Time to grow up.

Megano

Weirdest thing in the world happened - so my bike got stolen from work and when the security guard said he was going to check the CCTV it showed up the very next day in even better condition that what I left it.
I needed to get a new helmet, lock and bike lights so the bank card still took a bit of a pounding but yeah I think Im the only person who's bike would get stolen and returned!

Willowpop

How very peculiar with the bike! Great that you got it back though.
Hope everything else is going well. 😀

Willowpop

Megano!
How are things? Hope all is ok.:)

Megano

Lets start off with some good news and then we can get back to reality.

- BIL is doing so well. I would love to say he's like a totally different person but Im afraid this isn't a fairy tale, he's doing what he needs to do for FLP and as a result he now has him 3 nights a week. Which is massive! If you remember just less than a year ago he wasnt allowed anywhere near FLP and could only see him at a contact centre and now he's getting to do all the dad things like taking him to nursery and stuff. There is still a massive way to go and in a way I think OH and I will always be ready to jump in if SS decide BIL has messed up but its not doing either of us any good shinning a spotlight on BIL all the time.
- Goodbye HMRC! I would love to say its been fun but it hasn't - honestly HMRC its not me its you but thankfully they took the last payment today to they are scored off the list.

Now to the bad.
- The new job at W1 isn't going as well as what I thought it would. Nothing to do with the job but all the folk in the office seem to do is moan moan moan "oh my god look at what this guy has done!" "Oh look what sales did this time" "oh my god we have targets" and it just seems to be a slightly draining atmosphere. Now I'll openly admit Im really enthusiastic to the point where it annoys even me and as a result I think it rubs people up the wrong way. It's really too long and hard to explain basically its a case of go in, head down and do the work.
- So I [STRIKE]may[/STRIKE] totally have went capital 1 crazy again and pretty much ran up to my limit. Now in my defense there was things I needed like new trainers for the Beast but mostly it was just splurging with nothing really to show for it (dont even get me started on taxis and the canteen spend)
I know I can go frugal again and clear this debt after all how many times have I done it before? Im kinda just sick of being on this merry go round but its a new month. Im one debt down all the rest is interest free (apart from capital one but it will be when I do the CC shuffle)
lets just bite down and get on with it again

I still have the application for W4 on my table Ive wrote down the pros and cons but neither swung it
pros - more money (apparently if I stop splurging)
cons - early rises

Megano

So I tried to do the credit card shuffle to clear off the purchases on the barclaycard and the capital one card and everyone said "thanks but no thanks"
So Ive spoken to the bank and they agreed to give me a loan of £2500 (after I got it I realised I didn't need as much)
If I take the full 15 months (which it won't) the total repayable will be £2962.35 - the good news about a TSB loan is they literally don't charge you a early termination fee if you clear it off sooner, plus you can make extra payments (and we all know how much I love extra payments)

Megano

Nothing really new to report guys - just a case of working working working working (whats new there then?)
I don't know why but recently Ive been getting really annoyed with W3 honestly I just can't be bothered doing it - I know its only 6 hours a week which isn't that much and its not the job itself its the getting there. At W1 every 3 weeks I finish at 8pm now because I can't drive I need to rely on public transport so by the time I get there its like 8.45 (even though its like a 15 minute journey) and thats before I even start! I guess I need to remember that its only every 3 weeks, but then again Im only earning £150 per month (and Im not to say thats someone to shrug off)
I dunno I guess I just need to ride it out at least until the BOM is cleared and then I can review it

Megano

I've went back over all my bank statements and the amount Ive wasted on taxis and splurging in the work canteen is eye watering.
We've been here before so Im going to give myself a shake and get back to grip with the old purse strings.
Ive had some interesting news - my aunt who passed away has left me an inheritance of around £900 now Ive spoken to OH, my mum, the postman, the neighbours cat and we've all agreed it would be best to use the money for the Florida fund (now to make sure I don't go on a spending spree Im giving the money to my mum to keep a hold of)
I've also checked my reward statement for shop and scan and Ive earned £52 in vouchers :j:j:j:j so Im using the vouchers to get my cousins family a cinema voucher so thats one present off the list.
Ive also got £75 from TCB (lord I love that site) I'm going to put £50 into the Florida fund and the rest is going either on the MBNA card or the loan.
I've kinda accepted Im not going to be debt free this year but thats okay 2017 sounds better anyway

EssexHebridean

CUT. THE. CREDIT. CARDS. UP.

Seriously, cut them up. If you know the number off the top of your head, tell the companies you've mislaid the cards and ask them to send you new ones, then when they arrive CUT THEM UP STRAIGHT AWAY.

IF you have got to grip with the spending thing, then consolidation of card debt into a loan to pay less interest CAN work for people - but currently, you haven't got to grips with it, have you. If you don;t break the CC habit RIGHT NOW you're going to end up with that loan, and the same amount again in CC debt. Start to rethink what "needing" something actually means. Learn to think ahead when stuff is needed and set money aside ready for it.

So Ive spoken to the bank and they agreed to give me a loan of £2500 (after I got it I realised I didn't need as much)

What did you do with the extra over and above what you needed?

You said it yourself - you're sick of being on the debt merry-go-round - but only you can take the decision, once and for all, to jump off.

Megano

EssexHebridean wrote: »

CUT. THE. CREDIT. CARDS. UP.

Seriously, cut them up. If you know the number off the top of your head, tell the companies you've mislaid the cards and ask them to send you new ones, then when they arrive CUT THEM UP STRAIGHT AWAY.

IF you have got to grip with the spending thing, then consolidation of card debt into a loan to pay less interest CAN work for people - but currently, you haven't got to grips with it, have you. If you don;t break the CC habit RIGHT NOW you're going to end up with that loan, and the same amount again in CC debt. Start to rethink what "needing" something actually means. Learn to think ahead when stuff is needed and set money aside ready for it.



What did you do with the extra over and above what you needed?

You said it yourself - you're sick of being on the debt merry-go-round - but only you can take the decision, once and for all, to jump off.

Thanks for the advice - in terms of the extra money well I bought a new bed (ours broke as I moved it and snapped the supporting leg) plus I went an got OH some running gear for his winter training.

News news news.
-So Ive decided to keep on W3 in the meantime - I think as soon as BOM and the loan is cleared off then I'll review it.
- Ive managed to land myself another job :j:j:j its nothing major 1 hour a day at a bookies cleaning the office. Minimum wage - paid fortnightly so can't really complain.

The Florida fund is creeping up nicely! We have £260 so far plus I'm getting a bonus.
Part of me is thinking of using my £450 (pre tax) bonus towards the loan but then its just putting the Florida fund on a back burner.
Rightly or wrongly. Ive made my choice.

Megano

I swear to god my head is fried with the man child that is BIL. Walked through the door the the PIL house and he was there. No hello. no hola. Not even a how are you and he starts
"F**king EE phoned me up and said I was being rewarded for being a loyal customer (now BIL is on PAYG) and now they have sent me a bill"
Turns out he agreed to take a mobile phone contract out when someone from telesales called him and muggings here had to sort it out.
I was on the phone for an hour and a half with him shouting in the background "Imma single parent!" "Ive to phone social services" but I managed it plus got him £30 credit so he wasn't out of pocket. Now I wasn't expecting a parade in my name or a street to be named after me. A simple thank you would have been more than enough, but did i get it? No.
Instead what I did get was him complaining that the warm house discount (you know the £140 towards your energy if you on certain benefits?) *which I applied for him btw* wasn't getting paid until April and I was like mate, your getting it thats the main thing.
To which he then started how he is a single parent with a child to look after (I'd just like to kindly remind everyone he has his child 3 days a week - and the nights he has him SS give him money for his expenses (£10 per night - imagine getting paid for looking after your own kid :mad::mad::mad:)
So OH and I went home - the real cherry on the cake was the following day (Monday) OH was at work when DIL called him asking how he gets from Paisley to a hospital in Glasgow as he has an appointment (which he knew about for weeks) OH went mental and was like "Im not your go to guy for every problem you have!"
BIL has an SS meeting today for FLP he's hoping to get him an extra night which is good that things are moving forward but dear god I wish he would give himself a shake and realise its not just him anymore he has a 3 year old to think about.........anyway.
BOM went over every single bank statement (lucky me) and discovered I owe her slightly more than what either of us though - I think I need to accept defeat in paying all my debts off before Christmas and just start again next year. Which is really really really annoying because I've been so close so many times but each time I have my eye on the finish line I get distracted and ran it up all over again.
Oh well.
Day one at the bookies and it took me a little longer than what I thought it would (my boss said it should take about 30 minutes and afterwards go home and still get paid for the hour :j:j:j) but I guess I just need to get into a routine.
W3 is annoying me and our game of "find the cups" I swear every doctor at the end of the day must find the most awkward place to put there used cup for me to find it and its ripping my knitting - the plan was to pay off BOM the £250 per month as agreed as as soon as it was cleared BOOM! GOODBYE W3 but Ive just had a moment when my brain said "HEY! instead of paying your Mum £250 per month. Why not pay her £100 and use the excess to make a payment to your loan?"
I feel like I'm lying to her - like she lent me that money to clear my overdraft thinking it would get me out of debt maybe I should bite the bullet and ask for a bail out again?