The Secret Dreamworld of a (Scottish) Shopaholic

scottishspendaholic

Thanks chicks

I have listed three items on eBay tonight, hopefully they will sell for at least £5 each after fees so signature updated accordingly.

Email from Cex received, apparently I didn't put the data charger cable in with the old camera I sold. Gah!!!!! I will have to look for this & arrange for this to be sent off too...

MrsSmith2013

Aww sorry to hear you've had a rubbish day scottishspendaholic :hugs: I'm sure we all have these days from time to time, but its never a good feeling at the time.

It must be difficult with your OH there when you need him out of your feet!

How are you getting on with your make £10 a day? Have you had much success with survey sites etc yet? I find it quite difficult to make extra money these days because pretty much everyone is trying to do it!

I'm sure having written it all down here will have helped, I find that helps too - its like you've told someone and its a weight off your mind almost.

Hope you get a good nights sleep tonight, and you feel better and motivated in the morning!!

Chin Up!!

Mrs S x

scottishspendaholic

Hello!

I am feeling much better today! Mainly because I get paid tomorrow £40 more than expected (I think, just need to check my figures when I get home), which I am hoping to allocate £20 to me and £20 to the joint account, if OH chooses not to look too closely at the joint account figures. He might notice as my salary goes into our joint account, but he's a bit hazy about these things usually so hopefully I'll get away with it.

I am going to count this extra in my figures for the moment anyway, which takes the pressure off for the next couple of days of money making - this is very welcome as its DD's birthday early next week and I've so much to do - gifts to wrap, party to confirm, sort out food for party, make cake etc - all paid for from CB but still lots for me to do. So I'm up to £78 confirmed and another £25 in progress in money making with 37 days still to go in my challenge to make £390 - on track I think.

I've also been offered some overtime (like hens teeth at my work) which will appear in my final salary from this employer which, together with accrued holiday pay etc means I might get £200-£300 more than usual on my pay day at the end of next month. I am hopeful that I can allocate the majority to the joint account for our savings for Christmas and other things but then the remainder to me for September - this won't make a difference until then but I am still happy about this as it might allow me to make £100 overpayment to my DH-knows-about-but-I-haven't-paid-off-as-much-as-he-thinks Visa - this would be over and above my snowball.

I've managed to arrange to go to another of our friends' houses tomorrow evening rather than clean my own or worry about decor (these are the kind of friends who would notice, believe me) and it'll still be very MSE as I have an unopened bottle of posh Shloer in the fridge I can take and I'll just drive there and back. I have been invited to a friend's leaving night tonight after work, but think I'll just nip in on my way home and have a diet coke. I really like this person so would like to go.

Its definitely a rollercoaster this journey!

MrsSmith2013

Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better today - you're so right, it is a massive rollercoaster this journey, and I'm not too keen or rollercoasters!

You're doing a great job on your make £390 in 46 days challenge, thats good progress!! I might think about doing that once I have the childcare paid for next week. I've also been lurking on the Make a Payment a Day thread, and may join that too.

Thats good news on the overtime front, you should grab it while you can get it - especially if its £200/£300 more in your pay, that would be a brilliant boost.

Ha ha, you will be happy that you don't have to have people over, thats a relief for you. I know how you feel on that one. Excellent idea with the Schloer too - I tend to drive to things these days mainly because I'm a lightweight where alcohol is concerned, and I'd rather drive than drink the majority of the time anyway.

Enjoy the leaving night tonight if you decide to go along.

Talk soon!
Mrs S x

Emzilla

Hello :wave:

I just wanted to pop in and say you are doing well with your money making. I'm sure you will get to your target. I know it must be difficult with your OH not knowing about your debts. My OH doesn't know the full extent of mine either, but he's just as bad as I am, so he can't really say anything.

I'll be routing for you

Emz xx

(you may remember me as Ehallett. I always remember that you kindly sent me some craft stuff when I was raising money for my late nephew Joshua :A)

scottishspendaholic

Update.(for my benefit):-

August income & outgoings

Coming in = £450 (£370 + £40 s/u + extra salary £20 + expenses £20)

Outgoing =
-£170 petrol (this is a long month & I am changing jobs part of the way through the month to complicate things further!)
-£355 snowballing
-£37.50 to close stupid bank account (have already argued with them repeatedly about this, just going to pay it & get shot)
-£60 I owe a friend (paid back another £5)
-£25 friends' meal out (Groupon deal + drinks)
-£15 friend's birthday evening
-£20 school shoes (revised figure)
-£15 family fun day (revised figure, *see below)
-£50 max. summer hol day trips (already bought tickets for things, this is travel into city & ice cream money)
-£20 train for hennie
-£22 haircuts for me & kids
-£20 misc. (stamps, soda&lime in pub at meeting etc)

=£810

= deficit of -£360

Ways to make £360 by 31 August 2013

DONE - £63
PENDING** - £50
- Sell some children’s clothes – estimate £50 profit
- List on eBay – estimate £100 profit (profit after fees)
- Surveys - estimate £40
- Amazon selling - estimate £20 profit
- Mystery shop – estimate £10 profit
- Bingo – estimate £20
- Roadkill – estimate £7

(The amount to make has dropped to £360 to make due to making a couple of savings above AND my salary & expenses being counted as income not money made later in month...)

Money making things to do:-

* Surveys x lots
* Post items to Cex and await confirmation
* List on eBay
* List on forum (children's clothes)
* Bingo
* Amazon sales/trade in
* Mystery shop
* Cancel LF & Audible by 15/8/13

So...

* We went to the family fun day noted above today, and only spent £15 out of a budgeted £20, yahoo! There was loads I could have bought, but was very good. I did feel really cross at paying £4 for each child for face painting, what an outrage! If I hadn't already been waiting for a while & kids were excited & already picked designs, then I would have walked away. We took a picnic and drinks from home & did lots of free things, the other £7 was spent on ice cream & a cup of tea each for my cousin & I.
**PENDING = items on eBay & a work leaving collection for me (I am anticipating the amount, of course it may be less or none...)

Other things to say...

- I left £1 in my trolley at Asda, am so cross with myself! I nearly drove back (40 mile round trip) to get it (it was in the middle of the night), but then realised what a false economy that would be. Ooooh, could kick myself though!
- I got another £2 coin - £18 already!!! I do find myself deliberately creating situations where they might be offered!
- I may have to rethink making £40 in surveys over the next month, ditto mystery shopping, I'm not getting offered anything.

scottishspendaholic

Hiya Emily!

Yes I do remember you! I don't remember sending you the craft stuff, but sounds like me! I'm so sorry about your nephew. Have you managed to get rid of loads of debt since I was here last?

Xxx

millionaire_in_training

Hi SS I read through your whole diary whilst the boards were down ( and a few others I may add ) . What a pickle for you with hubby not knowing. But you seem determined to change this and good luck to you. My life sounds similar to you where I get invited to things and there is an expectation to buy and contribute to gifts. I am not mean but my household has got to come first so I have learned to get inventive these days. For instance I was invited to a housewarming party yesterday and I was going to buy a set of towels for the girl as a gift but I couldn't realistically have got them for less than £20 and I wasn't prepared to spend that. So I bought 2 candles in her chosen bathroom colours and a home sweet home sign, I wrapped it up prettily in cellophane and it looked fab for less than a £10. She loved it and I was happy that I had given her a nice gift.

So anyway enough of my rambling. I just wanted to wish you luck. xx

twirly09

I didnt want to read and run, so ive subscribed and I wish you best in your journey!

scottishspendaholic

Hello,

Oooh its been a few days since I updated, meant to the other night and half wrote a post, but wandered off and did something else, which meant it didn't get finished!

I am here and surviving! Today is an expensive day as I've already put £50 petrol in the car and am being dragged out for lunch at the local Indian. I honestly tried my best to refuse - but its tricky - I ended up nearly offending a couple of my work friends as the lunch is kind of for me, so I ended up having to agree to go.

I am getting on well with my money making with £65 confirmed and another £50-£60 in progress with another £230ish to make with 30-31 days to go. I am hoping to do well over the next few days too as DH is out tonight so I will attempt to sort out and sell some children's clothes via another forum I go on. If you see above, I have noted that I owe a friend some money, well, she kindly doesn't want the ££ back, so I will be trying to make a £100 over and above my snowball amounts to try and pay off the Visa that DH DOES know about that I haven't paid enough off - one less debt to hide would be marvellous! I'm about £750 underpaid on this, so am going to attempt to pay £75+ a month over and above my snowball amounts above if I can so that in 10 months or under I don't have to hide these statements any more.

I'm not putting all my lists and financial notes on here each time as I post as its really boring and doesn't mean much to anyone else, but I am keeping detailed notes and will repost at the end of the month to chart my progress.

I am changing jobs next week to an organisation that has a staff affiliation with a credit union, so think I might start a small savings pot with them.

I have joined NSK's August spend nothing (or whatever it's called) thread - today I haven't done very well, but it'll have to count as an allowed spend day. I am getting really used to not going to the shops or walking past things if I have to unavoidably go into somewhere (my post office near work is in the middle of a large WH Smiths!).

I sold some perfume (bottle about half full) on eBay the other day - I did not realise the new rules re. postage of liquids etc! What a palaver - I won't be doing that again. I am finding loads to sell at the moment, partly because we've just got so much clutter and junk. Its hard though as DH is a hoarder (as am I, but I'm getting better) so I have to sneak things past him. He even wants to keep CDs we have 2 copies of from when we got together 13 years ago!

Off for lunch now, toodle pip!