A Frugal Maternity Leave

crunch_time

Hi mum2one - yes I feel like I've been here forever too!! It's so lovely here!! I feel so much more in control now we have paid for the house (although 2 months of no mortgage payment has definitely helped).

The £10.15 is building and contents cover indeed.

I was reading a few more diaries last night and was inspired to change my signature to a total debt vs lbm with a %paid to keep me more motivated.

I also decided to put an end date to it - December 2016!! This is 20 months away - eek!! It means aside from the regular loan payments of £419 a month we will have to find on average an extra £545 a month to achieve this!!! It's like pink poppies says 'shoot for the moon and if you miss at least you will be amongst the stars' (or something like that).

I was reading another lady's diary and really identified with her about the frustration of not being able to take children away on holiday due to being a dfw. My little ones are a lot younger so luckily they don't notice/don't mind. I'm just forward thinking to when we don't have to chuck £950 a month at debt and can use that money to have adventures with!! Toddler will have just started school in dec 2016 and baby will be 2 so how lovely to plan a trip away for summer 2017!!!!

Having another cheap day today. Lots of phone calls to make and housework to do. But planning a walk to the butchers to get some eggs!
Happy debt busting everyone!!xx

crunch_time

My bubble has burst slightly this am when husbands credit card statement arrived demanding nearly £60 of minimum payment at the end of the month:mad:


I only budget £15 a month. to be fair to him he is waiting for about £1000 of expenses to be paid to him but from my calculations he spent nearly £400 on fuel last month - he has travelled a lot but I only budget £100 a month for us. he will claim mileage of course so hopefully that will cover that. £229.70 looks like true expenses but £202.70 looks like ours :eek:


I sent him an email telling him to sort it out as soon as he can but I also think we need to have a think about how best to manage this going forward. This credit card is supposed to just be for work expenses. and paid off in full every month.... does anybody else have this situation and can offer advice as to how we can manage it.??


I just cant seem to keep track of it and it is bringing us down

mfmaybe

What is the process for claiming expenses? Does it have to be done monthly, or can it be done immediately? How quickly do they pay after the claim is submitted? Is a work-issued corporate card a possibility?

If he can claim them on an ad-hoc basis then I suggest he does weekly claims so the cash is in the bank well before the card requires settled. With my work, even on a worst case of the expense going on the card just before the card cut-off, I can claim straight away and usually get paid within 5 days. So plenty time before the card needs paid (around 18 days from statement). If however they are making him wait and do say a monthly claim, then it sounds like he might have to talk to them about a better system. No-one should have to cover work expenses off their own back.

crunch_time

Hi mfmaybe!


He can claim whenever he wants and they repay twice a month. I would be happy him submitting once a month. His boss then has to approve. Its frustrating as since June last year he has only claimed 2-3 times:mad:


I have to nag nag nag him. He works long hours and travels a lot so I can understand not wanting to sit down and do it when he gets home. He manages a team of 9 and has to approve their expenses. One of his team does his weekly without fail. Why oh why cant he be more like this!!!


I sent him an angry email yesterday demanding he sorts it out this weekend as we simply cannot afford the interest on a credit card that has about £2000 sitting on it for expenses!!!


I think we need to devise a plan for him using the dates of pay etc so he can claim every month and it be paid on time for the min payment to come out.


Unfortunatley I don't think there is the option of him getting a company credit card.


In other MSE news lots of things are finishing on ebay this am but I cant see how much for because my iPhone doesn't want to connect to the internet. I shall have to log on on this laptop.


Im also getting to grips with YNAB. In the spirit of everything we earn in April paying bills in May I have been looking at our bills and seeing what ones need to be changed so they come out at the beginning of May. Had a hilarious moment talking to my bank regarding my loan and trying to keep a straight face whilst toddler was telling me he needed a poo :rotfl: After the phone call we went and he did his first one in the toilet!!!:T This is a big leap forward!!!


I have arranged for the loan to come out on April 20th and then 1st May so effectively I have to pay 2 lots of loan this month. Starting to panic about how we are going to do this!!!


Im going to sit down with some paper and a pen later and work things out. Im a visual person so this will make me feel more in control.


Im feeling really motivated at the moment. Although since my LBM last June the house move has meant we have had to coast for a bit I feel like I am now finally getting things back on track.


I had an interesting conversation with a friend at the weekend. This friend on the face of it (and her husband) earn a lot more money than we do and seem to have all their chips in order when it comes to money. However she was complaining about another friend who had bought a brand new kitchen but then during a holiday stayed in a really budget hotel. She was rolling her eyes at it implying that she thought they were loaded as they bought a new kitchen but then stayed in the budget hotel. I felt like saying that perhaps they felt they needed a brand new kitchen and that was what they valued and didn't care where they stayed. She also said in another conversation that she had to put her dogs vets bills on credit card as they didn't have money to pay for it (£700) granted. She got most of her maternity leave a couple of years ago as full pay and then has had to go back to work full time as she cant afford part time.


Sorry for the ramble but it just made me think how different peoples attidtues are towards money. I really thought she was sensible. although we are still in debt at the moment our attitude towards money has changed and I'm glad we have made the sacrifices we have so I can stay at home part time and look after the little ones.


Hey ho. On we go with our plan. I shall post it later for all to see. Happy Thursday!
Crunchy xx

sugarcube84

Is there any way that you could help keep track of his expenses?


If its a paper form or excel etc could you not help him by filling it in daily? Have a quick chat about what he has done for the day when he gets in,write it down and input it the next day and keep all of his receipts.


Even if its an online system you could have everything collated ready to for him to input so it makes it easier. Just a thought anyway.

crunch_time

Hi sugarcube84!!
That's a really good idea thank you!!! I think I shall make a weekly note and then check it off the credit card statement when it comes in every month. We need to make his credit card just about expenses and mileage. I rang up the bank yesterday and applied for him to added to my credit card. Although we are not planning to make any more purchases on credit cards if we have to I can easily track it and pay it off. I also need to make our food account a joint account so he can easiyl put anything I ask him to get on his way home from work on there rather than his credit card!!

I told him he also needs to make sure he packs a lunch everyday - even if it is bread - he hates bread. I can help him with this be reminding him and making sure I buy stuff for him.

Today my task is ringing up the 4 charities I support and changing my address and the bank details back from mine into the joint account so all dds are tidy and come out of one account!!

Also planning a trip to the park for toddler and butchers to get some eggs. Blue some of the food budget on a bottle of wine last night as felt a little low. Can't do it anymore - not good for money situation or health!!!

Hopefully today will be sunny like yesterday!!!

Crunchy xx

mum2one

How was the wine, you've done brilliantly and deserve a little treat, really sounds like ur doing brilliantly. You have a he day xx

sugarcube84

I don't blame you, I treated myself to a bottle of wine as well last night!

mum2one

Me too with the bottle of wine - ready for 2ngt - mine freebie - the one pub group we've signed up to send a voucher for bottle wine for bday - so took mine home x

crunch_time

Hi mum2one and sugarcube84 - yes!!! Sometimes wine is needed!!

We had a relative nsd yesterday. We just went food shopping (unfortunately spending about £95 - under our £100 budget but don't know how I'm going to pay for it yet - it's sitting on credit card arggggg!!!). Our plans with friends for the evening (a curry and booze) got cancelled so we made a clean curry at home and had just 2 beers each and it was delicious!!!

Off to the zoo today. We have season tickets so we have already paid so just need to pack a picnic and remember to take water for us!!

Got to get a handle on our budget for May tonight as well as write some letters for change of addresses and pack the bits I sold on eBay to post tomorrow.
I'm planning another low cost week next week. Toddler is back at pre school so just need £10 for petrol for that and then to stick to the food budget and make sure husband takes pack lunch every. Single. Day.

I get paid on Friday. Woohoo!!!!

Happy Sunday everybody!!!
Crunchy xxx