Debt Free Mortgage Free But Still Struggling

millymolly22

Was going to start a new diary but after reading my posts from two years ago I thought I would resurrect the original diary.

Things are much the same....although No Spend Weekends DO happen so I now have more control over my spending and I don't really have much debt except for Next catalogue which, if I really need to I could clear in two//three months.

At the moment I am under the threat of redundancy at work and therein lies the problem. I have worked twenty years which allows me to come away with a few months wages (after three months notice) but I have no Emergency Fund. Its only a small business and a few people have already been made redundant. Basically its being run on skeleton staff at the moment and I am concerned it could just go bump overnight and although I know I can still claim my notice and redundancy payment from the Government, I wouldn't be paid straight away.

I am not sure which side of Christmas redundancy will happen so that the moment I am concentrating on Christmas shopping. I'm not one who goes crazy over presents but adding everything up I think I would need about £400/£500 to cover DH, 2DDs and their partners, DS and three grandchildren. I have spoken with my friend and we have agreed to stop buying each others grandchildren presents for Christmas, her family had expanded to six this year and it was becoming quite expensive. So other than close family that money should cover presents and food.

Also I have already booked two short breaks for next year, one the hotel is paid for (only one night) but just need spends and one is a short break in a caravan. I have paid the deposit for that and need to pay full amount (I have till May to do that). DH will save for spends for that.

So the plan is to get Christmas sorted.....hopefully before the end of November and fingers crossed I still have a job by then.

I have just got paid, but this month is an expensive one (and its a five week pay day). DH and DS birthdays are in October, so there isn't much left to put towards Christmas, Holidays and EF. That's the last of my birthdays for this year.

I work four days a week and usually buy my lunch on the two days from the local Subway. From this week I am cutting that to one day buying lunch out, so that's a fiver a week. Small steps and all that.

Need to start buying choccies, beer, smellies etc to add to Christmas presents in my Mr T shop each week, so that's a start to my Christmas shopping.

Anyway time to get tea done and then its time for Strictly x

millymolly22

Well I have just checked my next account and its nearly £500.00 :shocked:.
I have around £250.00 a month available for saving, so from October's pay day I aim to pay £100.00 per month off, leaving me with £150.00 for Christmas. I need to get Christmas sorted then I can start putting £250.00 (when Next is paid off) in an emergency fund just in case I'm made redundant
Fingers crossed I don't get made redundant before Christmas (could manage if I was given notice of redundancy)
Have done my online shopping order with Mr T which comes in under my £100 allowance for food
Need to make a list of items and can add to my shopping list each week, no more than £5.00 a week, so boxes of chocs, beers etc so that covers the little things.
The hotel I have paid for a night is for all the family, DH, kids and grandkids is paid for and that is the Christmas present for my adult kids, so they only need chocs, beers and smellies for them.
Ordered some books off Amazon for the grandkids so they are nearly sorted for Christmas.
Just need to get bread and milk to keep me going until my shop arrives on Tuesday
Hope the rain stops soon so I can get to the shop and walk the dog.....go a bit stir crazy without a dog walk each day
Joint slowly cooking in the slow cooker and might make some lemon buns for afters
Happy Sunday x

millymolly22

Well its been an up and down week for money this week
IN - £50.00 cheque due any day for surveys
- £30.00 credit refund from British Gas
- £20 per month saved by reducing by monthly payments on gas and electric as I do
seem to have quite a bit of credit (which is good for the winter months) but according to my
online account I am overpaying.
As a member of Money Saving Expert Energy Club I changed tariffs with British Gas, so the benefit is already showing:money:
I have checked my Next account and after making some returns and buying some Xmas pressies by balance is £470 which is better than last week. From October pay day at the end of the month I am hoping to pay £100 per month and aim not to purchase from the account for the foreseeable.
DH is now paying for DS Christmas pressie so I now only have to buy bits to add to the presents I already have (by adding a few things to my weekly online shop) and buy a gift voucher for a family member.
I can then move onto saving for my emergency fund which at the moment stands at £5.00:eek::eek:
Redundancy is still looming large at work, hanging over everyone like a dark cloud. Its affecting work friends and the morale is slowing splitting everyone into small groups. Although I am due three months notice and six months wages having been there over twenty years I am really concerned that redundancy could come into force overnight (like Thomas Cook) and I don't have funds to hand immediately (except an empty credit card).
I am going to try and put as much as possible into my EF at my next pay day to give me a small back up.
Well lets see what joys this week brings x