Adventures of the Boy & Me..

Chandelier.

Louby if I tried really hard I possibly could! Who knows

Chandelier.

Afternoon,

Today has been a bit of a weird day.. I woke up later then usual and then headed off to meet new man friend for lunch. He paid. We only got a couple of hours together but it was nice enough. I'm due to go to work soon.

I had a good shift yesterday at work. My tablets seem to be making a huge difference to how I am. My head feels much clearer.

Today will be a NSD. Yesterday I had a few spends including petrol and other bits and bobs.

Apart from that nothing much else to report. Its been a weird sort of weekend to be honest.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone

Chandelier.

New Debt Totals Update: 23/10/17
[STRIKE]

1) Sainsburys:£0.00 (Balance paid in full)[/STRIKE]

2) Halifax #2: £300.00

3) MBNA #1:£800.00

4) Halifax #1: £2400.00

5) AA: £2450.00

6) MBNA #2: £3100.00

Total: £9050.00 (£300.00 payment made today to clear one balance).

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Morning!

I did some shuffling around with my banking and have cleared the balance on the sainsburys card.. the amount left owing was from our holiday earlier on in the year. I was always able to clear it but for whatever reason I kept the balance and paid small amounts off (most likely because it was a 0% card). I didn't originally include this in my previous debt busting journey when focusing solely on paying my car off but once I'd added up everything up following having my teeth done, I decided to add it all together.

I've also paid the balance of the boys afterschool club this morning... just over £100 there eek :eek:

So rather then having six seperate cards with different balances, I now have five. I hopefully expect to dwindle this down to four by next month !

The next card to get rid of as planned is Halifax #2. I'm using the method of getting rid of the smaller balances first just for now until I can soley concentrate on the bigger balances.

Anyhow I best get a move on.. :j:rotfl:

Chandelier.

New Debt Totals Update: 26/10/17
[STRIKE]

1) Sainsburys:£0.00 (Balance paid in full)[/STRIKE]

[STRIKE]2) Halifax #2: £0.00(Balance paid in full)[/STRIKE]

3) MBNA #1:£700.00

4) Halifax #1: £2350.00

5) AA: £2400.00

6) MBNA #2: £3050.00

Total: £8500.00

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Morning!

Today I've made the debt payments for November. I've managed to budget £550 towards repayments which will keep me on track towards my end of year goals. I've now gone from six credit card balances to four which makes me feel alot better. The next balance I shall be concentrating on getting rid of is MBNA #1. Following that I shall then concentrate on getting rid of the remaining Halifax balance and pay minimums to the other cards during this time. I need to check when the 0% deals run out on each card and keep note on this.

I've been rather busy the past couple of days hence lack of posting. The boy breaks up for half term on Friday. He seems to be a week ahead of other schools. I need to get planning some activities.

I'm due to see my man friend tonight. Hopefully we will go out for tea and he will more then likely pay for us both. Which is a nice treat.

I've recently sorted out the tv/internet subscription for my mum and saved her around £50pm. She still pays quite a high amount as she wants all tv packages but thats her choice. I need to sort out her home/contents insurance next. I'll maybe do that at the weekend dependent on time and how I feel. Then I need to look at her gas/electric tarriffs.

I also need to draw up a budget for next month. It's getting close to Christmas and I need to allocate a budget for buying presents and decide whom I'm buying for. It shouldn't take too long to do either of these.

Anyway enough rambling on for now. I best get on with my morning. I'm currently sat enjoying a brew and enjoying getting everything off my chest

Chandelier.

I've just had a quick look back on both this diary and my previous.

Oh how things have changed in twelve months. Its pretty crazy to be honest.

A year ago I was single, just went on long term sick from work, focusing on paying off my car debt amongst other things such as being newly diagnosed as bipolar.

A year today;-

- I've been in work for 8 months straight without any MH related sickness/time off.

-I'm seeing somebody (even if it doesnt lead anywhere serious, its a bit of fun and gives me something to do).

- I have a new smile I'm confident with, even if it did mean increasing debt. Totally worth it.

- I'm slowly getting there with my new meds and finally accepting my diagnosis.

- The boy is doing well and is happy. He's a very busy boy who does lots of nice things.

- I'm still saving money towards a house deposit.

Life just seems so much better and clearer.

Chandelier.

Morning

All new balances updated in regards to my online banking/credit card accounts. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders now I'm back on the debt busting bandwagon.

I just need to sort out a budget which I'll do shortly with the money left over from next months budget.

When reading back through my diary yesterday I noticed I'd put my initial debt free date as February 2019 (which was just for car debt). Obviously my debt has increased since then due to having the dental work done. I'm also in a position now where I can afford to overpay more each month as personal circumstances have changed.

I forgot to mention I'd been offered another temporary contract for six months at my current place of work where I have been doing bank work. This has been a massive relief.

So I'm going to set two targets, one realistic and one optimistic.


Realistic- Reduce debt to £4000 by June 2018


Optimistic- Pay off all debt by December 31st 2018

In between this I have a holiday to pay for and a close families wedding. It shall definately be a challenge!!

Chandelier.

0% Promotional Balances Offers

1) MBNA #1: £700 (Ends December 2018)

2) Halifax #1: £2350 (Ends February 2019)

3) AA: £2400 (Ends July 2019)

4) MBNA #2: £3050 (Ends December 2019)

--

I've updated with the current balances, when 0% promotional offers end and the order of which I will pay debts off.

As you can see, the longest promotional offer ends December 2019, so some may say I could choose this date to be debt free. Although I've posted before about wanting to clear it sooner, this gives me a time frame of 26 months to clear the current balances and also allows room for any unexpected emergencies/additional spends that may crop up.

So I'll make it official, my ultimate debt free date is:-

1st December 2019.

--

This doesn't stop me from wanting to clear it sooner and I can still aim for previous goals posted.

Realistic- Reduce debt to £4000 by June 2018.

Optimistic- Pay off all debt by December 31st 2018.

Chandelier.

November 2017 Budget

Direct debits

Rent: £200.00
HTB Isa: £200.00
Mobile: £26.44
Phone insurance: £6.99
Denplan: £11.99
Gym: £12.99
Union fees: £16.40
Prescription: £10.40

Other budgets

Extra Curricular: £320.00
Petrol: £80.00

Totals:

Income: £1535.00
Outgoings: £885.21
Amount leftover: £649.79

--

I have a rather healthy surplus this month. I've only budgeted for my actual outgoings that I'm 100% sure of. I'll allocate a chunk of the surplus to savings and the rest will be for other spends such as entertainment purposes etc. I've already paid November's debt payments, any additional will be a bonus.

I'm also aware Christmas will soon be upon us. I'm going to attempt to work some extra shifts to fund this. I shall also set up an expected Christmas budget at a later date when I have a better idea .

Chandelier.

Christmas Present Budget

-The Boy: £300
- Mum: £80
- Sister/Brother in Law: £50
- Brother/Sister in Law: £20
- Nephew: £15
- Niece: £15
- My Boss: £15
- Boys Dad/Partner: £15
- Boys Grandparents: £15
- Boys Teachers: £15
- Godson: £15
- Friend: £15
- Secret Santa: £15

Total Budget: £585.

--

Here is my list of people to buy for and the budgets set. Some may seem high compared to others but thats due to personal reasons.

For example, the budget is lower for my brother as we agreed not to buy for one another as he's just wanting money to put towards a piece of furniture they'd like to buy, and he'd only reciprocate to me a gift worth the same amount. It seems rather pointless? Instead I'll buy them a thoughtful token gift.

In regards to buying for the boy, he's at his dads Christmas morning so will get lots of presents there. He's back with us in the afternoon. He mainly keeps asking for lego and we all know how expensive that is :rotfl:... so I'll be shopping around for the best deals. I've set the budget high for the boy because I know he'll appreciate the lego sets and they will keep him busy for all the holidays.

I've not included man friend in this budget.. I'm unsure if we will get each other something. I imagine he would be pretty hard to buy for as without sounding horrible or boastful, he's a high earner and buys himself what he wants, when he wants. I think trying to think of something would give me massive anxieties. Maybe its better to suggest we don't buy for one another, hmm...

The idea is that I stick to these actual budgets and dont exceed the amounts set. I don't want to give into the whole consumerism based around Christmas. I want to be super organised this year and will put alot of thought into each present I buy rather then rushing into buying something/buying something generic.

For example, my boss loves stationery- I've found a lovely wooden set which can be personalised with your name and a short message. I'll think of something appropriate that will basically say thanks to all she has done for me this past year. She's been a massive support and believed in me when others didn't. I don't think I could ever repay her for what she's done for me and she's encouraged me to get where I am today. I'll find a quote that fits perfect.

Anyhow, I feel much more organised for even setting this budget out and the rest I've done this morning. I've had plenty of time to kill and I'm noe about to get ready for work :rotfl:

Hiddenidenity

Lovely to see you back

Well done on the repayments and plans, so organised x