Moving south for winter

HappyNow

Hi FF, just been having a catch up on your diary. Sorry to hear you're having a rough week, hopefully the time with your relatives might cheer you both up a bit. I agree that an envelope for entertainment money might suit you if you enjoy eating out but worry about overdoing it. Obviously I don't know Mr FF (or you for that matter!), but if you think he might not be ready for discussing it, why not just do it? If he's anything like Mr Happy he might not even notice!

As you say, the ups and downs of MSE-ing.. x

FlacosFloozie

So we had a lovely few days away and I've been back working hard since. So what's been happening in Floozieland?
Mr F is feeling much better and his moods are more stable again which is good :j
We narrowly missed the GC target but haven't yet had to shop for this week so hoping to shave some more off next month.:cool:
I've made my 2 regular payments to the ccs.:)
The tax people have told me I should hear something by Aril 6th... we'll see :cool:
I had a really busy weekend at work so I splurged, old habit die hard In my defense, my splurge was a magazine, some half price creme eggs and a tin of branded spaghetti hoops for lunch In the past it would have been a pair of new shoes and a night out and... you get the picture :rotfl:

FlacosFloozie

My loan repayment came out yesterday so now we owe less than 12 grand :j Its still a lot but its coming down....
I also got a cheque from my Dad for easter. With work and bank holidays it'll be a while before I can cash it but the plan is to put half towards the CC and use the rest to start an online savings pot.
This got me thinking about how I'd spend guilt free money that just magically appeared (no such thing I know but I'm daydreaming here ) so...
£1 Splurge on a lottery ticket or a chocolate bar
£5 Extra weekly payment to CC
£10 Extra weekly payment to CC
£50 A pub meal out for me and Mr FF the rest to CC
£100 Payment to CC and a haircut for me
£500 All paid to CC
£1000 All paid to CC
£10,000 Pay off almost all my debts
£50,000 Pay off debts, get a haircut and put the rest in savings... and maybe a long weekend away :rotfl:

Okay so its never going to happen but I was surprised at how much less materialistic I've become since MSE

snozberry

Yeah MSE is making me less materialistic as well. I'm always questioning myself as to why I want whatever it is that I have seen.

FlacosFloozie

Well a very MSE day. Its been a NSD here for a start, but still enjoyed nice food and a walk in the (not quite) rain.
Sat down with Mr F and sorted out a budget for the next few months. We've agreed an amount for an entertainment budget so we'll see how it goes.
I've also started an online savings account for the big yearly expenses. Only £10 so far but aiming to put away a bit extra each month.

FlacosFloozie

Update time then. I have to confess this has not been my best month so far. I took my eye off the groceries totally and its amazing how much the occasional bottle of wine and pack of biccies add up that could have been another £50 paid off ... grr
I also, for the first time in ages, spent on the CC :mad: The first one isn't too bad as we needed oil for the heating and the money is in the savings. I've been waiting for the price to come down and it just isn't so have gone ahead and ordered. i can transfer money over and pay it off in a few days. The bad part is I got hit with an extra £10 to use the CC. Now I could have used my debit card and not been charged but my brain (not at its best) went stay out of your overdraft! Of course, I would have only used the overdraft for 4 days so £4 instead of £10
The second spend is the bad one. I bought us some bits of sports kit we need for our hobby. Now we do need them (vital for safety) and with the change in taxes I will be getting more at the end of this month so the money will be there but... buying things on the cc because I would have the money to pay them off in a month or two is what got me into this mess in the first place and its not a habit I want to restart so I am dissapointed in myself

FlacosFloozie

Thought I'd split that up as it was getting a bit long and rambly
So other mse things... I've signed up to a cashback site and will be looking at using some of the free trials.
I WILL ebay this weekend. Its not that bad I just don't seem to get around to it but there's a limit to how much I can cut our outgoings. I need to up our income where I can, even if its only small amounts.
I need to meal plan properly again. I have a £10 voucher off the shopping next week but need to spend £80. This is a good deal if I buy and batch cook and freeze for the month ahead. It is not if I just spend it on junk :rotfl: I have now mastered the art of chocolate bun baking but need to diversify into other cakes. Ideally things that can be done and will not go off too quickly.
I need to hassle the tax people again. I called them last week and they agreed that it was being dealt with and should have been sorted weeks ago and would be chased up but still nothing..... I know I'm entitled to something I just can't work out how much. The bulk of my 0% deal on CC1 ends this summer so it would be really nice to know how much I can hope to have paid off by then....

FlacosFloozie

And part the third. I'm making up for lost time here aren't I? I just need to get my mse mojo back on track, and stay out of boards that don't concern me. I know my debt is dealable with. It is my own frivilous fault that it exists in the first place but I am dealing with it and it will be gone.
What is getting me down though is what happens after? Originally I though I could start sving for a house deposit. In a couple of years we could have our own place, a bit saved up and conider the possibility of little Floozies... or more cats
However, floating round the mortages and house buying board just makes this seem impossible. We could save up 10-15% but 40 just seems so out of reach..... I have very generous parents who will likely help out but I really wanted to be a grown up by then and not have to rely on the bank of M&D. Anyway, that is a long time off and the economy may have changed totally by then (we can hope) so I just need to knuckle down and get on with the debt clearing NOW- anyone reading please administer a virtual kick to my virtual butt

FlacosFloozie

Well another payday I've made the usual payments and the extra I spent on the cc last month.
The good news is an extra £200 in the pay packet :j the bad news is that I finally had to cave and buy heating oil :eek: I can't believe I paid more than I did in November last year!
I've started an envelope system for entertainment spends- lets just see if we can stick to it.

snozberry

£200 is a fortune!! I hope that the oil will last you a long time.

I know that it sounds silly but does a tanker drive up to your house like they do in petrol stations?