Reality Check...

Seasidegal58

Thanks for the recipe reality - it sounds really delicious. I've printed it off.

Re: DS's date - you could have always offered to make them a packed lunch - really MSE!:money:

reality_check

Good thinking, not sure how it would have went down. I have always wanted someone to take me on a surprise picnic...it's never happened!! I have images of it being a summers day off on a picnic with one of those cute picnic hampers, drinking champagne, eating strawberries with a David Beckham/Ryan Gosling/Tom Hardy/Ryan Reynolds lookalike...I watch too many rom coms clearly!

Anyway, back to reality! I got a cheque for £15.00 from my home insurance, forgot I was to get cash back for taking the policy and that's it just arrived, so will pop that in the bank later. Need to go get my eyebrows threaded and tinted later so that will be £10.00 but is my only planned spend of the day.

Spent the day at home so far cleaning, about to have some lunch as not ate a thing all day! Then pop down to my mums to clean as she is getting out on Saturday.

No idea what to make for dinner, forgot to defrost salmon, but I am sure I will get something, won't be buying a thing anyway!! xx

morecambe.bae

Do you really count your student debts as debt? Are you American or something?
I've never considered my Student Loans Company debt "real" debt. Certainly nobody's chasing me for it.

reality_check

Why would I be American because I class my student loan as debt?! lol I'm from England.....But yeah with the student loan it's still hanging over my head, but I forget about and it is not my focus to clear off at all. It comes off automatically from my wages, but it is about £100 a month. Whenever I am debt free from loan to my dad and credit cards I don't think I will tackle paying it off, probably let it run its course as would rather have savings/pay off my mortgage quicker xx

reality_check

Ended up having baked sweet potato with fish cakes and some salad that needed using up...was lovely. Tonight I am going to give these overnight oats a go I've saw lots of pics of instagram and look nice, plus I love porridge.

I have decided to use the money I have aside for paying my dad back I am going to clear my Santander credit card of £1800. It will start charging me interest in January and I am paying a £3 charge a month?! I have never known a credit card to have a fee when it is interest free?! Tried to pay today over the phone but they don't accept payments unless it is from a Santander account?! So I have to go into the branch and do it, what a carry on!! Stupid bank!!

I waited in my mum and dads this afternoon as Virgin was getting installed between 1-6...of course they came at half 5!!! That was my excuse for not making it to the gym, but will be there tomorrow and got my class booked so no excuses.

My summer tan is fading fast!! Going to slap on some fake tan to bring a bit of life to me. Never made it to eyebrow place either today so that's now on tomorrows to do list. Off for a cuppa, malterseasers and the apprentice. Got my massive white company winter candle on, heating on full and all nice and cosy...I love the dark nights xx

reality_check

This shouldn't make me happy, but it does....

I need to buy fake tan soon! I am happy because I used to have an old large make up bag dedicated to fake tan! I was addicted to buying all things beauty, and this was one of them. Always trying the latest ones and paying up to £85 a bottle! I really am a fake tan connoisseur!! I haven't bough a bottle all year!! I have 3 bottles with about 4 applications left between them. I sorted them out start of summer and binned a load of ones I didn't like so everything that was left I know I can use. I am so glad to have got rid of all the bottles and going to be buying one at a time from now on. I also know what works for me so won't be lured into any offers of new products, will be sticking with what I know!! And just luckily the one I like most that I discovered about this time last year is one of the cheapest I have ever bought!! My friend who spends an arm and a leg on beauty products recommended it to me, so with her fussy seal of approval i knew it would be a good one!! It didn't disappoint

This then got me onto thinking about using up the million body butters/lotions I have. I really have too many and they never go down because I never use them!! So for November (will ease myself into it this weekend) I am going to make sure I cover myself each evening before bed after my shower. I would add in at the morning too but I know that is not realistic as I am in and out the shower and clothes on rushing about every day before work!!

I like to follow the Marie Kondo methods but she advises that you just bin them and keep one at a time, not MSE at all especially when it is something I would use and have to buy again. Same with shower gels/shampoo and expensive bath products that I keep for special occasions, this year I have just been using all this stuff daily as it is stupid to keep things!! I now use expensive bath oils on a Monday night and wear all my "good" clothes on a daily basis. Plus I had to use them as I really have been trying so hard this year not to buy things so using some laura mercier creme brulee bubble bath as oppose to buying £3 Radox really is saving money!! I hope in the future not to buy so much!! I think I have cracked it, less is more. That's not to say I will be buying cheaper brands in the future, I probably will stick to high end beauty, bags, clothes, shoes...but I will buy with my OWN hard earned money not on a credit card!! But will try and adopt Marie Kondos approach of buying and using then re buying more as oppose to stocking up!! And I am not a brand snob in any way, I just believe that with some things you get what you pay for, but a lot of things doesn't mean expensive = great, trust me I have learnt that over the years.

This probably doesn't make sense to anyone and I am tired so should shut this down and get to sleep! It was money related somehow and relevant, sort of...goodnight xx

Seasidegal58

..... even though I am shutting down now and going off to put my weary head on my pillow, as one beauty product lover to another, all I can say is that it makes perfect sense to me!:D

reality_check

Glad it does to someone else!

Just off the phone to Barclays - I waited about 5 seconds to get through, should make all my calls at this time and make the most of the 24/7 lines!!

I just had a feeling I had the dates of my interest free wrong...oh I did!! So it turns out that on 1st December my interest free period ends, which is right, but I thought I only had to clear the balance to £3,100...WRONG, needs to go down to £2564.64 and the remaining is interest free until 1st June 2017.

Current balance is: £3400 with Novembers direct debit of £100 taking it to £3300, I need to get an additional £735.36 paid off between now and December...great!! I loath to pay interest these days, so will need to work something out. My plan was to have my December wages for Christmas and have a break from paying off debt, might just have to put Christmas (with an exact budget as I know what I will be being paid in January) onto a credit card and have January as a minimum paying month, will work itself out I'm sure. It is a bit impossible to find £735.36 by 1st December!!

Right I am def off to bed now!!!

roomontheend

Good for you calling up to see when interest free ran out. At now you can plan around in instead of ignoring it and it going ear shaped in January.

I have been on a microblading course this week, it's cost nearly £2000 all in. But I'm hoping I can start earning off it soon. Also on the money side of things I have moved a buy to let mortgage over so that will be a saving of £100 per month. I can then put the extra £100 off a cc per month and pay off quicker.

How is your Mum keeping?

reality_check

I'm glad I did check the credit card end date, I just had a feeling...step over Mystic Meg!!

I would have came and been you model ROTE!! I'd love to get it done, but have a fear of needles/tattoos, I can just about cope with botox since its only a few injections at a time where as that is constant for a while is it not?! £2000 is a lot, but it is such a popular thing right now so you will hopefully make it back soon and then more when it has paid itself loads of times over.

My mum got out on Saturday and is getting a bit better, was there most of the weekend and when I'm not there she has been calling me or I was calling her. Hopefully this will be the last hospital trip!!

I think I had a mini break through yesterday...

I love the smell of Crabtree & Evelyn Noel oil they sell at Christmas, last year I couldn't get my hands on it anywhere as it sells out so quick. I even called them a few weeks ago to find out when it was launching and told to check this weekend. Anyway, last night I was checking Quidco to see if I had any money outstanding to withdraw and saw they have an offer on where if you buy something before midnight on 31st October, aslong as you spend £10 or more on any website you get £10 cashback. You need to opt into marketing, I get enough junk mail so one more won't make a difference and you can always opt out again at a later date. The smell just reminds me on Christmas and brings such good memories when I smell it, so in the basket I had a candle, 2 room sprays and 6 of the oils and it came to £105. My bag was downstairs with my purse and I was in my room and couldn't be bothered to move there and then and then I was on the phone to my friend for a while and forgot. It wasn't until a few hours later when I was cleaning the bathroom I remembered and then decided what a ridiculous thing to do, I had just found out the other day I need to find an extra £735.36 before the first of December yet I was about to spend a good chunk of money on a bloody candle!! I have plenty candles to use and oils that even could last a good 6 months and that’s with a candles on every day. Again it goes back to the keeping stuff good from the other day. I always get Jo Malone, The White Company and Diptyque candles which are about £40-50 as gifts but I am always so reluctant to use them! So I keep them and go to TKMAXX and spend £10 on a candle or buy a Yankee at £20 and use them, so that is why I now have a big backlog! I am not talking massive hoards, but whenever I get a new one I think ohh ok now I will burn that one I got for my birthday for example…the new me is using them every day! Last year I bought 3 large Winter candles from The White Company at £125 each, one for the hall, living room and my room - they have been burned lots and have loads left but only recently as again, I was reluctant to use as knew they are expensive. The old me this time last year didn't bat an eyelid adding £375 onto a credit card on 3 candles....times definitely have changed!!

I have went a bit off on a tangent but the moral of the story is if you want to buy something WAIT…even a few hours, ideally a few days and you will hopefully get conformation that it is something you do really want/need or like me you might see sense and realise that yes you might want it, but really do you need it. Had my purse been next to me I wouldn’t have thought twice and bought it and had the danger of slipping back to my old ways.

However, I did have have a NEED at the weekend and I bought a ticket for Take That at £97 a pop. Well my friend bought them on her credit card and I just transferred her the money. I have always been a life long Gary Barlow fan!! I met a friend for a few drinks on Saturday night so that was £40 and I am now running on empty. Went to Sainsburys and spent £60, my car has petrol that should last until pay day but might need a £10 top up. I have 15 days until pay day and really need to lie low until then. Have a comedy show next week but tickets were cheap and already paid for which includes dinner and I will probably just drive to keep costs down.

Back at work today and off to my sisters tonight to see the kids dressed up/avoid opening the door at mine – bah humbug! Happy Halloween xxx