overwhelmed new member

Coco114

No the lightbulb is burning bright I promise & secretly I am enjoying money saving have read Pinot diary - high 5 to her & thanks , I will post on there tomorrow ref ; Debtline etc.
Nice thing is , I really think I will get there, will just take some working out is all
Not sure if you have a diary but will have a look tomorrow - I love reading other people's diarys it's like we are all in it together if that makes sense ?
Thanks again
Coco x

Coco114

Morning All
It's grey & miserable here today .... No drying washing outside today just as well I did most yesterday !!
So what little treats has postman brought me today ....
Finally new CT Bill ! I forget about my 25% discount so that's another little bit extra in the pot
Also my pack from National Debtline - nice as she was, the budget sheet is all wrong , for instance I said groceries @ £300 , she said not enough and put down £420 !!!! Also , several categories she has put in more than I said , no wonder I can't show £100 clear to do a DMP !!! Also my income is showing £80 less than it is !
With some wriggling of figures I may well just be able to show the £100 I need for DMP ... Will ponder on this later ...
Right gotta drop youngest off to football & go buy Easter eggs.
Visit afternoon (boo) so coffee with friend & upstairs jobs

Maybe things are not quite as dire as I thought especially if I can squeeze some extra out of Ex !
Have a good day all
Coco x

cc4rhu

I started my DMP with £55 with CCCS. I think £420 is about right for groceries. Debtline were very good to me and they will help you down the right path.

good luck

Barbeduk

Hi Coco, and Hi Brizzle! Love the "small things" thread, you think you've not been mse enough in your day then when you write it down you see how your habits have changed!

I am a girl and wow, how did you know? I did used to have chooks in my old life! Have a suburban garden now sadly so down to one large dog and a guinea pig! These days the eggs come from !id!.

Good luck this afternoon coco. Will be thinking of you! Taking our dog to the Easter fair and dog show at the dogs' home we got him from, hoping he won't be too traumatised.

We'll all keep posting on here to keep your thread on the front page so hopefully someone with the knowledge to sort it all out will come by soon.

Have a good day all.:D

brizzledfw

Hi all

Coco..do look at the OS threads... MSE old timers like weezl have been known to get their grocery bill down to £50 a week...even I, the queen of all things foodie (and drinkie for that matter!) am aiming for £410 (2 adults and 2 kids) and I still have some pull ups to buy for DD2. I also have decided to keep up with our organic milk, veg, butter etc and often the meat too so if I can do it you can probably beat me hands down!!:D

So I think you could definitely try for £300...happy to suggest some cheap meals I do if that helps. And maybe for the first few weeks keep a buffer as you change your shopping habits, as cc may be being more sensible than me;) good to hear about the £55 too.. Good advice there

This all sounds very promising...I just worry that your control freak ex-OH will use any extra cash as a lever to further control you- so if you can think of his money as being used to put towards an emergency pot instead I hope that would be a better result all round.

And hi Barbeduk...we used to have a gorgeous bantam (millefleur?) before she got snaffled by a fox. So totally our fault. We have a gorgeous photo of her though, her memory lives on! We keep our bantams in our tiny tiny garden...it can be done although the grass takes a beating!!

Right, off to make a list, do some careful shopping and chores! And post on the small things thread!!

Laters folks

Brizzle

Coco114

Thanks everyone - great advice as ever
Debtline lady was very understanding & was trying to say that I still need a decent standard of living for myself & kids, which I totally appreciate (very helpful information pack she sent as well so will have a read later), & I totally understand that she overestimated all my living costs but I think that £20 here & there could make the difference between it being doable or not ?
DMP @ £55 is interesting so many thanks for that.
Am intending on working to figures I already have so any extra I can get will be my buffer , then I don't come to rely on it
So any advice on a DMP for £100 a month to clear £28k or so would be appreciated
Thanks as always - enjoy your day all !
Coco x

Coco114

Will have a look at small threads and old style later , also want to look at the grocery challenge too sounds interesting

Coco114

Not too bad a day after all really ....
Ex came out with Easter eggs so I didn't need to worry , also listened to my budget chat & said would chip in extra £70 a month , not masses but as I thought he would say £0 I was quite pleased.
Waited until 5.00 then got my turkey for tomorrow for half price - bargain deal was boys ate from what we had in this week so they could have turkey lunch with all the trimmings which they love , so it's turkey curry Monday & turkey with pickles etc Tuesday (Christmas all over again !!!)
1/2 bottle wine in fridge & going to chill out tonight and look at grocery challenge thread.
Hope you all had a good day.
Coco x

brizzledfw

Well Done. A good day all round!

Coco114

Morning & a very Happy Easter to all !
Am very cross !!! Just found 2 packs of chicken Kiev in fridge (whilst digging out turkey) that go out of date today .... So today's menu is :
Boiled egg & soldiers (me, it was yum!)
Cereal boys (when they finally get up - ETA, 11am youngest , eldest ... When he smells turkey )
Turkey lunch - lunch
Dinner - chicken Kiev & ...... Sweetcorn ???!!!
Odd menu !
Anyway , not going to worry about money today - relaxing day reading diaries & playing cleudo & draughts. Boys normally manage at least an hour of this before they have a fight
I really wish they would get up ....... Not because I miss them when they are in bed & like hanging out with them .....
More because I want them to open the damn Easter eggs so I can have some chocolate
Bad Mum !!!
Coco x