Getting up again

leanne77

I am a serial lurker on this site and managed to get debt-free late last year. However my credit card balance has grown to the point that it's going to take my entire emergency fund to clear it this month putting me back to square one.

This was spending on entirely non-emergency stuff that I just wanted but couldn't afford. Now I think maybe I've had a second LBM and finally accepted that I'm going to have to keep doing all those things (meal-planning, budgeting and whatnot) that I abandonned when I cleared my debt. So I'm back to try again.

I'm re-trying the diary thing to try and keep my momentum going. I've had a lot of inspiration from other people's diaries. Is it wrong to say sometimes I get the most inspiration from people who have total failure days and then get up and try again? I have a lot of empathy with total failure days where you're left going, it was a whole 24 hours, how did I do nothing?

Today was a bit like that for me, but I am determinded not to waste my upcoming 4 day weekend. So diary to have something to hold myself accountable against.

For tomorrow I have a massive heap of papers that need sorting (and a flat that needs sorting, but one step at a time) thirty pages to proof-read for a friend, two thousand words to write for a different friend, and meal planning for the next two weeks to organize and a very carefully budgeted trip to the supermarket.

Also, having glanced across the room, I need to put the hoover away, it has been tripping me up for the last three days but I am still procrastinating over actually putting it away, sometimes my brain is very odd.

And most crucially, I must have an early night. I do much better if I'm not tired. So there will be no internet surfing once I've posted this and I will go straight to bed like a good person.

BILLIE

Leanne didn't just want to read and run. You are right that you feel cheated having got debt free to then be in debt again, but I do think it is all part of life, and the most important factor is that you have come back on board and are getting it back into control before it is too late. You could clear it with your emergency fund and en build that back up or maybe use half of the fund and build up and pay off the reminder slowly. Well done for coming back one step at a time and you can do it. Good luck xx

leanne77

Hi, thank you for the comment. I hadn't thought of just paying down some of my debt and keeping a bit of an emergency fund. I might try that. I know I'll feel better having some money stashed away. Other than that just have to keep on plodding.

Today could have been more successful but it wasn't a total loss. I can now see the kitchen table and the coffeee table again. And I found my pension statement. If I die I'm worth a lot of money but otherwise I'm broke. This is not exactly encouraging. I also found the utlitiy bills which are mostly in credit, which is encouraging, although I've somehow doubled my water consumption from the same time last year. Must have a think on that.

I have done my shopping list but not made it to the shops as I'm babying my hip a bit at the moment. Tomorrow. And I will stick to my list and hopefully do a bit of cooking for the freezer too.

Now must go to bed before it gets too late.

BILLIE

And a few early nights would help! Are you aware at what age you are able to draw the pension you found the paperwork for? I used to work for one of the large supermarkets and OH the railways and 50 was the age to draw down a lump sum and start drawing - not a fortune but helps. Good luck

leanne77

okay, so I've totally failed at the going to bed earlier thing but I have finnished my 2,000 words which is a huge relief - it was only 2,000 words, I've no idea why it was so painful.

now going to bed before i fall asleep over my computer.

BILLIE

As you said in your first post, taking one steps at a time, and that is what you are doing and maybe you need to have completed several steps before having earlier bedtimes!! Well done on completely the 2000 words and something else will be accomplished today on day 3!!

leanne77

Thank you Billie, but, no, bedtime yestersday (although techinically it was this morning it doesn't become tomorrow until I've gone to sleep) was hopeless. Tonight will be better - if only because I'm going to start to nodd off before it gets too late.

I didn't manage to write much yesterday, I only really logged because if I don't make this a habit, I'll stop, and there's a chance this diary-thing will work on providing extra motivation so I am determined to stick to it. Fake it til you make it, eventually my diary will become a stupendous tick sheet of completed jobs.:rotfl:

Yesterday I did do the shopping, spent too much, £38.63 on groceries and £4.99 on a crafty magazine from personal spends. But green & blacks chocolate was on special and I had run down on some stuff, I should be able to keep next weeks shop to £5.00 which will help even things out.

I diidn't cook anything but I did chop up all the cheap onions I bought a couple of weeks agao for freezing before they went bad. I know onions are suppossed to keep forever but they don't seem to in my fridge.

My kitchen is not yet that mythical state of tidy, but it is significantly tidier, and today's job is to get it as close as possible to tidy. Also must do some ironing, as tidy my bedroom resulted in me doing laundry and washing practically every piece of clothing I own, which of course now all need ironing.

Also must stop putting off my proof reading.

So that's three things to do today, since I've started late, I better get cracking.

leanne77

Well I managed 1 out of 3, and my kitchen is now tidier than it's been for weeks. I also tidied my bedroom and dumped two bags or rubbish but that was mostly procastinating on the proof-reading I was suppossed to be doing so I'm not sure if that counts as a success or not.

Tomorrow must do proof-reading, clear up the stuff that that's cycling from room to room as I tidy up, and do my monthly budget.

And am going to bed if not early at least on time.:)

BILLIE

You are being productive regardless of what it is that is being done!!

I don't keep onions in the fridge but in my veg basket (nothing flash just a whicker basket on the kitchen floor). I think in the fridge the moisture turns them quickly!

Have a good day, for me it is back in the office - yuk!

leanne77

Slipped up with updating. Monday was a bit of a failure all round, glossing over that quickly. But from Tuesday I have a goodish excuse because work has had a sudden crisis and overtime has suddenly become available.

It's non-streesfull, non-demaning work, but it is so very boring I am almost catatonic. Tuesday I was too blerragh to do anything, Wednesday I passed out as soon as I got home and woke up with a crick in my neck at half-five in the morning (no dinner, very MSE )

Today I managed some actual useful stuff, but also managed to crack a plate by overheating it in the mircowave - I did not know this was even possible.

Overtime every evening this week and then all day Saturday should net me about £100 which would be very very useful. I would like to a do a big shopping order from the supermarket. My grocery budget is a bit limited and relies quite a lot on having things like toliet paper and cat food in store. I usually do a big shop every now and then from my personal spends, but with overtime I wont have to. So yay for overtime even if I'm a zombie.

On the MSE front I have signed back into my Swagbucks accout and am trying to get back into the swing of it. I should try clixsense too but I'm not sure I have the enthusiasm for 2 lots of boring videos and uncompleteable surveys and jobs that make no sense (F***** Investments, I hate you. I wouldn't invest with you if you were last place on Earth, however since I have a net worth of approximately 50p I doubt this troubles you very much.)

I have paid of about half my credit card, clearing out my emergency fund but leaving all my savings pots up and running. I love my spreadsheet of saving pots and it would be miserable to have to start them all over again. All I have to do now is rebudget because I had a small payrise (hooray) which was completely wiped out by the HMRC reclaiming a load of tax they forgot to charge me over the last two years (boo). I am now taking home less than I was last year. (double boo). However without my payrise I would be in serious trouble so I grateful it worked out okay.

I have also signed up to Co-op bank to see if I can get there £100 sign on bonus. I don't expect it, but we shall see.

So I have done stuff, but it was mostly procrastinating against more important stuff so I suppose that's maybe half a star :undecided

Billie - thank you for the tip on onions, I did not know that. moisture seems likly to be the culprit as they go sort of mouldy. next time I buy onions I'll stash them in a dark cupboard and see if that helps.

giblet1979

Hi Leanne,
Just wanted to say good luck with everything, and I'll subscribe to see how you're getting on. I'm quite new to this, so not sure I've much to offer in the way of advice, but I'm an expert procrastinator, so maybe we can encourage each other on this journey
Gib x