The single track road - life on a different path

MeandO

Just joined the 'Extra payment a week' thread, and have paid off £15.54 - £15 from some of the cash in my purse and the 54p to round the debt down to a whole number.

Gretchen2012

MeandO you are doing fantastic. I've just finished reading the whole of your diary as I did Lilts. You lot are amazing and such a good support network to each other.


I'm going to start a diary soon. I'm off work tomorrow so going to go through all the debt I have and then I can start.


Just to let you know, my ex DH decided to leave me when I was seven months pregnant. I've got the loveliest 14 year old DD and I'm so proud of her. In a few years you will look back and be proud of how far you have come.


Big hugs. Off to Levis thread now to finish reading it and de-lurk on there too.


Oh and can you point me in the direction of your Etsy shop. I love it on there, bit crafty too.

System

I'm sorry that things have been difficult this week hun, especially yesterday. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but please PM me if you ever want to talk.

Well done on the selling, and the potential sales too :T xxx

MeandO

Welcome aboard Gretchen! Thanks for the lovely comments, good luck with the debt-sorting today, give us a shout if you need a hand with anything, sure someone will be able to help.

Thanks loads too Becs.:heart2: To be honest, I didn't really venture on here for a few days, a break is sometimes needed I find, but hopefully focusing on the money side of things will keep me distracted from the other 'rubbish' for a while!
Oh - followed you on Instagram yesterday, in case you're wondering who it was! Your girls are BEAUTIFUL, like their gorgeous Mum.

MeandO

I had a really busy and productive evening last night which was lovely and kept me happy.

Ds seems to have grown out of everything this week, so I turned out a big box of bigger clothes I had for him which I've either bought cheap, he's had as gifts, or have been passed down to us. I was going to buy him new pants and socks yesterday, but saved myself some money as I found several brand new packs my parents bought him in bigger sizes which I'd put away. There were T-shirts, trousers, jumpers, shorts and loads of underwear, so I washed it all last night as it had been packed away in a box and it's now hanging on the line to dry today in this lovely weather.
I need to buy him some new pyjamas next week as most of his are now too short it seems.

I've sorted a little of the too small stuff into piles - one for ebay and one for donations to his school for spare clothes.

I watered the plants, shifted some more boulders and rocks around the garden and moved DS's bulky outdoor sandpit thing he has so there is now a designated 'play area' for him. I'll be able to order more wood next week to get this pirate ship finished, it 3/4 the way there now.

I also turned out all his jigsaw puzzles and games and earmarked a pile for selling and a pike for the charity shop out of the stuff he has grown out of. The pile of linen and clothes for the charity shop has been moved to the garage and have now filled a big box for them, so will drop that sometime soon.

I had placed an online grocery order for today, but cancelled it as I realised I didn't actually NEED half of it. I have narrowed the list down and am going to pick up some groceries from the supermarket myself tonight as Ds is at his Dad's, then hopefully I'll see Him as he is back today.

I have sent a Father's Day card home for my Dad, but haven't sent a gift as it would have to go through the post and I had no idea what to buy him this year. They know money is tight and worry about me even more now that I'm supporting this house on my own, so I've decided O and I are going to bake some of these for him and give them to him when he comes up next weekend.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/jammy-dodger-flowers

A homemade take on his favourite biscuits - O's fave too, so we'll have to bake more methinks!

£8 has been paid into my account from Quidco, so am adding the £7.50 I'll be getting today from the sale of an item and paying it off the loan today as an extra payment. I'll update the signature shortly.

I have money in my purse to cover Father's Day lunch for the ex on Sunday (not a big meal, just lunch in a cafe near a playpark). There's a bit more in there earmarked for some treats with Him this weekend and some also to cover the small amount of groceries I need.

Think that's all for now,

Happy Friday everyone
xx

MeandO

I've just listed some of the games/puzzles/toys on gumtree and on the work selling site - not sure any will go, but worth a try
I need to do a car boot sale really, but I really would like to avoid if at all possible - they start sooooo early round here, we did one some years ago and had to get there for 4am in the morning!!!

MeandO

Am on the phone to tax credits now -- joy of joys - I've just noticed on my renewal form that my monthly payments are around £170 a month LESS than they were, yet I overestimated my income last year by £2800! !!!!!!????:(:(:(

MeandO

I HATE TAX CREDITS!!!!

So, it seems that they were basing my payments on my salary from the year I came back from being part time - which was 2 years ago - not the estimate I gave them which I see they have down as my estimated income for 2015/16. WHY?? I don't ever recall giving them that figure. Oh I'm so confused.
So, according to them, I earnt around 7K more in my employment than at first thought, yet £2.2k less in my self employment as I've just given them the actual figure which means I don't need to send my renewal form back according to the guy on the phone. (I asked him to confirm three times on that one ).

This means, I will only be getting £169 a month instead of £320. This is going to have a huge impact on my budget - unless the reduction in self employment profit will have any impact, but I won't know that until the middle of August apparently, at which time, it'll be time to inform them of my reduction in hours and no childcare due to going part time on 1st September!

I need sit down and work out the figures now, I'm not sure I can afford to go part time anymore, even with the no childcare.

Why is this so complicated?

I'm not happy.

MeandO

Ok, so I've quickly crunched the numbers to appease the mass panic and I should still be able to clothe and feed us...
I just need to budget better and STICK to it. Now's the time to crack open YNAB methinks...

hummingbird

Thanks for what you wrote on my diary earlier MeandO!! xx I've just caught up with yours.... tax credits:o My pack was waiting for me when I came back... (not yet sorted:eek:)

Hope you have a lovely weekend chick!! Just gone sunny here so the grass is calling me to come out and get it cut!:D