Joined 31.05.16

System

Hey PSL.
Checking in - sounds like you are doing really well. We're already over budget for groceries this month, it's so easy to happen. Good news on the sparky - you can't mess with things like that.
Do you have an emergency fund? Perhaps it would be worth cutting to your minimum payments for a couple of months just to get a £200/£300 emergency fund stashed? I know it would extend your DFD, but it would make you more resilient? In the SOA that Stepchange did with us, they made us put in £36 a month into EF.

When is your next exam? Is your studying going well?
Ramble x

Poor_Single_lady

I know Ramble. This was my first thought after i put phone down to electrician. I will follow your lead on this. £36 into a fund each month. I might call mine the Ramble fund because if I call it an emergency fund I think I will just spend it plus then its like im kind of doing it with you. I know that sounds ridiculous but its when I make my own choices i make bad ones so if I know I have to tell you about the fund then that can only be a good thing.

I never want to be this stressed about money ever again. 2017 will be much more productive. 100 days to christmas so it is coming, its not a far off distant thing. It will happen and i need to make sure i get progress before then.

Quiet weekend at least. Then hopeful for a quiet work week.
September is a major challenge. Need to keep going.

hannahroberts1985

Morning PSL,

Sounds like your still totally focused and thinking about every spend which is great. It's such a knock back when house/car things break and cost us money but I've finally learn at the age of 30 that they happen to everyone and it's not just my bad luck so an emergency fund is a must. Great he is letting you pay on pay day though. You have done so well keeping that overdraft cleared. I'm guessing your like me if it's spend even a little you'll be tempted to say !!!!!! it and spend more and then before you know it your back up to £1500! We'll that's what happened to me the last few times I've cleared it off anyway. I now pretend mine isn't there.

Hope your enjoying your relaxed weekend. Xxx

hannahroberts1985

P.s If you do go for the non drinking at the pub and like like and soda water it's normally about 90p!!! I prefer it to lemonade less calories and less sweet. Some pubs here charge £3 for a coke so I bet it's even more where you are. Xx

hannahroberts1985

*lime and soda x

pennystretcher

Hi PSL, just stopping by to see how you are doing, and glad to see that you have done great!

It is hard to change a habit that you have had for a while, but you are really making progress.

On spending money on alcohol - October is almost here, why not join sober October? No better excuse to not drink alcohol and if you have been invited out and you don't really fancy going it is also a good excuse to say 'not this time thanks, but maybe the next'..

[Deleted User]

Hey PSL,

That's good the sparky fixed the issue & is letting you pay on payday.

You sound like you are on plan to stay out of the overdraft this month so well done.

Love the idea of you calling your fund the 'Ramble fund'

I need to get an emergency fund one of these fine day.

Dxxx

Poor_Single_lady

Hi everyone. Thanks for dropping in.

I am out of the overdraft for now but I think its kind of inevitable I will dip in. Its 2 weeks till pay day tho so although I am really unhappy about this i am kind of thinking that dipping in and paying off on payday is horrible but will have to view it as not the end of the world.
I had some family expenses this month that I haven't written about, hard to explain but completely unavoidable and part of life so its not gone well but i am determined it will do going forward. Plus I think I spent too much in a few avoidable areas which I am annoyed about. Annoyed but learning.

Been to wilko this morning for house expenses and lidl for lunches this week. Potato salad and chicken all week i think. Total spend £24.

Sober october maybe a good thing for me. I will think about it.
I assumed you had emergency fund Dolly! Well its hard isn't it, once you have money you want to pay things off rather than save it for an emergency. But I think £36 a month is manageable. I probly spend double that in the pub each month in reality so maybe i should do this. Its just the fun work things, family time, odd social enjoyable occasion that I would miss.
Im not sure i could do the whole month.

I've got a few unavoidable expenses coming up between now and payday. Work politics can totally hit your wallet, but given that work pays for everything its not something you can easily rock the boat on. Never mind. It will be pay day soon and then a new battle.

Still battling my best friends. Very frustrating. I feel like I want to drop the ones that aren't supportive. I feel like I am not going to succeed with them in my life. Quite annoyed really at some of the recent conversations we have had, just makes me want to close the door for good.
I know people say friends are important but I don't think i can do this without them being onboard so i don't know how that will work out.

This does sound moany but I actually feel quite positive and determined and focused.
One thing as well if I look at my internet banking too much I get very stressed so only going to look a few times a week. Its only 1 credit card and current account that change so I should stop looking so much and feel less stressed, I don't think it stops me spending or helps the situation so going to try and stay away a bit and see how that works out. Hopefully will help.

On payday loan goes to £1838. At least this I can look forward to!

[Deleted User]

Nope, no emergency fund here!

I am part of a few wee savings clubs throughout the year which totally save my bacon!

Hope you are okay with all the family stuff you have going on at the minute, families can be both the best & worst things in your life I think.

Thats rubbish about your friends my sweet. I only have 1 friend! Other girls we sometimes hang around with come & go as they please & it's really only me & my bestie that talk everyday & make sure to catch up as often as we can.

You will do what is best for you in the long run.

Oh I log into my online banking sometimes several times a day! I couldn't live without it, what works for one won't work for the other though!

Dxxx

Poor_Single_lady

Thank you Dolly. I cant explain the friends thing very well but i do feel like I have had enough of not being listened to and being put into situations that make it more likely that I spend money on pointless things. Its my responsibility to sort this out and I think that I need to stop seeing people who seem to be quite happy to see me fail as long as I am around for drinks at the weekend.

I completely agree with you on the families. But there is no getting round it. Sometimes it just requires you to pay up. Mine is brilliant but very complicated and I hadn't really realised how expensive till recently. When you are growing up you think yours is the only one that has issues and as you get older you start to see that this might not be the case, but mine is pretty up-there.

Bit concerned about this week but will take it as it comes. Need to do food plan and try and get to saturday minimal spending.