Real Life, Dating and Money!

Littlebirdie

I'm so frustrated! I wrote this by long update and it got deleted

Littlebirdie

So let's go back to writing it all or again! There is so much to write I'm going to do it in bullet points

*my trip abroad was more expensive than expected
* I've been really getting into pensions recently - having a nice pension is important to me!
* I've got a M0nz0 card and I love it! I got it just for going abroad but actually it's really helpful for spending in the UK.
What I'm going to do is from next month
* put £500 spending money on it and this is to cover my food shop, socializing, clothes, eating out, work food, coffee shops, travel etc
* I find it really empowering watching the money go down
* hopefully (fingers crossed) this shall help me budget a bit more and be more aware of my spending
* I think writing all my receipts into a spending tracker was great BUT it's lost its effect

That's all for now - I'll let you know how next month goes!

Littlebirdie

I'm cross!

A friend was meant to be coming over for dinner and I spent £20 on the food and spent ages preparing it. In going to take the wine back - that's £4.60 back at least. TBF I am glad I made a new meal at least - I've been sticking to the same old things.

So I've actually gone into my overdraft which is annoying! By £4. Next month has to be a better one. Although I wonder if my account balance includes the refund of the shoes? One more day until payday!

Next month has to be a better month!

Littlebirdie

Things done today to better my finances:
- gone through my piggy banking direct debits (I had two set up for my contact lenses! Only £8 but still )
- realized I haven't been putting in the £70 into my savings account so god knows where that money has gone! Anywho now set up.
- via T0pC@shback done some free cashback options

Littlebirdie

Drum Roll please... and I am back :j

So whats been happening since I've been away? I went on a big dare devil holiday and I'm so proud of myself! It cost me over £2000 but you know what every penny was worth it! Now that is done with I am feeling a little lost - no bf (more on that later), still living the same place and family are still messy. None the less I've strived to keep positive - not always the easiest!

So again I'm just going to use this place to put all my finical ramblings - please feel free to comment! I'm not in serious debt (~£800) on a 0% credit card from buying my phone and laptop but I'm axious I could become in more in debt - the more I obsess about something the less likely it is going to happen ...not healthy I know

I now have a nicer laptop so no doing it on my phone
My budget:
Income: £1836
Rent: £500
LISA: £200
Bills: £88.37
Travel (work): £65
Mealsout/takeaway: £60
Weekends £200- 250(depending on how many weekends there are)
Travel (not work): £65
Alcohol: £50
Eating and drinking on the go: £50
Gym: £45.50
Holidays: £40
Emergency savings: £30
Food: £120-150 (deonding on weeks again)
Coffee: £30
Waxing: £30
Birthdays: 20
Phone payoff: £20
Finicial coaching: £20
Laptop: £20
Dentist/prescriptions: £20
Beauty: £20
Chrsitmas:£20
Gifts: £20
Hair: £10
Phone credit: £10
Contact lenses: £8.00

So basically I do the piggy banking thing and I have buit up some savings in most of them which feels nice!

Postive recent finicial decisions:
1) Cleared my camera to sell on ebay (need to actually put it up :rotfl: )
2) Bought my foundation for £13 and then the next day got a £3 voucher off so took it back and bought it at the cheaper price (every little helps :T )
3) Anything I've bought I've checked cash back website first
4) Cancelled unneeded subscriptions
5) Started saving for my passport which needs to be renewed next year
6) Got cheaper hair cuts
7) Cancelled my gym membership for a month whilst I was away

So plans:
1) Send Shared ownership documentation
2) I've got quite a few cheapish holidays coming up so I need to go back to my second job to earn some money.
3) Going to look into taking my old laptop to a local place to see if they will buy it - chances are a no
4) Get emergency savings to £1000 (currently £700)

I actually feel better - I'm doing more for my finances than I actually realise!
I think a diary like this will be helpful for me.

Mental Health
I'm a firm believer that mental health has a strong correlation to my spending habits.
Right now I'm feeling really, ever so blue as I was seeing a guy and I honeslty thought he was perfect but without giving too much away it didnt work out. So back to Bumble and Tinder I go :j but really -->

I've been comfort spending and eating but I'm hoping this will settle as I exercise more.
I've also stared using an indoor expresso machine so hopign that will save some coffee money - it was getting ridiculous

Before I go back to work on Tuesday
1) Collect coat from dry cleaners
2) Put things up on ebay

Littlebirdie

Morning

So my plan was to be productive and put clothes up on ebay (Sunday eve being the most popular time to sell and all that) but I went for a drink instead :rotfl: ...well it was actually a spontaneous date. No, no, no and no again! I like being fair and will always buy the second drink but he was SO boring after we finished out first I said it had been lovely but I needed to go. I felt bad although I physically couldnt stay there any longer - he was drinking his drink so slowely. So free date (I feel terrible!) but I did get a apple pie from maccy d's after £0.99p

Yesterday I went into collect my glasses I was told last week I had £92 left to pay although they only charged me £57....they queried it and the girl said 'just charge her £57' so I wasnt going to argue :j although I'm slightly worried they will notice and ring me. If they do, it doesnt matter as I have the money in my glasses account but I've got used to having the extra £35. We'll see.

I woke up early this morning (stupid body clock) and made drafts of 70% of the things I want to put on ebay....it takes sooo long

I feel a bit bad as a relative got me a jewellery box which I dont really like - being sold for £50! Argh I've had too put it up on ebay but I do feel guilty.

So annoyed - its minor but every month I put £20 inot my beauty account and in recent months its taken a hitting as I've got spending trigger happy. Anywho I thought this month I wouldnt touch the £20 and the account would stay at £69 but I've had to get a new foundation (£10 - with £3 off) and found out yesterday a new concelor (~£6.99)

Today
Put drafts as active on ebay
Do a face mask
Sort out home
send feedback to fav magazine (maybe I'll win an prize )
Do food shopping

Have a good y'all :j Meant to be 28 degress! :T

Littlebirdie

So today!!!8217;s been a better day!

I done my food shop £28 (went to Sains and Li@l) and I went to the gym. Put the things up on eb@y which I!!!8217;m hoping they sell. Just about to make my lunch for the week.

Done sooo much cooking this today - I!!!8217;m hoping my finances reflect this. I wen your for dinner thee times last week so looking forward to some home cooked food. Also made a new fish today which is good.

Right..let!!!8217;s do this week!

Littlebirdie

So I've gone and booked another holiday and I have a weekend train tickets to pay for
Urgh finding this balance of having fun and saying no is hard. Right I need to write up a budget.

Holiday 1: €150 = £130
Holiday 2: €400-500 = £350 - £440
Weekend away: £100
Accomodation: £100
Holiday 3: £200
Hotel (holiday 3): £300

I'll use my M0nz0 card as contactless is free abroad so that should save too.

Soooooooo :eek: yes I know this is my own fault and I feel a horrible sense of guilt when I know so many people on this forum are in big debt AND my credit card has gone up to £831 :eek: and it will increase when I book the tickets so lets say £1000 :eek:

Okay lets come up with a plan
1) Put stuff up on ebay - done (one £0.99p item has a bid - every little helps :rotfl: )
2) Put coat up on eb@y
3) Take back £12 purchace
4) Transfer money saved on travel - done £10.40
5) Work my little bum off when able to restart second job aim for £300+
6) Aim to pay off £70 off credit card a month
7) Aim to save £40 into holiday fund
8) Request refund of travel - £5.60

So potentially I will have £27 to pay off creditcard (~£15 for travel and ~£12 return from clothes return). Then any money I get from my eb@y sales to go on credit card too.

I used to be soo good and now where I have got the big for making the most out of life I have gone a little crazy.
These days when my debt is at its highest is when my anxiety is at its worst - I'm not very good with it.

Hmmm anything else I can do?
I do have ~ £60 in an account from top cash back but I have been saving that up for a year to buy an £80 mirror. So basically I think with my second job, ebay sales and being a bit better I will be able to buy my mirror and it will be all ok.

*Sigh* I feel better now I have got that out!

Littlebirdie

Feeling a bit rubbishy today. Just a long draining day.
Good news is two things on ebay will defo sell - one is at £0.99p and another is at £5.50.

Last night I was googling at how much payp@l and eb@y take from your sales 13% err what is that about!? Now I've sold things on ebay before but never really taken the deductions into consideration - so annoying!

Not spent any money today which is positive!

I'm just on the phone onto my bank for my help to buy isa and i am so cross - my old account hasn't transferred the money...that's £3975.65 hasn't gone through. Hopefully I can get sorted this week. :mad: Although intotal I have ~£4425 saved towards a house. It feels so far away! The thing is I dont know where or what I will be doing in three years time (the realistic time I'll have over £10000) so it's hard to feel motivated. It would be different if I was with someone and we were saving up together. The only thing I can think is that if I ever do meet someone at least I have something saved I'm looking forward to having it over the £5000 mark. Gosh, its crazy how quickly £200 adds up. :j

Littlebirdie

Morning,

So just signed onto my credit card app to see the total amount to update my signature to find that it has gone over the £1000 mark :eek:

I'm just going to write down all that I have put on it
Spent:
£21.95 - earphones for new phone (special connector)
£111 - flights
£676 - phone (really proud of me here I got a phone that was initally broken and fixed to make it cheaper - not something I would normally do)
£26.82 - accomodation
£10.96 - paypal - cant remember
£19.99 - p@ypall - cant remember
£26.00 - shoes for work
£26.76 - cant remember
£418.05 - laptop
£92.50 - eyes
£57.50 eyes
£195.92 - flights

Total = 1683.40

Paid off:
£133 March
£21 March
£70 April
£355 - towards laptop + glasses
£80.45 - glasses

Total £659

So the positives
- I've had to do TWO big purchases in a short amount of time - laptop and phone.
All the rest was one holiday I HAD to go on (family stuff)
- I'm going to start my second job soon so that should hopefully get it down
- I'm not running away from the fact I have money on my credit card...I'm facing it
- I've also have three things on ebay that will defo sell. Although I'll probably only make a ~£10 BUT it is still money

So adding up: return of clothes £12 + unspent travel £10 + ebay + £10 that's ~£30 off my creditcard and that should *JUST* take it to under the £1000 mark. Having it over that just makes me so nervous! Also next month I will put my allocated holiday spent to it £40 and then my laptop allocation £20 and then my phone allocation £30 so in total next month it should be down to £907 although I do know I need to book expensive train tickets . Okay so this is just an expensive time. It's just being in debt really does play havic to my anxiety.

It's only the 12th and I've spent £19 on eating on the go urgh this just keeps getting worse and worse. I think I've been hiding from my spending habits.

Right keep going, you can reduce this :j