Striving to save and stay solvent!

MeandO

Just paid off £121.34 (to round the numbers down ). Balance now stands at £750.

There is around £90 due to come back from refunds, so I've worked it out that the balance will be £977.20 when everything has been paid out and come back in by next week.

[Deleted User]

Its going in the right direction

Woo hoo to the mortgage too x

MeandO

Thanks Purps. Hope you're feelig better now too.

DS has gone down with a nasty virus. He has had a raging temperature since last night and says it's sore when he swallows, although I can't see that his throat is red or anything. Poor baby is really not feeling very well - the day before we're due to go on a weekend theme park trip for the kids that DS has been so excited about. I pulled the boat out and booked us into a themed room for two nights and everything. I have no idea yet if he's going to be well enough to go and unfortunately we can't cancel or get a refund so I hope a day or two of resting and calpol/nurofen will leave him feeling better for the weekend. I'm off work with him this morning and have to go in this afternoon now, the ex will be looking after him this afternoon.

I received the two outstanding refunds on the boots, so that should go back to the credit card within a few days. I also received the refund for the faulty goods received, albeit with a bit of a fight, so that has gone back to the account today.
I also sold a long-term-listed buy it now on ebay for £42 which OH had given me to sell. He is adamant that I keep the money, but I will put it towards the weekend. If DS is not well enough to go, then I will give it to OH to pay for some meals for him and his child as they'll have to go without us.

I need to rejig YNAB a bit this afternoon, I may be able to send another small overpayment to the credit card with all of these refunds now coming in.

MeandO

Just a quick update now - DS recovered thankfully, and we were able to go away. I won't say a good time was had by all, but DS enjoyed and that's the main thing.

I've had a few more orders over the weekend, so have been able to free up £116.72 for overpayments. However, I've decided to throw this sum at the mortgage rather than the credit card this time, just to round it down under the £79k mark. Balance now stands at £78,984.42.


Any further money made will be thrown at the credit card from now on though, just to pay it off asap. Psychologically it makes me feel easier not having any credit card debt and I can focus on the mortgage and building up savings then.

MeandO

I popped to a shop after work today to pick up a click and collect order - 4 more Christmas presents which I bought when there was an offer on, combined with a discount code, so happy with the price I paid for those.
I paid a quick visit to £world and spent £9 in there. Then asda to fill the car up with fuel, spending £45 (it was practically empty), and £14 odd spent in the store - just under £9 on groceries and £5.50 on a duvet cover for OH to go with his newly redecorated bedroom, reduced from £20 in the sale.
I also spent about £35 online today on some more Christmas gifts for DS and another child I buy for. That's both of them pretty much covered now for Christmas.

Tonight has been survey central with one after another appearing in my account! I've done as many as I can tonight without falling asleep, managed to earn another £5 Amazon voucher which has already been credited, and am 3/4 way towards the next one. That's £10 I now have on account towards OHs Christmas gift which is around £90.
Looking back over the one survey account, I've earned around £60 in vouchers in 4 months, so I'm really pleased with that.

I've done lots of work tonight too and got some more orders started. I just need to complete them tomorrow, ready for posting later in the week.
Unfortunately I need to buy some more toner for my printer and some more supplies which will come to around £120, so the next bit of profit will have to go towards that before it can go towards the credit card.

Just off for a hot soak in the bath then an early night.

MeandO

...and several surveys later, I have just redeemed my second £5 Amazon voucher of the evening. Whoop whoop! That's £15 towards my £90 target.

MeandO

YNAB updated this morning, I've negelected it for quite a few days, so I feel better about getting everything up to date. It does tell me I've spent way too much though, which I was anticipating.

I was going to order a big shop this week as I've run out of quite a few things, but I will reasses that when I get home tonight and see if I can eek out what we have and perhaps just pop to Aldi to pick up a few essentials instead.

I was going to order tiles today for my kitchen and another small spot that needs tiling, as I've been sent a 15% off code which will bring the total down from £100 to £85, but, I really can't afford it at the moment, so it will have to wait.

I need to check a couple of moneyboxes in the house to make sure there are no old £1 coins hiding anywhere. DS can spend them if there are, I'm not anticipating there to be many!
I also need to bank a big bag of 50ps my Mum kindly saved up for DS. They'll go into his children's ISA. There's a nice sum building up in that now, he is richer than me for sure! :rotfl:

Chicken taken out of the freezer for tea tonight, there should be leftovers for tomorrow's lunch too. DS is having a 'sausage roast dinner' - one of his faves.:) I have everything in for it, so no need to buy extra.

Today's to do list for after work, just for my benefit:

• Mealplan
• Print orders
• Surveys
• Contact bathroom guy
• Contact insulation people
• Check for £1 coins
• Sort ISA book & 50ps
• Check pre-Christmas birthdays

MeandO

A cheque for £47.90 has (finally) arrived for something I was owed from work. I shall try and put this in the bank tomorrow if I get chance. Hopefully I'll be able to pay it straight off the credit card.

I've sorted dinner for tonight and planned tomorrow's food. A quick look through the freezer tells me I have plenty in, so don't really need to do a big shop. I shall try and do a smaller top-up shop later this week.

Feeling a bit tonight.
Sometimes progress feels really slow and the long slog ahead to pay everything off feels much longer at times than others. Oh well, no choice but to plod on I guess.

Honeysucklelou2

Well done on getting the mortgage down to the 78 bracket. That must be satisfying.

I'm glad you were able to go on your weekend away and that your DS is better. Sounds like you are on track and very organised when it comes to Christmas.

MeandO

Thank you HSL2 xx

I've done a couple more surveys tonight, but have run out of steam with them now tbh so will try and do a few more in the morning.


I cashed in a little bit of cashback for another amazon voucher - a whole £2.51, but it's better in my pocket than theirs!

I've had a couple more orders in tonight which I'm grateful for. I've also packed up all previous orders ready for posting tomorrow.

YNAB allowed me to free up some money, so today I've transferred £125 to the savings in readiness for the car and home insurance due in the next few months, and I've paid an extra £57.48 off the credit card. I also tried to pay a further £50 off of it with the incentive card I got from Sky, but I guess it won't allow me to use that card as it wouldn't work. I'll attempt to use that card for groceries though and transfer the euqivalent from the bank account to the credit card instead.

Dinner tonight and lunches for tomorrow are all done from the cupboards/fridge/freezer and I've made a list of the essentials I need to buy. A lot of it is household stuff such as kitchen roll, loo roll, shampoo etc, so I will go to Home Bargains and get most of it from there as it will be a lot cheaper.

Didn't get to the bank to pop the cheque in, will hopefully do so tomorrow.

Forgot about a £20 cashback incentive I had when I booked the trip we've just taken at the weekend. Had an email about it, so another £20 should be refunded back to the credit card. I haven't included it in the new outstanding total yet, but will do so when it's credited.