January 2015 is the beginning

January2015

A fairly flat day - nothing DFW about it - well I only spent £1.60 at lunchtime (bought fresh veg).

I have become an obsessive compulsive bank account checker - both old and new accounts. Old account to check - well just to check because I can't think what I am looking for. New account to check DDs I want are gradually be set up and to look at the nice positive number (not big, but it's positive And then I log in to look at the savings account.

I feel a bit in limbo waiting for the DMP to actually start (hopefully 1st March but if it takes longer then we can stash a bit more emergency fund cash away).

It's been 4 weeks since my LBM and although we are not quite sorted with the DMP yet I feel so much better and so much calmer. I know we owe a stupidly huge amount of money but I can now see a way to clear that. It may take years (and years) but we will repay it all.

On another positive note my overtime was signed off and I should get that payment in February's salary so I'm hoping for an extra £360 (ish) pounds after stoppages all of which will be squirrelled away into the emergency fund.

The knitting is going well and is looking quite good even if I say so myself. Hopefully the jumper will be finished before the birthday arrives (end of the month).

January2015

Logged into bank accounts before leaving for work (yes, I admit to OCD ) and the old account had 'agreed overdraft charges' added. I had left about £40 under the O/D limit in there.....so now there is less than a tenner available on the O/D limit .....a month ago that would have bothered me massively....this morning I just smiled knowing I am on the way to sorting this situation out

January2015

Oh potential excitement I came home to a letter from AI Scheme Ltd which advises I may be due compensation from a card security product I must have had in the past. I have googled AI Scheme Ltd and found a link on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website - this is a genuine company, not a scam and they are managing a scheme, which if agreed, will compensate customers who were wrongly sold these security/protection products.

I don't remember even having this product associated with any card I've had in the past - but if the scheme goes ahead I will put in an application....'just in case'

System

I know what you mean about just smiling when you see the old bank account....LOL. I went into Lloyds today to ask if our Platinum account had been down graded as I had asked in my letter....don't want to keep it as a Platinum as they will carry on charging us £17 a month for it!. She said it hadn't been changed but she could do it while I was there and started going on about how we would get charges as their was no overdraft facility on downgraded account etc and I said that was fine and explained about SC and DMP etc and she had obviously heard of them and said not to worry then as it would all get sorted and they would probably stop charges then anyway....so I came out of the bank feeling quite good!

January2015

I have developed another obsessive,compulsive behaviour I try sooooo hard to have NSDs now:rotfl:

Today was a very successful NSD. The padlock never came off my purse once:rotfl:

I have my weekly allocation of grocery shopping money in DHs bank account and my goal is to get through the week hardly touching it. We are using up food in the freezer and larder and to be honest I think I can almost manage to get through February with just buying the fresh fruit and veg:T So shopping spends in February are (hopefully) going to be kept to the barest minimum. Having said that I have two of my gorgeous grandchildren coming for tea tomorrow and they have requested nanny (aka me:D) makes one of her special treats (home baking). I don't have all the ingredients so I am going to have a spend day tomorrow but it will only be about £3 so I will be well within shopping allowance for the week.

January2015

I've just typed the post above about hopefully not spending all of our weekly shopping allowance and I suddenly thought that it would be a good idea once we get to the end of the week to immediately transfer to our emergency fund any 'underspend' on the weekly shopping allowance. I am now desperate for Sunday, the end of the week for us as Monday is the start of our week for us. On Sunday I am doing an online transfer of anything not spent.....even the pence

System

January2015 wrote: »

I've just typed the post above about hopefully not spending all of our weekly shopping allowance and I suddenly thought that it would be a good idea once we get to the end of the week to immediately transfer to our emergency fund any 'underspend' on the weekly shopping allowance. I am now desperate for Sunday, the end of the week for us as Monday is the start of our week for us. On Sunday I am doing an online transfer of anything not spent.....even the pence

Good idea, :TI was thinking of doing the same, but I made the mistake of going for monthly food budget and actually think I would be better breaking it down into weekly chunks, so will work out what is left and divide it up and take it out and keep it in my purse separately and then nip into Nationwide every Monday on the way to work to deposit the leftovers into our savings.

Puzzcat

Hi January,


Since starting my dmp I have reverted back to using cash as much as possible. I find if I go shopping with a debit card I don't track what I'm buying as carefully as If I only have a set amount of cash to spend. I get paid by OH each friday and split this into different 'plastic folders', labelled for each type of spends.. once the cash has gone.. its gone... anything left over.. (as if..) can be saved or rolled into the next week...


Its amazing how unattractive those 'treats' appear when you may be faced with a 'red face' at the checkout for not having enough pennies..!


Puzz. x

kindofagilr

January2015 wrote: »

I've just typed the post above about hopefully not spending all of our weekly shopping allowance and I suddenly thought that it would be a good idea once we get to the end of the week to immediately transfer to our emergency fund any 'underspend' on the weekly shopping allowance. I am now desperate for Sunday, the end of the week for us as Monday is the start of our week for us. On Sunday I am doing an online transfer of anything not spent.....even the pence

That's a good idea, I kind of do that, I have £60 a week for all shopping, and I do online shopping, thurs is my shopping day, and when asda come and I know what my shopping was that week (cos it's guide price until it comes) i then immediatly use the excess from the £60 and overpay on something, I only started doing it start of jan and have managed to overpay £60 just from the spare shopping money normally it would just stay in the bank and get wasted xx

January2015

Not a very debt busting weekend. OHs car broke down - well it went into limp mode - could drive but no acceleration. Fortunately we have recovery to home with AA. Recovery guy said its the engine management system - sounds expensive

I am now panicking about not having enough money to sort this out. We definitely have no access to credit as we've told all the card companies we are working with SC and sent them the first £1 token payment. Oh shoot

I can only hope it's a cheap(ish) fix. We can't manage without the car as DH works over 25 miles away and there is no direct bus/train route, plus he needs his vehicle for his job (and part of his salary is a car allowance)