I don't need another skinny Latte

Skinnylatte

Fuel [STRIKE]£300[/STRIKE] £83.60:T
Food [STRIKE]£150 [/STRIKE]£12.61:eek:
Extra Spends[STRIKE] £220[/STRIKE] £60.26:T

Met up with a friend today I haven't seen for 5 years, I was confiding about my debts when she told me she'd had £36K, made me feel a bit better, her husband found out, oops, however they worked through it and she cashed in her kids endowment policy to help clear it. My kids say I'd better not even go there lol :rotfl:

You know that feeling when you get a total bargain? I nipped in to s@insburys and got 24 taste the difference sausages, loaf of bread and pineaaple pot, reduced, after I used my nectar points it cost me 31, yes 31p :j

I asked the guy at Aldi when they reduce stuff as I can never catch it no matter what time of the evening I go, apparently its 8am, so I'll be paying a visit next time I'm off work. I notice aldi have a slow cooker in this week for £12.99, think I might invest for the winter.

Not much food budget left, but I have stocked up, and the freezers full of sausages, I only have another week to go and then I'm away working til payday, so living will be on expenses and the kids will be at their dads.

Heatings on

Skinnylatte

Dear Diary,
I'm working away all week, so zero living expenses which is great, and it's payday Friday, and I get to take home all the hotel toileteries:rotfl:. I've managed to leave my spending diary at home, and feel a bit lost without it, and can't update my spends. However I think I've overspent by about £50 this month, £37 of which was on a new pair of jeans, my bad. However I have managed to pay off a fair bit too, and save weyhey, will update at the end of the month.
I feel a bit like a reformed alcoholic, will never be cured, it's just a thing you live with day to day. I've noticed that when I'm tired or stressed, that's when things can go wrong and I splurge money. I have a lovely beautiful daughter with mental health issues, it seems when she's on a down I splurge too. Takeaway, shopping trip, chocolate, wine, new hair doo - hows that for fixing things!!
Not that we've done any of those in a very long while, but definately did in the past and contributed to where I am today. My hair gets cut twice a year now and the colour comes from £1land, chocolate is on expenses from the hotel minibar, however I just may get a takeaway this friday :eek:

TTFN

Skinnylatte

Dear Diary,

Met brothers bidthday with a travel mug from a festival we'd been to (£5 bargain) and 2 BP free pizza express vouchers - I did spend £300 in fuel to get them!

Now DD 'needs' a new phone and DS school shoes hohum

Payday tomorrow and get home so can find out how much I overspent by

Skinnylatte

Good morning diary,
a mixed bag today. Lots of diret debits out today which means I can update my totals and have now paid off a whopping 35% of my worst debt.
However had a terrible weekend and spent lots, taking kids out they seemed to need school shoes, trainers, new phone. So not much left for the rest of the month, I will have to get ebaying.
Also my laptop has died, I'm using my work one at the moment which is fine for this kind of stuff, but I can't really run my p/t business using my work laptop, not good form.
Any way taking it to the PCdocs today, but I have a nasty feeling it's terminal.
I'm also not paying off my debts the proper way, which is paying off the highest interest rate first. I'm trying to pay off my 0% barclay card which goes up to 25% interest in Janaury, and that would be just too depressing. I'm also saving, first time ever, feels great. Savings are supposed to be for Christmas, holiday and emergencies, howver might end up as my new laptop savings!
Christmas aarrgh, need to make a list!
I hope every-one else is having a good week, I love reading every-ones diaries it really keeps me motivated. 4 months I've been at this now, I often have issues motivating myself long term, so delighted so far. Just want it all gone and get on with my life.
UPDATE on my love life, going VERY well with my new found internet friend He knows all about my debt, fessed up on date 3 and haven't scared him off yet.
Bye for now

Skinnylatte

My laptop is terminally ill.

Skinnylatte

Oh my, having a tough time of it right now. It's been very stressfull at work and I've been working long hours. When I'm tired and stressed good sense seems to go out of the window, 2 macdonalds teas this week and a bottle of wine last night £21 that I didn't need to spend. Does any-one else spend to much when tired ans stressed?
I've got £150 to last til payday, however I also have about 1000 miles to drive, and 3 nights out. I'm going to have to turn down the nights out, all bar 1 maybe. This dating thing is quite expensive too!

My lap top has died, and I need it for my part time home business, so I'm going to have to find the money from somewhere. I can use my work one for internet browsing and the like, but not my image and video software

I feel an Ebay night coming on...

Saver-upper

Aww,SkinnyLatte,I am sorry you are feeling so flat at the moment.
I have been following your diary from the beginning,and admire your determination.
I think alot of us try to cheer ourselves up by "treating ourselves",which usually involves spending money.
I am pleased your love-life is going well,and I know dating can be expensive.What about inviting him around for home-cooked meals:I am sure he would appreciate the effort being put in,and amazing meals can be made simply and cheaply.
Maybe making yourself write everything down as you spend it(either here,or in a notebook),would make you think twice before spending:since I started browsing MSE,about 3 months ago,I think twice about everything I spend,and ESPECIALLY now that I write down every penny I spend,and since I joined the no-spens challenge(boy does that thread make you think "Do I really need this?" :eek:)
Chin up,and good luck.I look forward to reading lots of positivity from you again

ejc81

It's been a few months since you started this. You need to update this

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly.. .APR
Barclay Visa...................1297......26........0
Barclay Master.................4075......82........19.9
MBNA...........................2300......46....... .0
Tax Credits....................2000......167.......0
Over Draft.....................1900......0.........0
Halifax........................1691......34....... .0
MBNA...........................2951......60....... .14.9
Total unsecured debts..........16214.....415.......-

and add card limits, when 0% deals run out etc. I bet there's room to play with it...motivation here :-)

sparklychar

Yes.... can any of these cards be shifted to 0% if they aren't already?

You've mentioned a couple of times that you don't want your kids to suffer as a result of your financial habits.... I completely understand, but would like to play devil's advocate/offer the other perspective.

I'm a bit older than your kids (25!!!) but my parents were always really open with us about money, encouraging us to come to them if we had any concerns, and also sharing if they were going through any hardship. Like you, they have well paid jobs and do well, but my father over his working life has been made redundant 2/3 times. There have also been other times of hardship when Mum had mental health issues, and when she had to take leave to care for my grandad. They did go through times when I was little with bailiffs etc so I understand, when Dad suffered severely with depression.
I think we appreciated being trusted with this sensitive information in a way... they didn't go into anything in great detail, but would tell us for example 'we're having to be a little careful at the moment'. Yes it concerned us, but we appreciated being treated maturely.
I remember when my sister and I were about 10 and 14, Mum and Dad explained to us that we couldn't afford a holiday this year, but instead we had a week having lots of daytrips and picnics... we loved it, but i do appreciate we were younger than your kids!
Similarly there were a couple of Christmases when Mum and Dad explained we had to be a little leaner that year.

I didn't blame them for any situation and although I know I'm in some debt now, I think it's taught me a lot about money and not to bury my head in the sand.

If you don't agree with me, no problem, just offering another perspective. Really enjoyed reading your diary

Good luck xx

Skinnylatte

ejc81 wrote: »

It's been a few months since you started this. You need to update this

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly.. .APR
Barclay Visa...................1297......26........0
Barclay Master.................4075......82........19.9
MBNA...........................2300......46....... .0
Tax Credits....................2000......167.......0
Over Draft.....................1900......0.........0
Halifax........................1691......34....... .0
MBNA...........................2951......60....... .14.9
Total unsecured debts..........16214.....415.......-

and add card limits, when 0% deals run out etc. I bet there's room to play with it...motivation here :-)

Yes you are right, I need to do another SOA as I've moved some around recently, and also my credit limits have changed. Job for this week, after Ebay. Thank you