Regrets, I've had a few

In_Debt_Bet

Well that was bit of a disappointment. Just heard from the jewellery company that I sent my ring to. It's worth all of £45 - it's only 9 carat gold and the stone is cubic zirconium, looks like I was sold a big fat fake.

I bought the ring about fifteen years at a jewellery party held at a friends house (we lost touch some years ago) anyway I can't remember exactly how much I paid for it but I'm sure it was around £175 I do remember I couldn't really afford it but I was told that I was getting a really good deal and jewellery is an investment - you know what it's like when you're trying something on and you're being told 'oh it looks fabulous you should definitely buy it'.

I've accepted the offer as I need every penny at the moment, but that is another lesson learned, don't take anything at face value no matter what anyone says and if something seems to good to be true it probably is.

Looking on the bright side that is £45 towards my debts I didn't have yesterday. Onwards and upwards! My hair cut at the local college has turned out really well, I've just had a trim but it only cost me £5.00, definitely a bargain

Spends for today

Car park £1.70
Hair cut £5.00
Groceries £9.12

Bet x

In_Debt_Bet

On the money front things are ticking along okay - I managed a no spend day which is good as it's been a few days since I had one of those. Have also started taking photos and preparing write up's of a few bits to sell on e-bay.

On the home front things are pretty rubbish, OH is in one of his moods with me at the moment - nothing I do is ever right or good enough. He slept in the spare room last night and came into our room at about 1.30 am this morning and announced that I had left the kitchen light on downstairs. I try to keep my head down and just ride it out when he gets into these moods but then I always manage to do something stupid like leave a light on to annoy him (of course he's never done such a thing) I didn't get much sleep at all last night and I'm feeling like a rubber band that's stretched so tight it could snap any minute, tbh I'm not really looking forward to going home tonight.

Silly_Spender

Hi Bet,

Good job on the NSD!

Sorry to hear things aren't too great with your OH. I'm not fantastic at giving advice or anything on that but have a big virtual hug from me and know that there are people on here, near or far, that read about your progress and care very much about you

SS x

In_Debt_Bet

Thanks SS that's really kind of you and means a lot. Things seem to be going well for you - good luck with your e-bay sales.

Must try this Raspberry Vodka - sounds wonderful!

Bet x

wegle

Hey Bet,

Sorry things are a bit rough at the moment with the OH. I'm not great at the advice either but totally second what SS says. Big hugs here from all your DFW friends.

Xxxxx

In_Debt_Bet

Dear Diary

Hope everyone is doing well. I haven't been about for a few days but I've been keeping up with the spending diary, it's been a real eye opener how quickly those small purchases mount up.

On the home front I'm pleased to say that things are a little more settled, we seem to be enjoying some kind of peaceful truce which is at least better than frosty silence and thinking oh heck what have I done now every time he calls my name.

Thursday
Fell off the bandwagon and for the first day in about a fortnight I bought lunch at work, paid £4.00 for a roast beef baguette and a bag of crisps. Even worse when I got home OH and I had a bit of a domestic and I left the house to get some peace and quiet and ended up in KFC having a chicken fillet burger and fries - that's over £8.00 spent in one day on convenience/fast food.

Friday
Waitrose - £6.64 - My nephew is going back to Uni this weekend and I promised him some of my Rocky Road to take back with him, so had to buy the ingredients, it's not the cheapest thing to make as it needs 3 bars of chocolate but he's worth it and I did get to lick the bowl clean afterwards

Saturday was a bit of a 'spendy' day
Zumba - £5.00
Superdrug - £3.99 (twisty pony tail tool)
Boots - £9.99 - face powder
Sainsburys £19.09 (included a cheeky bottle of wine :beer:)
West Indian Shop - £6.48- Coconut Oil (use as hair conditioner) Curry Powder - big bag should last for ages!
Next - £16.00 - blouse in Next half price sale - really need some new work clothes
Car Park - 1.00


I must admit I was feeling a bit low on Saturday morning and was really tempted to just hit the shops big time but I kept reminding myself how bad I'd feel later if I did. I guess you could argue that I didn't really 'need' a twisty pony tail tool and I could have got a cheaper face powder - the old me would have spent £25 and I also had a money off voucher which reduced the price. I'm trying to smarten myself up a bit at work as I do feel I've let things slide a bit in that department.

I need to start getting organised for Christmas, I think planning and shopping carefully will be the key. I only really have my family to buy for (OH really doesn't do Christmas which is a shame as it is my favourite time of year) but if I were to tell them that I was trying to get out of debt and suggest only small presents I know that would cause my Mum to worry and offer to help which is the last thing I want as she has helped enough already when we bought the house. I got myself into this mess and I shall get myself out of it.

Payday is this Friday and I'm still hoping that I can get my overdraft down to £400.

Bet x

In_Debt_Bet

Dear Diary
Yippee pay day is finally here!:j
Here is a breakdown of my monthly spends, I thought I'd post this so I can see how it compares next month, with Christmas coming it is inevitable that some spending will increase.

Grocery Shopping .....£110.22 (budget for October is £100)
Toiletries..................£48.88 (budget for October is £10
Fuel/Car Expenses......£46.15 (budget for October is £50)
General....................£32.98 (buget for October is £15)
Eating/Drinking Out....£29.91 (budget for October is £15)
Clothes...................£16.00 (aiming for October is £0)
Zumba Classes.........£10.00 (budget for October is £20)
Total:.................. £294.14

I managed to get my overdraft down to £405 so all in all not too bad for my first month DWD.

It's a really good feeling to see the debt figure going down but I am worried about the fact that OH and I have no savings or emergency fund. The boiler is at least 20 years old and I'm just hoping it will see us through another year. The dodgy shower has finally stopped working altogether, fortunately the bath taps have one of those hand held shower connections fitted so at least I can wash my hair with that.

I've been thinking about all the things debt is stopping me from doing so I thought I'd make a little list to hopefully spur me on towards that debt free life.

Things I will do when I am debt free

Breathe a big sigh of relief
Save Money
Start to overpay mortgage
Go out more (without always having to find special offers/cheap things to do or worry about how to pay for it)
Do an Open University course
Do more to house
Go on holiday
Not spend ages each day juggling figures on spreadsheets and apps
Be able to at least think about getting a dog

Tonight is Friday night and I think I might be using my Takeaway allowance later and there is half a bottle of white wine left in the fridge :beer: cheers everyone.
Onwards and upwards

Bet x

In_Debt_Bet

Hope everyone is having a good weekend

Yesterday I had a free zumba class thanks to my loyalty card - is there anything you can't get a loyalty card for these days?

The supermarket shop wasn't such a good result, that came to nearly £50 but with some careful planning I can make it last 2 weeks and just need to top up on essentials and I included supplies for packed lunches for work - must hide my low fat crisps from OH as he demolishes two packets at a time.

Aims for today:

Make today a NSD
Cut grass in garden, rake up all the leaves that are coming down
Tidy up Kitchen cupboards
Fix wonky drawer in bedside table
Sort out bedroom drawers so everything is in the right place (as opposed to all over the place!)
Colour my hair - grey roots are showing through big time and I feel like an old lady:(
Start working through the ironing pile
Tidy up house

First of all though I'll just finish this cup of coffee and catch up on a few more diaries

Bet x

In_Debt_Bet

In_Debt_Bet wrote: »

Aims for today:

[STRIKE]Make today a NSD[/STRIKE]
Cut grass in garden, rake up all the leaves that are coming down
[STRIKE] Tidy up Kitchen cupboards
[/STRIKE][STRIKE]Fix wonky drawer in bedside table[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Sort out bedroom drawers so everything is in the right place (as opposed to all over the place!)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Colour my hair - grey roots are showing through big time and I feel like an old lady:( [/STRIKE]
Start working through the ironing pile
[STRIKE] Tidy up house
[/STRIKE]

Quite a productive day yesterday - I was very tempted to go for a wander round the shops and tried to justify it by telling myself that I was only going looking for Christmas presents but I stayed strong and got busy at home, unfortunately when I stopped for a cup of tea I also went to work on the flapjacks I had made and before I knew it 3 had disappeared. It seems I only have so much willpower and it is all being directed at saving money, I really need to find some to direct towards losing weight, I'd like to lose a stone before Christmas but it's going to take more than wishful thinking

Hopefully today will be another NSD, it's looking good so far.

Bet x

wegle

In_Debt_Bet wrote: »

Things I will do when I am debt free

Breathe a big sigh of relief
Save Money
Start to overpay mortgage
Go out more (without always having to find special offers/cheap things to do or worry about how to pay for it)
Do an Open University course
Do more to house
Go on holiday
Not spend ages each day juggling figures on spreadsheets and apps
Be able to at least think about getting a dog

Hey Bet

You're doing so well and I think the above list is a really great idea. Helps you focus on actual real reasons that you are doing this, not just the usual "to be debt free". However I think I'll miss the spending ages juggling figures on spreadsheets! :rotfl: I've become a bit of a spreadsheet nerd/addict!!

Getting a dog as well is such a lovely idea. I couldn't be without ours. He's so rewarding and loving and I can't imagine our lives without him. Plus he's a great source of free entertainment! He's starting to get a bit older now though and I worry terribly about him getting poorly and the day that he will no longer be with us. They really do become a part of the family.

Hope you have a great Debt Free Wannabe Day!!