If at first you don't succeed!

inthegreen

Today has started well, I finally got access to my online payslips which will make life easier. I cancelled my dental insurance at 17.29 a month and a magazine subscription at 27.04 a quarter. Cancelling the gym will save me £29.50 a month and 25.50 tax. I have a sponsor child and I just cant bring myself to give her up, I have been sponsoring her for 3 years and the money goes to make sure she can attend school in the morning before helping her family farm. Its easier to cut down the payments to the faceless organisations but very difficult when her face stares out at me from my desk and she writes 3 times a year. I am also waitressing for a friend for a dinner party in December for some pocket money so that will be good
OH has been convinced to open up a joint bills account. When we lived in the flat he paid me rent and half the food in arrears and often took another 4 weeks to pay and then it would be cash as that is how work pay him (he gets a payslip and pays tax, pension, ni) Agriculture seems to still pay weekly in cash! This of course made it easier to spend. Now we have moved into a joint house we are paying 50/50 but the first month I had to pay all the bills as he had banked all his cash, he has now paid that and I am chasing him for the money for the bills due on the first. It’s not that he doesn’t have the money as he hardly spends anything, but he doesn’t trust banks or cards. I also have to cover all the food bill and then he pays me back. I have suggested each sticking in £150 a month and then I won’t be constantly short where I have to pay everything.
Now I am confused about the figures of the loan from Mum. I borrowed 10,000 and she says the apr is 4.99%. It’s a 7 year loan ending 07/18. Payment 1 was 156 and I have also paid 3 payments of 141.29 she says the latest statement says its £9584.11 left, can anyone help me work out the figures at all? Also in my signature do I quote the amount owed in total including interest or just the amount if I paid it off today?
On a positive note I have worked out I am owed 3257.20 towards my cc by other people where I have paid and they owe me their money for tickets etc so I will be brave and chase those
I was thinking about money last night and it’s not like chocolate is it, you can’t give it up completely and go cold turkey, it’s the still having to deal with it that makes it so hard. I am brilliant with other people’s money so maybe we should all have a pay it forward scheme where we control someone else’s finances!
Next Wednesday OH and I are off to the Royal Albert Hall to watch the tennis. OH has only been to London twice and wants to go to the tower, I need to find a good deal on train tickets, entry to the tower and somewhere for lunch, any good suggestions gratefully received.
I have now perfected the peppermint creams which will bolster some of the Christmas Presents this year, I just need to find a truffle recipe for those that can’t eat egg or hate mint. Mum wants money towards a kindle but I am wondering if we can get her one with the tesco vouchers I have saved? I am going to be cheeky and give one friend a £10 next voucher I got for my birthday from another friend (they don’t know each other) Christmas is at ours this year. Mum has bought the table runner, wine glasses, crackers and celebrations. OH is a pig and turkey farm manager so we get a free turkey and free pork. I ordered a veg box to be delivered on 23rd from a local supplier. The inlaws will want to contribute so I need to think what they can buy, maybe some of the luxury picky bits for tea, alcohol(my mum doesn’t drink and I drink very little) or the nuts (OH and I are both allergic) They are coming Christmas day and going home Boxing day so we shouldn’t need loads and I am hoping it will be quite cheap.
I must get OH to remember to bring home his weekly allocation of meat £10 value now we have a chest freezer.
Wow mammoth post where I have rambled way too much, sorry and have a good day all

inthegreen

I now have 15 apples!! We get fruit delivered to work on a Monday, these apples were left over from last week and they were going to chuck them, one was an unopened 6 pack still in date, I might stew the slightly dodgy ones and freeze and OH can have puddings of stewed apples and custard.
I have also spoken to OH and he has promised me he will clear our old rented garage this week whilst he is on annual leave(when we lived in the flat). I cleared most of it for him but there are 4 truck tyres I cant lift and a load of wood that probably needs to go to the tip so he needs to sort that. I can then hand back the keys and I will be £18 better off a month.
OH has also just got £350 of this months bill out his account to give to me and has plans to get more out tomorrow, I will pay it straight in ready for the bills on the first of December.
We are having to have an electrician in this week as we only have one plug socket per room but we have been able to save money by buying our own cable and chasing out the socket spaces. The electrician is my mum’s best friend’s son and OH will help (and learn) so it should be cheap and quick.
We hope to finishing decorating in the next 2 weeks. I have checked we can take back any unopened, unused paint so am hoping that we have overbought and we will have some money to come back.
The next challenge will be new carpets and curtains. The carpets were put in in 1979 and desperately need changing. I am wondering how hard it is to make curtains, I am not very good on the sewing machine but I am willing to have a go or maybe ebay would be cheaper.

inthegreen

Posted both items and with deductions for paypal and postage I made a profit of 37.16. I am still awaiting details of how to send a payment to Virgin cc so instead so it wouldn’t sit in my account I paid it off my zopa loan so that reduces my monthly payments by a pound a month. I must update my signature too with the main payment that has now credited the loan.
Got back from the post office to find I had sold another item for £35 and also my friend found me a free item for a crimbo pressie I was after so agreed to send her one of my £3 items for free that she wanted as payment for postage and washing the item for me.
Can of soup and some grated cheese from home for lunch. I also managed to find 2 hairdressers that were both closed but had models wanted signs. I have also got the number of the local hairdressing school restyle and blow dry £11.00 and colouring for £9.00. I am still going to investigate London options as I am there every day next week.

inthegreen

received the £35 via paypal so I will post the item tomorrow.

I had Jacket potatoes again for tea and its the first time ever I can remember finishing a whole bag of potatoes and not chucking any away:o

I have also joined the pad challenge and will be making a sealed pot ready for 1st December

inthegreen

Well 2 more things should be off the list today as OH is clearing the rented garage and then meeting me in my lunch break to set up a joint account for the bills. I won’t get the dd’s swapped over quickly enough so I will aim to have them all swapped over for 1st Jan.
Today I need to submit my expenses as the dd for my corporate credit card has come out my account, it won’t get approved until Monday though as my boss is on holiday
I had already pre booked a load of stuff before my second lbm so now the challenge is on to not increase the debt whilst going. For example this weekend I am meeting my friend in London and we are going to watch the Spanish Riding School. Normally I would have been able to get out of this one but her dad has just passed away and life is pretty grim at the moment so I am just going to have to have to make it as cheap as possible and suck it up but not increase the debt.

LAM2011

15 apples! lol my horses would have loved you.

Sounds like you are already making little bits of progress - you will find having to come and report to your diary a big help. I have also joined the sealed pot challenge - first time - only did the pay as much as you can challenge this year but now with christmas here its made me realise that there is never any extra money so anything would be nice on 1 December next year

Enjoy the Spanish Riding School - I know an expense but should be really nice. Are you horsey at all ?

inthegreen

I am horsey and its one of the reasons I havent put up my SOA, I have my horse on a very nice yard:o I had him on really cheap DIY no school/terrible hacking but I travel for my job and I was not only doing my own but my YO's 4 as I am useless at saying no, 2 winters ago I was struggling to do 6 before flying to Dublin, driving to liverpool etc and then having to get them in in the dark in my suit.

OH insisted I moved yards (he used to have to help too when I got delayed) so I am now down to 1 horse on 5 day livery. Now we have moved he is only 2 miles from home. Horses arent the reason I am in debt, moving and my ex h is but I am very aware on this forum that some think you should get rid of all animals etc and clear your debt but its not going to happen and the yard I am at is the cheapest 5 day I can get even though its posher than most. I agree I could clear my debt very very quickly without him but I would be incredibly miserable with it.

OH and I also jointly own the trailer and 4x4 although this year has been a write off for competing and I take other people thus reducing the cost.

I am lucky that I earn a good wage and should be able to tackle this whilst still keeping my horse:o

LAM2011

I know exactly what you mean We have 3 horses between myself and my OH. Part of my story is on a diary I had somewhere but lost interest in keeping it up. We are on a DIY yard. I pay the annual insurance and DIY costs for one and a half, OH pays balance and buys all food so I am lucky. When I met him 8 years ago my then debt on a credit card was due to a previous horse that needed colic surgery. My other three credit cards were just self / over indulgence. The horses (and my dogs and chickens) are my sanity though and I go without clothes, hair cuts and going out for them. In summer I am now competing at RC level (affiliated too expensive) and in winter the extra pennies go on bedding etc. My problem is my debt is my own and I will conquer it. My OH is very understanding and helps out little bits whereever he can. By the end of this year I will have no credit cards and only my loan which I am hoping to reduce from 5 years to 3. All I needed was my LBM and many a time I thought the horses would have to go but being TB and quirky and one old I couldnt do it They are my children and part of my quest to be debt free is so that I dont let them down too lol.

Sorry - looks like I am taking over your diary lol.

inthegreen

not at all I am glad that someone understands my horsey obsession too.

I too go without other things, I very rarely go out, don't drink unless I do, dont smoke, don't buy clothes, shoes or have beauty treatments in order to have my horse, everyone else always comments on the cost but then they go out every Friday and spend at least £50 on alcohol and food.

I now cycle to the yard to save petrol and have finally found a food that keeps his weight on so I spend a lot less (just need to do the same for my OH!!)

Forgot to add I spent all last night on the comp board although it seemed to take me forever to fill everything out so I only did about 30

LAM2011

Try these too if you like comping :

http://www.equinecompare.co.uk/win-horse-prizes.php

I have won loads of bits and bobs, a horseware jacket, a show shirt, a stock and pin, calmers, feed supplements and I only joined this year you have to just keep remembering to go back and see if there are new ones added.