Loan? What loan?

Regency1

Oooft, over a week since I posted again, which is silly as all I've done is read other people's diaries in this time!

Following my EB*y slip up (90-something quid in total:mad:), I have had a word with myself and haven't spent much more this month. Also, it spurred me on to actually list some of my stuff on EB*y. So on Sunday I sat for about three hours and photographed and listed 20 items. I find writing a description extremely helpful in making things sell but extremely dull to actually do. Still, I have bids on seven of the items, including the one I accidentally listed for over a tenner! So hopefully I should make a bit of money back even after the fees, and this will spur me on to list more things as I have so much stuff I don't need. I have also joined the decluttering thread on here to help me think about this.

I'm quite pleased with myself actually as I have been much better at thinking before I spend this month. And I have kept a note of everything I've spent and I think that this will really help me to see what I spend my money on. Also, for the first time, whenever I have spent on my CC I have paid the money off straight away so I have more of an idea of what I have available. And also for the first time, I have tried to make a budget for February, at least for the big things that I know are coming up. So I feel like I will be more prepared.

These things all seem really obvious and when I see other people writing about them on their diaries I think that they make so much sense but still it's only now that I am doing them myself. It really brings home to me how much I just spend without thinking and rely on something coming up to cover the spends. Need to keep these new habits up and hopefully this year I'll see a real difference. Every now and then I think about what would happen if I lost my job and I am so ill-prepared for that it's a bit scary! I have my review next week and I think that has been making me think about having an emergency fund. So far I have always had a pay rise and a bonus at the end of the financial year but I'm not sure about this year so I am very much not counting my chickens and all my calculations have been made without that included.

On the plus side, I got reward points for some work I did recently which I can convert to gift vouchers. I think I will wait until my JL card pays out vouchers in Feb and then maybe cash the reward out in JL vouchers and keep them to treat myself if I feel like I'm going to fall off the no-spending wagon!

Back to work, hope everyone is having a good day!

enthusiasticsaver

Just quickly skimmed your diary.

You seem to be a mix of organised saver and chaotic spender. The regular savers are a good habit to get into as long as you aren’t paying over the odds for your credit card or loan. Doing a spending diary may be a good idea to make you think about what and when you are spending.

Re possible maternity leave. Your income will reduce, no two ways about it. Not only during maternity leave but after with either reduced hours and cost of childcare or both plus the extra costs of a baby. My advice would be to work out what you will get on maternity leave and live off that and use the difference to pay off debt or save. If for any reason you don’t have a baby then you have a savings nest egg anyway. If you need IVF that can cost depending on your health authority and how many free goes you get.

I think you just need to be more meticulous in budgeting and less of an impulse spender. Maybe remove your card details from eBay