Keeping up appearances.......

Piquant_2

HappyNow wrote: »

Hi Fluffies and Piq, thanks for dropping by and making me giggle .

I managed a catch up on some of the diaries yesterday and I loved it. Going to do a couple more now if the family stay in bed .

Well yesterday I finally listed an item on ebay after all these months of talking about it. Actually Little Miss Happy did it for me and as she has already sold a few things on there she has a 100% positive feedback thing, which might help. I watched her do it and it wasn't too difficult, so fingers crossed for a good experience - three watchers already and it only went on last night. It's a beautiful cardigan, quite expensive and still with the tags on - too lovely to just be hung in my wardrobe forever.

I've done a fair bit of e*baying over the last couple of weeks. I don't like doing it, so I've been treating it as a job it's the only way I can motivate myself into doing it! It's not difficult just a bit drawn out that's all.

Can I take it that you are no longer hiding in the coal shed with a torch updating your diary?v:D

Piq

FlacosFloozie

Well done for taking your first steps on ebay xx

lucielle

Morning peeps, just spent a couple of hours reading your diary and now have an urge for rice pudding for breakfast.

Have subscribed, so will pop in and out.
L

painted_lady

Hi Happy (and friends),
I spent the weekend reading your diary (on and off). I have debt that about equals the outstanding mortgage, no one knows about it, or certainly the extent of it. I am taking it one card at a time and got my Sir Richard card to under £11,000 and paid off both my overdrafts in the last few months (mainly due to a bonus, but would previously have spent it on flights to somewhere exotic). We are doing ok, both have own businesses which are stable, we too have rental properties and used to go abroad a few times a year. We have curbed the holidays and generally being good with the spending. We have always eaten own brand, smart price and shopped at Lidl etc, so not as much to save in that area,often same product in different packaging anyway. Lidl etc same price as smart price, but dont have a cupboard full of white tins. I plan meals a little more now (dont actually meal plan, just look at what needs using up etc and think forward a bit with meals, like yesterday I used some left over veg to bulk out a pasta sauce, put DS on sandwiches and I think about what needs using up as fillings etc and buy whoopsied bread - usually 19p for 6 breadrolls).
I kind of enjoy the money saving, I too have car insurance due this month and want to pay it in full, although it will leave me skint.
I find using about 2 tablespoons of own brand washing powder works, with 13p vinegar as fabric softener, so saving there on shopping bill.
We have started taking packed lunches everywhere on days out etc, save us a load, would previously spend £20 on a meal or £6+ on sandwiches/meal deals etc.
I currently have a pack of 18 sainsburys white label apple juice in the boot of my car - no more paying petrol garage prices when I get thirsty when driving, or little one needs a drink.
I got clothes from car boot sales - usually pay 50p per item for DS, all good makes, he wears Monsoon, Next, John Rocha etc and nearly always like new what i get hm. Occasionally I will buy him something new, but this is balanced out with the stuff I got cheap for him.
It gives me great pleasure to see my bank balance, even if it is low and know I am in control. 12 months ago I had a bit of a LBM and didnt even have my bank statements, I hadnt seen them for 12 months and things were really in dire straits. It took me a while to start feeling in control, but thats exactly where I am. It helped to shred my cards, I have started a cash ISA for contingencies, washing machine breaking or whatever, so I can prevent future borrowing.
You also have to allow yourself a little treat - like wine - now and again. Its a bit like dieting for weight loss, if you dont allow yourself that little bit of chocolate, or other pleasure, you will go out and binge.
My DF day is April 2016, I am hoping it will be before this, but am currently paying £900 a month to debt, hope I can sustain this. It shocked me when I used the snowball calculator, i thought it would take longer than this to shift all my debt.
I am going to subscribe to your thread but must confess to being more of a lurker as I dont like leaving too much detail about myself on public forums, not only would I hate to be identified, but had a bad experience 3 or 4 years ago.

NewLeaf_2

Hi Happy! Keep up the flea bay. we have all of today to be free listings. xx

HappyNow

vickthestick wrote: »

Morning, Happy
I got up early this morning to finish reading your diary. I was reading it in bed last night on my phone but then the phone ran out of battery and I wasn't going to get back out of bed to charge it
I have subscribed so I can accompany you along the way.

Hello Vickthestick, thanks for reading and subscribing . Feel free to join in with the nattering anytime you fancy it - all company is very much appreciated!

HappyNow

Piquant wrote: »

I've done a fair bit of e*baying over the last couple of weeks. I don't like doing it, so I've been treating it as a job it's the only way I can motivate myself into doing it! It's not difficult just a bit drawn out that's all.

Can I take it that you are no longer hiding in the coal shed with a torch updating your diary?v:D

Piq

FlacosFloozie wrote: »

Well done for taking your first steps on ebay xx

NewLeaf wrote: »

Hi Happy! Keep up the flea bay. we have all of today to be free listings. xx

Four watchers on my cardigan. No bids so far , but it doesn't end until Sunday so I'm hoping for a last minute rush! It's very compulsive so far, but I expect the novelty will wear off quite soon.

HappyNow

lucielle wrote: »

Morning peeps, just spent a couple of hours reading your diary and now have an urge for rice pudding for breakfast.
L

Hi Lucielle, thanks for reading . I hope you got your rice pudding. Perfect breakfast food, though I haven't got any prepared at the moment so my breakfast was a tin of ready-made custard . Yum.

HappyNow

Hi Painted Lady, thanks for reading and sharing those tips, and congratulations on what you have acheived so far. It's amazing the difference a bit of planning can make and I will pinch the idea of carrying a few drinks round in the car boot if you don't mind, at least while the kids are home from uni! I would never stop and buy a drink out for myself nowadays, but they don't tend to think that far ahead (despite being 19 and 20!).

You've hit the nail on the head for me when you say you now get pleasure from seeing your bank balance and enjoy feeling in control. Before my LBM I pushed my money worries to the back of my mind, but they were still there, niggling in the background. Now I've confronted it I am so much more content. It's payday for me on Friday and I THINK that for the first time I will also be able to get a contingency fund together which will give me such peace of mind (though I'm half expecting some new emergency to come along and immediately whip it all away - it always seems to!)

Thanks for posting and feel free to lurk away! I also try to be careful about what personal information I give away, but the more I write, the easier it would be for anyone who actually knows me to identify me. Sorry you had a bad forum experience in the past and hope you're OK now x

Box_of_Fluffies

Hi Happy (& Co.)
I'm feeling the same way about money too. I consider every purchase and haven't bought a coffee in quite some time. It's Mr F's payday tomorrow and I'm loving that I have money to put in all my pots.

Well done on the listing. Here's hoping the cardigan sells as that will spur you on to list more.