Aiming for single, sorted and solvent

maggiesmummy

Good morning all,
I'm coming back to report after a couple of weeks of getting on with stuff.

This month looks like it could be the first one that might come in on budget (fingers crossed for no disasters)

I've been market researching, ebaying, cashbacking and have cashed in the Christmas pot. By some miracle I might just have enough cash to pay for Christmas and stay well and truly in the black.

It is a succession of small things that make the difference I think - the awareness around spending, accidental NSD due to far too much work and planning towards spending. Probably the biggest one the last one - the kids now mention putting something on my list instead of three of them asking for something at the same time.

Just waiting for a couple more payments to go through so I can transfer my loan onto an interest free credit card via balance transfer - then I will be starting the slow chip away.

Tortoise not the hare. In other internal debates with myself I am trying to work out where to cut corners - I need a haircut (but have done my roots myself) and I need new walking boots as both my boots and wellies have sprung a leak. So do I buy better but second-hand or new?
Think I need a trip into town to try out some boots - am leaning towards seeing them as an investment towards my feet for dog walks and rugby matches!

Have managed to do some batch cooking this week and will be trying to plan plan plan - mainly to stop me falling into the biscuit tin at work thanks to no planned lunch.

I need to keep an eye on both types of pounds - food had become a cheap, sweet treat in my otherwise quite financially austere world!

maggiesmummy

It's that point in the month where there are 4 days to pay day.
In good news I have £4 in my purse, £15 in the account and £30 left in pots (plus my savings pots but they are very firmly locked.

I also have one thing on eBay with a £9.99 bid and am scheduled to finish a market research group which should pay £40.

Plus the money in the bills account should cover the rest of the payments. This is an almost unheard of state of affairs - and can almost make me ignore the fact I am £14,000 in debt!

Also positive is after buying new boots I have also received a replacement pair for the old and faulty ones - so will hang onto both as they get loads of wear.

So a month of decluttering, selling, budgeting and a great deal of luck in securing market research has set us up well for Christmas. Now need the emergency fund starting and some over payment of debt - by the end of this month it will all be on 0%.

So if I can stick with £400 in debt repayments each month I could be clear in 3 years. Just remembering the need to budget and enjoy life too - living well (in every sense of the word) within my means.

maggiesmummy

It's been a while so just updating my diary - not heading into the end of the year quite in the black - as an unexpected vets bill has wiped out the emergeny fund and there is still a bit of Christmas spends tweaking to do.

I'm already revising next year's budget to cover £500 for Christmas - it needs that much to make sure the presents and the food and the socialising is covered.

I am feeling just a little bit flat at the moment - my fab kids dad is currently out of work and has just said he can't afford presents this year - long story and no surprise but I think they are a bit gutted. He doesn't see them which I think matters more than the present - but I will continue to mop up the mess.

I'm also looking around the house which needs some significant work in the coming years wondering exactly where the money will come from - it seems a bit daunting at the moment.

On the positive side of things I have reduced the broadband bill by £8 a month through Plusnet plus a £75 cheque due back from them. I'm just about to pay off the loan at 9% with a 0% balance transfer - so that should help to speed up the debt process. Last ebay sale for this year posted off today as well.

This last few months have massively shifted my mindset around money - and I have quite clearly had a lightbulb moment - I just wish I could wave a magic wand and get the hard slog sorted out.

Still am being very sensible and will pop my early Christmas pay into a savings account, do my budgets and hopefully not over spend too much between now and the end of the year.

Will be goal setting for 2020 very soon - watch this space!

maggiesmummy

Making a quiet return to my diary for 2020 - I've seen some wonderful new diaries which some really ambitious goals today. Really tempted to revise mine as a result but I honestly think I would be setting myself up to fail.

So I am sticking with doing what I can with the money I have, providing for the ever growing (is size not in number) herd of children who descend like locusts on the food and trying to carve out some cash for the good stuff as well as the emergencies.

This month that involves getting back on track with spending - I think I went £150 over my budget for Christmas - mainly on being 'out out'. Plus I bought a laptop so some cash to be paid off PayPal asap.

So goals are:
Emergency fund - £700 by year end
Debts £4500 off a total of £14,700
1p challenge - started via Monzo - found an Applet to do it daily
250 days hitting my step goal of 10,000 - every time I do £1 goes in the pot.
Decorate living room - £30 in Consumer Pulse for B&Q - much more needed!
Holiday fund - £1000 throughout the year - optimistic....!

This month it will be enough to get to the next pay day!

Franalamadingdong

Good idea keeping to your goals and not being swayed by other people's. If your goals are intentional and based on your situation they're much more achievable.

I'm a single mum to an 8 year old boy who has a useless father and I get how you have to pick up the pieces. I met an amazing man at the start of 2019 and he'll be moving in at some point in 2020 and he's so brilliant with my son, who absolutely adores him, so I've been less of a single mum this past year. However, when his dad wasn't particularly interested when his son was in the hospital, and when he told our son that he had to get off the phone to spend time with his family it really hurt my boy. He then said he could call back later, and when he did his dad didn't answer the phone or call back. I can see 2020 ending with my son not interested in trying to build and maintain a relationship with someone who can't be bothered. The time does mean so much more than gifts. That said, you will mean the world to your kids and you're showing them a great example. Just wondering if your eldest is old enough for a Saturday job now? It'll help him not being home to eat everything all the time, and he'll see how much it takes to earn the money for this or that that he wants as well as giving him some independence. I lived in the sticks growing up, so no job opportunities there, I'll be encouraging my son as soon as he's old enough and there's plenty of seasonal work here.

Miss_Money_Magnet

Hi, I have just read your diary and you sound like a brilliant mum! Just wanted to say that you mentioned you cant get childcare vouchers through work. Have you looked at the tax free child care scheme? Its a gov thing. You set up an account and then whatever you pay in the gov add 20%. I use it to pay for after school clubs, so if I add £100 it becomes £120. Its really straightforward. Good luck on your journey!

maggiesmummy

Thanks both for the replies - it is tough when an absent parent makes choices which put the kids second. It's happened consistently with my ex for some very complicated reasons and whilst my kids are older and understand a bit, they still don't have any faith in him to do what he says he's going to do.

Great that you have found someone lovely thought - I contemplate that periodically and am leaving it to fate for now.

My eldest lad will be starting college in September so will hopefully be gainfully employed in a part time job - he likes the idea of Subway - which makes sense!

@missmoneymagnet thank you but my lot are now too old for childcare - I restarted an old diary so 5 years on they are all in secondary school and quite self sufficient.

maggiesmummy

Trying very hard not to spend, eat mince pies or drink this month!
Keeping an eye on the small things - and aiming to celebrate the positive - so:
First PA payment of £5.44 to Paypal credit card (needs to be clear by April to stay interest free)
Signed up for £30 online market research tomoroow
Facebook sale (hopefully!) for £30
Awaiting Plusnet cheque offer email for £75 as new broadband is now active.

Jnauary may just have started better than expected. Still broke but aiming up!

maggiesmummy

Hmmm overly optimistic - Facebook buyer bought some more things so paid £60 which was fab. The vets bill for £82 and an emergency school uniform purchase wasn't so great.
So this month's emergency fund payment has gone to an emergency already - but a payment will make it into the bank eventually!

Just got to keep on keeping on!

maggiesmummy

Coming to the end of the month (paid a week early) owing my budget a bit of cash and a bit of TLC.

To be fair, it's been a month of other things happening, when life takes over and it's enough to get through the week!

All in all it's not dire - I did succumb to the sales and stocked up on my favourite beauty stuff - which will be a saving throughout the year.

And the emergency fund got tapped for a few vets bills - but on the plus side I have managed to clock up around £200 in extra earnings through Facebook selling, market research and Consumer Pulse.

Next month I already have a potential £150 in the budget - I keep wanting to throw it at debt then realise every time I do that without a plan or an emergency fund I need it again!

I'm also really pleased that I haven't just gone to he'll with it and spent loads of money because life has been tough. I've kept almost to plan and I am proud of that. Now I just need to develop the same control when it comes to cake and I'll be fine!