Time to Take Control

wannabee_in_credit

Just a quick one from me tonight. It's a school night and I've broken some rules. I've spent a tenner and had takeaway and alcohol... mainly because OH is having a long weekend so I decided to eat and have a little drink with him (so he's not on his own). I've eaten, gotten on here, and gotten the worst urge to spend money. I really want a kindle all of a sudden and I'm scared I'll buy one if I don't log off and go to bed now. No idea why I suddenly want one, there are a few other things I'd rather spend a hundred quid on with the wedding not too far into the future.
I'm also feeling sorry for myself. I had a little accident at work which has led to me being burned with acid - not seriously but enough for me to know about it. And ds was sent home ill from nursery. I'm all out of routine now and after a couple of drinks, difficult to stay on track. So goodnight before I spend anything!!:beer:

Lemon_Tree

oh i hope you're alright and not too damaged, and DS is feeling better now. Glad to see you've turned off rather than be tempted by the kindle, i blame Martin as he's got it on the front page saying theres a tenner off, actually a tenner isn't that much money when compared to the original amount. Does that help you not spend? i hope so.

wannabee_in_credit

I'm ok thanks lemon tree. DS had the day off nursery with OH today, but it looking lots better this evening. Seems to have been some 24 hour thing.
I didn't do any spending last night. I did the wise thing and went straight to bed without buying a kindle or anything else - so I'm pleased with myself.
Anyway. I've found a job I want to apply for. I've worked at the same place for the past 6 years and I'm not as happy there as I used to be. I love the people there, but it's getting harder and harder to do what I'm asked to. Anyway, this job has come up within a couple of miles from home and I really, really want it but it's 6 years since I applied for a job and I've completely forgotten how to sell myself and make myself sound good. Am going to spend this weekend trying to put together a 2 page application letter.
Fingers crossed for me please.

Lemon_Tree

fingers crossed you get your application form sorted, i've been at my place for 5 years and know that it's likely that i'll need to apply for jobs in the next year and i'm terrified, it's been a long time.

wannabee_in_credit

I have been so busy since the weekend that I've barely had time to be on my favourite website, and I'm starting to get withdrawl symptoms from the place. But as it's the last day of January I thought I'd come on here and do a quick review of the progress I've made during January. I have to say it's been a fantastic month for money saving and new ways of thinking - unfortunately I'm still the same weight I was 31 days ago.
Total of 18 nsd's all month
Grocery spends for month total £270.66
No toiletries bought
£2 spent on clothes for myself
sealed pot over half full
wedding fund just over £300 (empty at Christmas after car repairs)
Food waste less than £5
Enjoyed being flylady
Discovered joys of batch cooking
Applied for a new job (you never know, must be worth a punt)

My aims for February
Keep up with everything I've done in January, plus
Get wedding fund built up
Not waste a load of money at half term
Lose 5lbs (the last, elusive thing that I can't get a grip of)
Enjoy being frugal

Hope everyone is doing well - thanks for reading. I can't believe I'm still this motivated, and how making these tiny changes is making such a massive impact on my finances.
Wish me luck for the job application. I know I already have a good job that I really enjoy most days, but there would be lots of advantages to the new job should I get it.
Also wish me luck with weightloss. My friend gave me a freebie for her ww class so I'm trying that. Finding it tough going though - wish it was as easy to say no to eating rubbish as it is to spending money.

x

wannabee_in_credit

But I'm determined this is a tiny blip. It started on Wednesday when I got my tax credits revised notice telling me that my payments were going down by £130 a month (the nursery fees have only gone down by £100 so I'm not quite sure how that works really). Then I tried to ring about my broken mobile, to get a brilliant iphone 3gs offer, to find that it had finished the day before. Then some rubbish at work really hit the fan...
Anyway, Thursday I got up determined not to let it get the better of me and got in to even more rubbish at work which kept me there till well after 5 and taking work home with me. I barely had time to even eat on Thursday - but got lots of work done and rang up again about my phone and managed to talk my way into a good deal for the iphone. But it was after 9pm before I stopped for the day and managed a rest, and I didn't have time for dinner so I went halves on a takeaway with the other half to make sure that the four of us ate at a reasonable hour. £10.
So even though they piled more of the carp on again at work today I was determined I wasn't leaving work a second later than half four. So picked up dd to find that she'd worn a hole in the sole of her boot. Rang OH to get him to pick ds up from nursery and took dd home via shops where I was £40 lighter from shoe buying (I'd already decided both kids needed a new pair of casual shoes so needed 3 pairs in the end), plus another £5.18 in home [EMAIL="b@rgains"]b@rgains[/EMAIL] buying a couple of large bottles to drown my sorrows after a busy and very stressful week at work.:eek::beer:
Compared to what I used to spend this is a blip on the radar, but suddenly I feel like I've spent a fortune - takeaways, shoes, alcohol, phone contracts - all in 3 days. Looking back at it, I think it seems very reasonable so I'm not sure why I feel quite so guilty as I do at the moment.
And I'm spending tomorrow, buying the monthly meat supply and stocking up in case we're snowed in.
Hmmmn. Better get back into the nsd habit before February costs me a fortune.

mummytogirls

Hello wannabe,

Just come across your diary. I was going to ask what phone youve got but youve answered my question! Have you heard of an app called my fitness pal? Basically calorie counting is the only way ive ever lost weight. You put in what you eat and it works out the cals for you.
I love it and have lost 5lbs since beginning Jan.

Hope this helps a bit xx

wannabee_in_credit

Thanks mummytogirls. Once I get my phone and figure out how on earth to work it then I'll definitely check it out.
Woke up this morning with a hangover, and I have a kids party to take ds to in a couple of hours. Gah!

HappyNow

Hi Wannabee, just read through your diary over a cup of tea and thought I'd say hello .

Well done on all the positive financial stuff. You really seem to be turning it all round. Don't worry about the recent spending. As an outsider looking in, that all looks perfectly reasonable - I know I tend to get a bit obsessive about my spending and I think it's because I made little promises to myself that were never actually that realistic. Life costs!

How's DP doing at the moment? That was the part of your diary that concerned me more than the financial stuff to be honest. Mr Happy has never really suffered from depression, but he sometimes has 'down days' when he frankly isn't that good company! Sulky and self-indulgent are the words I would use to describe him at those times. My kids are grown-up now, but he was always careful that they didn't witness him when he was down (not that he did anything bad, just he was aware that they might worry if he was sad). If your DP is showing depression/drunkenness in front of them that could be a worry.

Anyway, best wishes and good luck with your job application

wannabee_in_credit

HappyNow wrote: »

Hi Wannabee, just read through your diary over a cup of tea and thought I'd say hello .

How's DP doing at the moment? That was the part of your diary that concerned me more than the financial stuff to be honest. Mr Happy has never really suffered from depression, but he sometimes has 'down days' when he frankly isn't that good company! Sulky and self-indulgent are the words I would use to describe him at those times. My kids are grown-up now, but he was always careful that they didn't witness him when he was down (not that he did anything bad, just he was aware that they might worry if he was sad). If your DP is showing depression/drunkenness in front of them that could be a worry.

Anyway, best wishes and good luck with your job application

There are good days and bad days. Unfortunately when he's really bad he doesn't always get out of bed and there's not much hiding that from the kids - but we usually go and stay at my mum's when that happens as I agree and don't like them seeing him that bad.
He's talking lots more than he used to, which is a really big deal for him, and I just hope he never ever gets as bad again as when ds was born.

I have had another spendy day today. I succumbed to a cup of tea and a bacon buttie while I was at the kids party, to help me get on with my work (had taken it with me). Plus my monthly meat order, plus cakes to take to a friend (she made lunch, I brought cake). Grocery day tomorrow as well...
But yes, life is life and sometimes you have to spend money - no matter how much you suddenly don't want to.