Reality Check...

reality_check

"Why wait" - that's the reason. I suppose everything can't be put on hold because I am having a baby :rotfl:

Pay away day has finally came again!! Well payslips are in and will be paid tomorrow, so I have been doing all this months budgets. I had a look at this months credit card statement and it looked VERY much like my old statements (not that I looked at them really!) full of transactions galore. This month there will be no skin care splurges, no more fake plants and no more non essential baby things!!

I have even left the credit card with my mum and told her to keep it and don't give me it back!!

I have went (just) under the £10,000 mark!! I did actually do this in Feb but then built it back up again!! I feel a pattern happened last year with the borrow Peter to pay Paul so debt either increased or at best remained the same and took me until this point in the year to start being realistic/serious about paying it off. I need a few good months under my belt before August so the time has come again.

Debt is as follows:

Loan to my Dad: £7,000
Barclays: £1,000
Virgin: £1,975

Total: £9,975

April was £11,324,95 and I counted up my unaccounted spends and I added £938.00 to my debt this month!!! But thankfully with my quarterly bonus and backdated pay I have managed to reduce my debt by £1350.95, so I'm happy but this can't go on, especially with maternity pay coming into play soon so can't be depending on commission.

I am off to Portugal for 5 days and have gave myself £350 spending money, I also have £150 'pocket money' so yes £500 is a lot of money to spend on myself when I am in 10k debt but like EE says, when I don't have this money I feel too hard done by and just start putting thing on the card again. I have already spent £37.50 on fake tan!! Which is crazy because my tried and tested £6.99 one that I love from Superdrug is the best I have tried, but I was sucked in with the promise of if you apply it for 3 days in a row it lasts 2-3 weeks.... http://www.spacenk.com/uk/en_GB/brands/v/vita-liberata/phenomenal-2---3-week-tan-lotion---medium-UK200014968.html?cm_mmc=Google+UK-_-F3D+-+UK%7CEN%7CDSN%7CN%7CGoogle+Shopping+-+Brands-_-All+Products-_-%7Bproductgroup%7D&gclid=CK_l3dC_79MCFYW37QodYFcEdw

We have a food budget of £200.00 for the month which isn't a lot, but we have about 2 weeks worth of various fish and mince. It must just be how I am feeling right now but after the rubber chicken incident last weekend and this week I bought chicken and it was off!! I am really put off chicken and craving fish/vegetarian dishes, and since I cook and do the shopping everyone else can like it or lump it!

Fingers crossed for a cheap and cheerful May-June!! xxx

reality_check

Monday morning again...it is helped that the weather is raining and miserable, makes being here more bareable. Today should be the first no spend day of many....I am aiming for a no spend Monday to Friday.


I have a few targets until next pay day, these have been on my mental to do list for months so hopefully this month I can get them out the way!!


To try make extra money -


* See if I cas get anything back for 2 old mobile phones
* Scan all old dvds/cds and upload onto Music Magpie - not many but anything is better than nothing and they are currently never watched and never will be again so may aswell get gone!!
* x4 rolls of wallpaper, bought for £40 a roll so will see if I can get something back
* Have a good look through clothes and see if I can put anything up on local selling sites/Ebay - not expecting much, but you never know
* SWITCH ENERGY PROVIDERS!!!!
* Phone Amazon about that ON GOING complaint I made last year


I am going to try hard to check in daily on this to keep on the straight and narrow.


Have a nice day if anyone sees this xx

reality_check

Spent £1 out the change in my purse for a raffle ticket in work.

I also spent £15.50 yesterday in home bargains but that was on a load of bleach, wipes, bathroom and kitchen spray that will last for the month and came out the food budget, so counting yesterday as a no spend day, but today doesn't qualify.

Nothing much else to update on xx

reality_check

Spent £11 on 2 chicken kebabs last night – shouldn’t have, but done now. Took £5.50 from food budget and £5.50 from my pocket money fund. Was really nice and just what I fancied so don’t regret it even though it was an unnecessary spend.

No spends planned for today, meeting my friend at the park with the dogs and her kids to go a walk after work so that will be nice for a catch up, it’s free and a bit of exercise! xx

reality_check

Done a meal plan and don't need to get any shopping this week, so that is £50 saved so have paid it onto Barclays, bringing the total down to £950!!


Today will be a no spend day, have left my purse at home so don't actually have a choice which is good xx

reality_check

Spent £20 last night on a Nandos for me and my daughter, we went shopping, she spent, I never.

That fake tan I bought the other day is $h!t. I might try and complain as it is meant to last 2-3 weeks mine has lasted 2-3 days and was a hassle putting it on for 3 days! I will send them an email and see what they say.

Going on a little date night tonight, not sure what we are doing, have been told to wait and see. Spent today visiting my mum and dad and took the dog a big long walk. Now ready to go blitz this house, change all the beddings, wash the windows and the general kitchen and bathroom deep clean, have delegated out the hoovering. I spend half my life cleaning!!

Have a good weekend everyone xxx

reality_check

My Virgin bill has went from £31.00 a month (I just have phone and internet and was on a deal where you pay £1 for a tv package) to £46.48!!


I called them and they said I am in contract until mid August, if he was to apply any discounts it wouldn't be as good as they could do in August...all he done was gave me a £30 credit.


Should I wait until August or change providers?! There is no cancellation fee, I asked about what happens if I cancel how long can I wait to take out new cover and he said my address would be blacklisted from them for either 6 or 12 months I can't remember...but if I was to move, then that's different...so thinking of saying I am moving and taking it out in OH's name?! I know it's not very honest, but it seems honesty and loyalty doesn't pay!! Annoying!! xx

reality_check

Just worked out the % increase!! I am def cancelling, made my own mind up, will call at lunch and let them know I am moving out!

monz

good luck!!!zz

reality_check

Phoned Virgin to cancel and they couldn't care less, I thought they would try attempt to make me stay haha - oh well cya later Virgin, hello Sky with a topcashback offer!

Have done a meal plan and this week, and I think we can get away with £20 for veg, some fruit (apples, oranges and bananas, no fancy berries etc) and have enough meat/fish in the freezer – will go to Aldi.

Topped up my petrol last night, £35 so that will do me all week and only a 4 day week in work as put a holiday in for Friday.

This week I budgeted £50 for food, so £30 save and petrol was £40 so £5 save, and I have added £5 from my pocket money and £5 from the teeny tiny buffer of money left in the bank and made another £50 payment to Barclays, so down to £900!!

I have been SO tempted to order a new hoover. I follow all these obsessive cleaners on instagram lol and they keep going on about a Shark hoover, the website has great offers with roughly £100 off plus I have a 10% discount….normally I would have had the credit card out and put it on it! Bizarrely I refuse to put things on my overdraft as I know I pay a monthly fee when I go into it, and because I don’t have the card I can’t buy it. Had I had the card I am about 99% sure it would have been put on it. And the main thing I need to remember is I spent £350 on a Dyson in November 2015, it has a 5 year guarantee, I DO NOT NEED another hoover!! Plus all these bloggers get sent it for free and paid to say how great it is, so just need to keep telling myself this!