In pursuit of happiness - the kebabmeister's debt diary!

Tustastic

donner_kebab wrote: »

Hiya Tustatic! I think I am gonna get my bro down here to sort the oven! He is a maintenance engineer and can rewire houses etc so he should be able to do it! He is coming over soon as it is mini-me's birthday in a few weeks. By the time the element gets here, he should be able to try and help me out!

Thank goodness for your brother! So glad you're getting an expert to do it - exploding cookers look very funny in cartoons and sitcoms but not so funny in real life.

LA, I already lurk on your diary but I'll arrive with pen and paper next time to copy the recipes!

LookingAhead

Hi d_k - how was your Monday?

And would you look at all those links from chevalier! You're gonna be addicted to the internet before long (if you aren't already!).

donner_kebab

Hello everyone! God I hate Mondays! They are soooo rubbish. I really didn't want to go to work today as wanted to be sat at home, wrapped up in my snug duvet! Right have managed to phone Virgin and get the cable TV dropped down so that should save me over £36 per month! Wow! Can't believe that I was paying that for so long! Had Childcare to pay up for (as the after school club was so noisy last week I couldn't hear myself think!) and school dinners too. Seriously contemplating giving mini-me packed lunches as dinners cost nearly £10 per week, especially in a bid to get me and mini-me eating the same food! Surely packed lunches are cheaper? Have to check the OS threads for ideas! Well we both ate the same again today...jacket potato and pasta. Which she ate without any problems, thank goodness! Going to make a note of everything I need to do...after reading everyones replies I know I am gonna be very busy. Had a bit of a cry last night...boyfriend came over, it was late and I was just about to go to bed! We started talking about money and then I told him about the cards...I felt so embarrassed, especially as I have nothing to show for all the debt. But thought much better to tell him than keep him in the dark, thinking it is all ok when it is not. Mini-me brought home a school trip letter...weeks holiday at £165! :eek: It is not until July next year so will need to work this out amongst my outgoings each month as she has known about this trip for a whole year already! Something all the year 6's do before the all leave for secondary school. Which reminds me...have to fill out the form for her secondary school choices!

I am already addicted to the Internet LA! Wish I could yap on it all the time, but is sooooo hard at work! I work in IT as I love computers! Geekazoid not! Gotta check out all those links!

Thanks for them all Chevalier! Gonna give them all a look after have got Emily to bed...especially interested in the quidco one! But the surveys sound good too! I really appreciate them all!

Thanks for the explanation Mae...makes sense now! Gotta look at all this stuff once I have got madam off to bed...she is sat next door singing along to 'hammertime' by MC hammer at the top of her voice! Oh dear!

Hiya Tustastic, he offered at the time but then silly old me trying to be miss independent all the time said not to worry! Would be great to get my cooker fixed as miss cooking things in the oven!

Right off to get rid of that madam, find my last wage slip (before the screw up this month) so I can find my wages out and work out this childcare figure. Also want to plan for Xmas pressies and add in this cost of this school trip. Getting colder but have not put the heating on...trying hard to get us just to wear a jumper and wrap up in a blanket on the sofa etc so I can keep heating costs down...not to mention the heating plays up now and again...have told the council but they couldn't replicate the problem so in their eyes there was no problem...have to add that to my ever growing list!!!

Hope you are all ok...despite this mess I am feeling positive. Have not brought anything on my credit cards since the start of this diary, which is a major achievement in itself!!!

Back soon!

LookingAhead

Wow what an update! I am in the IT business as well by the way.

Well done on getting the old Virgin monthly payment down :T

I think you did the right thing telling BF about the cards. It's always best to be up front and yes it is embarrassing but there are worse things you could confess to. Like being a Nickelback fan or something.

He will be proud of you seeing you work hard to clear your debts.

Very good - glad that little 'un ate dinner without a fuss.

Packed lunches - oh yes I am sure it would work out cheaper! How does she feel about it? Not that it is her choice of course, you being the parent and all that, but I just wondered if she had ever expressed an opinion or desire for packed lunches.

You could do pitta bread sandwiches - a multitude of fillings....yoghurt, dairy lea triangles....bananas......few jaffa cakes as a treat.....cherry tomatoes.....carrot & hummus dippers.......

Oooh check me out getting all serious about lunch box fillings!! Nowt to do with me...sorry....I'm taking over!

You *have* been good not adding to credit cards - that means you are not increasing your debt and how big a step is that? HUGE!

donner_kebab

Have signed up for Quidco...god knows why I haven't been using them for years! Looks like I can make a little from there by going back each day...and then doing shopping through there too!
Have also found wages and benefits for my SOA...£1278.38 per month wages / Child Benefit £72.40 per 4 weeks / Tax Credits £249.90 per 4 weeks
Just need to work out a few budgetting things and then the SOA can be out all together for the bigger...scarier...picture!

donner_kebab

Hiya LA...getting there with the SOA stuff thank goodness! Mini-me said she doesn't mind having packed lunch, I just worry about her getting hungry! She is a big girl height wise and is always hungry! Bet then I don't think she always eats her dinners anyway as all the kids seem to swop the food about! So think I will make pack lunches from next week. Seriously need to get this meal planning started and council letters etc...it is hard when you are at work all day and when you get home you just wanna go to bed! Well I do anyway! Have been feeling shattered last few days! It is always go go go! So you to are in the exciting (yawn!!!) world of IT!!! I have started as a trainee Unix Systems Administrator, been doing this for a few months and hope that one day, when I get enough experience, i will be able to move on to a better paid job. I work in the education sector too and a lot of people say they don't pay well! Gonna have a looksy through your diary too! Got to check out your recipes as well! I like reading other people's diaries...makes you realise how far you can come in such a short space of time!

LookingAhead

You'll get there re: the meal planning and council letters etc. Have you got a 'to do' list?

Even if you only cross one thing off a day, at least you know what you are doing and what direction you are heading in.


Ooooh definitely stick at the UNIX Administrator thing. With more experience you will almost certainly get a better paid job - but no doubt in the private sector which is a shame.

Ask lots of questions, make lots of notes, see if you can get on courses? Definitely worth the haul.

:T

mae

Hi thanks for the updates, no wonder you are tired its emotional when you first decide to face a big issue like finances and then you have shared it with your patner too which is more emotional draining. It will get easier now I am sure of it as the hardest thing is facing up to things.

I agree with looking ahead about the list thing. Maybe ou could keep your list on here then you can check them off as you do them.
Anyway its late and time I was off to bed x

donner_kebab

Good morning all! Just a mega quick update...was going to post up on here last night but my boyf popped over unexpectedly and we ended up sat in front of a couple of sopranos episodes! Have worked out child care from October paypacket through to when she starts secondary school in September and have divided this into how many times I get paid...works out at £165.60 per month. So need to allocate that really. Would be nowt worse that not putting any money by, then come summer next year I have to find a load of £££ for the summer child care. Also this school trip is gonna set me back £17.50 per month until last payment in May. So just need to put everything together, do the math and see what I have...or don't have as the case may be! Will be back tonight after work to do this...as well as some sort of 'to do' list to try and help me sort out this mess of a life!

donner_kebab

Will also be putting away money starting from January wages for Xmas next year and mini-me's birthday, that was her gifts won't have to go on any kinda card. Really looking forward to this year as is her birthday in a couple of weeks and first time ever pressies will be paid for in cash!!!