I am back where I started now after paying a couple of things this morning back on track for this months american express c/card to be paid off and cancelled!! It is already chopped up and burned.
I made a token payment on the electric as well before they get snotty..
I can't wait for Wednesday when I get to pay the BIG debts!!
I always used to think of 'debts' as things you could't afford to make the monthly payments on. Now I have decided everyone I owe money to is a debt because even though I can make the minimum payments, if I didn't HAVE to pay them we could live so much better.
It has been really hard the last 19 months since we moved house finding the money to make the house safe and habitable for the children and afford to pay the minimums expected and eat as well. Something has to give and so far it has been me.
My lightbulb moment back in October made me reassess the entire way we live, what we eat, everything.
The one thing I will not compromise on is clothing, I buy really good clothing, bear in mind some of these need to go through 5 children. If I buy cheap stuff it is false economy. I'd rather buy 1 thing and it last everyone than buy 10 cheap ones at 1/4 the cost and bin them after a couple of washes only to have to buy again for the next child. Don't get me wrong, the children have their fair share of tesco value tshirts in the summer, but a lot of their stuff is next (sales), boden (sales), bhs (15% discount on my storecard) etc.. mainly because once it has gone through my 5 girls I can sell it as 'vintage' lol.. and it still sells!!
Have you tried vertbaudet for childrens clothes, they have hundreds of discount codes if you look hard enough (pm me if you want pointing in the right direction).
Got our daughter some cool jeans for 19p!!!!! with a money off and free delivery code.
Have you got a slow cooker?
p.s i wasnt being snooty when i asked do you have to tumble very load, some families dont have gardens or space to dry clothes.
Lauren, I didn't think you were being snooty.. . I placed 4 orders with vertbaudet one day.. I got trousers 39p a pair for DD5 and a pack of 3 tshirts for 57p.. and a £60 coat for £11 ish.. it is a GREAT idea.. any codes will be used!! Though I am trying to pay VB off (£300 in the sales for next winter.. kitted all the children out in the sales), They will be paid off next month.. I've just been checking my diary! lol
I love the SC.. I roasted my first joint in it last week, very proud of myself I was too!! AND it was fantastic!! I had 3 portions left over which I ate for my lunch 3 days last week.
Hiya Pigpen
Nice to see you've started a diary. How you cope with 8 i'll never know, I can only assume you wear your undies on the outside (or was that superman not superwomen).
Catch up soon
xx
lol.. It is actually easier with 8 than it was with 2. just more food, more washing and more shoes!! We got then one at a time so it wasn't like they all appeared overnight, though it feels like they are all moving up to high school one a day!! They grow up WAY too fast!!!
Who said I wear undies!!?? You don't get 8 children with your pants on you know!! lol
I think you are an inspiration pigpen!! How you do it i'll never know!!
I know what you mean about your lightbulb moment! I never would of had mine if it wasn't for this site. I just couldn't believe how much money i'd spent on rubbish!! How much money we wasted. We used to get takeaways probably three times a week!? I used to spend spend spend with no thoughts - now i can't even buy necessities without thinking about money saving!!!
I totally agree with you about cheap clothing being a false economy! I find things from Primark, whilst being cheap are also pretty shoddy and tend to rip at the first opportunity.
pigpen - i was worried i might look like a stalker - saying nice things about you wherever you post - the thought popped into my head as driving home from tumble tots type thing :eek: but i do believe you are!! - an inspiration i mean not a stalker!!
i never thought about checking the debt regularly as i just kind of thought its this and that and that is it!! but i am going to sort snowballing out later and do some paying off!!
(i love mini boden!! - but can't justify full price although good money when selling on!)
scaredy.. I quite like the idea of a stalker!! Lol I'm not nice really.. I am stroppy and argumentative and I hate everyone.. bit like an old teenager really.. but if you want it straight I am the person to ask.. I behave like a 3 year old most of the time but I am brutally honest at times.
I check my debt all the time, I think it is bordering on obsession but I need to be obsessed to do anything about it.
Pink.. talking of clothing tearing.. I just caught my trousers on the corner of the work surface and ripped a hole in my new Joe Brown garfoes (in the sales with cashback of course!!)
I love mini boden too but the fact most clothing in here goes through 2-3 children then is sold on (sometimes still at a profit!!) justifies the cost of the sale prices to me! I have only been in Primark once, I was dragged in by a friend.. the clothing was junk from what I could see, poorly finished, mishapen BEFORE washing.. so I won't even go in any more.
i also hate primark - the only decent thing i have ever found in there is - a fluffy dressing gown for dd1 knew she would never wear it but she really wanted one!! and some cotton knit zip up cardigans a few years ago and dd2 is now wearing them they were about £4 and they wash really well - other than that i think its pants!!
I was just replying to your flylady post when you replied here, we must be stalking each other!
I have worked out this months debt totals and I am actually in front again.. despite the huge utility bill! My oath today is.. 'I shall NEVER again fall behind with my utility payments over winter' The resulting bill is WAY too scary!
American Express is down to £400.. it was £900 this time last month!!
I also have £97 on pigsback!! £38 on Greasypalm, £17 Quidco and £60 in paypal.. That will all go in my tsb account and be paid off a debt, it should pay one off completely (£167 La redoute) and still leave a little to be paid off the mortgage.
I am bagging up my piggy pennies tomorrow and putting them in my tsb account. there is about £60 in there which will be paid off the mortgage, every bit helps!! I have overpaid enough to shorten the mortgage term by 3 months, not a lot but we have 23 years and 5 months left!!
Replies
I made a token payment on the electric as well before they get snotty..
I can't wait for Wednesday when I get to pay the BIG debts!!
I always used to think of 'debts' as things you could't afford to make the monthly payments on. Now I have decided everyone I owe money to is a debt because even though I can make the minimum payments, if I didn't HAVE to pay them we could live so much better.
It has been really hard the last 19 months since we moved house finding the money to make the house safe and habitable for the children and afford to pay the minimums expected and eat as well. Something has to give and so far it has been me.
My lightbulb moment back in October made me reassess the entire way we live, what we eat, everything.
The one thing I will not compromise on is clothing, I buy really good clothing, bear in mind some of these need to go through 5 children. If I buy cheap stuff it is false economy. I'd rather buy 1 thing and it last everyone than buy 10 cheap ones at 1/4 the cost and bin them after a couple of washes only to have to buy again for the next child. Don't get me wrong, the children have their fair share of tesco value tshirts in the summer, but a lot of their stuff is next (sales), boden (sales), bhs (15% discount on my storecard) etc.. mainly because once it has gone through my 5 girls I can sell it as 'vintage' lol.. and it still sells!!
Got our daughter some cool jeans for 19p!!!!! with a money off and free delivery code.
Have you got a slow cooker?
p.s i wasnt being snooty when i asked do you have to tumble very load, some families dont have gardens or space to dry clothes.
I love the SC.. I roasted my first joint in it last week, very proud of myself I was too!! AND it was fantastic!! I had 3 portions left over which I ate for my lunch 3 days last week.
Nice to see you've started a diary. How you cope with 8 i'll never know, I can only assume you wear your undies on the outside (or was that superman not superwomen).
Catch up soon
xx
Nothing left!
Who said I wear undies!!??
I know what you mean about your lightbulb moment! I never would of had mine if it wasn't for this site. I just couldn't believe how much money i'd spent on rubbish!! How much money we wasted. We used to get takeaways probably three times a week!? I used to spend spend spend with no thoughts - now i can't even buy necessities without thinking about money saving!!!
I totally agree with you about cheap clothing being a false economy! I find things from Primark, whilst being cheap are also pretty shoddy and tend to rip at the first opportunity.
i never thought about checking the debt regularly as i just kind of thought its this and that and that is it!! but i am going to sort snowballing out later and do some paying off!!
(i love mini boden!! - but can't justify full price although good money when selling on!)
I check my debt all the time, I think it is bordering on obsession but I need to be obsessed to do anything about it.
Pink.. talking of clothing tearing.. I just caught my trousers on the corner of the work surface and ripped a hole in my new Joe Brown garfoes (in the sales with cashback of course!!)
I love mini boden too but the fact most clothing in here goes through 2-3 children then is sold on (sometimes still at a profit!!) justifies the cost of the sale prices to me! I have only been in Primark once, I was dragged in by a friend.. the clothing was junk from what I could see, poorly finished, mishapen BEFORE washing.. so I won't even go in any more.
I was just replying to your flylady post when you replied here, we must be stalking each other!
I have worked out this months debt totals and I am actually in front again.. despite the huge utility bill! My oath today is.. 'I shall NEVER again fall behind with my utility payments over winter' The resulting bill is WAY too scary!
American Express is down to £400.. it was £900 this time last month!!
I also have £97 on pigsback!! £38 on Greasypalm, £17 Quidco and £60 in paypal.. That will all go in my tsb account and be paid off a debt, it should pay one off completely (£167 La redoute) and still leave a little to be paid off the mortgage.
I am bagging up my piggy pennies tomorrow and putting them in my tsb account. there is about £60 in there which will be paid off the mortgage, every bit helps!! I have overpaid enough to shorten the mortgage term by 3 months, not a lot but we have 23 years and 5 months left!!