Round and round the overdraft....soon to be no more

System

Just caught up with your diary - what a nightmare - so surprised that plumber refunded you - totes amazeballs!
Glad you had a good weekend in the big smoke.
Is the weather amazing. I'm currently sheltering indoors as it's just boiling here!!

louby40

Kitty, my free months trial ran out on Sunday so I decided to do the monthly payment, it's about £3.60 I think $5. It's £38 if you pay for a year. I too don't know if I stop using it, I don't think I will because it's really helped me stay in budget so I shall pay monthly for a bit and see how it goes.

Ramble I still can't believe he paid up, I do think he realised he may have messed up though - although he told me even though he'd refunded me it didn't mean he was admitting liability. I'm just relieved to get the money back to put towards the plumbing bill and repairs.

Spent £8.40 on a prescription. Made a chilli for tea. Been to the gym this morning AND out for a walk to collect the prescription. Sat in the garden too. It's gorgeous here, really lovely.

Loads of my sons friends are going to V Festival this weekend - it's going to pour down!!

System

It's not a proper festival if there isn't a bit of rain!

Kitty - I am also a YNAB user - I paid the full amount up front and am now budgeting to pay next years. We started in December and we are getting on so well with it, I will NEVER cancel! I'm even contemplating buying it for my teenage SS when he hits 14 as I think as a system it's so useful to help get the right budgeting mindset - planning to pay his first years in full, and then decrease the amount I contribute by 25% a year so he has to take more and more responsibility for paying for it!! If I had had some sort of money training like that at the right time, I might be in a totally different place now!
You do need to put the time in to begin with - and I am still learning to stick to the budget I set, but all in all, it's definitely helped me understand what money we actually have available. Why don't you buy the year's usage - commit to trialling it for 1 year and see where it gets you?

louby40

I agree with Ramble, it's not just the actual physical budgeting but how it makes you think. It sort of changes your mind set somehow. It's quite a revelation.

It does take a bit of thinking through and I watched a few webinars too but it's well worth it. The best way to understand it though is to use it!

kittykatneedscash

Thanks Ramble and Louby I get paid weekly rather than monthly do you think this will still work for me?

louby40

You just input your money whenever you get it and budget for that week. It doesn't matter when you get paid.

Try it out.

louby40

Didn't check in yesterday - had a bit of a down day. Felt really irritable and moody which is very unlike me.

This morning I've got up and done a 5 mile walk with my OH, it was lovely in the sunshine. We walked round a local reservoir and we were so tempted to go for a coffee afterwards but resisted. Hopefully this will be a NSD.

Watching the Olympics this afternoon and yet more school stuff.

I'm meeting up with my friend tomorrow for a drink, not seen her for a while and she's just split up from a 6 yr relationship so needs a boost. My OH has offered to be my taxi (bless him) and I've budgeted £25 for drinks.

louby40

Hi

Well I could kick myself!!

My 16 yr old sons mobile contract is coming to an end in September. I pay £25 a month for it and its a pretty rubbish deal as his data is gone within days. I am with 3 and only pay £17 a month for unlimited data and texts and 200 minutes. They are now doing a deal for the same package at £23 a month. They are also throwing in a £50 Amazon voucher.

So I've just signed up to it and forgot to go through Topashback which I've just seen are offering £47 for 12 month sim only contracts! So annoyed with myself. I ALWAYS check TCB, I was so excited to get the £50 Amazon voucher I just forgot!!

Oh well that's loads of books sorted anyway with the voucher. I always convert my TCB money into amazon vouchers as I spend so much on books!

At least I'm saving £2 on the phone bill!

System

easily done!

louby40

I had a great night with my friends last night. I budgeted £30 but only spent £13! The three of us bought in rounds so it worked out quite well.

I had to do a bit of shopping this morning, bought a gift for my friends baby but used a gift card I had given, also bought some make up, again used my shopping centre gift card.

Also spent £9 in Tesco but used left over 'night out' money. I also put £20 petrol in my car but this was taken out of my budget.

So next week is the start of my child benefit/maintenance payments and I'll be going into the 'new month' (budgeting wise) with £16 still left in my account.

It still amazes me that I've finally managed to dump the overdraft. It makes such a difference to my budgeting by staying in the black. I NEVER want to go into the red again!

My debts as of today are
Barclaycard £668 0%
First Direct £900 0%
Parents £3295
Car loan £5998
Mortgage £101,269

Ideally I want to get rid of the Barclaycard by Christmas then I can hit the FD one. I'm paying my parents £300 a month and have already paid £3000 to them. That should be paid by July 2017.

My 2017/18 goal is to save for a new kitchen. It's desperate and needs a total overhaul. My car loan and mortgage will just have to run.

I feel more positive than I have for a long time. It's feeling in control that does it.