Time to move forward! Life and times of a city girl in the country

Breeze_Hill

Pauline, thank you for your kind post. I will look up the book you have recommended.
Feeling slightly better today - probably due to going over to friend's house for dinner and taking my mind off things!

As it turns out the plumber who came to fit the shower said it was illegally fitted before and needs an isolating switch, so I am looking at min 5 hours labour at £60 per hour...+ VAT. I have done a detailed budget for June, I will not be able to save anything but the key is not to go over too much. Typically MOT and tax are due too. Will have to cover electricity bill in a couple of payments. Followed up on that deposit again. Am also owed work expenses so must get on to that tomorrow.

I keep wondering how I can really turn things round. It really needs to be a much more radical solution as I could go on treading water for years and make no real progress.

potplant

I usually just read, and very rarely post - but I read your diary and so admired you for managing, househunting, deciding, moving, furnishing, reorganising, all on top of a job and single parenting two small children - do give yourself credit for all of that when you feel as though you're not getting anywhere, and give yourself time to recoup, then you'll have emotional energy for the next steps.

Indebted2U

Just wanted to say well done for coping so well. A full time job, two small kids to look after on your own and trying to pay down debt at the same time is an amazing achievement. Give yourself a very well deserved pat on the back :T I hope the house move goes well and consider me subscribed.

Breeze_Hill

Thank you PotPlant, Indebted and Pauline for your very kind words, and welcome. I really appreciate the encouragement. Indebted - we have already moved, thank goodness. Loving the new place - much easier for me.
I am soo tired today after entertaining the little ones and catching up on housework. Have a load of pics of stuff ready for ebaying but I just am too tired to face doing listings.

Can anyone tell me how to subscribe to threads? I haven't been able to figure it out...?

Indebted2U

Breeze_Hill wrote: »

Thank you PotPlant, Indebted and Pauline for your very kind words, and welcome. I really appreciate the encouragement. Indebted - we have already moved, thank goodness. Loving the new place - much easier for me.
I am soo tired today after entertaining the little ones and catching up on housework. Have a load of pics of stuff ready for ebaying but I just am too tired to face doing listings.

Can anyone tell me how to subscribe to threads? I haven't been able to figure it out...?

Hi Breeze Hill. At the top of each page there is a drop down box with an arrow next to it called "Thread Tools". Click on the box, then on the subscribe to this thread in the drop down box

Breeze_Hill

I am soo tired tonight I can barely see straight. DD2 has been extremely difficult sleeping-wise since moving, and I foolishly have been letting her creep in in the middle of the night just for some peace...Couple that with potty training - she is a complete star with it, but so extremely conscientious that she won't go in her nappy at all even if it is the middle of the night - I get this little voice coming through, 'Mummy, I need a wee' three or four times a night and it's killing me. zzzzzz

Tiredness is not good for decision-making!! Anyway - I paid all of the big bills last night on payday incl the plumber's bill. Going to tackle that and the big elec bill in one hit this month. I got £50 cash back from someone I lent money to yesterday, and thought I would try and make it last the week as the food shopping allowance.

Have come to the conclusion (although it is pretty obvious!) - that my downfall is not tight enough control on what I spend, occasional random buys and also that my budget doesn't accurately reflect all the expenses I have. Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

Indebted2U

As ever you are doing fantastically BH. I only have to worry about myself and I find it hard going to concentrate on not spending and clearing debt. I also struggle with a proper budget and to be honest I will probably never have an accurate one?

I am however setting goals and milestones to try and keep me in check and upbeat. My theory is that it's a long time between monthly paydays and I don't have a lot of opportunity/time to earn extra cash, so my debt repayment could easily become a once a month thing. So I've been looking at an amortization chart that's included in a free app I downloaded and seeing how I'll be financially in 6 months a year, 5 years etc. That seems to give me the kick up the bum I need to get motivated again.

I've also started trying to pay for all my shopping in cash and it really has made a difference. The debit card just doesn't feel like real money and that was my problem with credit cards but handing over wads of cash really brings my spending home to me and if I don't have it in cash I can't have it. Hope you manage to have a better sleep tonight. :beer:

Breeze_Hill

The amortization chart sounds really good I2U.

I failed with the £50 - took the girls to a school fundraising event thing, and ended up spending a bit of money there - partly out of guilt that I don't do anything for them (the school that is). Ended up paying for weekly shop with debit card and spending £80. Have promised myself to use cash for the next big shop.

Elec bill is now paid thank goodness. So all the nasties are out - balance still looks OK, but it is the start of the month. Had 2 NSD's, just got to keep going.

Indebted2U

Hi BH, hope you had a better week and managed to get some sleep? & well done on managing to get the bills paid and still have a reasonable bank balance I seem to be in the same boat at the moment and am managing to pay off the CC debt, all bills and should be able to save a fair amount of cash as well. On the one hand it makes me a little annoyed as.... If I can save and pay off debt why ever did I run it up in the first place? However on the other, far more mentally positive hand... There's no point in looking back and I should just be proud of myself for finally sorting my finances out!! :money:

I didn't have the greatest MSE week as I went out with friends for drinks mid week but sometimes I need to remember life is not all about money and it definitely recharged my MSE batteries I also came home to a letter from the water authority saying they were going to reimburse me for a full years waste water charges after my drains were blocked. So that should be another good chunk of change to put straight towards the plastic :T

If you've got an iPhone/iPod/iPad the free amoritization chart and debt payoff app is imaginatively called Debt Payoff Lite, I'd recommend it.

Keep up the good work.

Breeze_Hill

Thanks I2U. Sleep has been okish, I always feel like I need more. The class teacher told me DD1 is exhausted at school and can't concentrate, and was there any way she could not be in after school club. So have been stressing out about that. I think I need to address the problem of her bed as a priority. Am thinking the most MSE thing would be to get bunk beds as that would work for me long term as in a year's time they could both go into them. But it's quite a big outlay to get the ones I would like. I am never going to save any money at this rate! They both need haircuts, some new shoes and a few summer clothes too. Sigh.
Some days, the goal I want to achieve seems a million miles away. At least the weather's good. May take the babes to the beach to cheer us all up!!