Spend Nowt, Buy Nowt, Owe Nowt

redofromstart

Absolutely with you on the DW, washing up used to cause so many rows, and I simply wouldn't bother baking if I had to hand wash stuff.

apple_muncher

I had noticed too that the houseworky jobs weren't getting done. But I was cheering you on for having your priorities right!

XSpender

apple_muncher wrote: »

I had noticed too that the houseworky jobs weren't getting done. But I was cheering you on for having your priorities right!

I have done some, just not the ones on the list :rotfl: I do admit that my standards (and time available) is not as high as others but the place is relatively clean and tidy and DH helped this weekend which doesn't happen often.:) And the decorations are up :xmastree:

Nothing spent so far today but I am about to order some window film to go on the clear utility window where we removed the horrible net curtain on Sunday. It is overlooking next doors patio and I think there are rules about that kind of window, its quite big. The window film is pretty, gives privacy, lets the light in and means I don't need a blind or curtain up.

I also need to order a proper mat for the mat well before someone trips and breaks the neck as we have one on top of the other in there at the moment and they are not quite tall enough to fill it.

I have decided to cancel the Mr T order for Friday as we really don't need anything and we will end up doing a Mr T visit anyway before Christmas. Costly with DH in tow but at least I wont be spending £100 twice.

The Elf took DS letter to Santa on Sunday night and came back with his reply this morning and some everlasting snow (40% off on black Friday from the Royal Mail). One very happy boy this morning :happyhear

DS is at DPIL until Thursday as I leave for work at 6am tomorrow and return at 8pm Thursday. Missing him terribly already and feeling lots of Mummy guilt

DH and I are about to watch Miracle on 34th Street as he has never seen it.

groovychick69

Hope everything is ok with you CSpender - have missed your diary updates

groovychick69

Bloomin auto correct XSpender!

WannabeFree

Another popping in hoping all is well x

XSpender

Thank you both for popping in to see if I was OK. I have been reading diaries but haven't had the head space to update mine. Work is manic as we close 22nd December until the New Year and I have 2 projects to land and to prepare the launch of a 3rd by then!

We have also had lots of Christmas social events. DS is at 2 pantos this weekend (due to DFIL booking one without checking the date we were going) and has some event or another on just about every day this week and next.

We have only had half an inch of snow which has all disappeared now but I did have to cancel one meeting as it was in the midlands.

All Christmas gifts are bought and all but 3 wrapped. One needs picking up from the local shop this afternoon. Almost all the Christmas food has been bought and I have a delivery coming 22nd to avoid visiting the supermarket next week.

We have the decorator coming next week for 3 days and still have some preparation work to do which must be done this weekend but DH is at work Saturday, getting his hair cut in the afternoon and we are out Sunday.

I have totted up the CC spends and am horrified at how much DH has spent on himself over the last 2 months, since he got his first salary at his new job. I have spent money too but DH spends are 2.5 times more.:eek:

I still need to do the BT to the bank account to SIF the parental loan as we should still be able to pay £1000 of bonus towards it (if DH ever stops spending as he has another night out next week. I do too but a friend won free tickets so the meal and band is costing us under £5 each )

We are planning an Uber Frugal January and have signed up to the challenge on Frugawoods' blog. My Dad is visiting from abroad for the first time in several years towards the end of the month so I will need to factor this in somehow.

I am starting to put together my action plans for next year as I always do in December, the first one will be to stop DH looking at holidays!

XSpender

This week we made the decision to consolidate some of the interest bearing credit card debt into a loan at the same monthly payment as the parental loan we have just repaid. Although the general advice is not to consolidate I have no problem paying a loan back, it is like a bill, it is using CCs that I cannot manage.

Below I have detailed the total huge black hole of debt we are in. It has gone up significantly since May for various reasons including overspending.

Lloyds Loan #1……………….£10,411.21….£275.11…..3.9% APR…….41 payments left
Lloyds Loan #2……………….£14,500.00….£265.98…..3.9% APR…….60 payments left
Lloyds CC……………………….£2979.76….….£29.66…….0.0% APR…….until March 2019
Virgin (Me) Part 1…………..£1176.49……..£22.15………0.0% APR…….until March 2018
Virgin (Me) Part 2…………..£1038.00……..£0.00….…….0.0% APR…….until Sept 2018
Virgin (DH) Part 1……………£543.74……….£108.76…..0.0% APR…….until March 2018
Virgin (DH) Part 2……………£5959.20……..£0.00………0.0% APR…….until July 2018
Virgin (DH) Part 3……………£4372.97……..£0.00………0.0% APR…….until Sept 2018
MBNA…………………………….£8370.45……..£83.71…….0.0% APR….…until Sept 2019
Person 1…………………………£1275.79……..£0.00……….0.0% APR……………………………
Person 2…………………………£1246.23..…...£0.00……….0.0% APR……………………………*
Hitachi…………………………...£1439.31……..£47.97……...0.0% APR…….BNPL payments start May 2018

TOTAL £53,315.15

TOTAL MONTHLY REPAYMENTS £785.37 (excluding BNPL payment)

AVAILABLE FOR OVERPAYMENTS £150.00

FIRST TARGET DEBT Virgin (DH) Part 1

*not technically a debt but have added it in anyway as I want to pay this in 2018

I have split the debts into the different promotional rates to work out what to focus on first but also because the smaller balances seem like more achievable targets.

I have £132 of expenses, £8.55 TCB and about £40 of change to be paid off the target debt before the end of December.

In January we are taking part in both the Uber Frugal Challenge and Water Aids drink only water challenge for four weeks which should save us some money too. This should free up enough cash to clear Virgin (DH) Part 1 and pay enough towards the next target debt, Virgin (Me) Part 1 to get it under £1100. The challenge will be keeping to the budget as my Dad and Stepmum are visiting for the first time in years, first time staying with us ever, and I will need some nice food, a meal out and a double duvet as we are 1 short.

All extra cash, TTs etc. will go towards Virgin (Me) Part 1 along with the £150 OP amount until it is cleared. I am hoping to have reduced it to below £500 by the end of March when interest starts being applied. I have a bonus due at the end of April which will clear this and the same to another debt.

DH can apply for a new 0% CC deal to transfer his Virgin balances too if we decide against clearing the CCs when we re-mortgage. I am reluctant to re-mortgage to clear the cards as it will impact the rate we can get going forward and we are on a high rate already. If it is the only way we can re-mortgage, then we will do it as going on SVR will cost an extra £250/month. My virgin CC will have sufficient limit to transfer to but I do not want all the debt in my name, not because I think DH will run off, I want him to have some responsibility for it too.

I will then focus on clearing the rest of my Virgin card before tackling the Lloyds card if we don’t pay them off with the re-mortgage.

I have removed all the cards from my purse except the Lloyds card which I may need for work expenses as there has been a mix up between work and their bank and my replacement corporate CC has failed to turn up twice. Any expenses will be paid off as soon as I am paid.

I have persuaded DH that there is no money in the budget for a week in the sun, but I have budgeted for a week in the tent! Any new projects on the house, major purchases or holidays will have to come from DH bonuses. Well, half of them as I am going to pay half towards the debt. I haven’t included any of DH bonuses in my repayment schedule as it is going to be a good 6 months before he starts getting a decent bonus every month.

This month we have paid off the parental loan, using some of our bonus and some of the new loan and have cleared the balance of the BNPL from the bonus as well as paying our monthly payments. I have held on to £500 of the bonus to start our emergency fund as both the DW and WM are not working brilliantly at the moment.

apple_muncher

This is one awesome plan. Well done.

Just a thought - could you borrow a double duvet? When I go and stay with my sister, they borrow a whole set of bedding for me, as I'm stupidly allergic to their pets.

XSpender

apple_muncher wrote: »

This is one awesome plan. Well done.

Just a thought - could you borrow a double duvet? When I go and stay with my sister, they borrow a whole set of bedding for me, as I'm stupidly allergic to their pets.

I hadn't thought of borrowing one, will have a think who might have a spare.

We have been for our annual panto outing today....oh yes we have . Spending on parking, drinks, sweets and ice cream but all budgeted for. As is the d0m1n0es pizza we will have for tea. We do have a 50% off code as one just opened in our village.

DH has gorilla glued the part in the DW so I will try it in the morning when it has dried. I had to resort to hand washing some dishes today:eek: as they had built up as I can only use the bottom basket.

The decorator is coming on Tuesday and we haven't done any of the filling and sanding in the bedroom in preparation for the painting!

I am getting a bit stressed out as I finish work for the year on Friday and I have 3 big pieces of work to finish and a lot of other stuff happening so I am going to make a couple of lists.

DPIL haven't mentioned coming to us for Christmas Tea (they normally just expect it and we are not doing it for various reasons this year) but DH still hasn't said we will go up Christmas morning instead so I am waiting for the proverbial to hit the fan.

Stuff to do before Santa Comes

1. Piece of work 1
2. Piece of work 2
3. Piece of work 3
4. All other little bits of work/calls etc.
5. Wrap the rest of DS presents
6. Wrap teacher present & make tag with DS
7. DS to make teacher card
8. DS to take cards into school
9. Last bits of food shop for Christmas
10. Buy sealed tins for next year
11. Buy sweets for Christmas party
12. Dye hair
13. Sanding and filling in bedroom
14. Sanding and filing on landing
15. Clear bedroom and take down curtains
16. Post Christmas cards
17. See if I can order a personalised wooden north pole crate (now 1/2 price) from the local woodshop in time for Christmas
18. Think of a little gift for DS no 24 advent calendar as he found the mini chocolate Santa I hadn't hidden very well
19. Pay change into bank
20. Tidy up
21. Dust and hoover everywhere
22. Clean wooden floors
23. Clear pile of clean laundry
24. Check if kids go to school in party clothes on Wednesday or take to change in to

I have a new wooden floor and don't really know how to clean it I do have a steam cleaner or I could use or a mop.

I am planning to get up at 6am tomorrow and have the DW, WM and TD all on, DH lunch made and have done an hours work before DS surfaces.

The deadline for 1 piece of work is tomorrow and I am planning to have the second piece completed tomorrow too. I can then complete the 3rd on Tuesday and have a relaxed end to the week. This will involve some early starts but will be worth it if it can be all put to bed by Tuesday night.

I got a bargain teacher present of some hyacinth bulbs in a nice tin pot reduced from £5.50 to £2.99 which I will wrap in Christmas cellophane and ribbon and get DS to make a nice tag for his teacher. I read on another diary that a parent was asked to contribute £25 to teacher/teacher assistant presents per child which is obscene. :mad: I am afraid I would have told them where to stick it, I don't spend that on my friends and family. Some of the parents are putting a fiver in a collection which I would have been happy to do:A but DS wanted to buy a gift.

This Weeks Social/Appointments Diary

Monday - nothing
Tuesday - decorator
Wednesday - decorator, beauty appointment, DS school party and Christmas dinner (take sweets for buffet)
Thursday - decorator, meal with kids and parents after school, dinner and show with friends at 7.30pm
Friday - Toy day
Saturday - DH out to see a local band with friends
Sunday - Lunch out with friends, carol concert (still undecided if we will go)