From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Spendless - I am going to ring the college today to make sure he has a place on this course as I'll need to apply for a bus pass for him.

Yesterday vanished in a haze of tidying out the car ( 1 bag of rubbish and 1 load of clothes collected :embarasse ) before washing it. Thankfully 2 DDs thought this was great fun and joined in. Unnervingly I couldn't open the bonnet, though I tried several times, including with pliers. Hope the garage can fix it.

On the plus side we did pick 2 tubs of blackberries from the allotment. DS1 amazed me by avidly picking despite his verbal lack of enthusiasm:D.

After I've taken the car to the garage I must crack on with work...time is slipping away so quickly.

crazy_cat_lady

Keeping fingers crossed for a painless garage experience HSL.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you CCL. I took the car to a different garage than I have used over the last few years. I was absolutely amazed by the difference in efficiency, service and price. I had been dreading a £700 bill like last year but got a £350 bill and the car passed its MOT. The garage were able to fix the bonnet too. :j:j:j My lovely parents had offered to pay for the service for my birthday present so the cost to me was minimal.:)

I went into work yesterday ( Thurs) to get bits and pieces ready for next week. I could have spent much longer but I can only do as much as the toddler can cope with.

I've had a bill in the post from the new solicitor for £450+. Thankfully I had paid £100 in advance a couple of weeks ago. I had thought I was paying by standing order each month but I guess the initial time of reading through the file from the old solicitor and getting paperwork started is costly. I've had to dip into the emergency fund again to pay £200 and the rest will come from my pay today. I'll need to set up the standing order to ensure I can pay in regular chunks rather than have huge bills.

I have been dreading September from a financial perspective for some time. I have 3 birthdays in the next 10 days which includes DD2's 18th. She is very different to her sister so am mulling over different ideas. She spent some of her wages on a second hand phone a few weeks ago and took it to get the camera repaired, only to be told the phone had previously been repaired and it had been done so badly there was nothing this repair guy could do. She would quite like a new phone but I need to check prices and understand what products are out there!

DD1 returns to uni in 3 weeks time, so I know I need to budget for petrol and an overnight stay.

The "washing machine" stomach is persisting which I can only put down to worry about finances, returning to work and the on-going unease with the ex.:mad: I think I need to make sure I plan time to walk more as I find that calming and uplifting. The last couple of weeks I've been so focused on tidying /sorting and missed the opportunities to get outside.

Today I need to get the last few bits for the children, for school. Uniform costs had to be paid in July, so I've only got two children to get shoes for and one child to get new skirts for. The rest I've done bit by bit over the last few weeks. I did get a simple PAYG phone for DD4 now that she is moving up to secondary school.

Drawingaline

My car failed the mot on Tuesday, £200 and am having work done and retest done now. Annoying as have two hours off work and hubby working from home so almost had a chance of a lie in. Extra annoying as I was up at the time you posted lol! My body is going through a wakeful phase (have had a good run of good sleep, this waking in the night will normally subside again after a couple of months.)

Good luck with the solicitor and present ideas.

Honeysucklelou2

Hope all goes well with the retest today, Drawing a line.

crazy_cat_lady

That's great news about the car, although less so about the solicitor and September costs. Hope that you're feeling better soon - I completely relate to the stressed out, washing machine stomach...

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you CCL...

Yesterday was pay day so I got the solicitor's bill out of the way first. I have allocated everything else to various bills/pots. Last month I drew a rectangle for each £100 of salary and coloured it according to how many rectangles it took, so the emergency fund was £50 so I coloured in half a rectangle... you get the picture! I found it really interesting to see everything laid out in colour/pattern and see where it all goes and in proportion to the whole amount earned. The double glazing loan, the one of hideous interest, cones to £76, so I thought I'd tidy it up and make an over payment of £24 to make a full £100. I think it will have an impact on the interest liability and give me chance to bring that balance down.

Yesterday I did have to go to our nearest city to get a few last things for the new term. DD3 did, eventually, choose a pair of trousers and DD1 got some bits and pieces sorted as well.

Today has been a busy day but in a slightly different way. I live in a very rural location. Once a year the village has a Show in which villagers enter various crafts, cooking, flowers, fruit, veg etc. It is an uplifting day, not least to realise who is good at what, to pick up tips on cooking and gardening and to feel part of the wider community. As part of this we were busy making cakes and in the DDs cases, drawing pictures, to put entries into classes. At least the edible entries can be quickly demolished. Extra cost involved was mainly mascarpone cheese, extra eggs amd some fondant icing. Any left overs will be put towards the birthday cakes needed over the next 2 weeks! It was a genuinely relaxing day so much better for my stomach .

Honeysucklelou2

Yesterday was a glorious day, so we headed to the beach. We did go via Mr T's to get some picnic bits and pieces, then onto the beach. It was lovely to spend the time relaxing with most of the children and to forget about recent worries.

Back to work l shortly. I'm not sure how the toddler is going to be when it comes to nursery. Yesterday we drove by and he said "I'm not going to nursery, don't leave me there" :(:(:(:(. He seems happy when I see photos of what he's doing and he settles well with the staff. I've no concerns at all about the setting. He just prefers to be with us!

All the direct debits should go out today. The mortgage amount has gone up a little after the interest rise last month. The emergency fund has taken quite a hit due to the legal fees so I know I need to get that built up again.

Honeysucklelou2

I spent time today updating the spending tracker app to reflect the direct debits having left my account this morning. I rang the double glazing people and made a £25 overpayment in a bid to bring that balance down a little.

Frustratingly I seem to have forgotten a few odd school bits, so spent £7 on bits and then £205 on a bus pass for DD2. I have applied for a bursary to get reduced cost transport but haven't heard anything back yet. Since DD2's term starts on Thursday I thought I'd better get it paid, even though full cost, to ensure that she can get to college. DS1 is still deciding what to do. I am trying to be patient...He says he hasn't heard from the college he has applied to and the only number I can find for them has an automated message on loop:mad:. Today I rang the same college that my older DDs attended and he has an interview tomorrow. Nothing like cutting it fine!

I need to increase my NSDs. When I was making an effort to have NSDs, my budget, or rather the sticking to the budget was much better. If I neglect that my spending creeps up.

Honeysucklelou2

Survived the first week back at work. The hardest part is getting myself used to the 5.15 am starts again. I tried to be organised and made a big saucepan of bacon and lentil soup and portioned it out, so that I can reheat for each lunchtime. So far that has worked well. I need to make sure I leave time to make the soup on Sunday evening.

Unfortunately I haven't managed any NSDs yet as birthday celebrations for the toddler and college deposits needed for DD2, not to mention grocery top ups featured this week. I must must get better at NSDs.

Everyone was back to school or college yesterday except DD1 who has another couple of weeks until she goes back to uni. She is working right up to the day before so I'm hoping she is able to maximise her savings. DS1 still hasn't got sorted out with a course :mad::(, so my mission today is to encourage him to understand that when you live in a very rural location, it is necessary to travel in order to access training opportunities. He is used to doing 8 miles to school but either college would be at least an hour's journey. Sadly I think he has become demoralised by his results and lost hope rather than thinking through different training options.

Thankfully I did hear back from DD2's college and I have been granted a travel bursary so only have to pay 55% of the travel costs. I can get the extra I've paid refunded or wait to see if DS gets in and use the extra against his bus pass.