Here we go again

cmcavon

Thank you both for reading my little diary!:D

I do use a site for matched betting but I'm not sure on the rules for mentioning them here so I won't . It's definitely something I'd recommend looking into though as it saved our skins last year when our youngest was born.

Monday morning signals the start of a new week. I've just transferred £25 over to the Christmas fund so that's looking a little healthier, still a way off my goal of £1,000 but it's slowly building.

It's Little Miss's birthday this weekend so need to get organised for that in the next few days, probably Wednesday I'll go and pick up her pressies and Friday I'll find a cake!

I've had a scan through the bank accounts and they're looking pretty healthy at the moment. I'm really tempted to pay some more off the DMP but need to remember we're looking into moving and there will be some huge costs involved in that. As well as deposit and fees we'll also need a sofa, washing machine and probably a wardrobe :eek:

Feel a bit groggy this morning after a hectic day yesterday. We went to a family get together which was lovely but we didn't get in until late and I really didn't want to get up this morning!

Anyhoo I'm going to have a nosy now at the forum and try to find out a little more about renting on a DMP.

cmcavon

Work this morning was really quiet which was a good thing really as have little man home with me today. He's fab when I'm working and generally plays with his cars for the first hour then he goes for a sleep which is exactly what he's done today.

I've paid the mortgage this morning on the house we rent out, we haven't received the money in from the agency as yet so I've had to dip into the savings. It should go in this week though so I'll move it straight back across when it does. Will update the mortgage amount in my signature too in a couple of days when the balance gets updated.

Still feeling groggy this morning, I can feel a cold brewing! It's no wonder really as two out of the three kids have been coughing all over me for days!

Mum goes for her pet scan today, in fact she'll be there now, it sounds like a bit of a gruelling process . I'm hoping to get over there for a few hours tomorrow with youngest little man before she goes for her first chemo on Thursday. Trying to remain positive and plod on with the day-to-day stuff to prevent myself from disappearing down a dark hole at the moment, I know that's how Mum is coping with it all too.

Food shop this afternoon, how exciting?! Could do with writing a list actually so I don't just go and buy a load of nothing. Will do that now whilst little man finishes his nap.

cmcavon

Bleurgh the last 48 hours have been a migraine blur. I get them fairly regularly, maybe once every couple of months and when they hit that's at least 24 hours I can wipe out.

Inevitably we didn't get over to Mums which I'm gutted about as I really wanted to see her before her chemo today. Can't be helped I guess but still really frustrating.

It's been a good week on the extra earnings front which will be a huge help with the move if it ever happens! We're still torn between two towns at the moment. One is better price-wise, we can get a fab house well within budget, the other is better as it's nearer family. Bit of a tricky situation which is taking over most conversations at the moment.

Today has been spent mostly lolling about to recover from the migraine and I feel pretty drained still.

Gammon joint currently cooking for tea, going to throw some potatoes and veg with it soon and get the kids fed before eldest needs running to cubs.

Not a lot happening on the debts at the min as we'll need the money for the move but still plodding on with the DMP so I guess they're slowly going down.

Hopefully i'll post something a little more productive soon.

cmcavon

I haven't written in my diary for a couple of weeks, there's been a lot going on and I guess I'm all over the place!

Mum had her second lot of chemo last week and is really starting to feel the effects now, it's so hard being so far away from her, I feel pretty useless.

I viewed a house not far from her yesterday and after a little umming and ahhing have completed the holding form with the estate agents. We're now playing the waiting game to see whether the landlord is happy to proceed with our application. It's a nice house in a sought after area so I think he may be able to take his pick of applicants. I really hate uncertainty so have my phone constantly in my hand at the moment just waiting for the agents to ring.

The two eldest children finish school for the summer today, I'm hoping to fill the next 5 weeks with as much fun and fresh air as possible. They have a lot to deal with at the moment with their Grandma being poorly and a possible house and school move. They handle it all so well although I guess we do limit what we tell them in some ways.

DMP is still niggling me and I want to get that debt paid off but estate agents are flamin expensive so being sensible and keeping hold of the savings for now.

Anyway, little man is finally starting to stir after his mammoth 3 hour nap so best go and feed him.

cmcavon

It's been a busy few days in the mcavon household. We went for a second viewing on the house, this time my husband and the kids came too. We decided it was far too small in the end. Fortunately we hadn't paid any money to the agents so it was just a case of bowing out gracefully. We're going to view two others on Wednesday, one is a 3 storey house so I expect the bedrooms to be much bigger.

Finally completed our annual review with stepchange earlier in the week too. I've started work since our last review so inevitably we can now afford to pay extra towards our monthly payments. We're paying an extra £52/month which is definitely manageable and brings our debt-free date 7 years closer! Once we've moved and paid out all the extortionate agent fews I'm hoping to clear the next smallest debt. I'd like to get the debt-free date under 10 years away.

Anyhoo, time to start work, last day for me before a well needed week off

cmcavon

What a couple of weeks it has been!

We found a lovely house, and put in an application last Wednesday. I spent two days panicking about passing the credit checks whilst we're on a DMP. One of the days was whilst Mum was having chemo so I was in and out of the unit checking my phone and stressing myself silly. But, WE PASSED!!!! Sooooo relieved. In spite of the numerous things I'd read telling me that estate agents can only see CCJs and bankruptcy, I was convinced we'd fail. Landlord and employer checks came back super quick too and we move in on Friday!

I'm a little apprehensive about the whole thing as we're moving the kids away from their friends and school, but the area we are moving to is so much nicer for them to grow up in and so much nearer to my side of the family.

A huge dent has come out of my DMP overpayment fund and that now sits at around £30. But it's all for the best. So, plan after this week is to rebuild the pot and continue with the debt-busting.

Made just over £50 this morning from selling a treadmill on gumtree and a matched bet. Got a load more stuff out of the loft here ready to sell. We're going to store it in Mum's garage for now and start to sell things once we've moved into the new house.

Feeling nervous, a little stressed but optimistic today.

cmcavon

Moved into the new house over 2 weeks ago, feels like home already. The garden is so much better for the kids and we have practically lived out there.

The move has taken a big chunk of our savings despite the fact that we've had a lot of help from my Mum in particular. We've ordered some garden furniture today which is coming this afternoon too, felt very guilty about spending but it wasn't an expensive set and will be used daily until the rain prevents it.

I've still been adding to the Christmas fund though as having a Christmas with no money is not something I want to ever go through again. I'd like to have £1,000 in there really but may have to settle for less than that in reality.

Hoping to start selling a few bits this week as this month has been pretty poor from an additional income point of view! Actually, going to make a start on that now by listing my daughter's Rainbows outfit on fb I think, will have a gander on ebay and see how much they're going for.

cmcavon

Yet another migraine hit me on Wednesday morning and decided to hang about until late last night. It meant I had to miss a shift at work so will be a little down at the end of the month, really couldn't be helped though.

New month so I've been getting our finances in order. With the house move some of the bills have gone up so I've needed to account for that in our billing account. Also needed to make sure we have spare money for school uniforms which I can't buy until we get confirmation that the kids actually have a place at the local school, there'll be nothing left in the shops by then! Have bought shoes though and last year's coats are still perfectly good so just the jumpers with logos that will be the main expense really. Going to nip into town later to get school bags and pumps for the eldest.

All pretty much plodding along nicely at the minute now, knocked this month's payment off the SC total in my signature, slowly slowly getting there!

cmcavon

Feeling a little frustrated today with lots of things! I need to give my head a wobble I think.

I'm sick of having this debt hanging over us, it's such a weight. The move really has cost us a fortune and set us back a little which I think is at the root of my frustration. However, I'm happy with what we've done and love where we are now so need to get over it.

Decided I'm going to do the £10/day challenge again and set myself a target of £300 for September. Haven't actually joined the thread but I'm doing it regardless. I've made around £15 today from matched betting which I've just added to my signature. I currently have £79 in my DMP Overpayment account and need £1,200 to pay off the next debt in full so anything I make will go towards that. In reality I should offer a full & final settlement so may not need that amount.

Hubby is really bugging me at the min and I'm trying not to fall out with him but we're on different pages moneywise. He wants to kit out the new house with pretty much everything he thinks we "need" immediately. I'm working with a budget and trying to reign him in a bit, buying the necessities and anything else comes as and when we can stretch to it. I don't think he's that desperate to get the debt cleared. He seems quite happy to plod on paying SC our monthly payments without a care in the world. For me though I want us to have more financial freedom, I hate the fact that debt makes things so difficult! I'd love for us to own the house we live in rather than having to rely on a landlord and be held accountable to him.

Anyway, I've waffled enough for now! Off to do a bit of swagbucking for half an hour.

cmcavon

Gloomy Monday morning here in Cheshire, matches everyone's mood pretty well in this house today!

Little Miss is very tearful today. We're waiting to hear today whether the eldest two have a place in the local school and I think it's worrying her. She's been begging to play with her older brother. He's currently holed up in his bedroom with littlest man playing trains, he's asked her to play with them both but she wants him to herself so is currently sat on her bed with her arms firmly crossed :rotfl:.

Made a little more this morning matched betting and should be able to add to that later, I've updated my signature for September already, makes me feel as though I'm actually achieving something when I can see the figures written down like that.

Work has been very quiet this morning thankfully, feeling pretty groggy today for some reason. Would get the kids out for a walk this afternoon but weather is rubbish and I've got to wait for this phone call from the school!

Anyway, still determined to get the DMP down so will plod on with the extra earnings and keep building my overpayment fund with a view to clearing the next smallest debt.