Putting My Life Into Order

Februarycat

Well done Catandy on making those savings each month :j

catandy

and have just decided to go with a payg for me and S1 rather than contract mobiles - gone with giffgaff and that has saved another £32 a month from next month. and i really dont need to change my fone just for changing sake - S1 does as his is not working properly so going to get a decently priced payg handset for him

Moneymash

catandy wrote: »

I've finally gone and done it! I've finally taken back power over my financial situation and made it clear where my loyalties and responsibilities lie, people seem to be reeling from the shock of it but it feels SO GOOD to be in control for once.
:j:j
I had another bounced payment yesterday and just had enough, I've cut all non-essential spend, oh and I also cut up the 2 highest rate CC's that I have. so the balances on them can only go down now!


ive cancelled contracts/ payments on:-

• insurance on the pc's we use for work gone - saving £17.00 p/m
• subscription to Lovefilm - gone - saving £5
• subscription to Sky for ex's daughter / granddaughter - gone - £35 p/m
• subscriptions to gym - me and S1/ S2 - £90 p/m - ok I'm going to miss this more than anyone but its only fair that I take the cuts as well.
• BT line for daughter canx from Dec - unless she takes over paying it (not going to happen) - £15 per month

total saving each month 147 - will be 162 from xmas onwards.

Oh and ex got paid yesterday finally from the last contract he was working on. He was about to go out and buy his software he needs to get his next project when I said no, I'm paid first. He's written a cheque for £3000 and thats going into my account first thing this morning. Thats us back straight till the end of the month, Ive told him next week I want the money for next month - which he really wasnt expecting but hey ho thats life!:rotfl:

I actually feel like Im in control and I had completely forgotten what that felt like! :T

Hi Catandy,

I have been following your progress. I was really pleased to read the above, and see you taking control of your finances. It's time to stop enabling and start empowering. You've done enough for others and now it's time to focus on yourself and financial freedom, from debts and other peoples expenses. I know it's hard when it's family and people you have been emotionally linked to but it's necessary. I went to see a clairvoyant years ago who told me to stop feeling responsible for my family and to just let them get on with it, I did and felt an emotional weight lift off my shoulders. However, I was still helping them out financially. Years later and this time it was a psychic medium who told me to stop being generous. I did with everyone, not just family and slowly my debts are heading in the right direction which is down and I even have savings which she predicted. I'm not saying that we should never help our families again. I just think we are better placed to help in the long run, when we have sorted ourselves out first.

Keep making the right financial decisions, you'll get there.

catandy

I've decided to set myself a target of paying off my smallest CC by the end of the year - that doesnt fit with what it says on my snowball calculation so its probably totally illogical, but its important to me to be free of one debt totally, to feel like im achieving something, and thats the one that in nearest reach. I've worked out I need to make £5.50 every day from now till the end of the year and with what im already paying each month it will be gone in its entirety.

Ive also set myself a grocery target for Oct of £80 per week, and thats to include all cleaning stuffs and toiletries as well. that will have reduced my original spend by £20 p/w and it should be able to be reduced even more. I'm relying on good old fashioned home cooking and planning ahead to use up whats in the fridge and freezer before anything goes off and is wasted. That and menu planning. If I can get it down to that I will reassess and see if there are any more savings I can make.

I'm also trying to go thru just 2 tanks of petrol in my car in a month (costs just less than £50 to fill it up each time) - if i can do that I will try and reduce it even further the next month. im now doing all local journeys by foot and losing lbs whilst im saving £:T:)

well thats the plan till the end of the year so ive got something to aim for.

catandy

ok weekend is almost half way gone already - doesnt time off from work just seem to race by? or is that because I'm getting older and time just seems to go so fast anyway... oh well im waffling again.

i've had domestic stuff this am with S1 and S2 and then got home to find that ex / and now flatmate had blitzed the flat whilst I had been out. I dont know whats going on with everyone around these parts but i could get used to this!:D PM was exciting domestic stuff, menu planning then a food shop (remind me never to hit the shops on Saturday afternoon again) - I've worked out that this week we have spent the grand total of £24.82 on a food shop which should last us all week except milk that will need topping up. Went to L**l and an local ethnic foodmarket and got everything we need. I'm going back to good old fashioned meals that fill us all up and dont cost a lot. No more ready sauces or junk food just healthy filling stuff.

I've also been looking at starting to sell the software that our company has produced on Ebay. I did try to register as a seller on Amazon but just far too complicated for me . anyway I think im going to give the software a go - we've got 10 different variations on product so will take me some time to list them all but who knows it may just work?!?

I'm also going to get myself organised and start selling my personal stuff on there under an account just in my name. anything thats made from that will come straight off the debts - cc first of all cos I really want to start making a dent in them. will have to ask teenage sons to explain to me how to move pics from fone to pc - will take them less than a minute no doubt - you know for someone involved in software im a real technophobe! :rotfl:

got nothing planned tomorrow to be honest - got to get my work from friday ready to send in first thing on Monday plus send out my invoices for the work i did in September. One of the companies I work for pays almost immediately (should be mid month) but Im expecting it to be in my account by tue or wed at the latest. will look next week at what i can pay off extra this month.

and homebased pt job starts in earnest from Monday (start of month). Need to make that £5.50 each and every day so will chip away at some of it with the job then supplement with everything else i do.

catandy

and today has been a blah day to be honest - didnt get round to housework as didnt feel motivated enough, didnt do any on pt job and no other inspiration hit or anything exciting.

saved money by telling S1 that i wouldnt advance him money cos he's got to start to learn to budget, so scowls and huffs are the order of the day from that part. did cook all meals from supplies and a NSD so that worked out well. oh and found £1 in roadkill which i suppose is a bonus! anyways im sure tomorrow will be more inspired for me to think of something new or add a new avenue of making money.

any suggestions gratefully received

catandy

today is already a better day - i just seem to feel more productive on a working day, which means that i'm a really sad person

S1 is just about ready to leave for college, S2 is making the most of his week off until he starts his job next week. flat mate is asleep and im online and earning from my part time job and have been for an hour so far - I'm managing to multi task now and do it whilst im surfing the web/ reading emails etc so it doesnt impact on my life much at all. If I can make £100 extra at it this month I will be happy but am aiming for £150 - and its going to come straight off a cc

im also interested to see what a difference it makes this month with all my direct debits going thru at the reduced rates. it takes some time for all the changes that you make to take effect doesnt it so my DD should all change from this month. want to see what effect it has on cash flow and ability to pay a bit more off.

the other thing that is really starting to make a difference is menu planning, working with what we have already and making meals round it all instead of constantly buying more. kids are not impressed with some of the combinations but they will get used to it - they also dont approve of the no fizzy drinks and instead of eating junk make urself a sarnine nagging but as i say they will used to it (or starve..):rotfl:

we made a sale on the websites we run yesterday and should hear something about the 2 big contracts later today, like when they are moving forward and the size of them so we can plan our services accordingly - we may have to increase the power of our server which means more expense but im not panicking about anything till i know whats going on.

anyways plans for today - work day job, work pt job around it, move these contracts forward so we know whats coming, cook meals from supplies, a NSD (start oct the way i want it to carry on) and check on bank to see if anything nasty has jumped up and bit me! ok gotta get on with it:)

and just got some extra hours this month so weekly income up by another 160 quid will try and do the extra hours all month - yay me!

catandy

You know ive been looking at things and doesnt this all take such a time? i cancelled payments last month that have still gone thru at the higher rate and despite all the extra payments (allbeit small ones) that i made ive barely scratched the surface. I really dont know how i can make any more effort or money so i guess ive just got to work out that im in this for the long haul and head down and get on with it.. 36 months seems such a long time away

catandy

and another contract cancelled today - thats 2 x equifax monitoring services so another 14quid off monthly spend. dont really have anything else to cut now well apart from capital one payment protection at 3 quid something per month which i will do this pm

incidental spend this week so far stands at 98p on a bottle of milk so the taking cash out and setting a limit to only use that amount is working. no rash purchases which is what needed to change.

the contracts for our business have been signed and are happening - it will take us 6 months as a company to turn a profit from them and that will start from about £1000 per week. (the return on our business is high as its all reselling a product thats already been produced so no outlay other than running costs). all that is good but we do have to get through the 6 months in question.. which ive worked out we can but we cannot afford for any untoward bills or spend - not anything go wrong on the car or something need replacing in the house or anything:eek: ok got to look at upping my income again then so this can all happen...

this is just a constant juggling process...

Rainbow_Bridge

catandy wrote: »

this is just a constant juggling process...

Yes, but within a short while you will become a professional juggler.

I'm glad to see that you are continuing to make great inroads xx.