Reality Check...

reality_check

Also with Mothers day coming up, I picked up a card the other day for £1.50 and I will spend £10 on some nice lillies. I have a Jo Malone candle that I was given as a gift at Christmas but I have a million candles still to use so will give my mum that and I have lots of champagne left from December when I bulk bought when they have some 'great deals'......and my mum will be more than happy with that!

I normally take my mum and dad out for dinner with my daughter which would cost about £120...this year I am having them over and will cook a nice Sunday roast that will probably cost me about £10 if we have chicken!

I am still spending money, but this is scaled wayyyy back!

Popstess

Hiya
My son has just turned 13 so he has just entered the moody Kevin stage lol! He's not too bad though (so far!)
My friends think I'm crazy for wanted to start again with a baby when my DS is getting older but I would love to so much I really don't feel ready to give up on the idea of more children but if it doesn't happy I'm happy I've got my wonderful little man.
Oh wow your weekend sounds fab and you basically got paid for partying!! although yea like you say it could have not gone quite that well if you had lost in the casino.
I think you're doing really well, be careful with the spending on the credit cards it's a tough habit to break but when you're trying to get debt free you really are better off not adding to your debt. Trust me I've added to mine and I'm gutted with myself!!!
A good way to keep track on money available in your bank is an app called spending tracker I've got it on my iPhone and it's really good because it shows me how much money I'll have left when all my bills and direct debits have come out of my bank.
Well done on your thrifty presents for your daughter and Mum they sound fab gifts and you haven't had to use credit to pay for them!!
Also great idea making a roast instead of taking them out for dinner.
Keep going you will get there xx

reality_check

The gifts were probably bought on a credit card originally - but oh well lol what wasn't...

I like the sound of that app - will have a look, if it's simple enough sounds great....I am hopeless with technology and bad with numbers, clearly!

Never say never about babies, it might happen....I'm not with anyone so probably why I have ruled it out lol

The casino won't be my new way of earning an extra income, I'm not a gambler really more a play it safe, but filled with wine and cocktails clearly I think I am! But I would need to become a full time party girl...I'm def not cut out for that considering it takes me 2 days to recover from a hangover!

Got my £50 Virgin experience (sounds a bit dodgy!) voucher emailed tonight - have put it up on a few fb groups for £40 so will see if anyone wants it, ebay has a few but trying these sites first to avoid any selling fees....I hope someone wants it!

xx

Popstess

I'm not with anyone either well I've put a sad face but I'm not that bothered lol! Sometimes I go through phases where I feel sad about it but other times I just think yea it'd be nice and get on with my life.
Haha no not very Money saving going to casinos, I'd be terrible I'm definitely a gambler if pribably leave after I'd gambled and lost my house! So must stay clear haha.

Good plan I'm sure someone will take it off your hands then extra money for you!! The spending tracker is really simple to use
I'm not good with money either.... Clearly!
I wish I could click my fingers and get rid of this debt so fed up of it hanging over me! x

note3

Thank very much popstress...ive just down loaded the app as I desperately needed help monitoring spending and it looks great. I was going to sit and make a spreadsheet but I like the look of the app as I'm not likely to keep it up to date daily

There's a large age gap between me and my sister...it worked well and my mum literally went from having one daughter old enough to leave the nest to having a new born again. Seemed to work well so never say never! Don't think the broodiness ever leaves...! I'm not overly bloody as I have a new born currently but I hAve already started feeling sad that I won't experience a baby kicking again!

Reality - cut up those cards! I kinda gotta say it...if you're still spending on them for non emergency stuff then you're not addressing your debt really. Sorry I don't mean that horribly but all those little spends are partly or completely undoing all your work around payments.

Great work on changing mothers day costs this yr and on winning at casino

Popstess

Pleased to have helped note I like it, it's a good little app. I definitely update it more than unsold a spreadsheet because it's so easy just on my phone.
Aw really, I suppose it might still happen, who knows!! if it happens it would be lovely but if not I'm very fortunate all the same x

reality_check

Note I am going to cut them up!! I will do it tonight! I won't spend another penny on them! You're right I am getting nowhere really if I pay and then use, even if I am not spending as much as I am paying off it is still 2 steps forward and 1 back - feel free to be horrible lol I need someone to give me a good shake/slap every now and then!

Having money in my purse is also something I can't do! I spent £1 in work towards a football card, £3 for the birthday club I am part of in work and I bought lunch the past 3 days in work - all because I've not been organised! I am making a big bowl of soup tonight for lunches and getting them in the freezer - I don't even like the food they sell in work so it really is a waste. What an idiot I am!

Tonight my dad is coming for dinner - he has invited himself! Who knows what I will make for dinner, I planned on making pasta, but he won't eat that! So I'll need to see what I can do, I have chicken defrosted so might just make mash and some vegetables. I'll be making him work for his dinner and have a few odd jobs for him that are on my to do list...My sink in the bathroom has a little leak all of a sudden that comes and goes and I need him to have a look at my hose outside as I am clueless and end up soaked half the time recently and I also need a mirror put up.

Just checked my current account, I have less money than I thought! My final bank charges (forever I hope) for using my overdraft have come off - £24.41 interest and £6 fee for having an overdraft - I have paid this minimum for the past 10 years!! How annoying!!!

Virgin will be out tomorrow and should be for my new price of £27.99 which leaves me with £105.85 until the 15th of the month...I have half a tank of petrol so will be £40 max and £10 for my Mothers day flowers...so I have £55.85 for food, which I hope not to spend.

With no cards and not wanting to go into my overdraft this HAS to last! I think this will actually focus me much knowing I don't have credit cards and overdrafts as back ups! It is also a very scary thought that I have NO savings for anything going wrong...what a terrible situation to be in for someone who works full time and could have a good disposable income if it wasn't for this debt.

Only myself to blame so just need to suck it up and get on with it!

xx

reality_check

P.s Nobody wants my Virgin voucher yet and just called Specsavers for my refund and spoke to someone who was hopeless and could't care less about speaking to me and apparently the only person who can process refunds is off sick! I've to call back in half an hour.....:wall:

reality_check

Me again!

I just done a snowball calculation at http://www.whatsthecost.com/snowball.aspx

IF I pay £700 per month which was my original plan, would take me 17 months to pay off or £500 in 24 months....

PLAN H - since I have had so many, is as follows:

£500 per month to debt and £200 per month to savings. If i want to avoid ever having to use credit cards and over drafts I need savings! This will be for what normally goes on credit cards, birthdays, Christmas, car and home insurance, MOT etc....Worst case scenario I will need to make minimum payments if a total disaster comes up but I will NOT be increasing my debt what so ever and will be doing every possible thing to ensure this happens!

Credit cards are getting cut up tonight and I am calling the bank to reduce my overdraft to £500...I will get it down to 0 but baby steps for now.

I have 0 home improvements that need done, I have a wardrobe full of clothes, shoes and bags so no spends will be going on any of this, and I have decided 100% that there will be no holidays/trips away for this year.

I feel so much better knowing I don't have a fall back of credit cards/overdrafts - normally this thought would have made me want to cry, but if I don't have them, I can't use them!!!

Popstess

Well done reality check!!!!
That's the spirit! You have made so much progress in the last 24hours!!! I totally understand where you are coming from about not having the credit cards and overdraft to fall back on after living in red for so many years I've forgotten what it's like to actually live with the money in the bank and keep it in the black!!! It's nerve wracking but we can do it!!!
I've heard so many horror stories where people have been living in their overdraft for years sometimes £1000's and the bank wrote to them and said no more overdraft basically and they couldn't use it anymore and had to pay it back!!! How scary would that be? I guess we're kind of doing that to ourselves.
Well done on decided to cut your cards up and not add to your debt.
Good luck!!! xx