Debtdawg says enough is enough debt diary

debtdawg

That's it, I am blowing the budget today and taking the kids to soft play HELL. Being stuck in the house with two warring children is obviously less attractive than being stuck in a windowless hell hole full of screaming/warring children and paying for the pleasure.

A week of this summer holiday madness left then it's back to the normal routine. God I have learnt from this summer holiday to A. Have funds for next years and B. Have plans for next years!!

BlueCrayon

Allowing yourself some semblance of sanity is an essential expense up there with oxygen so don't feel bad bout blowing the budget. Sounds like its not just the north that's getting wet and miserable. I'm quite looking forward to getting Bob back to school next week (he's a teacher) as he's starting to get under my feet. Think he's a bit big for soft play though.

I wouldn't stress over textbooks but wait and find out what you really need and see if there is something else in the library that will do. I spent a fortune on books that were hardly used. Quite often if you look in the library there is another book that is just as good but not on the list, best tip is try and find the one they get their examples from, its never a recommended text but always there if you hunt for it. It also might be worth asking welfare if you can get extended loans as you have a family and can't make it in at short notice. My Uni does this and it means you get extended short term loans and standard loans can't be recalled as quickly, it maybe worth asking?

Hope you survived soft play, maybe you could start selling vodka there? You'd make a fortune.

BC xx

debtdawg

We didn't end up going soft play in the end, so we had an afternoon of baking, making homes out of their new school shoeboxes and put a film on Netflix, so they were happy! They were at my mums Thursday night and their dad's last night so that meant two days I didn't have to worry about entertaining them (or not!).
Yesterday we went to my Uni and stocked up on books from the library before the other students, haha! I have never done that before and have always just bought the recommended texts from Amazon, which costs a small fortune! Whilst in my Uni city (which has fab shopping, terrible for an MSE'er!!). I was good though and only bought baby DS some socks and some comfy trousers for DS from H&M (he seems to be growing into a baby giraffe!). In total I spent about $30 yesterday, which included parking in the city, coffees and tea cakes for myself, DH and the baby in the student library cafe, my H&M spends and then stationary bits and bobs from tesco. I was so tempted by a $7 notebook in paperchase but DH said 'that's not very MSE is it?' (I've created a monster!) so I bought a $2ish one from Tesco, which might not have the built in module dividers but is still pretty. Anyway I have stocked up on pens, paper for the printer, notepads for myself and DH, poppered folders, stickies, highlighters and a cute little pencil case for around a tenner which is a lot more purse friendly than Paperchase (but their stuff is oh so cute!).
Today we are meant to be having a sorting day of our clothes, the kitchen cupboards (to make a 'uni' cupboard) etc which I sadly enjoy! Tomorrow we're thinking of taking the kids to see Brave as we've been on about it for ages. Kids are back to school on Thursday so I need to dig out their school clothes and do an underwear/sock top up shop for them.

What a difference a month of being MSE makes btw. Last month I was worried we wouldn't be able to pay our rent, this month I have nearly all of it put back over a week before it's due, plus have paid a little extra off of the credit cards, have all my charity shop bits and bobs and a new dressing table plus 12 months worth of tax on the car. Some of the money came from flogging bits, but we still have $130 in the savings pot towards the MOT. It's amazing the difference that actually caring about where money goes makes!

BlueCrayon

It is amazing how good it feels to not have to scrabble around trying to scrape together enough pennies to pay a bill. When I did my ceremonial burning of old documents I felt sick looking at all the old red bills and final demands, I never want to go there again. I still have an almost pavlovian response to the postman and my stomach lurches when something comes through the door. I'm glad you started your first month so positively!

I'm the same with stationery, I want to run out and buy lots of lovely pretty notebooks and pens. I started sorting mine and I have so much, I'm forcing myself to use up all the old notebooks with loads of pages left but I just want to grab a shiny new one. Its like a fresh start and I can declare I will study harder this year!

Hope you have a great week, are the DCs back to school?

BC xx

debtdawg

Oh dear had a BAAAD couple of days Took DD to the cinema yesterday (DS didn't want to go), so that was 16.50 for DH, DD and I. Then there was the pre cinema trip to Asda for sweets. A lot of sweets.

Today I completely blew the budget and we went to a family adventure park. That was another 50 odd in entrance. Plus a big takeaway afterwards. So I have spent a good 100 in two days! I could cry!! I've been feeling so bad about not doing anything with the children lately that I had a massive binge of stuff during the last few days of the summer hols.

The children are back to school on Thursday, they have swimming tomorrow night so I will have to pay for the new term and we are booking the car in for its MOT next Friday. Fingers crossed it flies through!!

Back on the wagon from tomorrow. Slap my wrist please BC

debtdawg

Check my debt balances last night and we're under 26k which was the first target. I'd like to get under 25k for the beginning of October, wish me luck!

BlueCrayon

debtdawg wrote: »

Back on the wagon from tomorrow. Slap my wrist please BC

Very naughty! It could have been a lot worse so don't beat yourself up about it, at least the rents paid and you have money for what you need. I don't blame you for needing to do something, entertaining children isn't easy especially when you get to the end of the holidays.

Well done on getting sub £26K, fingers crossed on the MOT. If my 13 year old Ford can pass then I'm sure your car will.

I nearly caved and bought a pretty notebook today, I definitely have a problem. I think I need one of those dog collars that give you an electric shock and someone to zap me every time I start lusting after something I really don't need, they'd probably end up with RSI though.

BC xx

debtdawg

Maybe we should patent that idea? Bye bye debt

When I am at Uni I park in the shopping centre which is 3 floors of glorious shopping. It's going to be a real challenge making it from the car park to Uni without buying something...even when I used to park there early, before the shops opened, somehow I'd emerge out of the other side with a coffee and freshly cooked muffin!!

I'm really snappy at the moment and have been pretty 'bitey' with people. I'm sure it's because things feel up in the air with Uni etc (i.e. they want to change the modules I thought I was going to be doing and went and got books for on Friday), plus I'd love some new clothes to go back in as I am feeling dreary and fat in my current jeans and mummy t-shirt combos. I really want some pretty new dresses for the Autumn that I can wear with tights but have no mahoney for anything. I do have some dresses in the 'pre-baby' suitcase (not pretty Oasis style printed patterny loveliness though), but I need to step away from the twinks hobnob traybakes I keep making first

Debt is so draining! It's so easy to put things on credit with the intention of paying chunks off, but in reality you pay off practically the minimum, the debt grows and grows and then suddenly you have no choice but to be paying massive amounts off, but sadly the balance is so high you're barely making a dent.

Swimming lessons paid for tonight (over 120 for them both for the term, ouch!). MOT to go and then we need a shed and a new car seat for baby DS as he needs a forward facing one.

Swagbucking is still going well, though I have been getting fed up of being thrown out of surveys at the last minute. I have DD and baby DS's birthdays to deal with before Christmas so although my intentions were to save the Amazon vouchers for Christmas, we will be using them for their birthdays I think. I'm on 2778 at the moment, that's after I just changed up my 5 x 5.00 Amazon vouchers for the month so I am really pleased.

I'm starting to read more in the evenings now to wind down a bit. I'm finally going to start the Hunger Games trilogy I got for my birthday earlier in the year!

debtdawg

Not really a lot to report at the moment, money is tight as usual, shopping is coming today though so at least we'll have food in the cupboards! I need to draw out cash for next week so I know where I am again; I didn't bother this week and feel all out of control of our finances!
Waiting to hear from housing benefit about how my student finance will affect what help we get and from student finance about what grants we may be entitled to, I'm so impatient though lol. Finally got the car booked in for it's MOT dumdumdar next Friday.

Hopefully it will be a cheap weekend!

debtdawg

I feel out of control of our finances again, but I think that's because my student finance is due Monday but wont be correct, we haven't heard from housing benefit and we have spent money lately not covered by the x amount a week budget. Our budget will be changing whilst I am at Uni but until I know what we have coming in, I have no idea what the budget will be which is throwing me a bit.
Swagbucking is still going ok, should be able to cash out another £25 soon, which will bring my Amazon total up over £100. And look at me, I have a working ££££££ key at last. We had to get a new laptop, I couldn't access files that I needed for Uni on the last one due to it being so rubbish so used an empty card until Monday, when I will pay it off in full. Dell had an offer on where you could get a free Xbox 360 with certain laptops so when that comes through I will either Ebay it or keep it back for DS's birthday present next year. It'll probably be Ebay though!