Scaredy Cat's scary debt!! -debt diary

scaredy_cat_2

right so day 2 of keeping on track - i have set myself a budget for the week, yesterday i did a meal plan after checking out what i already had, i went to lidl first and then to sains and have already written down what spent so i know how much of food budget i have spent. It did make a difference when i was shopping - no impulse buys. so i feel like i am back on track. Filing is nearly finished and i spotted a few things i need to follow up - think old gas bill should be finished now - so will check and canc dd, and a few other small amounts.

Dh and i are also going to do the budget together this week - then i will know exactly how much i can spend on debt repayment each month using my spreadsheet and hopefully this will clear more quickly - its really good as i feel even more motivated now - especially as i am using the snowball again its really good

oh well, thats all, better go and sort out littlies and house!!

pigpen

Yeah!! you go girl!!!

Absolutely fabulous news that you got below £15k.. I know that feeling well!!

DS2 just had mobility element added to his DLA so I can actually afford to get him a taxi to take him (& ds1) to and from school (for the next 3 years!)which is a massive worry off my head... just have to find someone I'll trust now lol.

Keep it up.. it's going fabulously!!!

scaredy_cat_2

thats great news pigpen - its all extras isn't it!! all helps

well we only have £45 to last til payday of our shopping budget :rolleyes: - this is for food, cleaning stuff, and nappies. But i am determind to do it. This week i am refusing to go to buy anything else!! We needed bread for tomorrow but i have just made some - it is just on second rising so will be done half way through apprentice!! i had wondered about a breadmaker but found a great recipe on os and i can't do it everyday but a few times a week is ok. so i had all the stuff i needed so now we have bread for tomorrow!!

i also had written my meal plan but had yet to go to butchers for mince and sausages. But last night dh made thai corn pancakes so we had those and the girls had something else from freezer - that means i 'found' an extra meal so am not going to go to the butcher :T . I also have loads of potatoes so will do an 'aussie pie' that i saw in a cook book so that means i don't have to go and buy meat.

was wondering if this was thrifty or sad i am hoping thrifty and motivated :rotfl:

i do feel motivated, and have really been thinking about the thread - what small thing have you done - and really thinking about it being a part of my day!! although i have asked a friend to come to a book shop supper with me - they have a guest speaker an author who i can't remember but who has written a book and is speaking about thrifty living and quality living!! :rotfl: for £7.50 you get a great supper at a fab restaurant too - and i haven't really been out for AGES

oh forgot - its dh birthday this month and we weren't planning to go out - but yesterday i won a prize on local radio - it was a meal for 2 at a great local med bistro type place -we didn't go there in jan with a group of friends when they went as its a bit dear - so we will now use it to celebrate dh birthday :T and one of my sisters will babysit - so that is free too!!

other than that not much else going on - i miscalculated how much i had paid on old gas bill, thought was nearly finished but still £148 to go :mad: but at least wasn't a mistake on my snowball - which i am going to update now - i don't want to update my sig until a bit more gone though

sorry for rambling!! (not sure anyone's reading anyway :rotfl:)

pigpen

I just had another whopping utility bill so my gas/electric has gone from £200 outstanding from last bill 3 months ago.. to £877!!!! To be paid in 3 months... HELP!!!

Congratulations on your prize winning!!!! That is brilliant!!! Lucky you.. have a great time!

I love 'finding' meals in the freezer.. good job really as I've had only 1 small tesco order in the last 5-6 weeks so the cupboards are REALLY bare!!

pigpen

Oh.. hubby just putting a loaf in the breadmaker too.. yum.. I will wake up to a warm loaf.. or rather the warm loaf will wake me up!!

scaredy_cat_2

i've come to realise though that i don't need to have cupboards overflowing for food that sits there for months and doesn't get used!!

yuck about utility bill - its such a pain cos you have to have them!! i hate paying them - anything else i can cope with but i think we are at their mercy!!! i'd rather pay tax!!

trulymadlydeeply_indebt!

:hello: - just found your diary and wanted to let you know that I think you are doing brilliantly.

I heard/saw a Chinese proverb recently and it keeps me motivated

"The man who moves the mountain,
first removes the small stones"

It certainly made me think.

I'm going to add your diary to my favourites and I'd love to see how you get on. Please don't get despondent if nobody answers your posts - there are many people out there who, like me, are lurkers not posters, however, we still love to chart others' progress to keep ourselves motivated.

TMD-indebt!

scaredy_cat_2

thanks TMD-indebt i think i might have read a post of yours on immoral angel's diary? that spurred me into reading her diary and then to try a few other bits and bobs -so thanks for that!

i too like reading others diaries and find it motivates me.

so far today i have started my £2 savings - (will find thread later) and i have 2 of them!!

i also have started a finders keepers pot last week just by chance so will keep going with that.

tonight is budget night!! dh will be here too and although he has loads of marking to do he will contribute where i need him, he did say he will do it all with me but he does need to do some work as well.

then i think tomorrow night i will get him to sort cds and i WILL start ebay listing - not sure if will get much but i think i also have afew bits of clothes - will sort out. I'm not one for hoarding so never very much to sell.

bread is all made so don't have to shop for that and i did my claim form - don't think i'll get the postage stuff sorted today but will put claim form in anyway i am hoping its about £250 - i am going to pay for the girls swimming for september with it and the car tax in july.

will be back to update later if budget sorted!

scaredy_cat_2

am feeling v fed up tonight - but trying to focus on chinese proverb - above - but think i really do need to move a mountain

tonight was budget night - and it is clear that we are short of money - having done the full budget we just don't have enough to put back money for birthdays, car etc so not sure how that is going to pan out.

also it looks like we have lost working tax credit so our 4-weekly amount is a third of what it was

so we now need to really focus on our soa and reduce reduce reduce

my house insurance is quite pricey at the mo but not due for renewal until july - but will investigate reducing that tomorrow. We also pay british gas service charge of £25 for gas, electric and plumbing - think that might have to go but what if boiler breaks - it is old and has had fair bit of work last service. am also going to reduce gas and electric dd and pay the outstanding bill so we can - if they don't want us to then i will cancel dd and put money away each month - it will be less than dd

am also going to aim to reduce food budget by another £50 over the next 2 or 3 months - i reckon i can do that as the last 2 months i have been a bit spendier and not recorded at the start of the month so gone a bit mad.

so not a great evening - but i feel better just writing it - motivated and determind that i can reduce my outgoings by being thriftier and more aware.

but also need to find stuff to sell!!

will read other debt diaries too for other ideas i think

right well dd1 was sick earlier and is calling for me - not sure much sleep tomorrow but dh working from home so will be able to sit with girls while i do finance phone calls.

night

scaredy_cat_2

well am still feeling a little low this morning -its like another lbm i am cross that i haven't kept on top of things and am worried about reducing/increasing but we will do it. Both of us are on board. i phoned tax credits - we are no longer liable for working tax credit and our ctc will go up a little from the one off payment but is still 1/3 of what we were getting. gas and electric can't be reduced until next bill - this month, but not worth cancelling as we get about £16 discount for each so a bit silly to do that. It will be reviewed this month, elec we are in credit for and i cleared the outstanding gas today.

will look at insurance later, will try quidco or check out others for cashback. when expenses come we could pay in one go. so that will reduce another monthly bill.

thats all for now!