Pixie's pulling her socks up...the next diary!

pixiechick99

Hellooooo and here I am with my latest diary:D

I have had several diaries on here since I joined in May 2008 and am an avid reader of everyone else's...my last one has faded away though and my motivation went with it:o So, here I am, ready to keep organised/motivated with a shiny new diary:beer:
Here's a bit about me - I'm 40 (urgh, I wish my age still began with a 3;)), single mum of 2 teenage girlies who are 15 and 13, work as a TA in a primary school and am nearing the end of a foundation degree too. I was debt free after I had student loans/grants thrown at me while studying...but I've run up the next and credit card... debts are £1200 approx.
Not huge debts, but my income isn't huge either so I need to keep focused and watch all the pennies. 2 teens that love clothes too don't help;)

We recently moved house as our landlady sold the previous one. I didn't want to move, but we do love the new house. We had to move a couple of miles from our old one, so I now have to drive to work, but it only takes 5 minutes:D The house is bigger, girls have a room each at last, and there's just more room. I'm not enamoured with the area, but hey ho, I just stay indoors:p

So, why a new diary? I love writing lists - it helps motivate me and keep me busy. If I'm reporting back on my spending/housework/coursework then I'm more likely to keep on track:D

It's the summer hols for me too as I work in a school - still another 5 weeks off work I believe:T I have stuff to ebay, unpakcing and sorting still to do and college work to complete. Hopefully this diary will keep my motivation going:)

Money wise - I am pretty organised with it all. I have one account that pays the bills and the rent. My tax credits go in weekly and I move £65 to the grocery bank account each week and £100 to my spending account. Spending account is for anything we buy - just not food shopping. Anything left at the end of the week gets moved to savings. I get my Housing Benefit fortnightly, wages monthly and Child Benefit 4-weekly. I wa sso confused with it all a few years ago but it's now all organised and the bills account works well.

I need to go get dressed now and will be back with some plans for the week/summer hols:D

Hope people will join me:beer:

pixiechick99

Ok...plan for today.
First I need to go and have a shower and get dressed! My girls are with their dad so am enjoying the peace today. They'll be back later though - after being fed which is fab, saves me cooking.
I have stuff I need to list on ebay so will do that today. I am pretty good at making money there, though i really am running out of things to list which is very sad - it's a bit of a drag listing it all but I get sadly excited watching the bids:rotfl: So, not sure how I'm going to make a few extra pennies once this stuff has gone.

We're going on holiday on Friday - just to Devon in a big caravan with my sis and her family. It just cost us £300 for our share and I'm not planning on spending loads while we're there. I'm going to pay the huge 6p (I think) on ebay and have my listings delayed to start while we're away so they'll end just when I get back and can post then. I have sold about £200 in the last couple of weeks - some of that was girls' money as they sold clothes/shoes they got for Christmas. I think about £120 was my money. I was a bit unsure about what to do with money earned from selling their clothes, clothes that I bought - I didnt want to give them the cash, but it's their stuff...so my compromise is I put the money in a separate bank account (so i can see whats there!) and then use some to buy them new clothes...we're all happy then - they get new gear (if needed though) and I am happy as it's not coming out of my Spending account.

I need to nip to T's at some point today or tomorrow, I have my meal plan written - just til Thursday as we're off on Friday morning. I have my £5 off a £40 spend and I just intend to spend as close to the £40 as possible. My grocery account has only £25 in it though...darn. So any extra has to come from my Spending account. I have been putting £65 of TCs into my 'Grocery float' account for 4 weeks, then I transfer it all to the grocery account and that's my next 4 weeks food money. But, I've now decided to just go 2-weekly and am transferring £130 every 2 weeks and living off that. I just used to find I did a huge shop at the start of the 4 weeks then had to do 3 small shops to stay in the budget. I hope that £130 every 2 weeks with mean I can do a big shop if I need to one week then smaller the following week. Any extra can be saved. That's the plan anyway:D

Off to put the washing out while the sun is out:)

OrangeFairy

Hello my lovely....here I am with my orange writing :-)

Happy New Diary Day.

Good luck with getting organised. I need to list some bits online too. Will have to do another big declutter and see what we have to sell!

Where in Devon are you staying? x

pixiechick99

OrangeFairy wrote: »

Hello my lovely....here I am with my orange writing :-)

Happy New Diary Day.

Good luck with getting organised. I need to list some bits online too. Will have to do another big declutter and see what we have to sell!

Where in Devon are you staying? x

Hello lovely orange writing lady:)
I had a huge declutter when we moved so I have a few boxes of bits to sell...nothing of any real value unfortunately, but it adds up I guess. I can't bear to throw out/give to jumble anything that I could make a few pence from:rotfl:

We're going to Woolacombe, just a caravan park but we can't wait:D I used to go there as a little girl and took my 2 with the ex when they were young, such a gorgeous place. It'll be amazing if we get some sun:)

pixiechick99

One load of washing is out, another is on now seeing as it looks like its staying dry (famous last words eh?!):)

Just did a survey from p1necone So that'll be £3 in Paypal in a few days. I must remember to upload my shopping barcodes to shop&scan later and send them a snap of the receipt. I think once I get the points from this week then I'll have £30 of Amazon vouchers to claim from them:beer: I must get back into surveys - I used to do valued 0pinions ones a lot, t0luna and my surv£y. I'm only on about £5 with 0nepoll, but will keep plugging away;)

From september I have a few more hours at work-just 45m a day as I'm working at lunchtimes too, but that works out to be about 14 a month so an extra £110 I think. May as well get as many hours as I can.

Time to go rummage in the kitchen and see what I can concoct for lunch.;)

OrangeFairy

wow you are staying near me Pixie :-) I live just round the corner in Braunton :-)

I was gutted that I got slack with pinecone and they dropped me! It was good money and interesting surveys! Slowly getting there with one poll!!!

pixiechick99

OrangeFairy wrote: »

wow you are staying near me Pixie :-) I live just round the corner in Braunton :-)

I was gutted that I got slack with pinecone and they dropped me! It was good money and interesting surveys! Slowly getting there with one poll!!!

Oh you lucky, lucky thing living there...its just a beautiful part of the country:D What views there are - I was always completely fascinated with Lundy Island when we used to go to Woolacombe in the 80s, how amazing to live where you are!

Anyway, i have had a lazy afternoon - I listed 2 things on eBay to start next week then I had a nap, oops:o Girls will be back soon so at least I'll have company. I'm hungry now but there's not much to eat - should have gone food shopping. I'm sooo tempted to nip to the chip shop but I'm resisting so far;) I could make an omelette I guess...that's about all I can rustle up with what's in the house!

determined_new_ms

we went to Woolacombe - last year I think? Was beautiful, I went running everyday along the country lanes (running along to "Girl you'll be a woman soon" by Neil Diamond and everywhere I looked was luscious greenery mmmmmm). What caravan park are you staying at? We were at Woolacombe Bay Park and you get to use the sauna facilities at another park - do it if you can it was fantastic! x

Good to see you back x

pixiechick99

determined_new_ms wrote: »

we went to Woolacombe - last year I think? Was beautiful, I went running everyday along the country lanes (running along to "Girl you'll be a woman soon" by Neil Diamond and everywhere I looked was luscious greenery mmmmmm). What caravan park are you staying at? We were at Woolacombe Bay Park and you get to use the sauna facilities at another park - do it if you can it was fantastic! x

Good to see you back x

Helloooo young laydeeee, thank you for joining me:D
We're going to Twitchen park - think its part of the Woolacombe Bay group. We went there about 8 years ago and there was a little sauna by the pool so maybe that's the one? I can safely say I won't be doing any running around the lanes though;)
Hope all is good with you :A

pixiechick99

So, the start of another week...week 2 of the hols. As usual I'm the only one up - doubt girls will surface for a couple of hours yet. Their body clocks are now in holiday time - go to sleep at 3am and wake up at midday....oh to be a teenager again:p

Today I need to go to T's, aiming to just spend around he £40 needed for my £5 off. Should be east enough as we're only here until Friday. I think I'll post my meal plans here...used to do that I'm my old diary. Here are our meals for the next few days:
Tonight - sausage casserole (using lovely butchers sausages that the ex-mil gave me)
Tue - Nigellas chicken cacciatore with pasta/waffles
Wed - spag bol (tho dd1 may be in town at cinema so dd2 and I may have something else)
Thurs - jacket pots, chicken

Right, time for a browse of the boards then get dressed:D

Pippilongstocking

Hey up lassie - sock pulling up - I do love the title!

Goodluck in your new house - I wish you all the happiness you can manage!

All sounding great on here - know what you mean about diaries I'm just waiting to start a new one when I can get motivated as the oomph has gone out of mine!

I find the tax credits each week thing a help but a juggle - money monthly and money weekly has my head in a spin often. Nice to see you manage by taking it and putting it into another account......hmm good idea.

Happy new diary!