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

Bluegreen143

Just been reading your diary. Congrats on your new house - you must be thrilled. We spent a fortune on “stuff” for our new house 3y ago wanting to get it all right away and I really regret how much we spent now! I was pregnant with our first when we moved so that was just the start of too much spending! I’m a SAHM now and preg with the second so need to be watching all the pennies - this site is so inspiring and motivating. I used to use the old style board years ago so Im excited to get back into it again and have subscribed to your thread

hannahroberts1985

Morning bluegreen congratulations xxx Yes baby no one sends us spend crazy don't they! Poor baby no2 is permanently in hand me downs but you know what he's 10% happier than ds1 so non of the "stuff" I brought was worth it! This diary is super helpful to pop onto and clear my head when I'm feeling spendy or worries about money. Also help when I'm shopping knowing I'll have to come on here and explain myself.

On that note I have decided to go out tonight. I need a good night out I think and there won't be one for a while after this. My sister is coming to stay over tonight for a few nights and I'll be having the 4 kiss to look after from tomorrow morning. I'd best not get too drunk!

hannahroberts1985

Oops didn't mean to post.

DP took a pair of curtains back to dunelm for me yesterday and they couldn't refund to the cc as I'd paid by PayPal. They have his a receipt that can only be used instore which is a pain but I'll pop in on my way to my friends tonight and hopefully find curtains for the living room as we still don't have any in there. I will no wonder about the accessories section! I promise!!

hannahroberts1985

Quick pop in as I'm feeling stressed about money. I went out for too drunk and spent to much! £100 in total including a new top I panic brought in the way out then didn't wear!!! I have the receipt and will return it as I don't even think I like it! Madness!

I was just browsing door handles to replace the ones on all the fitted wardrobes....only a couple of pound each no big spend I thought then I realised a)we have 20 handles to replace and b)I was choosing cheap ones as that's all I could probably justify buying now! So back here to remind myself that it doesn't all need to be done right away!!! Anything I fancy or have an impulse to buy I will add to my list of house bits and work through it when we have free cash. The whole point of the cheaper house was to not overstretched ourselves and be able to afford to live a little and hopefully holiday! That isn't going to happen if I spend every last penny replacing door handles that work perfectly well just look a bit dated! Right that me told off!!
So payday will leave me about £100 spare I WILL put all of this into the emergency fund!

We've filled in the pond this weekend and are meant to be removing the massive shed next week that would massively open up the garden and mean we are forced to do lots of work as tuft the area. But then that would mean a)the credit card will be maxed out and potentially overdrafts used as everything you start always ends up costing more than predicted. B)I won't be able to use the grass for a month! The garden is divided in two at the moment by a massive shed and the bit the boys play in at the moment is paved. Leaving the work until the autum would mean no constant battle with the boys to keepnoff the grass and also give us time to save up and be in a better place money wise. I don't think the thought of a whole summer with no grass I do live a god padding pool day. Then again I could invest in some foam mats and use those under the pool. This option obviously isn't as exciting but then it makes me feel a lot happier inside money wise.

Credit card current stands at £1950/£2400 which would be a nice safety net while we built up our emergency fund. I've set up a direct debit for £80 a month and this would take 2 years to clear at that rate. It's already quite a bit monthly bill to have added to our outgoings so I think I need to go with the autum option for the grass and be sensible on this one.

Right I stupidly sat in the bed after putting the baby to bed and the carnage left from a crazy day of looking after my sister and her kids awaits me downstairs....probably why I decided I needed to post as it meant I got to skive for 5 mins ;9) xx

Bluegreen143

It!!!8217;s lovely to hear how you!!!8217;re setting in to your new house. Sounds like you!!!8217;ve made a few very sensible decisions money-wise. While those wardrobe handles and turfing the garden would feel great, just imagine how much better it will feel to do it when you have the money and can really afford it. You always feel a bit guilty buying things (no matter how worthy) that you can!!!8217;t afford, I find, and it taints your lovely glow over having the nice thing. Much better to wait and get it done right. As you say, waiting will let you get better quality door handles too as you!!!8217;ll have saved up more so you!!!8217;ll definitely be glad you waited.

hannahroberts1985

Morning bluegreen.

I've made some bad decisions. We're doing the garden:mad: I had a guy I know who's an odd job man pop round last night he said he could clear the area in a day so £120 labour I need to hire a medium sized skip. Then me and DP will fill with top soil which apparently we can get for free from a place. Then dp has a friend who will turf for us. Turf prices up around £130 then slip hire which I'm hoping we can get for £150 I need to book that today. He wants to come the end of this week. So hopefully all work will come in at £400 but I'm guessing £500 as bits always crop up. I know it's not the sensible money decision I had in mind. But......If I'll be paying for the work in a few months anyway why not get it done so we can enjoy the grass over the summer ! Then no more spending I promise!!

Pay day today my overdraft is cleared as that had gone over a bit with the move. Dp's birthday fund coming alone nicely (If the garden goes over budget I will confess about the savings and he will tell me to use it for the garden instead of going into overdrafts to pay it) £115 tucked away in the emergency fund.

Last day off work today home with both boys so going to make it a fun one x

hannahroberts1985

Hey guys feels like forever since I posted.

Ok so dp'a friend has no showed on us twice so I've booked the guy who helped us last week to lay the tuft. Luckily we hadn't ordered it yes as it would have gone off! So costs for garden will be £74 for top soil, £121 for tuft and £200 labour. We had just enought left in the cc to over the turf and soil then dp's play station fund has been used for the labour....poor guy maybe next year ha ha. But then that is it! No more spending until we have settled accounts and built up some savings!!! X

hannahroberts1985

Back again in bed with a brew.

Our first mortgage payment comes out today! Whoop!

Tuft laid tomorrow. Now it's time to get excited about paying off debt again seeming as I've wracked up quite a bit :0( x

£50 pocket money left to last until 15th nothing that costs money planned yet but I will need petrol as have a few free play dates planned and work.

DP had another low payday :mad: this commission work is horrible when they don't do well as I'm just annoyed he's there all the time and not earning much.

Just having a brew in bed before the madness starts.

Xx

hannahroberts1985

Tuft is laid. I love it RA totally transformed the garden into somewhere the boys can play :0)

Accounts are starting to look comfortable now and I was planning in my head how much left over I'd have on last day then looking at lamps but instead I've gone on and upped a few of my savings accounts. I have a plan of what I want to save each month for different things. So I'm a bit closer to achieve these now which feels good. I'll see how bills settle after a month or two and if we still have to much spare cash I'll up them again.

X

hannahroberts1985

Quick check in with a brew! As I've just brought some toys of a Facebook selling site I don't really need! Oops! It was a really good deal of 5 orchard board games for £10 and ds loves the ones he's got and he does learn a lot from them. Maybe I'll give him one and then save the rest for when he's even really good. He likes to stay up later than his baby brother and play a game so they'll be great. I need to stay off pintest!!!! I always just brows pictures and ideas then end up on b&q looking at paint! I have no money!!!!

Overdraft is looking grim.com my mums give me £200 towards a climbing frame for ds1's birthday and we put the birthday savings toward the rest of the costs. She hasn't given me the money yet tho so the account is over drawn. Also it's a bit over from the last garden bits so NO MORE shopping until the account is back in + figures. Excited for pay day already to see the savings accounts going up with their new bigger dd's.

I have a wardrobe in the garage that needs selling so I could go down and get photos of that and post it on Facebook. I have a petrol claim from work to send off but can't work out the website so that'll have to wait until I'm at work next. I need to up my childcare voucher payment again after a couple of months off as we have quite a bit built up.