My Diary to Debt Freedom!

MrsSmith2013

Morning Diaryland :wave:

Just thought I would update quickly before my busy weekend kicks in! Managed to do a big tidy up of DD's bedroom last night as she is staying over at a friends, so have some bits and pieces from there to sell which I have listed on the FB selling pages, and my sales board at work. Also have 2 black bags of broken toys, puzzles with bits missing, and a load of cardboard from boxes of things to go to the recycling!

This weekend is a busy weekend, as I have to go and collect DD from a birthday party at lunch time in town, then come home and clean the house for inlaws coming to babysit tonight. Hubby and I are off to see a show, can't wait.

While am in town, I am going to go and get a case for my camera but this shouldn't cost me as I have gift vouchers, so should be okay. I have about £130 so the camera case should still leave me plenty of change.

Tomorrow we are off for a road trip to see Thomas the Tank engine at an old steam railway. DS will love this as he is a massive Thomas fan. The tickets were quite expensive, but I bought them ages ago, so we'll just need petrol.

I think tomorrow night, hubby and I are going to properly review our finances, because there are a couple of things he isn't sure what they are either coming out of our joint account so we need to look at that properly.

Anyway, hope everyone has a fab weekend and I will pop on tomorrow at some point to update.

Mrs S x

MrsSmith2013

Hi MSE'rs!

Just a quick update, which isn't all that positive to be honest, but this is how it is! Have had a review of our outgoings with OH and we have come across a loan that is coming out of there each month that I either forgot we had, or shoved it to the back of my mind. Its £196 a month, so we need to find out how long is left on it, and if we can make overpayments.

As we've now discovered a lurking loan, we are going to blitz this first, and then look at the card which is 0%.

My only positive, is that at least we have found this now and not while in the middle of a mortgage application for a new house!!

I'm trying not to stress about it, but it is slightly annoying. Then there was the payday loan I forgot about, but that should be out of the way this month. I think I might get our credit files just to check what we have lurking on them so that there are no more nasty surprises. I'd rather have a completely clean sheet before we look at moving house, I want it to be a new new new new start.

Probably won't be back on here tonight as I need to leave my laptop at work again, as IT are working on it over night, so will get the figures sorted out and post back later in the week.

Will catch up with all your diaries at the end of the week once I get my laptop back.

Mrs S x

Little-Miss_2

bummer about the loan at least you know now so you can set to work on it x

MrsSmith2013

Thanks little-miss - I'm surprisingly calm about it. I know there's no point stressing about it, so we just need to knuckle down and get on with paying it. It helps massively that DH is onboard, because before it was a bit of a struggle during my last DF Journey.

I've sold a couple of things on the fb selling pages so thats £20 that will go towards the QQ PDL. I can't even bring myself to write their stupid name!! I've sorted the payment coming off my pay tomorrow to be £437.50 and then the remainder due on my next pay day is £312.50 - but I plan to blitz that before then. I am guessing they won't make it easy for you to pay extra, but I'll phone tomorrow to pay the additional £20 from my sales.

On the subject of fb selling pages, I have picked up 3 brand new JCB Digger DVDs for my DS for £5, so am going to keep these for Christmas as a stocking filler. I always leave Christmas til the last minute so this year I am determined to be organised. I would spend £5 / £10 here and there on food and rubbish so instead its going to be on christmas presents. My aim is to have everything bought by 1st December.

My next mini-mission is to go and do a signature so that I can see my progress.

Mrs S x

MrsSmith2013

Testing my new signature....

scottishspendaholic

Oh my MrsSmith, what a shocker re. the loan - poor you! Do you have paperwork? Any chance you might have paid PPI on it?

I am going to start the 52 week challenge from Monday 2nd September - thanks for giving me the idea!

MrsSmith2013

Thanks scottishspendaholic - I know, its a bit of a bummer, but we'll just have to knuckle down and get it paid! We need to phone and see how much is outstanding on it - I'm thinking worst case scenario around the same as the credit card, but I'm not sure. I can't remember if it was 2010 or 2011 it was taken out. Will look out the number and the details for hubby to phone tomorrow as its in his name.

I have someone coming to collect a stand I have sold on Saturday so thats £25, and then I have sold a kids camera for £12 that I have to meet the lady with on Monday so thats some more towards the payday loan. I'm not updating my signature or actually counting that until it is in the bank and I have phoned to pay it so that I don't get ahead of myself.

Hoping to get the house tidyed up and all my car boot sale stuff finalised this weekend, so I can go either next weekend or the one after depending on the weather. The plan will be to see if I can sell any of the stuff beforehand and if not, will take it to the car boot sale. What I don't get rid of will go to the charity shop.

Just waiting for the tumble dryer to go off before I go to bed, not very eco friendly, but I detest ironing and if I get it straight out the tumble its usually not too bad.

Night for now,
Mrs S x

MrsSmith2013

So today is payday, and after checking what is in my current account, it looks like there's not enough to cover what will be coming out - STRESS!!

Half of me is thinking, just let the stuff go out that will, and fret about the rest later, and the other half is thinking - I am fed up feeling like this!!

The payday loan payment has been swiftly taken off, and I need to transfer money to the car account (which is in my mothers name so I can't screw that up!) and thats me pretty much empty.

To make it worse, I've missed out a week of childcare due to come off for next week, so need to find £236 by Monday - thank goodness its a shorter week next week and not the full whack! I'm going to have to take this from the kids savings accounts which I don't really want to do, but needs must. I'll do that tomorrow and will have to scrape the rest together from bits and pieces.

I also went and said to my daughter I would take her to get some school uniform bits and pieces today, so that will have to be Asda/Tescos - all she really needs is a couple of skirts, blouses and shoes so hoping to get that for under the £48 I have sitting in my other account that I had hoped to put towards the credit card.

I think the only thing saving my sanity right now is the fact that my August pay should largely be free to pay additional payments on things instead of just scraping by the bare minimums.

Will update later or tomorrow - I keep thinking things can only get better, and they just aren't!!


Mrs S

scottishspendaholic

Aw MrsS - you sound so sad!

What age is your daughter? I have some grey pinafores and skirts you'd be welcome to for postage? They are nice M&S ones (pre LBM!).

And please don't stress about raiding the kids accounts, if you're going to pay it back then they will never know any different and you need to money to help keep a roof over their heads.

Do you have to pay the childcare? Could you get a week off work at short notice or send the kids to Granny's/Auntie's - that's such a lot of money!

Does your husband get paid today too?

I am so sorry things aren't getting any better for you despite you trying so hard to sort things out, must feel like such a kick in the teeth - keep on trucking quine (I hope you'll know what a quine is!)

Xxx

MrsSmith2013

Hi Scottishspendaholic - thanks for your post, and thanks for the offer of uniform, thats really nice of you. My daughter is 6.5. We got some bits and pieces from Asda and we have the school jumpers, poloshirts too so I'm sure we'll be fine. Thanks so much though!

The kids savings accounts I just started the other month anyway, and they are for waaaaaay down the line in the future so I will replace it next month. I just feel guilty going into the bank and withdrawing money of theirs to pay the childminder - I really need to get to grips with finance at my age.

Unfortuately I would still have to pay the childcare, even if I don't use her, if she is available and working, then I have to pay. She is off after next week until the schools are back so my bank account will get a bit of a rest then!

I know I will get there eventually, its just getting there seems to take forever. This month will have to be a major make do & mend style month, and then with August pay, I should see an improvement - especially with the pay increase too.

I most definately do know what a quine is! In fact I am a truckers quine, so thats quite an ironic statement you made ha ha! I'm sure you'll know exactly what I mean, when I say today I'm just a bit scunnered!!

Mrs S x