The Illuminative Project.

Chandelier.

That sounds good then Speky, I'll look into it.

So yesterday me and the boy went to our local theme park and had a really good time. It was rather quiet and we got on plenty of rides even though we only stayed three hours. We have annual passes for here and only like a 15 minute walk away so it's definitely worth it as we must go at least 10/15 times a year. The boy loves roller-coasters and I can't wait for him to be tall enough for the bigger ones!

I made an payment to one credit card of £40, then another overpayment to another for £95. So my debt totals are as below:-

Virgin- £335 (awaiting for direct debit to come out of £25 on 10/4).
Barclaycard- £900 (awaiting direct debit to come out of £30).
Halifax- £3150 (payment of £40 made).
MBNA- £3240 (awaiting direct debit to come out of £40 on 10/4).

So current total owed:- £7615.

After other direct debits come out, expected to owe:- £7545.

So today I'm on another long day at work.. I'll go sort out my packed lunch shortly then get myself ready for the day ahead. I'm pretty tired this morning but hoping the tiredness will ease as the morning progresses/after I've had 737483847 cups of coffee. Lol

Chandelier.

Morning.

It's been a couple of busy days since I last posted. My long day at work on Wednesday went well and the same again yesterday. I tend to become more tired towards the end of my shift but it's definitely much easier doing 37.5 hours over 3 days so I get four days off.

On Thursday me and the boy had a film day (Easter hols for us) and I also completed some important forms I needed to fill in and sent them off first class recorded delivery so I'll check the status of that later on.

Today we have football this morning and we may go into town later on. I need to get a few things for my hols next month. Mostly swim wear for myself. I have a wardrobe full of summer clothes, I just need to see what fits and what doesn't.

I've still not managed to get back into the healthy eating routine and I've not been to the gym for a while. Life has just been hectic and busy. I'm not worrying too much.

My payments for credit cards are due out on Monday. I need to realign my bank statements and see what money is left for the month.

There's a couple of other things I need to do and possibly claim back on- uniform allowance, union and registration fees etc. I'll look into it at a later date.

I need to also get my old work stuff together and hand it back in. I've been so busy I've been unable to. I have explained this but sometimes you can't get through to people.

Anyhow I hope everyone has a nice Saturday. It's warm in our garden already this morning. I'm sat here having a cup of tea and listening to the birds, its very relaxing.

Chandelier.

Morning.

Yet another few days have passed since I last updated. Saturday ended up a very spendy day however I've got everything I need for my holidays now. I'm just £150 lighter, oops. We're just less then 5 weeks to go now. On Sunday I had a chill out day and some much needed rest and recuperation for myself- I've caught up with a series I've been watching and recharged my batteries.

Yesterday was another long day at work and today I have some training this morning then back to work until 9pm this evening. I then have two days off. Tomorrow I have my CBT therapy group. I also need to get my stuff together to hand back to old work place. I'll grab that together tonight and it's one more thing ticked off my to do list.

I still need to get my car booked in for a service. My uncle has recommended an independent garage which is suppose to be amazing and reliable. I'll get the contact details and phone maybe the beginning of next week.

I'm hoping I'll have a few NSD this week due to work and other things. I'm working a long day on Friday then I've the rest of the weekend off. Things are going well at work.

My mood seems to be pretty stable at the moment. I did feel myself dip slightly yesterday but I managed to get myself back on track.

Aside from that not much else to update.

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Scott_Weiland_2

Are you still training going to the gym etc?

Chandelier.

As and when, yes Scott. Life just seems much busier these days since I've returned to work. 13.5 hour days along with the boy off on school holidays doesn't leave much time to do "me things". I'm always exhausted at the end of a working day and even after a day with the boy I'm pretty tired. I need to monitor my tiredness levels and sleep pattern. I've downloaded a new mood diary app to track moods/sleep.

I had my CBT yesterday. I was in the mindset I didn't want to go. Only two sessions left, I'm pretty relieved as they're quite heavy going. I also met up with my CPN who wants to see me again next week. So it's back to weekly meetings at the moment.

Yesterday was a NSD, the boy and I chilled out in the morning and then he went to his grandparents whilst I was busy. Today we're going to a local woods near us with a friend and the boy can play football on some grassy area near by with his friend. We'll grab lunch before we go.

All my direct debits have gone out for the month now. I'm able to see what is left budget wise for the month.

There's not much else going on.

Chandelier.

All is quiet on the MSE side here. I've not been too well in myself but I'm plodding on.

My spends have increased this month but I'm not overly worried. I just need to focus on myself. I've lost my sparkle along the way somewhere and I'm still trying to find it. Just when I thought I was doing better as well.

All repayments for the month have gone out. I still have a decent amount left for the month and will make another overpayment before the 1st May.

My wage this month seem to have returned to the norm for the first time in a year (thanks to new tax year and no more double tax etc).

We've also booked a big family holiday (10 of us) for next August- not very MSE however a budget will be set aside for this each month. As well as debt paying I am going to focus on experiences instead of slogging my guts away to save for a house I'm not sure I want to buy anytime soon. I have a separate savings account that I transfer maximum amount too each month.

As my pay is much more for next month I have more leeway to make some bigger over payments. I've also got my holiday in three weeks. I've money set aside for that too.

So aside from that, there's not much else to say. I wish it could be more exciting. It's rather mixed.

Chandelier.

So I need to get my spends under control. I've definitely wasted too much money here there and everywhere this month that could have been saved. We all have blips though I guess.

Cash withdrawals for me seem to be the worse culprit. I withdraw cash and then tend to forget I've spent it or on what.

Although aside from that, I've made a small overpayment of £20 to one of my cards.

I need to properly look through what I've paid off and what's left. I think I need to devise a new plan of action and make this clear for myself and look at my income/outgoing and go back to allocating money to different accounts each month like I used to. I've just become rather slack on it. I used to allocate my savings at the beginning of the month. One of the big reasons behind this was obviously me being off sick and I'm playing catch up.

So although I'm at work this morning I'm going to use my break to go through my income and planned expenditure. I need to budget for upcoming expenses too such as car tax/insurance.

I'll probably post a clear new plan of action later ready for the beginning of May with new debt totals and what not. I think the only thing I'll withdraw cash for is extra curricular activities/personal spends for the month. I think I'll find that easier and be able to keep track of my banking properly.

SpekySquarehead

One thing which got me out of debt and able to save to buy a house was YNAB and I would highly recomend it to keep track of where you're spending.

I too used to spend my cash with no idea where it went to but YNAB keeps a track of it. It costs me £4 a month and it's saved me thousands. Why not try the free trial?

Chandelier.

Thanks Speky. I have previously tried YNAB but for whatever reason did not gel with it. I think the best option for me is going to be pen and paper and maybe a basic budgeting app.

I'm currently sat in the garden chilling out and trying to soak up some sun (in temperatures of 7'c). However our garden is a suntrap and it definitely feels much warmer! I've no distractions or anything and I'm trying to be mindful and take in the sounds around me.. Which is currently the bin wagon lol. I can hear some birds though. I worry that as I tend to cover up alot and avoid the sun here sometimes. I don't always get enough vitamin D. Especially in the winter my mood is alot lower as the days are shorter and the skies duller. It's currently blue skies here and feels so refreshing with the breeze. If anyone saw me right now they'd think I'm bonkers lol. My skin tans really easily and I can already see a faint line where I've rolled my trousers up. I guess that's the benefits of olive skin and dark hair. When I get a really good tan I've often been asked where abouts in Europe I'm from and people are surprised when I say England lol!

It's less then two weeks until my holiday and I have lots to do! I need to sort through my holiday clothes and decide on what I'm taking. I'd like to be organised beforehand and not worrying or panicking. I can't wait for this holiday.

This morning after dropping boy off at school I went to the park with my friend and her dog and had a catch up. Which cheered me up a bit. This is the friend I'm holidaying with so was good to finalise a few things.

I had a much better night sleep last night. I started watching the series 13 reasons why last night as everyone has raved about it. However i think I'm going to read the book first before i continue to watch.

I've also a to do list to do today.

- Finish relaxing in sun and then go take shower and try new hair product I've got for curly/wavy hair. And maybe apply some makeup to make myself feel better.
- Phone garage and book car in for service.
- Phone hairdresser and book in for appointment.
- Text eyebrow lady to come do my eyebrows before I go on holiday.
- Ring up taxi firm to double check bookings and times for when we go.
- Complete boys homework as soon as he comes home.
- Have a proper lunch (not eating properly anymore).
- Withdraw cash for boys football tomorrow/update banking details.
- Work out income/expected outgoing for month.
- Look up euro exchange rates and decide how much I'm taking (we are all inclusive for two weeks, just me and boy regarding spends money). Count up euros leftover from Germany.
- Read through my work booklets.
- Update diary/appointment calendar.

I think that's enough for that in one day. I may split it over two as I've two days off together now.

SpekySquarehead

Let me know your thoughts on 13 Reasons Why. I too have heard good things and I'm contemplating adding it to the Watch List.