Debtdawg says enough is enough debt diary

Fortune_Smiles

Well done on sticking to your holiday budget debtdawg :T

Fortune x

BlueCrayon

I had a Fisher Price Garage when I was little and I loved it! My nephew has one too and I spend hours with him playing with it, I like the little car lift that goes up and down .

Business sounds exciting! Definitely do a lot of research and make sure you can sell at a decent profit! I've tried little ventures in the past but jumped in and not really thought about it, this time I've done piles of research and made sure I can do it. I'm also focussing on getting it right from the beginning, for me good photography is key and I made a light box to improve my pics. We'll be millionaires before we know it, or at least a lot less in debt:T. Let me know if you need any help as I've been on a steep learning curve this week and gathering lots of business info/tax advice and the like.

Hope you're having a great night.

BC xx

debtdawg

BC I am still not sure about the venture, but we'll see. I want to look at reclaiming/renovating furniture and selling it locally, things like this which I just spotted online.

I did just buy my first item towards practising it though (paid for by some bingo winnings that I got when I signed up to William Hill Bingo for the swagbucks, deposited a tenner and ended up fifteen pound up on that amount, wooo swagbucks and a profit!) which is some really pretty wallpaper that I plan to use on a nest of tables/display cabinet. I'm looking out for a cheap dressing table to renovate for my room too.

I listed some books for sale on Amazon, then found trade in and decided that would probably be easier. I bundled the ones together that I wanted to trade in before I took them off Amazon, then I sold one. So rebundled them together and have them ready to take to the PO, along with two books that I've now sold on Amazon. But according to Amazon they won't give me any money for the ones I have sold until September, and even then it's a third of the amount I sold them for (after the extortinate Amazon fees). So I will be down on postage with not even enough to cover it sent to me in September? That doesn't seem right. I'm not going to bother with selling via Amazon in the future if it is right!

I'm off into town today for a mooch around the charity shops before I go to see a friend. Baby DS is teething horrendously bless him, he's got a scarlet cheek and is currently snoozing in his chair after a terrible night.

I'm trying to work out next weeks cash budget. I've got food coming so I shouldn't really need much money to top that up and I have a couple of things planned with the children (pottery painting and the cinema). I'm thinking $60? It sounds a lot but I know it will soon go!

Better get ready for the day I guess

BlueCrayon

Sent you a PM re your business idea.

Amazon fees are huge, you've got to be very careful about what you sell as it is easy to end up out of pocket. Once you are selling a paperback for less than around £1.20 unless it will go as a large letter your going to spend more posting than you'll get back. They must make a killing in this area as they take the majority of the money but do none of the work! If you go into your seller account you should be able to request disbursement now and not wait till it happens automatically.

Hope DS is OK today.

BC xx

debtdawg

Hi BC, a public thank you for your amazing PM, I am very excited now lol

DS is still teething, sigh. He is such a typical bloke though, I am sure my DD made the least amount of fuss out of the 3 children

I went on to Amazon again and as I am a new seller they hold the funds for 2 weeks to start with, it's rubbish!

I popped into town yesterday and picked up a few bits from the charity shops. I got DD the moonsoon cardigan for the wedding next month and also a lovely lined white cotton tunic type top, it's very pretty and hard to describe but would look lovely with a pair of jeans/leggings/jeggings. It's a Next one and was a bargain 1.75, I also got baby DS some trousers for when he's a bit bigger, they are checked (very Rupert Bear ) and are also from Next, for 1.95. I took a cake to my friends so that, plus bus fares and my charity shop spends came to 14.50, which took my total spend for the week to a massive 64.79. I went 14.79 over my budget but that amount included feeding us for a week on top of what we had in the cupboards/freezer and to show for the week I have a toy garage and some clothes bits plus I entertained the kids for three days. All in all I am pretty happy with how the week went!

My new budget to start from today for a week is going to be 50. This needs to last from this Friday to next Friday morning. Out of this I need to cover entertaining the children for a week, a car boot sale trip and anything else. Petrol and my main grocery shop that is coming tomorrow from Waitrose is covered elsewhere. Fingers crossed I can stick to it this week, but I don't have to buy any food like last week so it should! Wish me luck

mum2one

Sounds like your doing well, I took DD last week to see Dr Seux, on Wed, as friend given me an orange code - she got it wrong, that was £13......

Might be worth looking at our cinema does Movies for juniors on Sat am they usually have 3 films on £1 per ticket, films that have been out about 3 months, but money saving if you can get away with it!

I feel awful confessing, but when DD was 3 or 4, she only thought the cinema only opened on a Sat am! But when she was about 2 she once told someone we lived at Argos,........ before xmas and I was raiding all the bargains.

The furniture idea sounds fab. xx

debtdawg

Oh no what a nightmare about the code! That must have been annoying
I will look into the local cinemas, thanks for the tip!
Bless your DD thinking you lived at Argos haha.
How are you getting on with the holidays? We're pottery painting tomorrow which I am hoping wont be too expensive, they will be having a limit set on what they can choose that's for sure!

Amazon credited the books that I sent to them on Thursday for the book trade in, can't believe how quick the turnaround was. I now have nearly $60 in Amazon vouchers towards Xmas, which is great DH's tool (snigger) ends today on Ebay and is currently selling well, that will be a nice chunk for the savings pot.

Waiting in for Waitrose. Have no milk, no bread and am dying for a cup of tea. I bet they come right at the end of the 9-11 slot!

BlueCrayon

Its my pleasure to help, it is all very exciting stuff!

That's quick for them to credit the money for the books, might have a shufty to see if I can get rid of some that way as it has been a bit slow on the book selling front.

You'd not had a cup of tea? How did you even function to type the post? I practically mainline the stuff, its minimum 2 mugs before I can face anyone.

Hope the tool netted you a good price.

BC xx

mum2one

Slowly managing the school holidays, wasn't too bad as we went upto wales the 1st 2 weeks, since then tried for 1 treat a week, and "freebie" ideas at home.

We've made magazine racks out of cereal boxes and wrapping paper, letter rack, from another cereal box.

Cheated slightly got DD bday in sept - taking 5 friends to cinema (going to sat am £1 showing!!), brought some of the brown sandwich bags (£1 for £10) and had her decorating them.

We've had the usual i'm bored!! but the weather been a bit of pain, we've got National trust pass, went to our local one, dad took the dog and she went for walk with him, passed time away with my kindle and pot of tea!!

We've still got the great bedroom declutter to do!! At easter spent 8 hrs gutting it, - now as bad.

How you getting on with the hols......

Hope Waitrose turned up with the milk! xx

debtdawg

God I needed that cup of tea lol

It's been a nice weekend so far. Kids were back last night, woooo. I hate being away from them for so long We went to a car boot sale this morning, they had $2 each. DD got a recorder that she'd wanted for ages and splurged her whole $2 about 4 stalls in DS was more conservative and bought two games (a nearly new mouse trap for $1, a bug collecting game thing for 50p) and a penguin walking up the stairs monstrosity for 50p. But they were happy We got a little table with lift up lid for $3 (ex sewing table?) and a mirror for $2, both I plan to shabby chic up for at home. $9 well spent anyway

Then we went out for the day to a local beach and playpark as the weather was beauties with the outlaws, and they generously purchased the doughnuts and ice-creams, hurrah! We only had to buy a bottle of water and parking was free, we took a big lunch box of sandwiches, fruit and snacks with us. We did pick up some chips from the chip shop on the way home and an oven pizza for DS, so spent around $7 total today. Wish we hadn't bothered with the chips, they were a bit ming. It was a lovely day though, I didn't want to come home *sigh*.

Since Friday I have spent $18.65 of my $50 budget, so have $31.35 to last until Friday. Tomorrow we will be out again as the weather is supposed to be nice and DH is home with the car, but then tues-thurs will most likely be home days so NSDs unless we need topping up on bread/milk etc. If the kids are good this week then we might watch Brave at the end of it, I have put it off until the weather turns nasty again!

mum2one I am really starting to panic about the party I have told DD she can have for her birthday. It's been planned since before my LBM and is costing so much money, she could have an amazing present for the cost of it and tbh it's going to put a massive strain on our finances affording it. It's making me feel a bit sick but I don't want to let her down or go back on what I have told her we can do, it's a real dilemma! I just don't know what to do about it.

BC I have been out 'collecting' the past couple of days haha. It's addictive!