diary of strugglin working mum 8 October 2007 at 8:09AM in Debt free diaries 680 replies 60.9K views

BartGirl

Hi

You've prob seen my posts on here about how I'm in an unhappy marriage and on top of that also trying to get debt-free with a spendthrift OH.

I'm hoping my next post on here'll be my SOA once i've figured out how to do it properly. I'm going to make a few phonecalls this morning to find out exactly how much i owe who..plus %ages on my CCs and then shall put it all down in writing..

I've already tried DFWing lifestlye - which i was doing before joining here.
I tried to have a NSD (weekend!) but him indoors was poorly so had to buy gaviscon and yoghurt from asda on Sat.:mad: but then on Sun went to the market and got a load of potaoes,carrots,mangoes for £3.50 then went to butcher and got chicken for £1.60 which i made a roast with using the market stuff.I didnt use the car to market - DS and i walked it. Fresh air etc etc
I'm determined to keep my spend to a minimum this month cos as it is i've only got about £300 left till month end. I've got 3 other 'big spends' left: council tax - which i'm in arrears with - one CC payment, and this weekend is the equivalent to our 'xmas' so i've got £20 coming out for DS's pressie and £30 to take us all to thorpe park. I'm also ebaying hard this month cos i wanna buy a new bed for DS while i sort his room out, plus i've been wanting a juicer and blender for the longest time - so decided that'll have to come out of the ebaying money. Does that sounds reasonable ?

Anyway. Let me get onto the phones and make the calls.

Back again soon...

Elliesmum

Hey Bartgirl

Sounds like you're off in the right direction. :grouphug: Hugs from me, you sounds organised and determined. Good luck.

EM xx

immoral_angeluk

Hi bartgirl... just want to wish you good luck and remind you that we'll all be here to support you. Being a working mum isn't easy (I've done it myself) especially when things are tight.
So have a big virtual hug from me :grouphug: and look forward to seeing your SOA to see if we can help.

Lucy1982_2

Hi!

I have seen your post and it'll be good to get to know you better. Good luck with your SOA, it's scary stuff, but well worth it.

Speak to you soon.

chevalier

ref the juicer and blender have you looked on www.freecycle.org for one? You have to join (free) but if you find one, all you have to do is pick it up and it is free! Hope this helps to spread the money a bit!
chev

beanielou

Wishing you lots of luck.

oops_a_daisy

Hi there Bartgirl :hello:

have you thought of trying freecycle for the single bed too ?

good luck

xoopsx

BartGirl

Just wanna thank everyone for the freecycle advice..joind up this afternoon so lets see how we get on.

I've got the figures for my SOA but cant post right now cos 'him indoors' keeps having a moan that i'm always online so can only be brief..

Thanks to someone on the codes board, I managed to save some $$ - was gonna get DS's "xmas" pressie which costs £20 but with the code that went down to £16 so i;m well pleased with that.

I withdrew a tenner and spent £6. £2 on fresh fruit at the market, £2 in iceland on prawns, and £2 in the poundshop.kitchen stuff.

I had to go into asda and spent £6 there too. The most expensive item was a casserole dish that i needed cos i decided to 'MSE' my roast from yesterday - and made chicken and mushroom pie. But had no dish. I'm gutted it cost £2 but i did try 2 poundshops first incase they had any - and they didnt..the rest was soup,eggs etc.

I also 'DFW'd my way there - didnt use the car - so didnt use any petrol OR spend money on parking fees either..so that pleased me too.

What has pleased me especially is the fact that i used the leftover chicken from yesterday-in the pie...unbeknownst to DS's dad!!! I say this cos he refuses to touch anything leftover..so i used all the veg from yesterday in there too - and he scoffed the lot down! Hahahahaha...

Apart from that - still planning on going thorpe park on Sun for our 'xmas'. I can get half-price entry thru my job which would be £30 for both adults. DS is free - he's only 2. I was gonna book them this morning, but they said to wait till Wed once strike over - then book 'em. However - in true DFW style, I've got my eyes on a pair on Ebay which are looking like £15 for the two at the moment..which would save me even more ££££. The deal I had with DS's dad is that i'm responsible for the tickets - he'll have to take care of our stomachs while we're there..he agreed to that. If i can get the ebay ones I'll be over the moon.

SOA to be posted in the a.m.

Am shattered. Good night folks...

planbetter

You're brilliant

sjpsam

WTG your going great,

Good luck

BartGirl

:eek: OK guys....(deep breaths..)..here it comes..the good old SOA :eek:



Monthly Incomings:

My salary - £1,168.03
Partners salary - £1,200 which i see none of in anycase cos he pays rent £450 plus his own overdr, a £3,000 bank loan, 2 CCs,
CTC - £123.16
CB - £72.40
Total - £1363.59

Monthly Outgoings:

Childcare - £200 - can vary up and down by a tenner or so
Council Tax - £100 (pls see below)
Water - £ dunno - a bill arrived few days ago - need to check!
Electric - £35
Sky £36
Phone and broadbnd - £19
Cover for washer dryer - £5.81
AA cover - £15.60 (pls see below)
CC 1 Payment - £30
CC 2 payment - £39
CC 3 payment - £30
Dad - £36.84
mobile - £45.39 - can sometimes hit 50 / 60
specsavers - 10 (see below)
car insurance - £31.09
provident loan - £50 - i know...
computer - £50
Food for home- £100 variable (see below)
Food at work - £35
Petrol - £50 MAX

Total: £923.34

I'm in arrears with council tax and owe them £1,230.76 but they agreed £100 a month then increase next years amounts.

The AA may be going now cos i think my callouts have been all used up, and my banks doing an offer where i'd pay the same to upgrade my account, get free travel insur,RAC cover etc etc..should I ??

I have 2 credit cards. Had 3 until this month!
1.Barcaycard - which i pay £30 monthly. Its with their 'collections' dept and its – Balance £306.51 APR 6.9%
2.Littlewoods card - paid last £39 this month so its cancelled now!!
3.Vanquis card - Balance £472.06 - the min on here is £23 but i give £30

Specs - have decided to cancel cos realised much cheaper deals to be had elsewhere..

Food - i go to aldi, lidl and costco wholesalers. Also use asian shops, butchers and markets for fruit and veg..cheaper..

I usually send money back home as this is expected of me - and can amount to roughly £100 / month.

I've already spent £50 on a new car seat for DS but done thru quidco.
He needs a new bed, his cots broke, and also a new pushchair. I know that right now I'm down to £300 left in my acc and not paid council tax yet or the vanquis CC either.We're from Africa and its our 'xmas' this weekend so i'm paying for thorpe park visit - about £30.

I'm also thinking of cancelling my CTC cos just got payrise at work and dont wanna end up owing them more money at end of tax year..so shall be calling them shortly..thats why i only get a small amount cos i'm paying back some.

OK GUYS....hit me with it.....

aargh!!! :eek: