including postage and it's definitely worth more than that. That's the last of the things I'll order now for some time as I have loadssss of food and no more room for anything else

Yeah, yeah - we believe you...

kerri_dfw

ZTD wrote: »

No, it's on the right side for males. It's on the other side for the ladies as they were expected to be dressed by a maid (usually right-handed) whilst gentlemen were expected to dress themselves.

Old "traditions" die hard.

Ahhh that explains it, it's rather annoying!

ZTD wrote: »

Well that *is* a saving. Stick a few in the boot so you don't run out.

I'll chuck them in with the olive oil I've got in there

ZTD wrote: »

Yeah, yeah - we believe you...

I physically don't have anymore room for bulk buys so I'll have to stop buying them. I've got no choice, besides offers come round again and I need to start eating the 142 packs of couscous!