Sort it out Scuff!

[Deleted User]

Hi scuff, you sound so stressed and I really sympathise with you cause that's exactly how I get at times - hence the aim of simplifying my life. It doesn't always work though.
Hope you're feeling better today, you've got pressures from all areas of you life so no wonder you feel fit to burst - try to be kind to yourself and follow the advice you'd give to a friend - we often are kinder to others than ourselves.

Keep posting your progress.
GLx

Scuff

Thanks missymoo81 he means well he just gets a bit too much sometimes (it's my coworker not my line manager, he just sent it to my manager which I thought was a bit sly!) I can understand why because he's been the only engineer for years and years and really it's been his baby, now he's had to hand part of his reins over to a trainee and I suppose it's hard to let go of the control, as I guess he would think it would be him that got into bother, because at the end of the day I'm still a trainee. I still don't think there was any need for him to handle it the way he did though!! I didn't get into any further trouble anyway, so it worked out okay in the end!

& thanks to you too GL I tried to take some time out (hence the lack of posting!) and stop letting everything get to me, and despite slight annoyance that my body kept me awake all week and decided Friday night was a good time to sleep 16 hours, I'm doing much better - way way way calmer at any rate. I do think that sometimes as helpful as this forum is, sometimes it adds the pressure because most people you see seem to whizz through their debts paying thousands off each week (for example you've cleared my debt in the same time as I've pretty much done nothing ) and it makes me feel like I'm not doing good enough. The simple fact of the matter is I just can't afford to go any faster, I have nothing of great value to sell, and I need to remember everyone goes at different rates, and what works for some people doesn't necessarily work for others!

I've been meaning to post for a few days, but have instead been slowly regaining control of myself. I'll gather my thoughts and where I've been going / what I've been doing in the next few posts - for now I need to eat!!

xx

Scuff

Well that must have been the longest break for food ever! I forgot to come back! Anyway, what have I been up to?

Homewise
The flat is slowly getting increasingly tidier, kitchen has been blitzed and is staying that way, and so if I stand in the middle of the living area (we have an open plan kitchen / lounge) and face the kitchen side I can pretend the place is spick and span. The lounge is getting there, and I FINALLY took down the Christmas / Birthday cards (my birthday is Christmas too) on Saturday and hoovered up the needles from the tree (I'd taken the tree down on 5th Jan and that had gone but then I had my minor meltdown and everything stopped) I'm trying to take baby steps and understand everything can't be perfect in 10 minutes flat. I've also taken more time to myself, actually managed to read a whole book on Sunday, which is something I haven't let myself do since I started at this job 2 years ago. (OK, so I have finished a book in this time, I just mean sit down and read the entire book in one go!) OH also seems to be being a bit better about wiping up after himself (in the kitchen, we don't have an accident problem!! ) which obviously takes some of the pressure off.
My mum's old next door neighbour from 10/11 years ago got in touch with me via facebook before Christmas, and I met up with her and my mum on Saturday which was lovely, although she said I haven't changed at all which is slightly worrying because all though I know I look young, I'd like to think I look a bit different from when i was 16!!
I'm also making reasonable headway with my first present of the year (but need to make MORE, this has taken a bit of a back burner since I melted!) Gonna get on this tonight!

THINGS I NEED TO DO HOMEWISE (in no particular panic or rush Scuff!):

- Finish cousin's bag (by 27th)
- Take last few things out of lounge that don't live there
- Sort/tidy bookshelves
- Get my desk back to being reachable
- Sort storage cupboard in office
- Tidy office (this links with desk back to reachable!)
- Get some jewellery made (this links with office stuffs, and also waiting for payday so I can order supplies)

Moneywise

Nothing much to report personally moneywise, except I got the money back from my expenses and transferred some of it to OD1 as this is interest paying, rather than back onto the CC which is interest free. Need to find out when the interest free on purchases runs out so I can balance transfer. I have also today had somewhere in the region of £95 taken in charges from OD1, which is slightly annoying but my fault for not paying attention - need to fix up! Just waiting for payday so I can mess around with money again!
I did however spend 5 hours or so puttinf together a spreadsheet for the joint account (this is the account that the rent/bills/food come out of, we both put in £800 per month, £200 fixed goes to savings for deposit and the rest we live from) I couldn't understand how we were managing to rack up 1400 in living costs each month. I went through every bank statement from Jan 2012 and put every outgoing into the relevent category, to 1) try and figure out where it was all going and 2) put some kind of a budget on things.

Regular monthly outgoings are:
Rent £595 (as of Feb '13, this has been £550 up 'til now)
Council Tax £75
Electric £125 (this started at £177 :eek: went down to £150 and now £125 is the cheapest I can get them to go)
Water £25
Home insurance £10.99
Sky £55.25
TV Licence £37.62 a quarter

= £898.78 per month

this leaves just over £500, most of which gets spent on food/takeaways/eating out :eek::eek::eek::eek:

I'm coming down with an iron fist now, I tried to set a budget for food before (£150) but failed - clearly, in December we spent £330+ on supermarket food and a fraction under £130 on takeaways / fast food / meals out!!! I've upped the 'budget' for supermarket shopping to £200 (just to ease into it really) and put a takeaway budget at £40pm (although with the aim to not actually spend any / little as possible) any meals out will come out of our own money (which I have none of ) Whatever is left NEEDS to go to the house deposit savings, at the rate we're going it'll be 2030 before we save up enough! And I'm not even kidding!

The worst thing is, I looked over 2012's figures, and over the year we spent approx £3k on supermarket food, £1k on eating out, and what's scary, £2.5k on i don't know what!!! Not a clue! From next payday (23rd Jan) I'm putting every purcahse into the spreadsheet and not going over the budgets! (I'm still putting costs in at the moment but obviously so close to the end of the month the budget's a bit of a lost hope!)

The final money related point is wrt OH. He's doing a PHD which is due to finish next summer (2014) and although I'm sure he'll be able to get a job at the end of it, I'm slightly worried about the delay between him finishing his phd and getting a job, and so suggested that he could maybe save up a few months wages so I'm not left in the lurch if things don't go to plan (this is the influence of this place, pre-MSE I would have never even thought that far ahead!!) by putting £200 pm away until end of course it should leave us with enough from both sides to not be in a complete state cashflow-wise. At first he didn't seem interested which I took as him not wanting to save up, but in actual fact I think I just made him worry about not having a job at the end of it, & I heard him telling his mum about 'his' idea on Sunday, so I think he's come around to the thought I also plan to do this once my debts are sorted - if anything happened we'd be up the creek atm, to be frank!

Think that is all for now, hahaha what a rabbity post!!!

Homemadehappiness

I really need to get back in the habit of keeping up with you scuff

Anyway I just read your latest post and have to say your idea of saving is fab and I wish I had thought of this, i finished uni last year and it was a few months before I got my job during which time I extended my overdraft, and then I did it again, and again until before I knew it my £100 overdraft was £3500 *sob sob* tell your OH well done on 'his' idea xxx

[Deleted User]

Hi scuff, glad your back and feeling better. Know what you mean about people shifting mega amounts of debt in short periods. Just to say, I know it looks quite impressive that we've paid large amount since the summer but I can honestly say I won't be able to pay any where near that amount this year. The amount looks good because we have sold loads on eBay, there's nothing left to sell now - the cupboards are bare!

I am trying to remind myself its not a race or competition - as long as the debt is going down.

Good luck scuff, look forward to reading your diary.
GLx

Scuff

I know homemade, I wish I'd thought of it myself when I left uni - I had 2 years mostly unemployed before I landed the job I'm at now, and not a penny to my name - luckily I still technically lived at home so had no real outgoings, and I could claim jobseeker's, which I don't think OH will be able to do as I'll be expected to support him with me working. The thought of that - :eek: What did you do at uni?

& GL, I have a hard time thinking anything's not a competition! I want to win! But I also have to accept that it's not always possible, and in this case - definitely not!

I planned to update yesterday evening but had a minor argument with the dishwasher (the inanimate machine..) and went to lie on the bed in a strop (not as bad as it seems, as we live in a flat the bed and the dishwasher are no more than 10 steps apart!) and promptly fell fast asleep until half 5 this morning, when I woke up fully dressed the argument happened at 21:15!!! So not much got done last night (other than munching on a lovely lovely LOVELY mushroom risotto cooked by my lovely chef!)

Spent 42p today on a chocolate bar, and put £22 petrol (out of petrol account) into the car. This should last me until payday (23rd) We were planning on a car picnic at Brimham Rocks on Sat and a wander around the rocks but with the weather warnings (Snow all day every day until the end of time, & it's already started!) I don't think we'll manage it - the tight !!!!! in me is thinking yay I save on petrol (as accidentally it nearly always ends up me that pays the petrol, & I've no money left for top ups!

Sat watching Location Location Location and dreaming of owning our own place - renting makes me sad!!!! I love our flat (even the argumentative dishwasher!) but it's just such a pain throwing away money every month - each year is more than £6k going nowhere, & this will rise this year with the rent increase! One day...

Scuff

I am pooped today - roll on 4pm! I could actually put my head on my desk and sleep like a baby. Maybe I should go find a quiet corner of the factory to curl up in Freezing too!
Should be NSD today, I have nothing to buy! OH gave me a massive (actually MASSIVE) portion of chicken and rice yesterday so I've still go that in the fridge to finish for lunch, and I've got my standard yoghurt for breakfast although I had readybrek at home so there is no room for even licking the pot lid! Readybrek has that effect on me haha.
Was doing some ironing last night and noticed the cover looked decidedly grotty (it accidentally [strike]gets[/strike] used to get (tidy house and all!) used as a table as I was half the time too lazy to put it away, and so drinks got spilt on it, it not being the most sturdy of surfaces) so thought I'd wing it and see if it would wash, it took 2 washes and some stain remover but now I have a sparkley new looking ironing board. This amazed me, I actually did think the foam underneath would dissolve in the machine. In the past I would have just bought a new one, so a fiver saved there! I also took the opportunity to put some new foam that I've had for a while on, so fingers crossed I should have more efficient ironing to boot! Double whammy (I'm sure someone at work told me it costs £27 an hour to run the iron - this can't be right?!) And that, folks, is as exciting as my life gets right now!

Igamogam

Scuff wrote: »

I'm sure someone at work told me it costs £27 an hour to run the iron - this can't be right!

I knew there was a reason why I dont iron:)

Scuff

Igamogam wrote: »

I knew there was a reason why I dont iron:)

I just investigated and he must have said 27p! I thought £s was a little steep!!

Igamogam

Scuff wrote: »

I just investigated and he must have said 27p! I thought £s was a little steep!!

Still doesnt move me to ironing