Reality Check...

MERFE

My emergency fund is really a savings pot, I would probably dip into it but still better to have it to dip into than to have nothing as a back up.

oh my that is a lot for a mirror, I bet it is gorgeous for that price. No one can tell you what to do though, its your decision, even if it keeps going out of stock you say it comes back in stock again so it could wait if you decide to cancel.

note3

Wow £800 for a mirror?!? Hope it is beautiful!
Good work on the extra payment

Slow and steady wins the race

reality_check

I know I know - it is expensive, but it is on my debt totals, so I have decided to keep it!

Caved in and put 50p on my card in work - was a day that only a galaxy would do! The fruit I brought in just wasn't doing it for me!

I think that is basically what I am making my 'Emergency' pot MERFE...one day I will have a savings pot and an emergency fund, and my in the black not red...haha I can but dream.

Cancelled by direct debit with Specsavers. I have to call up in a few days when my Feb payment has cleared and they will refund me £30. I have 2 months so need to get an up to date prescription and hopefully source them cheaper online before I will need them again in May.

I applied for a new credit card....Virgin have an offer with 32 months % free, 0.99% one off fee and have gave me a £4500 limit. I won't be able to pay off M&S before October, plus the £2000 I owe Barclays by 1st December and I have the £2400 from Santander due January 2017 plus my daughters £1500 so as that one runs out first I have decided to balance transfer. I could have waited a few months as still 0% but I feel better knowing it def wont cost me interest...Also, an added bonus was there is a £50 voucher that you get for Virgin experiences, so might use as a fathers day present or maybe sell it!

Went a run at 5.45am this morning!! really should use the word run loosely, as it was more a walk! Haven't went out since wayyy before Christmas and my fitness levels leaves a lot to be desired but I do feel much better when I do it, just need to get back into a routine!

Also made a payment to Barclays of £40.12 bringing that down to £4500. I am stopping these mini payments for now...roll on payday lol wishing my life away!

I have 12 days of meals planned, and will need about £7 on some vegetables, wraps and cream to make these meals, so sticking to this food budget is my priority at the moment as that is in my control.

Next month I want to pay back £750 of the £1500 back to my daughter. She doesn't need this until summer, but I want to get rid of at least one debt in full.

Another rambling post, but this is therapeutic!

reality_check

Went another run this morning, and although it is a struggle getting up, I feel 100% better once I've done it.

Off out for dinner tonight, it is one of those all you can eat buffets at £13.99 and I will be driving and on soft drinks so probably cost about £18.

Still not put petrol in, but I am playing with fire and practically running on empty. I don't shop in Tesco much but they send the odd clubcard voucher every now and then, so I am going to make a conscious effort to only get fuel there and earn the points! I only recently learnt that you can convert these points to places like Pizza Express and sometimes the Tesco points convert into higher amounts in other places. Probably be about £45 petrol today to get me through this week and next.

Lunch with me in work so no spending, I have definitely kicked the habit of meals in work - apart from the odd bar of chocolate but I can live with that.

Going to email Virgin about an on going complaint and see what they say... Basically I had interrupted service for the first 18 months - i had multiple engineers out and no one could work out why my internet kept cutting out/only good signal in one room....they finally found a fault with installation and offered me £100 credit. I rejected this and said would take it further as didn't think 3 months of credit made up for it. Spoke to someone last week and got the complaint opened again, but need to pursue it this time!

note3

Wow you have been busy and I love your confession that running was not quite proper running as it makes me feel better - I detest running and used to go twice a week with a friend only we never made not past a fast walk which soon slowed to a normal wall just chatting...whoops!

Great you got accepted for virgin card as that's an excellent deal.

Sounds like you have a plan of action which is the most important thing I've learnt from reading everything on here.

Hope you get luck with virgin. Things like that are such a hassle to pursue but I think that's what they bank on and hope ppl will just give up!

reality_check

When I used to 'power walk' with a friend, I think we actually walked at a slower than normal pace as too focused on chatting!

Dinner was lovely last night, I normally had a help yourself buffet, but this place had the usual chinese, indian, italian etc but also had a grill where steaks, lamb chops were cooked made to order and a fish section with massive fresh king prawns, scallops, salmon etc again made to order and also a fresh sushi bar - very impressed! Soft drinks were refillable and in total cost me £16.84 which was less than I expected.

Went to Tesco and filled up with £37.40 of petrol - will keep a note of trips I make to see how much it lasts me. I don't tend to drive that far other than work so be interesting to see how many trips I do get. I used an online calcualtor but not sure how accurate it is.

Lunch with me in work, forgot to take chicken out the freezer! Have everything in for fajitas so will pop to Lidl and get some more. Isn't really too much of an issue as I have budgeted £7 to make the meals out of all the stuff I have in and another £13 to last me until the 15th so will take it from this money.

Virgin email sent, just waiting on them now getting back in touch....

note3

Sounds like an awesome Chinese restaurant. Love eat all you can Chinese! Just a suggestion but if it's less than you budgeted on could you put the extra in a savings pot or towards card?

reality_check

Good thinking Note - you're better at this than I am! I should make a separate section with my online banking for anything that comes under budget to use to put towards debt at the end of the month.

I have noticed my skin is looking a bit dull and dry and my fruit and veg consumption hasn't been great...so spent £19 in Lidl all on fresh fruit and vegetables and £7 in Wholefoods on some half price matcha green tea...I am going to start juicing again. I know this isn't within budget, but you can't put a price on health! Have juiced yesterday for breakfast and lunch and today for breakfast and hopefully all the goodness will be pumping through my body!

And to balance out the lidl spend I made a £100 payment to M&S!

Going round to my sisters later so don't plan on spending anything, and have a friend coming round for a few drink tonight - but I have plenty wine at home and have a few things for snacks so no money needed.

Off to finish my housework and although not going a run today, I am about to go and change my bedding - a workout in itself!

Have a good weekend everyone xx

Popstess

Hi reality check :waves:
I've just read your diary from start to finish really enjoyed reading it. I feel we have a lot in common. I am in a much higher amount of debt though so well done you for tackling it now before it gets to the stage I'm at!
I wish I'd had my LBM £20,000 ago but :mad: sadly not.
You are doing so well, so so sorry to hear about your beloved doggy I would be devastated if anything happened to mine they are part of the family.
I laughed at the bit about your eyebrows and gel nails we are so similar I think I'm going to follow in your footsteps and dye my own eyebrows and just get them waxed once a month. I would love to cut that cost all together but my eyebrows are really dark and wild and look dreadful if just plucked! I also have all the gel nail stuff at home but too lazy to use it! I love doing other people's nails but find doing my own a faff!
You sound like you have a lovely relationship with your daughter bet you're like best friends having her when you did. I had my son young too and like you a lot of my friends have just started having baby's I am so broody and jealous I would love more children!
Anyway now I'm rambling on your diary lol. I'm subscribing good luck!!! :happy:

reality_check

Hey Popstess, what a lovely message. Me and my daughter do get on great now (mostly!) but now she's out the Kevin the teenager years we do have a good relationship. I am the same with all my friends have babies, I am constantly broody lol but I think my nappy changing/late night feed days are over and I am happy with a cuddle and giving them back. We are just getting out life back with kids growing up lol but I am NOT ready to be a Nan at 33...34 in a few weeks :eek: I would also like to cut the beauty maintenance out, but a dark brown mono brow isn't a good look for anyone! I noticed you've got a diary, will go and have a read. You are an extra £10,000 but at least you've decided to take control now before you get anymore! Noticed debt free date of 10.04.19...the end is in sight, will fly in!!

I have just about recovered from Saturday night! Had a few friends over, and got far too drunk and ended up in town at a gay club then the casino and got home at 6.30am!! I used to be cabin crew and was catching up with old work friends - they are all wild! Hence why I was lead astray. Who knows why I was even gambling but I came home and was £20 up and that was after paying for taxis, entry, drinks...so lucky it worked out for the best, but a risky move!

Got my Virgin credit card and have rounded all my balances, just like doing that. Debt as follows in order of needing to pay back....

Daughter - £1500 ASAP
M&S - £400 October 2016
Barclays (part1) £1400 December 2016
Santander - £2400 January 2017
Barclays (part 2) - £3100 June 2017
Virgin £3000 - August 2018

Total credit cards/loan: £11800
Plus family loan of £7000 over total: £18800

I really haven't achieved much since I started, but I do need to remind myself that I have made some payments, ones I wouldn't have made before and continued with minimum payments. NEED to focus again!

My dog is getting his hair cut this week, he needs about 2 per year and is £40 and I gave my daughter £130 towards glasses. I have about £165 in the bank and only have Virgin to come out on the 3rd for £27.99. Will need petrol and some shopping.

I have been using my credit card again for the odd bit of shopping here and there and a Mcdonalds on Sunday, I really need to stop this. I think I will take them out my purse or cut them up! I shouldn't be using them, but I am always worried of not having any cash in the bank and because I know it's low been using them.

I am aiming to pay £1000 towards debt in March. I have £600 commission plus no council tax of £100 so that is £700...need to save £300 from my wages/sell anything/find money/earn money!!

It is also my daughters birthday, and luckily I have a few Christmas presents I forgot about and found recently! So I have a Flowerbomb perfume gift set, Benefit they're real mascara gift set, I also have £40 Boots advantage points I noticed so will get her some make up and I also have a credit note of £60 for Topshop so that will all help. I am only going to spend £100 on her cash. This may seem a lot given my situation but this is me cutting back and I won't have her suffer (too much) as a result of me not being able to manage money.

I feel I've went on and on, so better wrap this up xx