Batten down the hatches.....

Orange_Ena

catriona79 wrote: »

Amazing motivation, Ena!

Just a drive by post, but your saying about the debt stopping you from being able to change jobs - that really struck a chord with me. I know very well how that feels.

Gotta go, but let's chat about it another time x

Thanks Catriona. It's awful isn't it really but debt can hold people back in so many ways. Even when my debt is cleared, I'll still have the mortgage, but that's acceptable debt and most people have to pay for where they live whether renting or living in a mortgaged house. I'm forever saying, when I'm thin, my life can start, or when I'm debt free, my life can start. But I've realised this IS part of my life and at least I'm doing something about it now. x

lcc86 wrote: »

Hi Orange Ena, you're doing well and glad you've been given the chance to mix things up a little at work, I too can sympathise with your work situation, but it's not forever and things always seem so much better when you've done it the hard way!

Hi lcc. Ah thanks, yeah fingers crossed my little change at work keeps me motivated. Haha it feels like it's forever at the moment! Hope you're getting on ok

Orange_Ena

Not much debt blasting in the last couple of days.

Yesterday
* Took lunch to work
* NSD
* When I bought a new phone I remembered they gave me an in car charger, so I charged my phone while driving too and from work. Saves my leccy! Although I'm not sure if it uses up my diesel more! Hmmmm

Today
* Took lunch to work
* NSD. I did need milk but I wanted 3 NSD's in a row more!
* 62p account tidy transferred to Nati0nwide CC
* Registered for checkoutsm@rt
* £8 received for item sold on Shp0ck and will pay it into my account tomorrow!
* £10 withdrawn from payp@l
* Paid the above £18 to jdWilliams. Balance stands at £45.57 :):)

I've got 9 items finishing on eb*y tomorrow with a total of £18.15 so far for 5 items. Fingers crossed they pay swiftly! That money is needed!

Here's to a low spend weekend.

Orange_Ena

I had to put the heating on today. It's August! :eek::D

Today
* £21.59 groceries
* £15 on joggers for gym. I've got an induction in a couple of weeks and I have nothing else suitable to wear
* £29.48 in eb*y sales from 5 items. 4 have been relisted automatically. Hoping that's about £25 once fees have been taken!
* 15p account tidy paid to Nati0nwide CC.
* New spreadsheet updated. I really want to get my laptop fixed so I can use my free copy of YNAB that I won!
* 5p claimed from checkoutsm@rt for uploading my grocery receipt.

25 days to payday....................;):p

Orange_Ena

Not huge deal to report really, literally did nothing over the weekend except chill out. Twas lovely

Sunday
* NSD

Monday
* £1.69 bar chocolate
* £8.48 eb*y postage
* Receipt for chocolate scanned on checkoutsm@rt for 5p

Tuesday
* £3.60 car park - will be claimed back
* £6.19 eb*y postage
* £5.95 groceries and scanned receipt on checkoutsm@rt for 5p
* Youg0v survey
* 91p paid to Nati0nwide CC

My laptop seems to be behaving but it over heats terribly. Once I've got my photos off and the documents I want, I'm going to ask my computer guy to see if it can be fixed. If not, I'm going to bite the bullet and get a new cheap laptop. I can't use iTun3s, or use YNAB on my tablet, and I get screened out of loads of surveys as my tablet doesn't have flash (and as far as I can make out, it's not compatible). I've got some t3sco vouchers and there are laptops on the clubcard boost thing but I'll still be shelling out about £150 I guess. Ggrrrr

catriona79

Hello Ena,

Just a little Saturday morning post, as I sit in bed sipping coffee. I know, it's 10 am!!:eek:
But it's only me, no children, so I'm ok to do that

You've done well and been really focused - keep at it!

Have you tried YNAB?

I've gone back to using it now and think it's been great. It really keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I'm just deliberating a new mortgage and maybe going for a 5 year fix, so as to be able to change careers, without having to worry too much about the interest rates rising.
I really am ready for a career change.

Today, I'm going to drive to McDonald's and ask them for a few boxes to pack my books. Having to put them up in the attic, so that my new lodger can move her stuff in. She moves in this Thursday! It's going to be a big change, and I'm looking forward to it and worry about it in equal measures!

How are you other than budgeting?

Orange_Ena

catriona79 wrote: »

Hello Ena,

Just a little Saturday morning post, as I sit in bed sipping coffee. I know, it's 10 am!!:eek:
But it's only me, no children, so I'm ok to do that

You've done well and been really focused - keep at it!

Have you tried YNAB?

I've gone back to using it now and think it's been great. It really keeps me on the straight and narrow.

I'm just deliberating a new mortgage and maybe going for a 5 year fix, so as to be able to change careers, without having to worry too much about the interest rates rising.
I really am ready for a career change.

Today, I'm going to drive to McDonald's and ask them for a few boxes to pack my books. Having to put them up in the attic, so that my new lodger can move her stuff in. She moves in this Thursday! It's going to be a big change, and I'm looking forward to it and worry about it in equal measures!

How are you other than budgeting?

Hi Catriona

Ah a lie in! I'd love a proper lie in but my cat won't allow it. He starts getting a bit huffy and if I still don't get up, he treats me to his bum in my face :eek:;)

Thanks, I still feel focused. Really need this debt gone. I still haven't started using YNAB but will very soon hopefully. I need to get a new laptop then I will. I've got a little spreadsheet where I'm tracking spends and bills and stuff. I can't wait to be a proper YNABber though

My dad was telling me that he's read that it's coming to the end of dirt cheap mortgages and now would be a good time to fix. Definitely worth thinking about fixing for 5 years. He then told me in the 70s mortgage rates went up to 15% :eek: I'd never manage, as likely most people. Scary stuff. Do you have an independent mortgage advisor?

Are you planning on something completely different career change wise? I know I want to leave my job but I can't face studying again and I haven't a clue what I'd want to do. Something that's not stressful that's for sure! When I was 17, I remember saying to people that I'd have a career change at 35. Well I'm 3 years behind so I need to come up with a plan! Hope you find something you want to do. Life is too short to be miserable at work

Ooh how exciting that she moving in imminently. All that lovely money! I'm sure everything will be fine and she'll settle right in.

Everything else is great really, just work taking a shine off other positives in my life How are you doing? Any holiday plans?

Orange_Ena

A busy few days so just catching up.

Wednesday
* £25 diesel
* Youg0v survey
* VO survey

Thursday
* £8.26 for a few groceries and receipt scanned on checkoutsm@rt for 5p
* Survey
* Cleared out my emails, about 7000. I can't clear that many on my phone but managed to do it on my poorly laptop. Feels good

Friday
* 2 surveys
* £23.44 groceries. Will probably just need a few little bits this week. Receipt scanned for 5p

Today
* £1.10 transferred to Nati0nwide CC
* Might to a tip run later, otherwise will be a NSD
* Complete any surveys that come my way
* £30 pounds withdrawn from payp@l and paid to JdWilliams. Balance now stands at £37.11 (bought the joggers from there so I wouldn't be tempted by any other clothes in the shop and interest has been added)
*Logged into sw@gbucks - I find I'm screened out of surveys all the time and watching videos is little reward, even though I can play videos in the background, it's just not for me. Once I hit 849SB I'll cash out then forget it.

Other income totals as of 8th Aug
* Checkoutsm@rt - 30p
* Sh0pitize - 25p
* Sw@gbucks - 230SB
* Youg0v - 250 points
* Valu3d Opini0ns - £31.20

Plugging away........

I wanted to pay this last little balance of jdwilliams from money I'd earnt as an extra. If I hadn't bought the joggers I'd have been nearly there, with maybe about £22 to go. Well the month isn't over yet! My friend will give me £20 in a couple of weeks for doing a little job for her and I could still sell some bits that are listed on eb*y so I'm really pleased that I'm nearly there. I think I've only been seriously debt busting about a month (this time anyway!) and I'm so pleased I've knocked my jdwilliams debt from £520.47 to £37.11. :):)

My total debt on 3rd July was £6333.30 and now it's! £5706.19. A great (re)start and I'm chuffed with that. Need to keep up the momentum this time. ;)

Over the last few weeks I've managed to transfer all my photos from my poorly laptop to Flick3r so now they're safe I'm so relieved. My laptop is massively overheating and it's melted the charger thing that goes into the laptop. It will still charge if I hold it in. The updates for the laptop are so behind. It doesn't seem to work properly. I can't access iTun3s and it won't uninstall so I can reinstall.

I really only need a laptop for iTun3s, YNAB and any surveys that need flash! The overheating is really worrying too so I've decided I will get a new laptop but for now it'll have to go on the CC. I've got some t3sco vouchers and while it's on this double voucher boost, it'll bring the laptop down to £172. Plus I can go through TCB! It's not the cheapest laptop but it's got good reviews and seems quite good value for money. At least it's an mse considered purchase!!! :money:

Have a good weekend

Orange_Ena

Another weekend gone far too quick! I've got a couple of days off this week which will feel like another weekend!

Today
* £3.20 found at the bottom of my bag, gone straight in the tin
* 56p transferred to Nati0nwide CC
* Tip run
* £16 on makeup, via TCB! (should get around £1 cash back) It's my favourite stuff and I've taken the spare bit of money from my hair account
* Shredding done
* Meal plan done, will only need a few top up bits and milk this week.....if all goes to plan!
* Ordered the new laptop from t3sco, using TCB and my clubc@rd b00st vouchers. Brought it down from £229 to £172 and its tracked already with £6 cashback

That's it for today. Unless any surveys come through

catriona79

Hey Ena,

You're motoring on, congrats. That JDW account balance is soooo low! :T

Any more thoughts on the lodger situation?

I've just got an email from HSBC to say that I could get £500 off a mortgage booking fee, and have seen a mortgage which would save me £30 a month and there are no ERCs. It's not a fix either, so could be relatively easy to switch to something else in a few months. Maybe it's worth giving them a call whether they'd honour that £500 discount. Who knows.

I've brought down my sky payments, which is great, and my lodger is moving in next week now I think - she may be a little disorganised!

I had a day off today and it was bliss. Would love to drop my hours and work only 4 days a week. Wouldn't that be lovely! I might enquire in a few weeks...

Orange_Ena

catriona79 wrote: »

Hey Ena,

You're motoring on, congrats. That JDW account balance is soooo low! :T

Any more thoughts on the lodger situation?

I've just got an email from HSBC to say that I could get £500 off a mortgage booking fee, and have seen a mortgage which would save me £30 a month and there are no ERCs. It's not a fix either, so could be relatively easy to switch to something else in a few months. Maybe it's worth giving them a call whether they'd honour that £500 discount. Who knows.

I've brought down my sky payments, which is great, and my lodger is moving in next week now I think - she may be a little disorganised!

I had a day off today and it was bliss. Would love to drop my hours and work only 4 days a week. Wouldn't that be lovely! I might enquire in a few weeks...

Thanks Catriona. I'll be glad when the jdwilliams debt has gone. Sooo close now

I'm definitely still wanting a lodger, I just need to get the room sorted, when I've got some money. Hoping to let it out by February if i'm being realistic!

Ooh that sounds like a good offer, especially if you can move on to another deal easily enough. Did you ring them?

Hopefully she'll be a bit more organised when she moves in! Bet you can't wait to get your hands on her lovely rent :rotfl::)

I have a day off every other week and it's heaven. I would love to just do 4 days a week, well, less than that really, but it's something I'm aiming for. I would love to walk away from this job but the money is quite good. If I left and got a less stressful lower paid job, I would probably have to work full time so it's all a balance. Either way, to be debt free would take the pressure off a lot!

Would your work be open to dropping your hours? There's about 5 people I work with who are or who have requested to drop hours. We're only a team of about 35. I hope the higher management realise that morale is so low that people are willing to reduce their pay, despite the threats of being downgraded anyway.