Dear Diary...

Bad_Weather

Missed this Amy! I have been trying. Focus has completely been clearing overdraft. Next purchase - black boots!

So...been awol again. Things are a bit busy at the minute and couple of weeks, and more coming up. So just checking in again to keep myself right!

My mum gave me some money towards my wedding dress. Alot more money than she can afford. OH told me not to take it (he is a wee dream, want to throttle him at times, but a dream other times) but my mum said all my other sisters have had it. So since I had already done a balance transfer for the credit card that has the dress on it I put the £1000 toward my overdraft.

As soon as money was in I phoned up to reduce overdraft. Overdraft now £590. I get a free £300 overdraft with my reward account so this pay day I will reduce it by another £300. Then just leave it at the free £300. But I do not want to stay in the free £300 as you lose out on rewards when you are in your overdraft.

Now that the credit card is 0% I am then going to focus on the savings and just pay the mimum amount each month for the 18 months. Got charged £105 for my overdraft and only transferred £3,500 so new balance is £3,605. £105 might sound alot but my interest for last month was £55.87. So I wasn't going to clear it in 2 months therfore I have made some huge savings. Still have £120 on the card, obviously statement wasn't up to date when I did balance transfer so will need to clear that on pay day aswell.

So on payday (tomorrow) my debts are:
£300 Reduce Overdraft
£120 to clear other credit card
£1000 for new flat (rent and deposit)
£500 wedding fund

£70 Owe Sister
£1,990 TOTAL

That is alot of cash, next month is going to be super tight if that is possible. But hopefully we will be in new flat so will have a proper kitchen and I will save alot of money that way. I have 2 of my friends birthdays.1 is a 30th! Ekkkk!!!

Right promise i will read other diaries over the weekend! x

HeadAboveWater

Aw that was sweet of your mum! And :T to putting the money straight to your overdraft! Great work btw! Nice to see that total coming down, esp seeing as it's costing you a whack every month

Have you thought about your 'one-treat-a-month shopping list' yet?!

Hope you have a fab weekend

Bad_Weather

Hello lovely people. HUGE Update!

I have been AWOL since April, previously when I went AWOL it was a bad sign but It's all good. I have been a good girl.

Changing jobs, houses, been on holiday and wedding planning has been most of my time and googling! But it's all settling down! So updates. Sorry if I have repeated any of this in previous posts and sorry for being soooo long!

My overdraft is down to £300...but...I have £3,500k on a 0% balance transfer credit card. On that credit card is my very expensive wedding dress!

I still only have 1.7k saved up. And am going to try and continue to save 1K a month. A mammoth goal but If I can get as close to that as I possibly can that would be good! OH and I agreed I would save £500 a month for the wedding for 13 months so hopefully the extra will go into a deposit for a house one day.

I have ended my mobile phone contract (£30 a month) and went to GiffGaff (£10). I love looking at my phone thinking - you only cost me £10 a month. I actually don't think I will ever enter into a contract again. Really want a Samsung Galaxy s4 or something. The big huge phone, but will wait till the other dies before getting one! Think I would rather buy the mobile outright and stay on a rolling contract. I have cancelled my charity donations and done it through Payroll so I can actually give MORE to the charity and it costs the same - BRILLIANT.

Moved love film subscription to joint account as we both use it, changed my graze box to bi-weekly instead of weekly. All these small things have saved me £30.50 a month, that's £366 a year!!! :money:

We have a new house, renting but it is amazing. I need to stop cranking the heating up and putting a jumper on or grab a hot water bottle. Need to get some big jumpers. This is a bad, bad, BAD habit. As our house is AMMAZING BUT old so not very energy efficient. Has some dampness so I feel the heating is good. Also managed to decorate the place with what we had and some extra donations from parents and friends! Literally only purchased an extra chest of drawers! I love it. Looks great aswell!

The wedding planning got to me for a while (I am not a planner) but getting there. I am the kind of person who just wants things done and booked and then worries about them until that is done. this impulse is also why I ended up in debt. Don't worry about it, just buy it.

The honeymoon, wedding rings and my wedding dress were the big things that were stressing me. But the honeymoon is BOOKED! Got amazing accommodation sorted at a great price, some flights sorted and just need to sort travel to London and 1 nights accommodation. OH and I have train vouchers so plan to use them going down, maybe even upgrade to first class! We are waiting to see if OH accumulates enough points to possibly get one night in a fancy hotel through work.

Collected our wedding rings, ordered the dress, once I book the flights I will be happy! Then just need to sort out bridesmaids and I'll be very very happy! Picked the dresses so need to call around and see who will sell it the cheapest.

In the new house so walk to work now saving on petrol & £3.50 parking (on the days I drove) or £5.50 train ticket (on days got train). Result. It's a 30min walk and I walk pretty fast so hoping I eventually notice this on my hips This is the change that I have really noticed financially! On rare occasions I get the underground, usually the weekends. But since they have stopped doing the 10 or 20 multi-passes I'm convincing the OH to walk to save me £1.20 each time.

OH and I pay £750 a month each into the joint account to cover rent and all the bills. We SHOULD have money left over which I HOPEFULLY will buy all the Christmas presents when that comes! :money:

Also...sounds terrible...but if I make my lunches it comes out of the joint account instead of me individually. And the OH makes his lunches and buys his toiletries etc via joint acc. My toiletries come out of my own pocket (as supermarkets don't sell) where he buys his in Asda, Tesco etc so he is defo getting the better deal!

I am getting better, hardly buy any fancy coffees anymore, for once its no longer me thinking that's just £2 - I now think I could get that for free upstairs and save £2! Cutting down on lunches, not bought any makeup in a while. I am getting better, I really am. I am aiming for a day when my money goes on things I actually want and not on lunches and coffees and interest!

TRYING to take my lunches into work most days. My problem is I always get caught up in some fad diet and don't just make myself a sandwich?! Been trying to just be healthy, whether that is some veg & mixed beans in a tub or a salad wrap. Want to learn to make my own wraps - apparently they are so easy! Just got by yesterday, and think I will get by again today! I can now see how people have No Spend Days. I think I may start these challenges!

Working my way through toiletries. Determined to clean out everything and then just buy one expensive good thing once a month. I have so many moisturisers, face masks and shower gels, contact lense solutions, everything - you name it! perfumes, loads of miniatures. getting there, they take a surprising amount of time to work your way through! Body scrubs aswell - I have LOADS. Using up everything I can before I buy anything else and any lipglosses I don't like are getting used in work! Waste not want not! Yet to see an impact but hoping as time goes on and I lose some weight and am only left with my good stuff everything will come together.

So ultimately have only good quality clothes I wear and toiletries I actually use! Also will declogg the house - I swear that will free up so many drawers and boxes.

Continuing to stalk girl in work. She walks to work, buys everything out of joint account, makes her own soup, has same good quality clothes but mix and matches - I want to be her. Also is going on holiday and never purchased one single thing for it. Amazing. There is also a guy who is one of the tight ones, but he is so good with his money. So still inspiring me.

SO Goals are to:

A) Lose weight, so I can fit back into all my lovely clothes.
Get my documents sorted. Because I am getting better I am getting more controlling
C) Look at a better joint account with benefits. Want a good one that is not with our current bank.
D) Eventually implement HeadAbovesWater one treat a month plan. Put £100 aside for something each month, whether its close or makeup or anything.

Anyway - summary. I think I really am changing. Just need to nail the lunches and impulse buys and I am a very good pupil. One day I will have £25k saved up for a deposit! My uncle got made redundant in December last year. They were brilliant about it, got rid of the fancy cars immediately, downsized, cancelled holidays, my Aunty went back to work, but they are still struggling with the mortgage (its a bit house) What is has taught me is that I want to have such large deposit so that if OH or I gets made redundant then we can afford the house on one salary. :money:

xxx

HeadAboveWater

WoW! You are doing absolutely fantastically!! Very well done :T

It's all those small changes which add up to make the big changes. You don't really miss the things that only cost a few ££ at a time, but when you snowball and see what you've actually saved after year?? :eek::D

:T to the walking too! Save ££s and lbs I ditched the car a year and a half ago and I've dropped 2 dress sizes, and saved myself a fortune too! Couldn't be happier with that result!!

You have been making big plans and big changes in your life! Hopefully things have all settled down and you can sit back and enjoy the ride for a while!

Thanks for the update! Don't leave it so long the next time!!

Bad_Weather

Thanks HeadAboveWater! There has been ALOT going on! I said it above but I really have noticed a difference in my fiances with walking to work, I easily must be saving about £100 a month, easily. And now that I am bringing in my lunches I PRAY on a star that I am like you and get to lose 2 dress sizes - that is AMAZING!!! Its a 30min brisk walk - It has to do some good! I really enjoy my walk to and from work, even in the rain, I used to put my ipod, waterproof and trainers on and get on with it.

I am aiming to implement your suggestion of 1 purchase a month technique when I get a bit more "comfortable". The sales are driving me crazy at the moment but honeslty I have soooo much gorgeous clothes, shoes, bags, dresses, makeup there is nothing I could possibly need. I need to repeat that to myself over and over and over again when I start to weaken! Nearly did yesterday with Swarovski sale.

Thought about implementing my OH technique who withdraws "pocket money" each week and that is his spending money for everything (lunches, nights out etc), at the end of the month if he has money left over he can buy himself something. But since I now walk to work and try and bring in lunches I think that would actually cost me MORE each month than just picking something to buy each month. If I new I had X amount left over I would just blow it on stuff I did not need! So say I had £140 left over but the thing I wanted was £90 I would blow that extra £50 for no reason.

I am going to do another brain dump later as now that things have calmed down money is back on my mind! It will be like a giant emotional to-do-list!

Bad_Weather

Ohh dear I so very very much want a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone!!!

I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone!

The Galaxy S4 is HUGE (not a problem for a girl with big handbags It's like a phone and an Ipad mini all in one!!! I hate my stupid iphone tiny screen - I want a big one!!!

I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone.

castlelough

Bad Weather!
You have a new stalker! :D:D
Your last post is just rocking positivity! I think you are becoming that girl!!!
You have come so far since March! Well done!

I love your shopping wishlist - I've done this since I was really young (only back then it was a list of things I needed to buy before I could get a pony!!! Wishful thinking!) I definitely think it is the trait of the 'spender' and not the 'saver'. But with a little effort I've managed to overcome the 'spender' for the last twelve months - I just have to stay out of the shops!

I am on the last month of my contract with my iPhone4 and dying to switch onto a sim only contract to save that extra few bob each month...............so I urge you - DON'T DO IT! DON'T BUY THE NEW PHONE!!!!! Why don't you treat yourself to it after your wedding? You are sure to get plenty of cash gifts. Hold out!

Keep up the good work!!! :j:j:j
Castle

HeadAboveWater

Bad_Weather wrote: »

...walking to work, I easily must be saving about £100 a month... and get to lose 2 dress sizes:)

£100 a month is loads! And that's not even counting your lunch!

I eat like a horse so for me to drop 2 dress sizes in year and a half is amazing! 20 mins for me each way and I'm a brisk walker too!
Good luck!

If you've plenty of clothes/shoes/bags to last a while, then no buying!! Maybe 'hide' a few items away for a couple of months, then rotate with a few different items. It'll maybe make it seem like you've got new stuff again if you haven't seen it for a while!!

Pocket money every week is a great idea - coz it works for me too! Whatever I have left I put into a tin, then once a month lodge it in my account. Or spend it. Depends if I've seen anything I fancy!! lol

Bad_Weather wrote: »

If I new I had X amount left over I would just blow it on stuff I did not need! So say I had £140 left over but the thing I wanted was £90 I would blow that extra £50 for no reason.

Tut! Tut! You're gonna have to give yourself a strict talking to on that one!!

Bad_Weather wrote: »

I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone!

I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone. I love my £10 phone.

:rotfl:

I've always loved my wee basic Sony Ericsson phone. [STRIKE] If [/STRIKE] when you finally have money, you can treat yourself to a new phone straight out. No more of this 24 month contract crap! Just stick to PAYG or a rolling/SIM only contract. That's what I did. I treated myself to a Xperia in March time with money that I'd been given. But in saying that, I had a lot of change left over. Couldn't justify spending all the money on a phone!

castlelough wrote: »

But with a little effort I've managed to overcome the 'spender' for the last twelve months - I just have to stay out of the shops!

Agreed! But also agree that's hard! I work in the centre of town and get 45 mins for lunch. There's very little else I can do!

Hope the sun is shining :cool::D

Bad_Weather

I LOVE MY £10 PHONE!!!

I want to BE that girl. I have been trying very hard, to be positive and not be bitter. I am trying!!!:money:

You are so right ladies - Castlelough I NEVER even thought about the presents. THE PRESENTS! That and the honeymoon are my new drivers at the minute for this wedding. And I cannot believe you have been out of the shops for 12 months - good girl!!! I've been trying hard this year (have I mentioned how I am trying - ). I've had a few slips ups, BUT definitely have noticed a difference. OH has noticed aswell, he said I used to always have shopping bags or something new or something getting delivered from an online shop (the devil).

Here here HeadAboveWater I am never ever getting a 24 month contract - NEVER! I will treat myself to a phone AFTER the wedding (see I am learning from both of you already )

I 100% NEED to stay away from the shops at lunchtime or I will buy anything that I can convince my crazy little head that I need. I.e the recent Cath Kidston sale...I now have matching toilet & makeup bags.

Or even when I take in lunch with me, I do not know how, but I can convince myself to buy another lunch. BUY ANOTHER LUNCH. Then the perfectly fine one gets binned for M&S or Prêt extravaganza (Meal, drink, dessert, snack for later.) which usually costs between £5 - £8. No Joke. Not good for the waist line or the purse. That was history though, I'm not that girl anymore! Although like a drug addict or an alcoholic it's best not to temp temptations so I still stay clear

Shopping lists ARE traits of spenders. I feel I am justifying the spend...you know...as it was on THE LIST?!?! So of course it's allowed?! Do I need it...well not necessarily all of it. But it's on the list...so I am allowed it I should probably update that list, there are some things I do actually need more now than a new hairdryer...

Anyway back to me being a good girl! It's my mates birthday and I am recycling a present that was given to me! It's one of the super tight mates (I believe I may have ranted about them once...or twice....or ten times before).

She is actually getting gorgeous jewellery off me, which I resent a little (don't worry I'm in a good place now - the dark cloud has lifted :A )...but the fact is I wouldn't wear it and I think she would and it's not costing me anything, and it's another thing out of the house. PMA!

I have other presents (earrings and some bracelets) that could be recycled, but I don't like to just give them to get rid of them, like to allocate to people who I think would like or would use. Or as a last resort they get put in the secret Santa at work :rotfl:

Just got an email ith 70% off Coast sale - :eek: DELETE DELETE! x

Bad_Weather

Also never mentioned I'm dropping off a bag of clothes and sunglasses etc to the local homeless shelter. Some nice nike stuff and zara dresses and a Firetrap jacket.

Good Karma points for me surely! x