Our beautiful recycled life: a patchworking income, green living, dfw adventure!

Pippilongstocking

Keiss ouch to your OH - poor him I'm glad he's OK - great for you getting going with the sowing!

DFWB - what a brilliant idea I'm going to borrow that from you - what a brilliant way to do things. We have a plant day in May and I'm so going to do So lovely for you to think of us

Lucielle - thankfully fingers crossed, touch wood, etc for now things appear to be OK.........

Starnac you're off now but I hope you've had fun! As to sewing your own frock - you're so talented I'm sure it will be amazing x

As to kids - they rang last night finally!

Uni I hope you found a bargain or two!

We've just all had a walk down the beach - me the puppy, peedie, mr F and the tide was out so far I'd never seen so much beach!

Hope whatever you're upto its fun!

starnac

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

starnac - will we get to see pictures of the dress ?

If I finish it in time

Karmacat

Just catching up - some great news, and some ouchy stuff too - hope all of us, and kids, peedies and seedlings are all good. I've realised I'd better get my act together and get weeding, and finally plant some of the strawberries into the ground - there's a lot self sown, but getting them set up would help sort the garden out, and discourage more weeds. More strawberries are always good.

And I bought some fruit bushes from the new local 99p shop, and planted them (in pots, still, rats) straight away. They had to shelter under the patio table at first, it was *very* chilly, but I brought them out from there a few days ago, and they look fine. They've also just had a natural watering as its finally, finally rained.

So all is good! I have a quiet day today, which I know is a bit weird as its Easter Sunday, but it feels very nice. Can I be bothered to go to the shops to buy some much needed underbed storage? I'm not sure! We'll see! Hope everyone is enjoying their day

Pippilongstocking

Hey up all happy easter!

I'm working out my budget and figuring out tax etc to save - and tryignt to fathom my student loan and all that jazz.

Its wet and wild here - not a great day!

Hope you're all having fun.

Pippilongstocking

Ok so here's how the money fairies fall at the turn of the new tax year.

Didn't earn enough last year to pay tax - it all kinda landed in the last 4 months but I'm still under the allowance. Big tick - must do my return as soon as I can and get that out of the way.

Still paying off the last tax bill from ages back monthly (£89) so that's sorted and 0%

Womble wages up by a whole day - which is great and new contract signed (3.5 days a week) til March next year

Gardening is at a bit of a higher £ rate than wombling which is nice and I've 5 gardens I do a bit in - don't really need anymore of that but its nice for the variety. Although I never turn down a job - well I've turned down one for a silly man wanting me 20 hours a week for tuppance. Daft gonk, I don't work for tuppance anymore.

College - contracted to do an evening class (18hrs yr) and am casual invigilator etc but thats a low rate (min wage) although I can do paperwork during it so thats a bonus - means its worth it if it fits in - must do a bill for the teaching I did on SVQ's for training - nearly forgot about that!

My website I've kinda stalled for the minute - its fully constructed and i've plants to sell/seeds to sell but I've not really the time to put much into that at the moment. Need to think on about that.

So rather weirdly - the money foraging garden is rather looking after itself at the moment. But I mustn't be anything but frugal - still gorging ourselves on largely reduced food/home grown grub and a bit of foraging and also buying value stuff - don't see any point in changing this its working grand.

No time to sit on the garden bench and feel all complacent however - I need to budget for tax as well so that really covers that one. I've checked online how much I'll be liable each month and I can put that away with the NI and a start of a pension payment - I know I'm late into this but its been one of the sacrifices for being studying with kids rather than working.

(EH is right of course its about 1/3 of what I earn needs to be put aside - what a clever lass) - so effectively the extra womble day takes care of all the tax and ni and pension stuff. Clever old extra day.

I'm fretting a bit about my student loan (£14k) - I can't remember the terms - so I need check with Martin and see where I stand with that.

DS leaves home this year for uni - dunno when things like tax credits/child benefit change - when they leave school or when they leave home to go to uni? Must check that out - do any of you guys know?

DD - 16 in summer - need to fill out forms with child benefit and wtfc to make sure they don't just stop everything.

Current debts in order of silliness.
CC - captain- 1500 (ridiculus %) -
CC - lucifer - 900 (less ridiculus %)
OD2 £1000 (not free - £5 charge a month and interest and a charge if over) **work on getting shot of this soon**
OD - £1000 (free)
Penguin chops - 1945 (0%)
Tax man - 650 - paying monthly done by Oct. (0%)

Total debts = 6995+pesky student loan = 21,000 give or take a pound or two.


[get me being all grown up and all that jazz]

Pippilongstocking

Oh forgot the action plan

Pay off captain first, then lucifer, in order etc However..........

Lucifer card is offering 0% to transfer any amount of the available balance into your bank account as cash - for 9 months at 0%.

Should I pay off the lucifer card first (900) and then transfer the whole balance (1000) to get rid of OD which is costing £5 a month+interest? And pay off the card over the nine months? (there is a 3% fee which would be 30 - (two months charge on the overdraft) might be worth it to get rid of it?

Interested to hear what you think........

Pippilongstocking

*Sniggers*

Utterly brilliant link here - Martin and the national womble parent organisation of our local womble charity are pals how fantastic!

DedicatedDFW

Pippi - i didn't want to read and run but my head is currently all confuzzled so i am going to be no help at all on the OD conundrum i'm afraid

When i've paid bills off it has perhaps seemed a bit haphazard - i worked on the account with the highest interest rate first but since then have paid off a small 0% balance for the boost of paying a bill off entirely meanwhile i still have an account (overdraft) which i pay interest on every month and it'll be the last or second to last bill i clear.

What i've also done (not including student loan) is looked at everything over the long term as well so i'd jot down the debts i have, what is paid to each every month, what are the overpayments i anticipate and when do i expect to have paid each bill off in full. I found it really helped with to have the short term goal and long term plan too to know where i was up to.

Sorry i can't be of any help - i may be brighter tomorrow but am sure you'll have received lots of good sensible advice by then

Greying_Pilgrim

Hi Pippi - gosh you are busy on an Easter Sunday - so much number crunching!!!

I've not come on to give you THE answer, 'coz my brain is hurting just trying to fathom the complexities!

However, I would ask, how long would it take you to pay off Lucifer (ie the whole £900)?? Because you talk about transferring the OD2 (£1000) to this card once the £900 is paid off. The special offer is 0% for 9 months, but is this from now or 9 months from when you choose to 'use' it.

Because, say for example it took you 5 months to pay off the Lucifer £900, this may only leave you 4 months of the 'special offer' 0% period left (that's assuming they would still offer it to you - another better/worse promotion might of started by then). Could you pay off £1000 at 0% in 4 months? If you couldn't, what %age rate might it revert to??

I don't suppose ^^^^^ is any help what-so-ever, but it would be a question I would ask myself.

Anyway, all the best to you and yours this Easter Day!

Kind regards, Greying

Pippilongstocking

DDFW - thats all very sensible and thank you for posting!

I'm sorry you're heads confuddled - not great to feel like that!

Your advice is good and sensible thank you so much for it.

xx