Here I am in debt again. 2nd time lucky

please-let-me-be-lucky

Hi Steph, sorry to hear you are stressing out, I will cross all of my digits that the people pay quick!

In the meantime, some positives to work on:
It's free listing weekend on eb@y - get your stuff on!
Get your scrap metal weighed in asap. It might be more than you are expecting which will take the pressure off.
Can you ring the direct debit companies and ask them to change the dates of collection? A week's notice is more than enough as they only claim them 3 working days before they leave your bank. Or even cancel them your end? You may get a penalty with the companies but at least you won't get an unpaid direct debit fee as well.

Hope it all works out for you Xx

PinotGrigio41

Steph,

I totally understand where you are coming from on the whole lack of guaranteed money, work etc. Being self employed it is so very hard to budget when the income is varied and irregular. Dont worry about starting the day stressing, I do it often, or sit up all night stressing about it instead, although it has got better over time

The good thing is that hubby has some work be it odd days or not, so thats a positive in there somewhere and you have managed ot get cheaper parts for the car !

Is it worth a call to the Water Company to give them the heads up you have have trouble paying on time ? Do you pay monthly or have you had the red bill in yet ?

Mrs PG x

StressedSteph

Hi Pinot

Thanks for looking in.

Yes I should be thankful that he has work, he should hopefully be back to full weeks wages next week as he is starting a loft conversion :T. I just get angry with myself that we are in such a precarious position. That two days lost wages can put us in such trouble. :mad:

Am abit scared to call the water company because I have only just gone onto Direct Debit because we got a £300 bill come through last November and I had no hope of paying it .

Aaargh just wish I could fast forward to mid summer when (if life dos'nt throw too many curve balls) we should be virtually out of the overdraft with my catalogues paid off and even though we will still have alot of debt, there will be room to move if hubby has an unexpected quiet week.

I noticed your signature for the first time Pinot. Wow you have given me such inspiration. You have done soooo well kicking the debt. :T:T. It proves to me that it can be done, we just have to keep our heads down and keep going .

I guess January is a bad month for virtually everyone, so I should stop wallowing in my self pity :wall:

PinotGrigio41

I get so ridiculously angry with myself and the situation we are in, as we work hard and shouldnt be in it but we are and I need to get on with it !

If you had seen my diary over the past year you will see I have wallowed, cried, hidden away, jumped up and down like a total nutter and had days where I felt like cartwheeling around the room. My mood swings are up and down like crazy , all because of one thing......... the debt. The diaries are great and such a big help I find, even just for some silliness and crazy chitter chatter when we feel down.

As you say come the summer things will be a bit easier, its just hanging on in there. January is a rubbish month, most of us are grumpy and fed up, its not just you believe me . Its also very tough for the self employed as we have found as well and someone paying late even if just a few days can put you in such a difficult position. Oh to have a guaranteed pay day each month !

How about calling the Water rates Company and asking if the date of the direct debit can be changed, which might give you aother weeks lee way to get the money in ? You dont want to be hit with charges for an unpaid bill to add to the worry.

As far as my signature goes, well, I have yet to see another so huge !!! I think its a world record !! :rotfl:

Take Care xx

rising_from_the_ashes

Ohhh Steph ... what an up and down few days .... sorry I feel like I've totally deserted you:( I'm back to work this week and struggling to get back into a routine & keep up with all my threads!:o

Glad DS has recovered from "the movie incident" - I do feel it was a bit off showing something with a 15 cert to kids that age - especially if they hadn't checked with you whether it was a) ok with you and b) wouldn't upset him:mad:

StressedSteph wrote: »

The woman at the little local post office gets sniffy at me if I take my #bay parcels to her. she reckons I should not use the prepay postage set up on #bay and should buy it from her.

I guess she is right, but its soooo much less hassle to do it through #bay and it also comes straight out of Paypal, so I know what money I have actually made.

How big is the PO .... I must admit to always paying through the PO as I'm conscious that if enough people don't use them / they have enough money going through their books IYKWIM there is a real risk of them closing

StressedSteph wrote: »

So I need a new caliper and brake pads.

Bad news on the car but great news on the savings on the parts:) and even better that DH is working on the airer :T

Once things are all sorted out, it would be great if you could put a little aside out his wages each week - hopefully that would make the weeks where he doesn't earn as much a little easier.

Hope you manage to find the shortfall for the d/debits - I see you've reduced your OD massively :T - is it still there so the d/debits would be paid? I know it's not ideal but better than late payment / returned charges

Chin up ... I honestly can't believe that next week is the last week of January already ..... this year looks like it's going to fly by as well:eek:

StressedSteph

Morning Diary

Thanks for your words of support Pinot & Rising.

Had to dash into the big town straight after dropping the children at school to get the car parts. After the garage looked at my car, it is loads worse now and have a constant grinding of metal on metal :eek:.

I knew there was no way I could put off having to get the parts any longer. The bill came to £128.38. but I can take the old Caliper back to them next week and they will refund £24.00.
So it will only have cost me £104.38.

Think I am going to have to walk the 2 miles to school today to pick the children up. The car just sounds too bad and all the time I drive it, I am ruining the brake disc, and I REALLY don't want to have to pay to replace that as well.

Rising - You mentioned how much I had paid off my Overdraft. I have struggled with how to record the OD going down and had decided to calculate it from how much it is at the end of every month.
So the end of December I had got it down to £2000, but during the month as hubby has weekly wages, I have gone heavily back into the OD, but am forecast to be about the same (£2000 OD) by the end of January.
The time that I will bounce a couple of bills is next week before hubbys invoices get paid .
Thats the joys of self-employment.

Hubby has done a couple of jobs for friends in the village this week, but they are so rich they probably won't think that we are desperately in need of the £120 bill to be paid quickly :mad:.

Lord I am such a moaner this week.

StressedSteph

Right, thought I would make a list of the jobs I want to get done today.

Feeling in a lazy mood, so I need to give myself a kick up the bum

Re-make dogs bed, now it has been washed & dried
Hoover upstairs
wash & dry Lounge blankets
Clean downstairs bathroom.
Put away washing
sort out and re-arrange DD bedroom (Its a tip)
Package up 2 Eb#y items I have sold
Tidy Kitchen & Lounge

Phew that will do for now. Feel tired just looking at that list.:eek:

Right - Off to sort out dogs bed and put lounge blankets in the machine.

lurvlyloz

Hi Steph.

you are allowed to moan! it is your diary! self employment is a nightmare isn't it. so annoying about your car but at least you have a saving & you'll get seom money back.

i just want to give you a big hug & make it all better for you.

always here for you x

StressedSteph

StressedSteph wrote: »

[STRIKE]Re-make dogs bed, now it has been washed & dried
Hoover upstairs[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]wash[/STRIKE] & dry Lounge blankets
Clean downstairs bathroom.
Put away washing
sort out and re-arrange DD bedroom (Its a tip)
Package up 2 Eb#y items I have sold
Tidy Kitchen & Lounge.

Right, have done abit. Kettle is on again now

Will have a quick cuppa then I will

Put away washing & have a go a re-arranging DD bedroom :eek:

PinotGrigio41

StressedSteph wrote: »

Right, have done abit. Kettle is on again now

Will have a quick cuppa then I will

Put away washing & have a go a re-arranging DD bedroom :eek:

Great minds think alike. I am on lists today and crossing them off as I go along. I find it really helps keep me focused x