Time to Take Control

wannabee_in_credit

Well, there's some good news to be had anyway. The car didn't cost a penny. The man at the garage said he could hear the noise and had a good look underneath, but there's nothing obviously wrong or dangerous with it. Phew. Just need to put two new tyres on it next week and hopefully that'll be it for the time being.
I'm still bugged about work. I really resent having a load of work to do over the weekend. I'm already working 8 till five ish most days and then a few hours at home as well. I've spent an hour this morning already planning lessons for tomorrow, which is as long as I used to spend when I was training. I shouldn't be allowing work to ruin my weekends but I find I'm getting up in a bad mood on a Sunday because I know what's coming on a Monday. Ah well. Only 4 more weeks until the holidays and they can't come soon enough for me - even if I haven't done my Christmas shopping yet.
Have a good day everyone.

wannabee_in_credit

Oh my lord, I cannot believe that I feel like I've been living on a different planet for the past couple of weeks.
Just when you think things aren't getting any worse... I spent most of last weekend trying to get festive among the horrific nightmare of all the extra work I'm doing at the moment. Spent time shared between shopping, decorating the house and marking/planning. Went into work on Monday, and we got a call from Ofsted Monday lunchtime. Ugh... So I spent the next couple of days in a complete blur until they'd been and gone by Wednesday evening. Thursday was a nightmare of epic proportions because of the snow. I was SO pleased to get home last night and get a night with a glass of wine and some time with my kids. And I am really relieved that Ofsted is over and done with for the time being so I can get on and enjoy Christmas without fretting too much about work.
So today I have to get on with my much neglected housework, do some cooking and try and sneakily wrap some presents as well. I think I'm just about done but I don't feel anywhere near ready for Christmas...
Hope to get on here and try and catch up a bit as well.
x

brizzledfw

Hey here's to more wine this weekend!! Well done for getting through it. Hope the report and feedback was fair and you never know, even helpful ;)

Good to have you back...and decorating as well..what a time to do that!!! I would give that a rest if I were you and just put your feet up :rotfl:

wannabee_in_credit

Grrrrr to my real life for repeatedly getting in the way of my actually getting on here and catching up with things. I can't believe it's only just over a week until Christmas - I don't feel even a tiny bit festive.
I've done kids Christmas parties, my son's nativity (he was a fabulous Joseph), a night out with my sister and my school panto. Still have a week at work, two performances of my daughter's nativity, carol services, my niece's birthday etc etc. I barely know what I'm doing.
Work hasn't let up much since Ofsted but the pressure is off a bit. Things are still tough and I'm more than ready for a break - a 15 week term is a really long time to be honest.
Every time I think I'm finished my Christmas shopping I remember something else, and I've lost track a bit of budgeting. I'm going to let it go a bit until this time next week when I'm finished work, prepped for Christmas and all done and dusted. Then the budgeting starts again before the new year.
Hope everyone is doing well.
xxx

wannabee_in_credit

Just a quick note to wish everyone a very merry Christmas... I have had a quiet but brilliant day all in all, and Santa was really kind to the family.
Also now that both of my kids have their own laptops (second hand, not a massive extravagance) that means I don't have to be in the queue for my own laptop any more.
And Ofsted have been and done their worst so we're off the hook for a few more years.
So I really, really hope that I can get on here a bit more regularly again. I love being online on here - really helps to keep me on the straight and narrow.
I'm quite tired tonight though so tomorrow I'll get on properly.
)

wannabee_in_credit

Just updating my soa for 2013 and in preparation for my review with Stepchange in the next few months.

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 1
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 2010
Partners monthly income after tax....... 700
Benefits................................ 146
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 2856
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 478.6
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 185
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 90
Electricity............................. 35
Gas..................................... 40
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 37.4
Telephone (land line)................... 32
Mobile phone............................ 30
TV Licence.............................. 12.12
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 0
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 325
Clothing................................ 20
Petrol/diesel........................... 160
Road tax................................ 14
Car Insurance........................... 37
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 20
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 650
Other child related expenses............ 32.5
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 10
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 10
Buildings insurance..................... 21
Contents insurance...................... 0
Life assurance ......................... 15
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 15
Haircuts................................ 12
Entertainment........................... 10
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 20
Total monthly expenses.................. 2311.62

Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 80000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 2000
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 82000

Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 74000....(478.6)....4.76
Hire Purchase (HP) debt ...... 0........(185)......0
Total secured & HP debts...... 74000.....-.........-
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
cccs...........................0.........336.......0
Total unsecured debts..........0.........336.......-

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 2,856
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 2,311.62
Available for debt repayments........... 544.38
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 336
Amount left after debt repayments....... 208.38
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 82,000
Total HP & Secured debt................. -74,000
Total Unsecured debt.................... -0
Net Assets.............................. 8,000
Created using the SOA calculator at www.stoozing.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using IE browser.

Looks as though I should have some £ left over each month. I finally got my payrise in December so I am quite hopeful I can up my payments to Stepchange and bring my dfd even closer.

As usual, any comments welcome. I appreciate all comments about the cost of childcare related to my partners income, but those of you who read my diary know that my hubby has suffered with serious mental health issues, and apart from the fact that I couldn't allow him to be the kids full time carer, he also needs to work for his own sanity and to keep himself on the up side of the depression.
Besides which, my littlest finally starts school in September so those pesky childcare fees will come down again, hopefully to a less extortionate rate using breakfast clubs etc.

wannabee_in_credit

Just popping on quickly to wish everyone a very happy new year.
I had a but of a shaky start to 2012 with my OH having another bit of a breakdown, but it was also the start of my true lbm and debtbusting. I'm really proud of all I have achieved to be honest - I've knocked 10 grand off my debts, become a wife, managed to get a payrise, supported my kids and hubby through and just about managed to hang onto my sanity.
This year surely has to be the weight lbm. I'm going back to sw on Thursday and I really want this year to be the one where I take weightloss as seriously as sorting out my finances. I'm not getting any younger and my knees are starting to suffer from the excess weight and lack of exercise. For the past 22 years my new years resolution has been to get thinner. :eek:
Have a good new year, and as my dad always says 'I wish you health, wealth and happiness'.

Lots of love
:beer::beer::beer:

wannabee_in_credit

Happy New Year everyone!
I've made a good start by not spending any money today. Managed to rattle off a perfectly good roast dinner with things that I just happened to have in the house.
There's loads of food and drink left over from last night as well (buffet stuff) so I shouldn't need to worry about a food shop in the short term.
I'm back on the mse bandwagon today thankfully - I've been a little extravagant of late. My last big treat to myself comes Thursday if I go back to sw. £50 for 12 weeks - I have repeatedly tried to lose weight on my own but have come to the conclusion that I need to be answering to someone else in order to get thinner.
Other than that, all bills and dd's should have gone today - just nursery to sort out and then we'll see what I have left for the month. I'm going to put any spare cash into my much depleted emergency fund as there are a few things coming up to pay for.
It's my sister's birthday next week and I've got a bottle of home made blackberry vodka for her. All sorted before Christmas.
Plus our honeymoon trip to Scotland at Easter is paid for and we need to focus on getting us some spends together as well. It's not so many weeks away.
Hope everyone is doing well.

mandz1

Happy new year W_I_C to you and your family.

I am also going to try and lose weight this year, but i am not going to any classes, going to try and do it on my own first with the help of a new diary on here and meal plans etc.

I also had a NSD. Told myself nowhere was open today so didnt leave the house.

wannabee_in_credit

Good luck Mandz. The weight is now the only thing I don't seem to be able to control (it used to always be weight and money but I think I have the cash thing starting to be sorted out - I still have the odd blow out but it's not like it used to be). I need the discipline of answering to someone else in class for weightloss I think.
Besides which, my own stupid bathroom scales have stopped working so I can't even survey the damage myself to make a fresh start.