I don't need another skinny Latte

in_need_of_direction

Set yourself a few mini targets. Think how great it'd be to reach 90%.

Skinnylatte

Yes you're right INOD, I need some mini targets. My first one is to be below £4000 for 2015.
I notice my Sky has gone up to £49 per month, I think maybe that's because the half price line rental has ended. I will ring and plead poverty when I get some time at home.
Also I had a letter from the water company saying my payments are going up to £39 per month, so I seem to be about £17 a month down, which is what I was better off after the new tax code :mad:
In the new year I'm going to have a thorough review of the old finances, and see where I can trim a bit more back.
Noddle report still says my credit rating is 5/5, and my largest debt is now <£3000

After a lot of umming and aahing, I've decided not to buy the other website. Christmas is a quite time for the business and I'm a little worried if it's VERY quite then I'll run out of reserves. Also the deal didn't include everything I thought so it wasn't quite the bargain I thought. Anyhow I'm busy enough with job no 1, if job no 2 became too busy I'd really struggle.
Also it would be very nice not to renew the overdraft this spring :A

Skinnylatte

A NSD today and made £74 from an affiliate payment, paid straight off MBNA. :A

Skinnylatte

Newsflash: I just paid off the MBNA card, back down to 2 debts, and below £4000. Mini targets are the way to go INOD.
I'm feeling more positive and the end is in sight...
My final payment for this year will be on Christmas eve, then it's all down hill to debt freedom :j:j:j

Skinnylatte

Gosh I'm so tired, it seem to have been none stop parties the last few weeks. Works xmas do, birthdays, bookclub xmas meal, leaving do (not mine) friends xmas meal.

All were remarkably frugal affairs, the works xmas do and the leaving lunch was all paid for by the company
The book club meal I drunk water and only had 1 course, so £10
Birthday do I drunk cider, nice and cheap and went home at a respectable time, by all accounts the rest of them were still drinking when it got light :eek:

We got paid early on Friday with a bumper £700 milage claim and £50 Christmas bonus. I've put this towards decorating the kids rooms including new carpets, it's long over due!

I'm so tempted to pay off the b@rclaycard, if I used all my savings pots I could do it now, but I'm nervous that, it would leave me short, next payday is 5 and half weeks away. and I've got still got some christmas shopping to do, and I'm going away for new year.
Quick decision, I've decided to pay £350, which will bring it down to an outstanding balance of a nice round £500, leaving an total outstanding of £3495, my final figure for this year.

Update: I realised that left me £88 short paying off a total of £10,000 this year, and that would feel like a failure lol, so I've just paid another £88 off the B@rclay card, which means the total remaining debt is £3407, and my next mini target is to get it below £3000, I aim to do this by the end of January.

Have a lovely weekend all xxx

Skinnylatte

I've been thinking of all the ways I could have made money go further this year, and see if I can incorporate it into next years plan

• Use Ald! vouchers - I shop regularly at Ald! and always seem to miss the monthly vouchers, I need to find out when and where to get them from - just found that they are posted on their facebook page

• Use the rewards website I get with work, instead of t@pcashback as the rewards are higher. The only downside is that I need to pre-purchase a card. like a prepaid debit card. So I need to be really prepared about what I want to spend, as you can't withdraw the cash back if you don't use it. I've just ordered a £100 Sainsbobs gift card and paid £94

• Remember to use the nectar vouchers, I'm always forgetting to use them, then by the time I find them at the bottom of my handbag they've expired :mad:

• Really scrutinize by business expenditure, like I do with my personal, I could take more out of the business then

• Resume my spending diary

• Pop into shop on my way home a bit more and survey those yellow stickers. No impulse buys allowed though!

• Stop missing my pinecone and viewsbank surveys

Things I will not cut back on

1. Heating
2. My cleaner £520 per year
3. Window cleaner £60 per year
4. Sky plus £258 per year

Skinnylatte

Another day spent decorating, very nearly finished phew.

For some reason Amazon sent me a Christmas gift, in the shape of a digital photo frame, which I sold on FB for £10. I then promptly bought a Xtrainer for £30 :mad:

If I don't use it I think I could sell it on for more, as new this one is £180, so not all is wasted.

Skinnylatte

Well the decorating is finished, apart from a wee curtain dilemma. We were in Dunlm today, for a long long time I've wanted some really good quality sheets, and found a 350 thread count set reduced from £35 to £8 - bargain!
Finished all the shopping, food and gifts, and daren't look at the bank account :eek:
But for the second year running, Christmas has not been paid for with more debt :A
DDs boyfriend is being an !!!. I do wish she'd get rid of him.
Last day at work tomorrow until the 6th Jan. :T
PS just checked bank and its not looking too bad

Skinnylatte

Christmas was a lovely day. Just me, DS, DD and DEX! I got some of my favorite perfume, a very funny book and a nice warm under layer for cycling.

Still very much want a DAB radio for the kitchen, and have decided to buy one my self. Using my Sains gift card with 6% off, and a £3 off a £20 spend, I have my eye on a radio that's in the sale. Was £59.99, with the sale price and the vouchers I think I can get it for £25.19

I'm going to phone sky over the weekend, see if I can get a bit of discount, and also going to install some of the water saving devices that the water company sent me, seeing as both those bills have gone up recently.

I'm also going to re-scrutinize every outgoing and see how it can be reduced, this includes the business accounts

Ali-OK

Glad you had a lovely day...with your ex there?! :eek::rotfl:

Bargain on the radio, brilliant use of your card and the discounts. :T

Always have to keep checking the utilities and outgoings see what can be lowered, even by a couple of £ it all adds up to a surprisingly large amount over time.

You'll be debt free in 2015 too :j:j:T:T