Everything is possible if you try!

Tea&Kittens

Went for a hospital visit yesterday, the outcome of which is another medication. That takes it up to 3. My usual 2 the GP gives me 2 month prescriptions at a time, so £17.40 every two months (so average £8.60/month) which is cheaper, I think, than the prepay prescription service thing.
If I'm going to be needing 3 medications though, I think it's time to make the change and do the prepay thing.

No NSD yesterday due to travel and prescription costs, but I do have one today. And a bringing lunch to work day

Dinner is sorted with leftovers all round - Tuscan bean stew for me, and last weeks leftover chicken stew for Kitty. Even being organised with dessert, as I've got an apple crumble in the freezer, and some eggs and milk to make custard with (so much nicer than the bought stuff!)
Every little helps, as they say. I got lucky on a survey yesterday, so 12 sachets of cat food winging their way to Mr Ginger Tom, and nearly at £10 with Ipsos I-say

EssexHebridean

The website says:

£29.10 for 3 months - card payment
£104 for 12 months - card or Direct Debit (10-monthly instalments of £10.40)

So even if you can get two months at a time on the new medication it'll still be cheaper done that way - also means it's spread a bit more evenly than a lump every couple of months, of course.

I'm impressed at you making custard from scratch on a week-night! :T

Willowtree222

Tea&Kittens wrote: »

Hey NicNak!
Virtual pots is kind of like so: I have a bank account set up to be there for savings and emergency fund.
Money is automatically put in there when I've been paid.
Bank says : £150
My spreadsheet and written logs say:
Car maintenance £50
House stuff £50
Emergency fund £50
Those aren't the actual numbers, but that's the idea of it, so that when it comes to MOT time or something goes wrong, I have something in a pot to deal with it. (Which is miles better than previous approach of "oh I'll bung it on a card and pay it off later" ...."later" ... lack of discipline has meant that later never came).

Ah, get it thanks x

Tea&Kittens

EH, that's what I thought about the payments. I have to try the new one for 2 months to see if there's a difference, so may wait til nearer the end of the first month to see if it's likely I'll be keeping it!
As for custard from scratch, I found a really simple but tasty recipe a while ago

wishingthemortgaheaway

Tea&Kittens wrote: »

EH, that's what I thought about the payments. I have to try the new one for 2 months to see if there's a difference, so may wait til nearer the end of the first month to see if it's likely I'll be keeping it!
As for custard from scratch, I found a really simple but tasty recipe a while ago

Oooh do share simple, but tasty custard recipe please.

117pauline

I had to buy the yearly prescription card last week as I was given four prescriptions, £34.40, and wanted to claim it back so had to pay all in one go. But I have added a reminder for July next year so I can set up the monthly direct debit.

I am trying to set up reminders for all the bits I need as I have been amazingly unsuccessful at remembering things myself. I can't be the only one who forgets important things.

AleMrsT

Nonnadiluca wrote: »

For easy budgeting I use a free app called Spending Tracker. I have several different 'accounts' on there, joint account, personal account, shopping account, other spends account etc, but it's really easy to use. For example, for my shopping account - I put my monthly budget of £300 in as income and every time I buy anything I enter it as an expense, which means that I always know exactly what is left in the budget for the month: because it's on my phone and I always have my phone with me, I can update immediately, not have to wait until I get home and forget what I've bought. Maybe worth trying, especially as it's free.
I agree that starting an emergency fund is a good idea, something unexpected always crops up and ends up on the credit card so you feel as if you're going backwards.
It's been said many times before, but realising you have a problem and making a start is the most important step. Good luck!

Hi nonnadiluca thanks for this tip on the spending tracker app. Ive downloaded two apps on my phone and they're both called spending tracker, is it the one with the wallet logo and the blackboard style background or the one with the blue logo and the more grid style background?

Sorry to hijack your diary tea and kittens, I've just been reading your diary, you've made good progress so far, great news on getting the money back from your energy supplier, and it's great how you be split the money between debts and your emergency fund.

I have subscribed and will be following your journey, I understand completely with how ill health can affect money saving, my whole debt journey started when I had to reduce my work hours for health reasons and could no longer meet the minimum payments towards my debts.

Just do as much as you can, when you can. Any little step forward is better than standing still or going backwards.

Good luck with the rest of your journey!

Tea&Kittens

Hi wishing, here's the custard recipe I use :
Ingredients:
4 eggs
5 cups milk
1 tbsp vanilla
½ cup cornflour
1/3 cup sugar

To make:
-whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and cornflour together in a cold pan
-place over medium heat
-bring to the boil while whisking constantly
- simmer for 2 minutes/until thickened
-whisk in the sugar

Hi AleMrsT!
Thanks for dropping by. I've been using the Spending tracker which is the wallet icon with blackboard type writing. I've got all back ins & outs, and direct debits set up to disappear monthly. If i take cash out, I have a cash "account" where I note all cash spending. It does seem to do the job well!
Having to worry about health concerns certainly doesn't make things any easier does it!
Pauline, I was thinking I could probably do the 3 monthly payment as it'll work out a little cheaper in the long run. I can put some aside each month to save for it after the first one
I tend to use my bullet journal to remember things, so e.g. date car insurance needs to be renewed is all logged. I have to write it all down though, my brain is so foggy lately!

wishingthemortgaheaway

Thank you. Sounds good.

Cherryjack

Hey Tea & Kittens,

Jumping on your post for the Journey if you dont mind I have just over £10,000 on credit cards and like you have said no more...im getting rid of these debts!! Ive started keeping a written buget (money planner) from paperchase... ironically expensive lol... but its helped this week. I've had 3 no spend days and gave up smoking on Monday aswell..

Look forward to chatting with you all...im a midde aged mummy of 2 x