Living day to day

Dolliechops

Hi all,

Longterm on/off lurker here ,

After checking banks this morning and seeing balance of £26 to feed us and petrol till next Tuesday I have decided enough is enough and I need to get a grip and deal with my debts ...... So here I am ,

It's not as bad as it seems tax credits went into bank today and tax credits went out of bank today on bank charges (for going over o/d limit ) :eek: . Leaving me with £26 :mad:.

After noticing I had been charged £25 paid item fee (amongst other charges) for a £7.99 transaction when online banking says no charge for under £12.00 transaction .I called the bank to enquire about this .I wasn't expecting any help and was prepared to be told "no can do it's your own fault " which I take responsibility for and it is my fault . However the lady was really nice and amazingly she refunded all £150 worth of charges !!!!! They were in my account instantly

Food has now been brought for the week and I paid the minimum payment on my credit card (which I was going to ignore till next month as I didn't have the funds ) . Also the sick panicky feeling has gone .

So with my good luck about bank charges Im now more convinced that now is the time to deal with my financial situation

Dolliechops

So a bit about me .....

I'm a single mum to DD who is 10 ,I work part time in a job I love .

My debts are as follows

Next -£161
staff card -278
C/C- 1750
O/d- 1000

At the moment all my thinking about finances are consumed with trying to clear the next account , I don't know why and I don't have any logical reason behind it but seeing as it is the lowest I think it is more realistic and achieveable and will give me a boost seeing it gone and spur me on to clear staff card .

Also should mention that for the last few months I'm in a cycle of bank charges :mad: in one account it's from going over my overdraft limit paying charges and then being short the next month and then repeating the cycle the other account it is because I stupidly haven't had the funds to cover direct debits .

So firstly my mission is to stay within overdraft limit and stop incurring charges , I'm convinced that I will have charges next month as I have been a bit naughty between the end of charging period and payday but all going to plan I will have no charges in July that's a positive !!

LittleMissKitty

Hi Dollie, happy new diary and good luck in your journey, hopefully with the bank charges refund you can get on top of it now and clear it in no time Kitty x

Dolliechops

Hi little miss kitty!

This morning I have rounded down my bank account and paid a whopping £1.32 off of the next account . It's not a huge amount but it is something. Secretly I'm quite proud of myself for doing that lol.

I'm waiting for my new tax credit award to come through the post . I renewed it last week and have a feeling that the amount will be lower than I currently receive . I don't like not knowing I can't plan in advance .
from memory it doesn't take that long for HMRC to make the changes and normaly am notified within a week ,hopefully it will come in the post today .

DD has a school trip next June it will be her first week away anyway it's a massive £300 , I've paid the deposit so her place is secure ,the next installment is due next week £50 . The Ex (DD dad ) mentioned that he would pay it a few weeks ago ,I gently reminded him yesterday and he says he "will drop the money round ". I'm not holding my breath and will believe it when I see it. As have learned from past experiences not to rely on what he says I have already got the money put aside .

,we need new duvets and pillows but in a MSE fashion I decided we would make do till winter and wash the ones we have to freshen them up ,anyway it hasn't gone to plan we now have lumpy pillows and DD freshly washed duvet has blown off the line and is now sitting in neighbours garden whoops

Right I need to get off of here and do some housework
Have a good day everyone
Dollie xx

Julie67

Morning Dollie,

Happy new diary. I've started one too about my dream to move to the country, get rid of our horrendous debt and move forward. Good luck with your journey x

HeadAboveWater

Hello :wave:

Gonna subscribe to your diary and follow you on your journey!!

I got caught in the 'bank charge circle' a few years ago Wanted to reduce my overdraft but couldn't coz the charges were atrocious! Finally managed it by opening a new bank account with someone else!

What interest rates are on your debts? I know what you're saying about getting rid of the smallest total first so you've '1 down 3 to go' sorta thing, but if the interest rate is very high on a different one you may want to rethink.

How are you with your spending every week/month? Bills/utilities/groceries/etc? Maybe post an SOA and we can give you some ideas as to how you can cut back on your spending. Every little helps, right?!

Good luck

Dolliechops

Hi Julie and headabovewater,

God this site is addictive ! I'm meant to be finishing housework but convinced myself I need a coffee break at least I've retrieved DD duvet cover from neighbours garden :rotfl:

Some more good news, tax credit award notice landed on doorstep it's only reduced by £7.00 a week I was fearing much worse so although it's nearly £30 down a month I'm happy ,

I'm due a one off payment tomorrow of £118 which is money I wasn't expecting :j:j however I am undecided what to do with it !
Here are the options

a) spend it all on me lol
b) put it all towards next debt
c) put enough in other account to cover bank charges due tomorrow
So not to incurr charges next month and put rest towards next
d) cover bank charges use the rest for night out with girls on sat
e) cover bank charges , and what's left split between DD school trip
And next .
f) pay bank charges and keep the rest to ensure some breathing
Space till payday

Oh the possibilities are endless I could go on and on !

Just been to te$co express (my local shop ) needed washing powder but at £7.00 it can stay on the shelf again I'm pleased I didn't buy it .I'm learning :T:T, did buy milk and garlic bread (said in Peter Kay style ) though so going to round down bank account in a minute and transfer to next .

Sorry to ramble and go on ,I'm excited and like a child at the thought of taking control and dealing with these debts :rotfl:

Dolliechops

Today has been a work day ,after several days off it was hard going getting back into the swing of things .

For the first time in ages I was able to fill up the car with petrol without worrying that I was spending money that should have been for something else which was a nice feeling .

my friend popped into work and we went for a coffee which was unplanned and I didn't really want to spend the money but in all fairness I have to make the most of seeing her as she works abroad for most of the year and I have to take every opportunity to see her when she is back home .

Paid another small amount onto the next account after i rounded down bank account and although it was a small amount It is now under the £160 Mark which I think is good considering I have only really been serious about paying it off for less than a week .

As for the "one off " payment from tax credits I have decided to transfer money into other account to pay dreaded bank charges and to keep the rest in bank account to give me a bit of a buffer till payday and reduce the likelihood of going overdrawn and incurring even more bank charges .Got to get out of the bank charge cycle

So my plan is to clear the next account by the end of the month it should be do-able if I keep focused and then I can start on the staff card .

As of yet no money has been dropped off by the EX for DD school trip deposit . not that I desperately need it as I have already got the money myself but it would have helped . I wish he wouldn't promise to pay for things he has no intention of paying !!!! .I might be jumping the gun ,money is not due till Monday and he might still pay

HeadAboveWater

Feels good watching the figures drop, doesn't it?!

Glad you enjoyed your coffee with your friend Much as it's important to get rid of debt and not throw money about, we've only one life and we gotta live it too! Going for a coffee is one of mine and OHs little luxuries! We're not in debt thankfully but we still see it as a treat

Stay focussed! You can do it :D

Have a great weekend :cool:

Dolliechops

Morning all ,

Feeling slightly delicate this morning after a few (too many:cool:) drinks with a friend last night . But I can't dwell on it too much as I'm doing it all again tonight :o,

Paid another £1.27 to Next account today:j and after checking Bank accounts this morning everything is looking ok , not gone overdrawn and no "forgotten about "or unexpected payments have gone out of the bank :j:j

I am finding it really good to finally be back in control!

Still no money from the Ex and not even a mention of it :mad:

Right must get going work beckons ,

Have a good day everyone

HeadAboveWater

Have you recovered ok from your weekend yet? I had 2 drinks, literally, on Saturday night. Hardly worth my while

You're really on top of your ££ now! Fab :T No surprises is gooooooood!!