January 2015 is the beginning

January2015

Hello diary

I've been a bit lapse about visiting recently.

Ok - so a small victory with BC. Both accounts will be closed/defaulted - will take a number of months (why?) but will happen. Now to chase refund of interest charges and fees. What fun we have in our lives

Work is improving - slightly. I don't think it's a job I would opt to stay in if I had choices - hence I am actively looking for another post but I will stay put until something else suitable comes up - which in this day and age may mean I'm here for years to come!

I've spent far too much on nothing this month. I say nothing, but the only things we've bought are groceries but I took my eye off the ball and spent far more than the budget. Methinks it's because I subconsciously knew we had money in savings and 'it wouldn't matter'. I honestly didn't think that at the time, but think that perhaps that was lurking in the back of my mind. So - strict regime from this month. I'm thinking of doing the envelope thing - where I draw out what we are allowed for the week (or month) and once it's gone...well it's gone isn't it.

I can't believe we are approaching May already - where are the months going?

I've updated my debt total in my signature. It's hardly moved since January when we left SC. That's because we had a couple of months of £1 payments and then BC decided to be really nice to us and add tons of interest and fees. However, I'm not downhearted. This is a blip on the DMP journey and numbers will start to tumble nicely again from this month.

Hope everyone's keeping well.

Jan -x-

Scottishmummy

Well that's a step in the right direction from BC at last.

I've thought about the envelope thing a few times but because DH gets paid in cash it just doesn't work for us. There is always more cash to hand every day. My granny always did it although it was purses she used. She had a drawer in her kitchen with half a dozen purses in it that each had money for something different. Us grandkids always got 50p out of her beaded purse

January2015

Scottishmummy wrote: »

Well that's a step in the right direction from BC at last.

I've thought about the envelope thing a few times but because DH gets paid in cash it just doesn't work for us. There is always more cash to hand every day. My granny always did it although it was purses she used. She had a drawer in her kitchen with half a dozen purses in it that each had money for something different. Us grandkids always got 50p out of her beaded purse

Well it's the 1st of the month this weekend, so as good a time as any to give the envelope thing a try I am going to withdraw funds weekly so that we don't have too much cash about and cannot splash out at the beginning of the month only to find we've overspent at the end of the month. I've been really good on our DMP budet since we started, but seem to have lost my way over the last month. I'll post to update how we get on at the end of next week

System

January2015 wrote: »

Well it's the 1st of the month this weekend, so as good a time as any to give the envelope thing a try I am going to withdraw funds weekly so that we don't have too much cash about and cannot splash out at the beginning of the month only to find we've overspent at the end of the month. I've been really good on our DMP budet since we started, but seem to have lost my way over the last month. I'll post to update how we get on at the end of next week

I started off doing the cash in envelopes thing at beginning of DMP and then, like you, I lost my way. Started thinking I could do it without enevelopes and spent a bit too much on one thing and never put it back etc. Starting again now and hope it works better, especially as we actually have less money floating around at the moment. Just waiting to hear about a 3rd little part time job and hopefully all might get better, although I now have to find money for optician as well as dentist!:(

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Hi I do virtual pots/envelopes online

January2015

ploppy57 wrote: »

I started off doing the cash in envelopes thing at beginning of DMP and then, like you, I lost my way. Started thinking I could do it without enevelopes and spent a bit too much on one thing and never put it back etc. Starting again now and hope it works better, especially as we actually have less money floating around at the moment. Just waiting to hear about a 3rd little part time job and hopefully all might get better, although I now have to find money for optician as well as dentist!:(

Ploppy I buy my glasses online. I usually spend between £11 and £20 for a pair of single vision lenses and up to £60 for bifocals. Far cheaper than opticians. I've always been pleased with the glasses I received. I did get some once which were buy one pair get a second pair free (second pair had to be from a certain set of frames. I didn't particularly like the free pair but they are useful to keep for wearing around the house.

Scottishmummy

January2015 wrote: »

Ploppy I buy my glasses online. I usually spend between £11 and £20 for a pair of single vision lenses and up to £60 for bifocals. Far cheaper than opticians. I've always been pleased with the glasses I received. I did get some once which were buy one pair get a second pair free (second pair had to be from a certain set of frames. I didn't particularly like the free pair but they are useful to keep for wearing around the house.

Where do you buy from. I am needing to get my first ever pair and not looking forward to the cost.

System

January2015 wrote: »

Ploppy I buy my glasses online. I usually spend between £11 and £20 for a pair of single vision lenses and up to £60 for bifocals. Far cheaper than opticians. I've always been pleased with the glasses I received. I did get some once which were buy one pair get a second pair free (second pair had to be from a certain set of frames. I didn't particularly like the free pair but they are useful to keep for wearing around the house.

Not sure I would do that as I need so much advice on the different coatings etc and like to try them on to make sure they feel comfy and suit me. Mine are varifocals (3 different lenses) and so they have to be fitted they then put little dots put on the lens to show exactly where the 3 different lenses need to be before they can fit the proper lens, otherwise they may be in wrong place...IYSWIM. Then I have to have them thinned right down, then antireflective coating, then the new coating to reflect blue light as I was getting such bad headaches from computer.

January2015

Scottishmummy wrote: »

Where do you buy from. I am needing to get my first ever pair and not looking forward to the cost.

I tend to use Goggles4U, but have used others - when there have been offers on the MSE email newsletter.

January2015

ploppy57 wrote: »

Not sure I would do that as I need so much advice on the different coatings etc and like to try them on to make sure they feel comfy and suit me. Mine are varifocals (3 different lenses) and so they have to be fitted they then put little dots put on the lens to show exactly where the 3 different lenses need to be before they can fit the proper lens, otherwise they may be in wrong place...IYSWIM. Then I have to have them thinned right down, then antireflective coating, then the new coating to reflect blue light as I was getting such bad headaches from computer.

Totally understand Ploppy. My lenses are fairly straightforward - even the varifocals (not bi-focals, although I think I put that in my first post). I just scan the prescription and upload it and let them do the rest:)