Keeping up appearances.......

NewLeaf_2

welcome back HN

sorry about Happy Horse. Any updates ?

HappyNow

lucielle wrote: »

Many a time I've watched my 'first aid' unravel in the field 3 mins after turnout, having spent 3 hours trying to get the ruddy thing on!!!
L

Ooh, me too! But then when you actually need to remove it yourself, it takes about ten minutes, a pair of scissors and a lot of swearing

NewLeaf wrote: »

welcome back HN

sorry about Happy Horse. Any updates ?

Thanks NewLeaf . He doesn't seem any different really. Still lame and his foot still looks a bit mis-shapen, but that's because of the farrier's work to try and relieve the pressure. I still can't bend down to pick up his foot to apply a poultice, and even if I could he doesn't like it due to the pain, so I doubt very much I could get it on properly and would just damage my back more. We have settled for persuading him to stand with the foot in a bucket of hot water for fifteen minutes, twice a day - he likes that!

HappyNow

Just a very quick update as I should be working. Payday is on Friday but the figures are in so I wanted to update my sig.

This is going to be an expensive month. Mr H's car has just had its MOT. It passed after a bit of work, but we haven't had the bill yet. It also needs taxing and it's a big-engined gas-guzzler so in the highest bracket. There are going to be extra animal costs due to the horses being kept inside/needing farriery/possibly a vet, so I need to budget extra for that. And the main one is that both kids are home for summer next week and they cost a fortune! They eat loads and they use loads of toiletries so I need to allow more grocery budget. Plus we will use more petrol because Little Miss Happy and all her belongings needs collecting from uni about three hours drive away, then when she's home she will need running about a bit as there is no public transport where we live. I can't do my accurate budget until Friday because our wages vary, but I know it's going to be tight.

So, I have paid just minimum payments on all the credit cards. That still comes to £908 . It reduces our unsecured debt by just £509 because yet again some of the MBNA balance has run out of its interest-free period, so I've had to pay £120 of transfer fees to get it into a further twelve months interest-free.

My mini-milestone achievements this month are that the % of unsecured debts paid off has gone over 3% (so only 97% to go :rotfl:) and the overall debt has dropped below £127K.

The biggest achievement is that I'm still sticking at it! This is the sixth consecutive month of debt reduction after years of stupidity.

Right, must crack on with some work, back later x

grannyx2

HappyNow wrote: »

My mini-milestone achievements this month are that the % of unsecured debts paid off has gone over 3% (so only 97% to go :rotfl:) and the overall debt has dropped below £127K.

The biggest achievement is that I'm still sticking at it! This is the sixth consecutive month of debt reduction after years of stupidity.

Right, must crack on with some work, back later x

Well done on sticking with it. Its the right idea to have goals and to stay positive, even when you feel it isn't moving as fast as you would like.

Little steps will get you to the top of the mountain in the end x

Hope you and your horse get better soon x

BFN Gx2 x

Box_of_Fluffies

Hi HN, I think you must have started this budgetting lark at about the same time. It's been six months for me too. It must be about that time for me to work out what percentage we've paid off.

I hope the Happy Horse is feeling a little better and doesn't cost you too much money.

slowlyfading

Well done for sticking with it - that's the hardest thing

Itsadogslife_2

Hi Happy, hope everything is OK with you xxx

chevalier

Hmm how to put this.... Erm when I was at university I would get a job in the holidays to fund myself. I wouldn't have dreamed on 'borrowing' things like toiletries off my mum. I would also say that whenever I was earning I always had to pay keep, it was expected. So whilst the children are here maybe it is time to enforce some adult rules on them. You DON'T of course have to tell them about the debt. You are merely preparing them to stand on their own two feet.....
chev

Honey_Bear

HappyNow wrote: »

We've been decorating our office room which has meant disconnecting the PC while we moved desks around/painted behind them etc. ....

We decided to use the same colour emulsion as last time because we already had almost a full tin left and we already had enough gloss paint for the windows etc.

[END QUOTE=HappyNow;53705261]

Sorry about not being able to get the technical bit of quoting someone right - this is the best I can do at the moment.

This is cheeky, but does the use of 'we' mean that there has been discussion with Mr HM about doing things on a tighter budget? I totally respect your wish not to worry him with the depth of your concerns regarding debts, but if it were me, I'd get to the stage of resenting other people apparently being profligate with money while I scrimped and saved and worked hard at stretching every penny.

Have you managed to find a half way house where you can be honest enough with him to slow the expenditure down without worrying him?

poohbear59

:j:j:jWell done on getting the debt down by 3%:j:j:j

I can't believe how much some of my family cost me so you have my sympathy. Some pay their way and contribute to the house and some still drain my finances. It is the 'little' things like running them around that seems the worst as it isn't obvious to them that they are costing you anything.
Maybe ask for a little contribution towards fuel costs? I would never ask mine for costs towarsd food etc. while they were students but extras like fuel I have done.