Debt-Free wanna be vs Maternity pay. Determined to stay on track.

hannahroberts1985

oMorning,

Quiet few days as our router broke. On the plus side they sent two by accident and they sell for £30-40 on eBay whoop I'll take that as compensation for. Wing without internet for 3 days. That's not too cheeky is it:o

Does anyone know how to change the title of your diary? Childcare bills are about to take over from the maternity pay struggle so I feel like I should chance it.

Pay day has been and gone and I still feel like we're a couple of hundred short of where we need to be so once the DD to savings goes in I'll have to move it back again this month. Two months of big childcare bills before ds1's free childcare kicks in the we should be able to save a good £200-£300 a month on a normal month for DP lots more on a good one.

Dp's pay this month is not going to be great again. But this month is looking s lot better already so next month should be good.

Dp's birthday today he has 4 days off we have a day out planned but at a NT site so it'll be picnic ice cream spend and petrol spend. Then a trip swimming. He said not to get presents but I got him some new socks and a tray of Krispy kremes and have put some balloons round so he'll be happy enough with that. More for the boys really. Then I'll treat him to take away tonight.

So planned spends so I stay on track
Today:take away £20
Monday:DS at school so hopefully NSD! I want DP to reseal the bath and sinks so must remember to nag him! Maybe get garden sorted and have a BBQ I'll get freezer meat out today for this. Weather looks great so prob get the pool out for the boys.
Tuesday:NT £10 ice creams tea etc
Wednesday: swimming £10 hopefully to early enough to be home for lunch but the cafe at the pool is so good so I'll need to behave and not say sod it we'll have lunch out! :money:
Then DP will be back at work and the temptations to do nice things and eat nice things will be gone.

Boys had a trial at the childminders yesterday and it went really well which is nice. I have two weeks now with them there and me not back at work so I've written a big list of jobs that need doing around the house. I'm going to be cleaning and decorating for 3 of the days then take the last day as a me day. Lie ins, tv, baths, naps! If I can still sit still for that long that is!

hannahroberts1985

oMorning,

Quiet few days as our router broke. On the plus side they sent two by accident and they sell for £30-40 on eBay whoop I'll take that as compensation for. Wing without internet for 3 days. That's not too cheeky is it:o

Does anyone know how to change the title of your diary? Childcare bills are about to take over from the maternity pay struggle so I feel like I should chance it.

Pay day has been and gone and I still feel like we're a couple of hundred short of where we need to be so once the DD to savings goes in I'll have to move it back again this month. Two months of big childcare bills before ds1's free childcare kicks in the we should be able to save a good £200-£300 a month on a normal month for DP lots more on a good one.

Dp's pay this month is not going to be great again. But this month is looking s lot better already so next month should be good.

Dp's birthday today he has 4 days off we have a day out planned but at a NT site so it'll be picnic ice cream spend and petrol spend. Then a trip swimming. He said not to get presents but I got him some new socks and a tray of Krispy kremes and have put some balloons round so he'll be happy enough with that. More for the boys really. Then I'll treat him to take away tonight.

So planned spends so I stay on track
Today:take away £20
Monday:DS at school so hopefully NSD! I want DP to reseal the bath and sinks so must remember to nag him! Maybe get garden sorted and have a BBQ I'll get freezer meat out today for this. Weather looks great so prob get the pool out for the boys.
Tuesday:NT £10 ice creams tea etc
Wednesday: swimming £10 hopefully to early enough to be home for lunch but the cafe at the pool is so good so I'll need to behave and not say sod it we'll have lunch out! :money:
Then DP will be back at work and the temptations to do nice things and eat nice things will be gone.

Boys had a trial at the childminders yesterday and it went really well which is nice. I have two weeks now with them there and me not back at work so I've written a big list of jobs that need doing around the house. I'm going to be cleaning and decorating for 3 of the days then take the last day as a me day. Lie ins, tv, baths, naps! If I can still sit still for that long that is!

Waiting for my official speeding fine to come trough now I've sent the form back saying it was me driving. :mad: It had made me super focused when driving now though so guess it working!

Think that's all for now. Best go play with the kiddos DP stayed at a friends in town last night as they had a few beers so going to do a fry up when he gets home.

X

debbie_debt

Sorry I've no idea how to change the name - I wonder if you can, but might be worth a google.

I love how you pre-plan spending. I always try to commit to not spending and get annoyed when I do. Might be worth changing my mindset a bit to limit spending rather than avoiding it so I don't get mad at myself all the time.

I do need to shop for a baby shower pressie for my cousin today. I'm going for clothes and keeping it nice and simple. Her friends (on a facebook group about the shower) seem to be having a one-upmanship competition about how much they're going to spend and who can get the best gift. I'm not being tempted to join in and leaving them to it!

It's our pay days this week and next, but I'm sure we'll feel the same as you like every month - always a few hundred short of where I think we need to be.

Have a great day
Debbie

hannahroberts1985

I feel like if I don't pre plan it as soon as I get into a shopping environment I'll just go mad then come on here and be annoyed at myself.

I always pre buy baby shower, christening gifts too when I see them in the sale. Are you on the bargain finds for busy mums facebook page? I picked up a couple of playmobile archs £8.99 in Argos £32 on Amazon. We have a christening and twins birthday in October and thought they would make great presents for both.

Today NSD is out of the windows popping to town to get mine and dp's hair cut as the other day didn't happen as ds1 was being a monkey. Gonna grab buns and have a BBQ later too. X

hannahroberts1985

Feeling deflated for a change again! Checked my bank and I have hardly any pocket money left after three days :mad: lots of free play dates for me and the boys needed to survive.

Meeting my sister and her husband and kids today at a NT park. She messaged last night asking if we could go to a water park instead.....checked the website and entry would have been £60. I messaged back saying we couldn't afford it and they should go if they wanted to but they are coming to meet us and said she understands but everytime I arrange to meet her she always suggests cafes etc and she know we're saving and playing off debt and says she understands but I think until you've had to save £20000 yourself you can't fully understand. She was lucky enough her husband parents funded their house deposit. Just feels weird now today but sure it'll be fine once we get there. I can't wait until we have a house and can start spending money again. But the boys are still little and don't know any different so must stick at it. You don't need to spend money to have fun. Just wish my sister would stop suggesting these things as then I always have to say no then feel like she's disappointed with the day we have planned. If she does it next time I may have a quiet word and say it's upsetting and hard for me but to just bear with me while we save. X

hannahroberts1985

Also I need the message our landlord at a more reasonable hour asking if I can set up our payments through the credit ladder website which tracks the payments on your credit file :money:

reality_check

I swear nobody understands the idea of paying back debt/saving money, when you tell them they look at you like you're mad then continue to invite you to expensive things!! This is like my sister - who continues to live beyond her means on credit cards and just isn't bothered about money. This did use to be me, so I probably would have been like this a few years ago and just though f@#k it, wack it on the credit card and justified whatever it was. You're so right about your boys being too young to understand and to them you can 100% do things that don't cost an arm and a leg and they will have just as much fun.

I was telling my friend the other day about how I am paying off credit cards and hoping to never use them again, she has about 8 between her and her husband and although I don't know how much she owes, I know roughly her and her husbands wages do not match the life they lead, but she thinks that aslong as you can meet your minimum payments and keep getting 0% transfers on them then you are not in debt?! Crazy!

Keep going, life will be full of so many more options once the debt is gone and especially when you've got your own house xxx

hannahroberts1985

Thanks reality your so right that was us a few years ago and we probably made the same comments to some of our friends. I just keep thinking how amazing our debt free day will feel!! I'm hoping to never use credit again (bar mortgage) and save up for everything we want to buy. It has been a great life lesson to learn though before I would just pop out and buy things and not look after them or appreciate them. Now I really do.

Clear score up 44 this morning whoops. Landlord messaged too and he's fine with us using credit ladder so I'll set that up soon. Do you think it would go against us applying for a mortgage and being debt free? Maybe we once all paid off we will do that cash back credit card paid off in full each month? That's meant to help isn't it. But this to me just means your a month behind on life bills?

Swimming this morning hopefully enough in my purse to cover this then DS has the dentist so I'll take him in for this and hopefully have change in my purse for a treat for him from the shops after......well don't your teeth are clean here buy a cake! Awful parenting I know :rotfl:

May call the band and lower my DD on cc payments then up savings amount and a small change but I think we're at a stage where we could get a mortgage with our credit scores so now need the deposit more than the debt payments.

We've been so busy with the boys the last few days going to have a chilled one at home with them tomorrow then they start the childminder for two half days so I have some time alone in the house to clean and organise! I'm so excited! I'm a bit feed up of the house right now so hopefully a bit of organisation and paining will get ride of this for a while.

Right think I'm babbling again. X

debbie_debt

It's a horrible situation to be in isn't it? I hate saying "I'm sorry I can't afford it". I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I find it really embarrassing to say we're paying off debt... like people will judge me for being stupid enough to get into debt in the first place... so we don't really share it. So when I say I can't afford something, people do look at me like "where does all your money go??". We've both got pretty good jobs so people must think we squander it all lol Maybe we should be more honest with people, but I just think it's none of their business.

Anyway, keep your chin up Hannah - you're not alone. My sister has been fortunate enough to make her fortune. She's got more money than we could ever spend and so when she comes to visit (lives abroad now) she's always expecting meals out, afternoons in a beer garden when it's nice, to go to a show etc. Plus I always feel the pressure to buy the kind of food she likes (fresh, organic, top brands). She does treat occasionally and pay for a massive family meal, which is really nice of her, but then the weekend that she's over tends to cost me £200+ which I can't always afford. There's a pressure to visit her too, which for us and the kids is £600 in flights before we've started on the weekend spending :mad:

Anyhoo, enough moaning. I just wanted you to know you're not alone. It's a hard situation, but you're getting there and will one day be debt free. When you're feeling crap, focus on the feeling you'll have when you can finally say you're debt-free and start saying Yes!

Debbie

hannahroberts1985

I think people understand though Debbie I don't think there are many people...certenly not many of my friends who don't like on credit these days. I just don't think many have had their light bulb moment yet. Keeping up with the Jones sisters ah! So annoying! I'd buy a few extra special bits for her visit but keep the rest the same. Yes organic etc is nice but normal food isn't going to kill her for a couple of days. It could be like a blind taste test take everything out of the packed and put it in bowls etc!

Cheaper days than antisipated as the pool was closed when we got there so popped to soft play for an hour. Dentist also called to cancel so just had a nice hour getting jobs sorted with DP while the boys nap.

Called the bank to lower cc payments but decided to ask how long the 0% term was and it works out that if I keep it as it is there will be £100 left when the interest goes back up so I'll keep it the same and try shove £100 extra at it at some point.

Credit ladder application started just waiting for some info back from the landlord.

Aghhh DS is coming down stairs best go x