Reality Check...

reality_check

I meant quarterly bill, oops - wish it was annual :rotfl:

I am £75 gas a month direct debit and electricity comes in quarterly so £90 a month roughly - just need to pay this monthly direct debit as will be much easier!

I don't want a smart meter, be scared to look! Tumble dryer on non stop and same with washing machine, dishwasher on all the time and everyone has a million electronics plugged in constantly! I do contribute to this by keeping lamps on in every room regardless if anyone is in it or not - hate a dark house! xx

monz

omg thats high!! mine is £55 per month xx

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I thought so too Monz, but according to our Martin I'm on one of the best tariffs out there for gas when I switched in December...just need to sort this electricity as I am on a sky high standard quarterly paying tariff with Scottish Power...xx

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Had to pay for my electricity bill today as got a reminder and they always make me feel uneasy. Also had to get a new tyre, got a refurbished one but was still £60, also had to pay for glass for a new wing mirror since mine just fell off, and that was £15. There was a birthday and someone leaving in work so that was £3 each into the collection...had no money so had to take £20 out the bank (no £10 notes!!) so I am £20 into my overdraft, I have a massive £25 free overdraft so at least I won't be charged.

Credit card currently sits at £1581.94 - £150 includes my mum and dads virgin bill. When I switched them over I must have put the wrong details in, then they just ignored letters/didn't open them!! And then they were cut off!! So I had to call up pay the balance in my name as they didn't want to call and I was in my house. I probably won't get it back, but oh well. My sister still owes me £300, need to remind her!!

I am hoping not to add to the credit card until pay day which is 8 days away, might need to use the £10 in my purse to top up petrol. I have £100 vouchers for Iceland/Farmfoods that I won in work at Christmas time so will use them for milk/bread/fruit/veg top ups and try live out the cupboards.

Council tax free month next month, cancelled my £100 Virgin direct debit and going to pay the £40 minimum next month so I can throw every penny at the card to clear it. This will leave me no money for food/petrol/socialising but I will just need to put it back on the card once its cleared (to avoid interest) and pay in March...

Ugh never ending this debt!! xx

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Pay slips be in tomorrow, so will know how much I'm being paid and make some budgets. Been a long month and feels like I was last paid a lot longer than it has been...well it has been 2 days short of 5 weeks, so was a long month. This is an exactly 4 week month so going to be super tight and frugal if I want to pay this credit card off.

Been tempted with some online shopping recently, but I have resisted!

My second bunch of flowers arrived through the post today, not sure if I mentioned on this but DS (prompted by DD!) got my a years supply of flowers from a company called Bloom & Wild and every month they post flowers out to you that come through the letterbox! They are beautiful!! Such a lovely gift, and perfect for the person who has everything or doesn't want pointless gift sets that they hate - I'm just describing myself. It's a fab company if you've never heard of it. My daughter also got me ideal home subscription for another year as part of my Christmas, another of my favourite things. Reading my magazine, with a cup of tea looking at my lovely flowers...what a sad life I live, but I love it!

Had a busy weekend and spent all yesterday hill walking and then doing housework. Was too tired to make a roast so we had pasta last night, but just about to have one tonight and catch up on the undateables and first dates...two of my fav programs. Hope everyone has survived Monday xx

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My work is currently going through a re-structure and paying people off/combining departments, and one of them is payroll. We now get commission through payroll and the majority of our wages are wrong and messed up! I am roughly £500-600 down, so will need to wait until next months pay - annoying!!

Anywayyyy, this months plan....

Barclays is sitting at £1485.12 and I am going to pay off £1035.12 leaving it with £450.
Virgin is at £2200 and only making a minimum payment of £25 leaving it at £2175.
Loan remains the same at £7000.
Total debt: £9625

I have increased dog walking bills this month as need extra days as DD on a placement in a school with uni. I have a petrol fund of £75.00 - this should be enough as I have a full tank put in the other day so although it's normally about £100 a month we should manage with this, plus I have a few days off work so that will save me money.

I don't have any personal spending money this month but I have gave myself the £200 food budget, leaving a £0 cash food budget....not as crazy as it sounds because I have £120 of LovetoShop vouchers that can be spent in Farmfoods or Icelands, which sell a surprising amount of fresh fruit/veg/meat. I have also used a benefit in work where I get £50 of Sainsburys vouchers per month that comes off my salary before it’s taxed, and think I have £20/£30 from last month so that’s another £70/80 so we won’t starve. This isn’t including the bursting freezer and cupboards.

I have a £35 buffer, which less face it is hardly going to cover any disasters, but hopefully none will come up!!

Some might say £200 for myself isn’t needed when in debt, but I need this ‘pocket money’ as it’s what helps me going off the rails when I pour every penny to my debt and feels like you’re working for nothing. I know I am paying off debt I have racked up, but this way works for me. I have already spent £20 before I even have it on Partylite candle melts, they are called Fig Fatale and theeee nicest smell ever. The smell goes round the entire house, I’ve even signed for a parcel and it’s been on in the living room and delivery man has commented on it, can’t recommend them enough! I also have a spa day this month, a friends kids birthday that I’ll take out my budget and not sure what else is happening…just wait and see.

Finally feeling motivated again, was stuck with the mindset of it’s Christmas just make minimum payments and not really sticking to budgets, but I am ready to go and stick to my plans and get this debt down :money: xxx

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I am also waiting on a £60 refund to show on my credit card, and my sister claims she will give me £100 of the £300 this week, but not including them like I did above as shouldn't count it until it is mine and in the bank.

Also had a disaster with a website of stuff I ordered DS for Christmas, the return policy is exchange or credit note only! £210 worth, but it is his birthday in March so I will get him a few things for his birthday with that and that will be him sorted, will probably cost me £40 as normally spend about £250 at birthdays, so really I am super organised.....need to tell myself this to stop feeling annoyed as would never have ordered had I knew this!!

Ohh and DS owes me £20, he is paid this Friday so i'll remind him!!

monz

On the ball well done xx

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Pay day!!! _party_

Barclays said I had to pay £1061.38 to avoid any interest on purchases made so my balance sits at £423.74. Then I paid my £25 payment to Virgin and noticed that although I cancelled direct debit with the bank, they still took £100 so now I have paid £125!!! Balance over there sitting at £2075, so instead of paying a minimum of £25 as oppose to £100 I have ended up paying £125!!!

This has basically messed up my budgets! My contingency budget is now £9.88.

Food budget still remains £0

Petrol budget is now £0, so unless I can make £75 to cover this (or my sister does pay me back!) will need to go on the credit card…..

Today will be the first NO SPEND DAY!!! of the month xxx

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Total debt: £9498.74