tightening my belt and battening down the hatches

Nelly11

So I have done my budget for the next year, sticking to the principles that I just use my wages for the next year and all other incoming or benefits go straight off debts, this is what it looks like ;
Wage £1275,69, this doesnt include reimbursed petrol
Out goings
Mortgage £775
Orange £36
Orange £36
Sky £65.69
Council Tax £87
Insurance £20
Contact lenses £19.50
TV License £36.37
Pet Insurance £41

Income from CB, WTC, CTC, CSA £685.42
Each months bill payments will differ, Julys looks like this
Link £20
Blackhorse £600
Council Tax £50
Next £15.42

I will stop both orange contracts and move both phones over to Pya As You Go.
Sky subscription needs to be downsized, it includes broadband and landline
Contact lenses will stop after 3 months, then I'll have a stock of them as i dont wear them all the time.
Food is whatever is left over each month.
No contingency for fuel bills, which is why I need to cut back on other things.
When Son3 leaves college I will only have my wages so need to pair back and pay off as much deby as possible before then.
I'm also selling as much junk from around the house as possible! Eby and Music Mag are my best friends at the minute,
If anyone has any further suggestions on how to cut back please shout up

ClootiesMum

Do you have insurance that was sold to you incorrectly on the Black Horse acct?

Nelly11

ClootiesMum wrote: »

Do you have insurance that was sold to you incorrectly on the Black Horse acct?

No I didnt take out any insurance, and to be honest they have been great with me, I was very ill for 9 months and they stopped the interest and dropped payments down to £20 per month without a quibble.

Nelly11

:j:j:j if I make 5 payments of £600 to The Blackhorse I will have cleared the debt, that means its gone in Nov for Christmas :j:j:j

Nelly11

Yesterday was a big money saving day, we had a family picnic, I went to Mr T the night before and got everything for it for £8.99 plus a 15p coupon off next shop, it fed us at lunchtime 4 children, 6 adults and then later on had another picnic while we went to listen to some bands for free and see the fireworks, excellent day!
Might try to go back to Mr T tonight and hit the reduced section at 8pm. Got some lovely Finest hummous and there was still enough fruit left to make smoothies for today and tomorrow.

Nelly11

Not alot to report at the minute, have some Eby stuff ending today and tomorrow and Music Magpie have completed some of my MANY orders, I'm just waiting for the money to pop into the bank

Just had £10 worth of vouchers through the post from Marstons Inns - tonight Son3 and I dine in style!:rotfl:

Debt Free Wannabe things to do today -

• sort out freezer, try only to use store cupboard meals until holiday as I will have to fill the freezer with Micro Meals for son3 as he'll be home alone and wont think of peeling an actual spud.
• Make all potatoes into mash and freeze
• Clean out all old jars of stuff from fridge, do a eat by check.
• Email over wage slips and WTC forms to college for updated bursery claim.
• Try not to get over excited at my eby listeing ending!
• Make a list of son3 food and pet food needed for while I'm away and do son3 a meal plan, if he wants to go off plan then he'll have to use his own pennies to do so.

Nelly11

£52.32 made on ebay - need to work out who the lucky recipient will be.
This was sorted as soon as the post came today - I needed to pay £40 towards son3 travel card and £20 towards renewing my driving license with a new photo! Thing is though because it wasnt budgeted in I wont miss it, which is a great thing!
Off down to MRT at 8 to gather some yellow lable lovlies for the freezer. I'm away for a week so Son3 will be fending for himself from the ooven and the microwave AKA Magic-oven.
I've packed, got all my Euros, bought in the dog food and organised the walking of them. I'm on the cusp of being excited now, its been 4 years since I had a proper holiday, I know its a luxury and one which will probably see me moaning about the cost in a few weeks but I need it, had such a hard 4 years, marriage break up, illness for 18 months with chemo, then a ruptured bowel and learing to walk again, I'm not fully mobile yet but I wont mind the walking and getting tired, I never thought this time last year that I would ever be fit enough to travel again so here goes........

Nelly11

Back from my holiday with renewed vigour, shall update and post all new signatures etc tomorrow.

Nelly11

A busy weekend, I advertised to repair or tailor peoples clothing on Facebook and have had a healthy response, I've just completed taking a mans Jacket apart, taking it in an inch and resewing it, it looks great, took less than an hour, cost 50p for the thread and I charged £15, it get collected tomorrow.
Also worked really hard this weekend on Facebook sales and made £78.21p, no idea where the 1p came from, so a total earning of £93 this weekend. I spent £1.80 on an Icecream for my grandaughter and £1.45 on some eggs, £45 is earmarked for a bed for her first birthday, I got a second hand spotless one which I collect tomorrow. the remaining £35.96 will pay off my phone bill for the month.
I've made an arrangement with my mortgage provider to clear the arrears on it over 4 months which is going to be tight but doable.
I returned a swimming costume and bikini top to Primarni which I didnt use and used the credit note to get a birthday pressie and enough knickers to last me a life time.
I returned some knickers to Sainsburys, so theat went back in my bank and I'm sending back 2 sundresses and one pair of flip flops to Next which I also didnt wear on holiday.
I need now to change some Euros back to stirling, I may pop them in a deposit envelope and pay them into Barclays tonight through the post box, when I walk the dogs.
Ive made 4 extra servings of mash to go in the freezer and a mashed turnip topping for a shepherds pie later in the week. I'm planning on no more food shopping now for 2 full weeks except for milk for son3.

Plan for tomorrow
*Collect Cot Bed
*Drop off a FB sale of £1 (every little helps)
*bank Euros and cash from FB sales
*Check when I can start listing again on EB*Y
*Promote tailoring and repairs on FB
*Use food from stores Day1/14

Nelly11

£15 made yesterday taking in a jacket for some one!