***The Best is Yet to Come***

Becks81

Hi Popstess


I thought I recognised you from the £10 a day thread. Looks like you're off to a cracking start. I'm in my second month and am still motivated. They are lovely and supportive over there.


I haven't read your old diary but a fresh start is sometimes all you need. Will subscribe and follow you in your journey. I'm another one that is just chipping away, making the minimum payments. My first mini challenge is to clear my Very account - so we have something in common!

Popstess

Hi Becks :wave: thanks for subbing

Oh I cannot wait to clear that very! I am literally like an obsessed woman thinking of ways to chip away at it. Counting down to the 15th when I can pay off my BNPL that runs out in April. It's defintley doable over the time all my bnpl's run out I'm just getting impatient and want it paid off faster!!!

Any good tips for the £10 a day challenge? Well I'm doing £5 a day at the moment.
I've signed up to lots of survey sites and I'm planning to list some bits on eBay x

kerri_gt

Thanks Popstess - looking at our news logically, there's many people dealing with far worse / more difficult situations - this is something that can be overcome and was potentially in the pipeline but just really rubbish timing and is forcing our hand to something which wasn't really our first choice. Cryptic I know - just feel a but like the rug has been pulled today.

I saw a really good tip on one of these 'Obsessive Shoppers' programmes once where a lady had to write down an item in a notebook if she saw it in a shop and wanted to buy it - she had to rate it out of 10 then give some reasons why. The next day at home she would then review what she'd written and evaluate whether she still felt the same about the item. In the cases they showed, she didn't, the initial buzz had gone or she'd thought rationally she had something similar / didn't need the item etc etc.

Well done on resisting the phone, I have a colleague who constantly badgers me for not having an iPhone, my phone (I do have a smartphone as I need one for work) does exactly what his does...at a lot less per month. Despite what many teenagers might say, no one to my knowledge has died or experienced anything seriously life threatening by not having the latest phone :rotfl:

Right, off to bed for me - and another day closer to 15th for you :j

Popstess

Well I hope whatever it is you are okay, sounds like it's been pretty serious. Be kind to yourself.

Oh that's such a good idea! Sometimes it's just not giving in to that impulse!

Oh I know, I do love my iPhone though! I've had it a good few years now so it's by no means the newest model and I know I don't 'need' a new one its most defintley a want not a need lol.

Good night, hope things feel a bit better in the morning and woohoo 13 more days till pay day tomorrow for me

Popstess

Hiya :jump: little update....
Checked my bank and went £1.84 into my overdraft :mad: :mad: :mad: I was so annoyed with myself it was because overdraft fees from last month £25 came out and I hadn't accounted for it stupidly!!! Just shows I was burying my head in the sand using my overdraft and not even considering the fees!
Anyway I transferred some money out of my emergency fund to put me back in the black and I will be getting a £100 maintenance Payment tomorrow so back on track for staying in the black until pay day now *fingers crossed*

Spent 94p on some veg in the corner shop it is soooo tough sticking to a tight budget when you're not used to it.

Only made £2.50 today towards my £5 a day challenge but hopefully it will balance out since I made £15 yesterday.

Don't think there's much else to report really.

kerri_gt

Well done for noticing the overdraft AND having the emergency fund to resolve it - what a change for you :T

Nothing about 'only' making £2.50 today, you still made 50% of your target and that's an achievement.

Things here not great but have to get on with it as can't change the situation so now have to look forward. We do have options so that is something to be thankful for.

Popstess

Thank you, yes I would have just ignores it but I'm checking my bank every day now lol! In only have £74 in my emergency fund lol very poor but I could only justify 20p a day so I pop money in when I can but its building it verrrrrry slowly!
My plan is as I start paying debt off and freeing some money to put more money into my emergency fund eventually building it up to £1000

Sorry to hear things aren't too good, take care x

kerri_gt

Morning Popstess one day closer to that pay day and the sun is shining (well here at least, hope it is where you are)

£74 in the emergency fund is better than £0, even the small pot meant you were able to address the overdraft yesterday.

Trying to stay positive here, thinking 'everything happens for a reason' though if anyone actually says it to me I might not be responsible for me actions

12_month_challenge

Hi Pops

You are doing soooooooooo well

I also check by on line banking daily, I cant help it lol I have to keep track of every penny.

Well done on your £5 a day challenge. I find the challenges really help. I am constantly looking for ways to make my pennies go further.

£74 in you EF is good going considering how you were feeling before. Your mood has lifted much more now and it shows in what you write.

Keep going Pops. :A

MrsShazbat

I posted a bit on your last diary, great idea setting up a new one!!

Great news on getting your Very account paid off. That was the least of my debts so as per the snowballing thing I'm still paying that off.

I'm eligible to upgrade my phone now but to be honest, my current one is still working fine. Between us we have 2 tablets, a notebook/laptop, a PC at home and I sit at a PC all day at work with internet so I don't need to desperately upgrade. This is a bit of a departure for me as I love my gadgets and would usually be straight on to the next funky handset. I will do it at some point, but for now I'm sticking with my current phone and rejoicing in the extra £20 each month that I'm not paying for it.