tightening my belt and battening down the hatches

Nelly11

Horray! Horray! I have finally got through to the CSA, now Im all legal with my work hours!
Lots to do tonight, work stuff that I can claim time back for so here goes ........

Nelly11

So todays jobs are quite easy, I have done most of the ground work through the week

• Update my signature:)
• Take some clothes back that dont fit to the charity shop, such a shame, they were lovely and cheap as chips!:)
• Pay link:)
• More items to Music Magpie
• Check on Next debt:)
• A fruit day today at work, I had so much stodge yesterday:)
• Buy some mangetout to put with the reduced to clear scallops from Waitrose 38 down to £1.80, they will feed 3 of us tonight so a cheapo dinner.:)

The day before yesterday I was on a roll complaining to 3 restaurants ( I didnt pay more than £5 but went as part of family groups where the total bill was high) also to Next as I bought some flipflops where you couldnt get a grip in them as the surface was like glass and subsequently I went over and hurt my foot. Anyway they got in touch yesterday and refunded the flipflops twice and gave me a one off payment for discomfort, £38 off my Next bill. Very nice thank you Next! in fairness its the only time i've bought something shoddy from them.

Nelly11

Just packed my 7th box of Music Magpie stuff! Feel a sense of achievement

downshifted

You are doing really well with all your tasks :-) keep it up! x

stoplurking

Hi Nelly
I've enjoyed reading through your diary this morning, you are doing really well with all that gets thrown at you. This WFTC lark is a right pain, I can't believe the number of people they seem to overpay then drop them a wee line asking for ££££ back at the drop of a hat. If you had that just lying around you wouldn't need their rotten tax credits!

I was wondering how your OH is getting on with the frugal living? Mine didn't need to live frugally either. Even tho he earned a lot less than I did he had low outgoings so could always afford to do stuff and was very generous in treating me as well. Once I fessed up about my debts he really got into the money saving lark and has got me into meal planning, keeping tins for grocery money split into a large "monthly" amount and a small weekly sum for milk, veg etc. the petrol money is in another tin, over budgeted so there is money for the insurance and MOT etc. I'll never be able to thank him enough for all the support and ideas, we now live very frugally, enjoy cooking lovely meals together at home - he moved in part way through my DFW journey, just living a nice quiet, but very enjoyable life. He says he has never eaten so well in his life as he does now, and I agree. Off on a little holiday in a couple of weeks, first one for about three years, and first one for about 20 years all paid up front, no credit card.

Anyway, I hope your health is good and no more money horrors come flying out of the woodwork at you. It sounds like you have a lovely family, I have boys as well, they're great. And, unlike me, you are really talented in the craft/baking department as well so that's a great way of getting gifts together when pennies are low. I'll keep reading and hopefully cheer you on now and again. Hope everything goes really well for you and you reach your goal to become DF and move in with OH. X

ETA - how could I forget to credit Ninja Saving Kat for all the support and ideas on her own Ultimate Challenge Diary, and her monthly challenges which she is still running even tho she is now DF. That girl is incredible.

Nelly11

stoplurking wrote: »

Hi Nelly
I've enjoyed reading through your diary this morning, you are doing really well with all that gets thrown at you. This WFTC lark is a right pain, I can't believe the number of people they seem to overpay then drop them a wee line asking for ££££ back at the drop of a hat. If you had that just lying around you wouldn't need their rotten tax credits!

I was wondering how your OH is getting on with the frugal living? Mine didn't need to live frugally either. Even tho he earned a lot less than I did he had low outgoings so could always afford to do stuff and was very generous in treating me as well. Once I fessed up about my debts he really got into the money saving lark and has got me into meal planning, keeping tins for grocery money split into a large "monthly" amount and a small weekly sum for milk, veg etc. the petrol money is in another tin, over budgeted so there is money for the insurance and MOT etc. I'll never be able to thank him enough for all the support and ideas, we now live very frugally, enjoy cooking lovely meals together at home - he moved in part way through my DFW journey, just living a nice quiet, but very enjoyable life. He says he has never eaten so well in his life as he does now, and I agree. Off on a little holiday in a couple of weeks, first one for about three years, and first one for about 20 years all paid up front, no credit card.

Anyway, I hope your health is good and no more money horrors come flying out of the woodwork at you. It sounds like you have a lovely family, I have boys as well, they're great. And, unlike me, you are really talented in the craft/baking department as well so that's a great way of getting gifts together when pennies are low. I'll keep reading and hopefully cheer you on now and again. Hope everything goes really well for you and you reach your goal to become DF and move in with OH. X

ETA - how could I forget to credit Ninja Saving Kat for all the support and ideas on her own Ultimate Challenge Diary, and her monthly challenges which she is still running even tho she is now DF. That girl is incredible.

Thank you so much for the 'Tins' ideas, I'll give it a try. My OH isnt quite as sensible as yours, he spends a fortune on things, £17 on one pair, yes one pair of socks! I need him to just stop booking things for us as I then feel obliged to buy lunch or something so I am paying my way on something I would never have done. I have managed to book a very cheap holiday through some money I inherited, £99 for a festival ticket to spain with the same line up as Glasto, £99 for 10 days camping and a 4 day festival, then £76 on return flights and £50 on airport transfers, its in two weeks, I can hardley wait, not had a holiday for over 5 years.
I shall look up Ninja Saving Kit all new ideas are welcome.
xxx:)xxx

Nelly11

Todays Money saving to do list have been -

• 2 more boxes to music magpie:)
• return a tshirt as faulty as the transfer came off on the 2nd wash at recommended temp:)
• Try to return some expensive headphones to Amazon, they lasted 2 moths but are out of the 30 day rule, I thought all electrical items were guaranteed for 12 months:)
• made £16 from cash for clothes - need to bank tomorrow:)
• Lunch and dinner from stores:)
• Lloyd Grossman sauces x 4 bought for 34p each reduced to clear in Coop:)
• put on the turn mint into icecube trays with water to add to drinks:)
• picked all soft fruits in the garden and have frozen them.:)

Shattered now so off for a bath before bed.
Also really needed a haircut so I booked into a model session at the salon I use, for £20 I had my hair bleached, then slices of packet bleach applied and a hair cut by the senior who was demonstrating to the student, this probably would have cost me £78 if id paid full price with the senior. Defo going to do it again.

Nelly11

Todays list, it a bit later than usual

• Post last 4 boxes to Music Magpie
• Strat cutting out squares for a baby quilt and make a cushion for my nieces new arrival, due in August, they are having a baby shower next week and I cant afford to buy anything so I'm going to make something, Im good at sewing so should be able to make something they will like.
• Put £16 in the bank from yesterday and pay off a debt, cant decide which one at the moment they all look scary!
• List some things on FB sales
• sort out all cupcake stuff to see if any of that could be made into hampers to sell.
• Try returning some cake tins to the Factory Shop, never been used but dont have the reciept.
• look at designs for a babys first birthday cake.

thats about it for today, nothing to get too excited about.:rotfl:

ClootiesMum

Hi Nelly - just catching up on your diary & I may be pinching a few ideas if that's OK.

I need to "get doing something" rather than just cutting back.

You mentioned about not knowing what debt to pay the £16 to - have you come across the Snowball Calculator ? I'd heard of it but hadn't actually used it until last week - well worth a go......

Good luck with the ongoing money saving / making

Nelly11

ClootiesMum wrote: »

Hi Nelly - just catching up on your diary & I may be pinching a few ideas if that's OK.

I need to "get doing something" rather than just cutting back.

You mentioned about not knowing what debt to pay the £16 to - have you come across the Snowball Calculator ? I'd heard of it but hadn't actually used it until last week - well worth a go......

Good luck with the ongoing money saving / making

No I hadnt heard of it, It's amazing but also very scary!
Im going to try now to live as if I only had my wage coming in, so as of the end of July when I get paid, the Child tax credits, Child bebefit and CSA payments will all go towards debts, I have a year before my last baby heads off to Uni, then I will only have my income to use, I might as well bite the bullet for a year and see if I can pay all remaining debts off.

I emailed Amazon over some broken head phones and the sent replacements out return of post, I didnt even have to send the old ones back, I also got a voucher for 4 McDonalds meals as last time we went they missed lots of things off our order.
La Tasca have also sent me a voucher for a meal for two as have Marston Inns, its been a good experience this week, shows that if things are not up to even my incedibly low and chilled out standard that complaining works, you just have to be sweet about it, then I think people see it a genuine rather that totally negative, niceness goes along way.:)



Things to do today

• Get Euros from Post Office, we have clubbed all our spends together so we can hopefully get a better exchange rate.:)
• Contact College about bursary for Son3 travel
• Write a letter about my collapsing wall the neighbours trees are pushing over.:)
• Sand down and oil my £20 bargain table, I,m going to keep it as our main dining table, its gorgeous and extends to 12 which we need as the family expands, my old table will go into the loft as a sewing table.:rotfl:
• Price up a new loft hatch and measure the opening.:)
• Work out a budget not including debts or CTC CB or CSA and see how life will look in 12 months:)