Budget or bust........again

XSpender

DFIL has taken DS out this morning so I can crack on with the job application form and make a start on one of my course modules. I am struggling to concentrate now though as I opened what I thought was a standard reply to one of DHs PPI claims so I could file it in the folder I have set up for them and it as an offer of £4005:eek:

Rang DH in a flap and he is thrilled to bits. We had already agreed that we would use some of the money for clothes as our wardrobes are getting a bit scruffy and worn out and the rest will be banked. We won't decide what to do with it until we know the outcome of the other complaints and how much we have in total. We are hoping if we get a decent amount we will spend the rest of the year saving up to settle our secured loan and tiny HP and finally be debt free and start to be a MFW:D

Right now I have got that off my chest I can get back to the application form:rotfl:

XSpender

1. eBay DS coats - need to find them in garage
2. Sort out garage. It's still full of everything we took out of the loft. - not had time to start this
3. Take all unwanted clothes, curtains, towels and bedding to the place along the road that buys it. Money made is to go in my holiday savings tins - need to do number 2 first
4. Decide on what everyone is getting for Christmas and write a list. I can't afford to buy much more this month so it will have to be done on the 20th Dec:eek: - have re jiggled the finances and we are doing all the Christmas shopping today
5. Write a shopping list for Christmas food and drink. Will use my £20 Mr A vouchers towards the booze that I won at work. - list half done and vouchers used towards a ham
6. CPD assignment
7. Measurement module - started this yesterday
8. Finish decorating living room - going to be after Christmas now
9. Write all Christmas cards - not my favourite job and only 3 done so far as gave to Dad to take back to France
10. Policy presentation module - not started but feeling much more manageable now after chat with course tutor
11. Put up Christmas tree and decks - another of my least favourite jobs. Hoping DPIL will do it with DS when we are out shopping today:cool:
12. Complete job application - done

DH is in charge of posting our acceptance of the PPI offer on Monday. We have decided to cut down the amount we are going to spend on replenishing our wardrobes and use some of the 'spends' to but the sideboard we spotted last week. Storage is a particular problem in our house as it is so small.

DH and I had a really good chat about money and our plans for 2013 when he got home from work yesterday. The PPI money has really given us a boost, what with his pay rise from his promotion due in the new year, DS nursery fees reducing Sept next year, reducing our sky package and concentrating on cutting the elec/gas bill and the food spends we have set ourselves the goal of clearing our secured loan by the end of 2013:eek::j:j:j:j

The balance is about £19,000, payments will knock another £4000 so we need to aim for about £13,000 to leave us a bit over for emergencies. We are still going on a couple of cheap hols and will not be living on bread and water.

I have ordered the tightwad gazette as a stocking filler for me from amazon to see where else I can cut back and keep my motivation going.

I have also signed up to the £12k in 2013 thread for the £13k.

It was DH idea to have £10k in the bank by the end of 2013 and that started the discussion about clearing the secured loan. I feel it is so much more achievable with DH on board.

I have an instant access ISA which is lethal so I am going to get DH to open a limited access one in his name for the PPI money and to start us off.

brizzledfw

Hi Xspender..good to hear your news. That's great about the PPI offer:j:beer::j

All the strategies you are planning make real sense. Good luck with them.

I have a copy of the TW Gazette..it's quite good fun to read but it is quite elderly now and very US focussed so may not be as useful as on here, say. But nice for a bedtime read!:rotfl:

XSpender

Thanks brizzledfw we are over the moon:D

I am hoping the gazette will get me into the right frame of mind rather than give me lots of info like you say. I have a book I bought when I first did my IVA called Back to Black, a US debtors anonymous book I believe and it really changed my thinking about being in debt. I think I might read through that again too as it is good on budgeting.

Christmas shopping marathon today and a couple of the department stores had big discount events on so saved quite a bit on stuff that was on our list. Also got DS the most fabulous gruffalo jarmas. He will look so cute.:). Still have a few bits to get like family cards and some smellies. Also need stocking fillers for me and DH.

Must get my Christmas food list sorted. We don't need much really, only us 3 for lunch and DH parents joining us for tea. We are out Christmas Eve and new year for meals so can't see much being needed and I have a turkey crown and ham in already.

brizzledfw

Like the sound of those PJs..do they do them in adult sizes:rotfl: have to say my favourite Donaldson Schaeffer book is Room on the Broom...I LURVE that book.

Good about the Xmas pressie blitz. I am still halfway through mine..need to check against the list again. A job for next weekend I think

Have a great week

XSpender

1 week to next pay and its a bit tight for cash in the XSpender household. I am about £100 short of where I thought I was. Still have to pay for DH works night out and his haircut, the rest of the April holiday deposit and a few basic food items. I am hoping I have enough diesel to last me the week.

I have all the presents in for Christmas except a couple of stocking fillers for me and DH and a couple of main presents for us that we are planning to get on a shopping trip to York the weekend before Christmas.

I am off today because MIL has dropped me in it with child care.:mad: A long story I won't bore you with on here. Luckily his nursery can fit him in this week on the days she usually has him.

I am trying to make use of the day at home and have made 2 double pots of soup and when I get off here I will make banana muffins and I was going to make mince pies but can't find the old jar of mincemeat.

DH went food shopping on Friday and did a really cheap shop but got everything on the list so I am passing the job over to him from now on:)

I keep checking the bank to see if the PPI money is in;) we have decided to bank £3000 of it in a 90 day access ISA in DH name as I have an instant one with my bank already. The rest of the money is for clothes, blinds for the house and to go in my ISA for easy access.

I have ordered a settlement figure from the secured loan company today that will give us a starting point for next years 'clear it all off ' challenge. I also checked how much of the payment is coming off as interest and it is half what I was using to calculate but the payments will still only take about £4000 off the balance by the end of the year.

I think it will be about £19k so £4k off for payments and £3k from the PPI so £12k to save this year. DH should have another 2 PPI claims upheld so expecting maybe another £1500 or so.

We have been debating about increasing DS hours at nursery and reducing those with mil and after this mornings fiasco it looks likely to happen. This will cost us an extra £300/month:eek: there is no option in my current role to go part time:(

I am currently putting together a New Years resolutions list, more like a kind of plan of how I will achieve the savings to pay the loan off.

Right must go and pay the hol deposit (£50) and get DS off for a nap.

rising_from_the_ashes

Ohhhh fantastic news about the PPI :j:j and great that DH will be getting a promotion/pay rise :T

It would be such a weight of your minds to be able to clear that secured loan next year .....:)

XSpender

The good news just keeps coming in the XSpender household at the minute:D

I got the secondment I went for at work yesterday. I am shocked and thrilled to bits. It is a job I really want to do and I hope I can do really well in it and it gets extended. It is a little bit more money than I get now but at the moment I make about £100-120/month on expenses so this may reduce what I actually come home with.

My plan is to put whatever money I get over my current salary in to the ISA for the secured loan.

The other good bit of news is that I ordered a settlement figure for the secured loan and it is much less than I had estimated at £18069.:j There is also 2 months worth of interest to come up this for nov and dec, about £500. So I thought it would be £19000 at the end of the year and it is about £17600:T:D:T. This means we need to save an extra £12000 after the ppi money and the normal payments.

I have also for the first time ever come under my food budget on the GC on the OS board.:D:j

brizzledfw

Good news! Fab!

Have a great weekend

XSpender

My new budget month starts tomorrow and as DH was at his Christmas party last night and will be rough all day I am going to spend is morning planning next months and next years money stuff. DS aged 2 is still asleep too:eek:

If DH has brought any money home I may nip to £stretchers to get some gift bags and I need a roll of grown up wrapping paper. I thought I had loads but only one roll and the rest is kids. Did some of my wrapping last night but still a good bit to do of DS stuff which will have to be wrapped and stuck back in the loft!

I wrote my Christmas cards yesterday and I am surprised by how few I write these days as so many people at work don't send them so we kind of agree not to bother.

Plans for today also include:
Washing and drying
Dog walk
Make a cake for lunches (coffee as I have run out of cocoa and only have plain choc in)
Make my last Christmas cake:T
Buy stamps and post cards
Change the beds
Make a shepherds pie with pork mince (first ever attempt with pork)
Make a start on clearing some of the junk out of the garage and take a trip to the tip (depends on hot rough DH is)

I really want to get the clothes out of the garage as most of it is going to the money per kilo fella down the road and it will start my 2013 savings off:)

Off to get the mince defrosted and start making plans