A Budgeteers Continued Quest to be Debt Free & Mortgage Free By 40

PositiveBalance

Dedicated, where are you?

This radio silence isa little worrying..

PositiveBalance

*Places large slice of delicious warm. cake near door of thread and wafts smell down hallway*

Oh Dedicated!

Please let us know you are ok- it's really not like you to vanish like this.

jwil

Come back!!!!!!!!!!

Please (before I snaffle all the cake)

DedicatedDFW

Hi PB and jwil and thank you for missing me

PB that is such exciting news :T:T i am thrilled for you Details please

So, i've not been posting as i have not been well and am still 'all out of sorts'

I'm also pretty fed up that the debt isn't being reduced I have £1700 ish to clear by the end of the year and don't have a plan in place as to how i'll achieve that. I have a plan for my money once the debts gone but it is getting to that stage. I really need to focus and come up with a plan.

I've also started my new uni course which is really intense - i guess i'll be asking for lots of positive vibes for this soon

I've got a very expensive couple of months coming up now with holidays :eek: and significant birthdays and then of course christmas. It is such alot to pay out for although (except for holidays) i have more or less got sorted on the gifts - it is just the meals to pay for which i can find quite costly

i've also got quite a high credit card bill - this is due to car tax and home insurance being paid on this as well as MS's which I will be re-imbursed for but probably not before the bill is due to be paid. i feel as if i am treading water on it all at the moment.

I guess i just need to get my head down and raise some funds. I am already doing the grocery shop as economically as possible and any spare funds from the budget will go towards clearing the credit card. I have listed all I can on the bay of e - i will have a look round but the items i would sell such as shoes i don't think would go due to the new postage costs. These are pretty much my ideas for extra moneys I've got cashback tracking but suspect it will be months before its paid and my Mr has informed me that someone came round to read the meters so will have the joys of those bills soon too. The heating has only been on a couple of short times all summer - and that was just recently when it got really chilly but less than a 30minute blast took the cold out :cool:

Everything i've been doing i've tried to do as cheaply as possible and had in the back of my mind that if i don't spend the money that i do have it can be used towards the next expense and so on so i have been good that way. I guess in some ways I'm trying to get to the middle of next month so i've a true picture of what i need to do - by then i'll have had 1 hols and the spending money i've saved for that i am hoping not to use it all so i can use it on the next one so thats why i think i'll have a clearer idea.

Anyways I am back posting and have missed you all so will try and catch up

jwil

Yay!!! You are back, missed you :kisses3:

Good news though - Royal Mail are currently consulting on changing the small parcels to include roughly shoe box size :T If they decide to do it, it will come in force at the end of october. It will make your shoes much more palatable if you decide to sell them!

PositiveBalance

Hi Dedicated!

I managed to read your return during the week but I've been so mad busy I've not had the chance to post!

Sorry to hear you have been feeling a bit rubbish but that there's more money than month at the minute, so just concentrate of getting better and getting through everything and making what saving you can, but sometimes life just eats your money so if you have to tread water for a while, do. You will come back with a vengeance later, I'm sure.

Anyway, I'm going to pop over to my dusty and derelict diary as I need to start getting back into the swing of things. Pop over for a cuppa and cake when you fancy!

DedicatedDFW

Morning all

Today i need to get some uni work done and also need to get my money straight in my head and no doubt on paper too

I have started various savings 'pots' / budgets not the ones most people have like for cars etc. but I have decided on a few things - and the list could grow too :cool:

I am going to start giving myself £20 spending money a week - this budget is to cover all make-up, beauty products, meals out, drinks,clothing, stationary, jewellery etc. Anything which is a personal spend. If i don't spend the full £20 in a week then it goes into the 'pot' so that i have the funds there if i want to buy a larger item. This will allow me to keep track of what i'm spending - although i don't intend to monitor it but e.g if this week i want a dress that is £30 and as this is week 1 i only have £20 i will need to wait until i have the money for it. It means i am not splurging over £100 in week (it has happened :eek:) So we will see how this goes. I'm quite looking forward to it and as its a budgeted spend now it feels like i have a treat and a guilt free spend

I'm also trying to save £1 a day - this is more from the end of the year but if i get a head start now it'll help with the days i can't do this. This is to save up for xmas next year. I will NOT be spending £365 on gifts but there will be plenty there in the budget for the extra socialising which happens at this time of year too

I have already started to save for a day out with friends next year and this is all 50p's that i get being saved - i don't use cash alot so i don't get many but in a year it should hopefully mount up - i got myself a little savings account to just transfer it into as i pay it in too

I have checked the utilities bill *sob* i also have my credit card bill to pay and need to have the boiler serviced too :eek: I will be back later to do some sums :cool:

DedicatedDFW

A little studying achieved - not as much as i'd hoped and hope i'll be feeling up to a bit more later but not feeling 100% at the mo. _pale_

Moved a couple of bits too.

More importantly jotted down the hopeful way the credit card balance will be paid off in full again this month Hopeful as it does hinge on getting paid on time for MS's i completed last month. I have picked up a couple more of the smaller MS's - any money will help at the moment. I also checked my cashback account and have some money due to be paid to me :T The hopeful paying off also constitutes the seeming continual changing payment date to stop changing and just get paid :cool:
Anywho's its all jotted down now - some of it is juggling rather than paying off too - as in using the cash i would normally use to pay for some things to pay off the balance but this then creates a new balance next month - it should be a much smaller balance then though too. Also got to see if i can pay the gas and electric bill by credit card it will help cashflow immensely this month if i can.

After saying i won't track my spending money i may continue to jot the spends in my book - sometimes i buy something which shouldn't be a personal spend - such as a necessary home item like a new door mat after ours was about to disintegrate :eek: If it wasn't in need of replacing and i got a new one then it should be a personal spend. And also i would just like an idea as to where most of my spends go and whether this is what i am really happy spending on

The reason i won't be having a budget for car bills is because at the moment i can't afford one at the moment it is working the way it is so hopefully this will improve.

Looked for a new job today found 1 i really wanted to apply for and it is with training BUT i can't apply for as i have certain qualifications that stops me being eligible - i suspect there is funding for those without this - the annoying thing is that i can't apply for the actual job (without it being the trainee role) as i am not actually specifically qualified / experienced to do the job :mad:

MS news is that i am hopefully going to avoid what was a necessary spend by making do with something i already have - will find out in about a week if it is suitable but if so i will be very happy at not having to spend any more money *fingers crossed*

DedicatedDFW

A bit more studying managed - wish my head would sort itself out - i know i shouldn't soldier on when feeling ill like this but can't bear the thought of a complete waste of a day Hoping i'll pick up soon but experience tells me only going back to bed will help now - i have had some really good solid nights sleep lately too so its not tiredness that triggers it.

Oh well it is good that i have managed a *bit* more
I have also done some baking and totally scrummy it is too
I've cooked packed lunches ready for the next couple of days
I have sorted some paperwork out :T

So really quite productive :T What hasn't been so productive for me is one of my absolutely favourite shops having a sale on ( i can only afford the stuff in the sale too ) I have popped a few items in my basket total cost £108 :eek::eek::eek: I haven't checked out yet - it is more than my spending money in a 4week month - they are all items i want rather than need so just going to close the site for a bit and ponder - its 2 clothing items and 2 footwear... all gorgeous of course but i also have no money to buy them but would get alot of wear out of them all arrgh!!

DedicatedDFW

Arrgh! As gorgeous as the items are if i can't afford it then i can't afford it and thats that. This is why i need to have a budget :cool: However i did a bit of shopping round and found the 1 item i really want a bit cheaper - have wanted this style for a few months but not found anything suitable for such a good price. So i am considering this 1 thing which i can afford from this months budget and still have money left over for the 2 social events we've got planned this month too :T Although i am also aware i need new foundation so i may leave it until after 1 of the planned outings then i'll know what i can do. Of course this risks me losing the item due to low stock levels but what can you do?

I've showered and made tea and washed pots and still feel rotten I may curl up shortly and hope that wellness visits me

More paperwork has been sorted out and a shopping list written out too.

I really enjoyed baking today - using the stuff i already have in to make something tasty - i also had a couple of ingredients but didn't like the sound of the recipe suggestions so just threw a few bits into what i was making

Ok going to lie down for a bit now hope you're all good