NST December: Debt Destruction December

worklifebalance

Another day at home looking out at the snow and ice so NSD no 5 in the bag. Really cold overnight so the melt has turned to ice so doubt we'll be out today either. We have visitors next weekend so used our time to put up the decorations and start tidying. Will continue today.

Anybody want some snow? Plenty to spare here

apple_muncher

Fmess - you definitely qualify for the naughty step! It is so easy to get sucked in, and I note that it was the cashier who totalled it up and not you, so you had the big shock when it was too late to change anything. Hope you do get some snow - I'm in bham again and we have a few cms, and it's still coming down.

dolly84

mummylewis wrote: »

Afternoon all.

Today was spendy, needed some wall filler to sort the giant hole DH made while stripping wallpaper for the plasterer coming on Tuesday. Only bought what I needed though, not a penny more spent.
Got some paper left to get off and not much time to do it around work.
Did some of it while DD napped today but stopped after a while as it was a bit too noisy next to her room.

Wrapped some Xmas pressies today too. Realised I've lost a gift. Can't for the life of me find it. I bet I find it after I buy something else.

Is it acceptable to just buy my dad a big case of his favourite cider for Xmas? He doesn't have 'stuff' and his only hobbies are going abroad and drinking cider!

DH working late tonight so I'm having a freezer tea and going to get some cleaning done. Will watch strictly when he gets in.

Grateful today for wilkos opening at 8.30am so I could get in and out of the car park without a thousand other shoppers in the way. Guinea pigs enjoyed the truffles I made so they're now in the edible gifts category which will solve a few small presents this year. Snapfish order arrived. My last gratitude will come in an hour or two (sorry tmi!) when I finally manage to get this poop out of DD, poor mite struggles

I used to just buy my Dad whisky every time I needed to buy a present.

dolly84

We were supposed to get a lot of snow today but I think it has been downgraded now and we are just getting some.

I am not happy I wanted to go sledging. I can't run at the moment because everywhere is icy and cycling is too risky too really so sledging would have been good exercise plus I love snow.

Yesterday and Friday were spendy. On Friday I ordered some pyjamas from Matalan (who knew they did online shopping - not me) for C&C for DS and am waiting to collect them.

Yesterday we spent £3 in poundland on windscreen covers and dog chews, £5 on two lovely lambswool jumpers for DH in the charity shop, £6.75 in Sainsburys and I also bought something on ebay for DS's birthday.

Not sure what the plan is today so will report back later.

f0xh0les

laurenh1 wrote: »

Foxholes thank you very much but I am having issues with the reimbursements. They are not going in my account and when I call they just say they can't give me an idea of timescales but a manager will call back

Child Tax Credits merged my details with someone else's in 2016. Money started pouring into my account, I rang them and told them they had made a mistake but they very sniffily told me I was 'entitled' to it and I did not understand how Tax Credits worked. Needless to say when they sent me a letter asking for £17k back I laughed at them. Asked them to do their sums again, and got a letter a week later asking for £6k . I had saved the money in 5% regular saver kids accounts and it was nowhere near that £17k amount so told them to drop my weekly payment which they did - from their mistaken £250 a week to £5 a week.
I wrote to them often, explaining THEIR mistake, and that I had told them of any changes to circumstances at the time they occurred. That THEY had made an error on THEIR accounts and asking how it was possible to merge two sets of details for different people and if why when I queried it they told me I was 'entitled' to it when it was obviously a mistake.

Got a very strange phone call one day from a manager who kept asking if I was happy to have my complaint closed. I kept saying no as I was not satisfied my data protection rights had not been breached as they had someone else's details on my file - I was just being annoying at this point. I had 6 months of stupid letters and nonsense from them.

She honestly sounded like she had lost the will to live.

I hope you get your phone call soon. I carried dates of every correspondence in the back of my diary and amounts so I could blind them with dates and times and payment amounts whenever they called.

When April rolled around, lo and behold!! I had been underpaid (???) and got a couple of £1000s back. I think it was at the time they sacked the company dealing with the casework files when if it looked like it was their mistake you got to keep some money. Anyone evaluating my file could see in capitals whose mistake I thought it was.

Wonder if your money is going into someone else's account??


Snow Update.

5.30am, rubbish hardly worth mentioning dusting of snow in Leicester Town (I got out of my bed to check- v disappointed)
7.30 good 5-7cm
9.30 it is still coming down!!

Lauralozzle

Yesterday was a spend day as we ended up getting some Christmas presents.

Today it is snowing, and will be snowing for the majority of the day. I have no intentions of going out to the shops in this weather so I will hit my second NSD today. Which is needed, really, because I’m massively behind. I’m hoping I’ll get some more NSD in the week. Will make some soup later I think for lunch on Monday.

Other than that the budgets are looking okay - my personal budget has depleated somewhat but I’m still within it, I just don’t get any spending money this week (as I spent it last week). I will have a bit of a buffer because I’ve allocated £50 for petrol but I still have half a tank and only 1.5 weeks left of work this month.

I’ve been good at not taking hours of my time watching programs on my iPad. Yesterday I gave the bathroom a (much needed) clean. I’m going to try really hard to keep on top of a room a day this coming week, then it won’t feel like most of my day is spent cleaning the house at the weekend.

I’m grateful for a roof over my head, central heating, my fire, and freezer that is still full of food so I don’t have to brave it to the shops.

Florence_J

Sorry for not being around for a few days, things have been busy!

Debt destruction: Sadly I haven't made an additional PAD for a little while, so it does feel like my debt busting has slowed down, but my debt is now the lowest it has been for about 2.5 years.

Exterminate one bad habit from your life for the first 10 days. I have been very good at getting through my to do list each day, but predictably more stuff seems to arise all the time.

Clear up, clean up and take control. OH has been making a big fuss about all the junk we have in our house, so I think a trip to the tip is on the horizon.

Explore your local area – My Brother and his GF are visiting me this weekend and I have taken them to several places, including one I had never been to before, so it has been good fun.

Mental health. I feel that my Mental Health is the best it has been for certainly this year, maybe even longer than that.

Budget The food budget is the best it has been all year. I think the way forward is LIDL for everything and maybe one small monthly shop for the heavy items.

Evaluate the year you have had: This year saw the lowest point for my mental health, but I overcame it, so surely that achievement trumps the low point? I feel like I was living half a life before my sickness, I feel like I am in the real world now. The key point is before breakdown I couldn't go into town due to my anxiety around people, and now I can go round a busy Christmas market and whilst I am not keen on the amount of people, it no longer feels like I am about to explode with anxiety.

Remember that this is a difficult time for many. I don't know what to do. I am devastated by the amount of homeless people in my town, especially in Winter. I have no income so can't really donate money, but I know even with my debt and my lack of income and my financial problems that my life is full of richness. I know very clearly that whilst my life is not perfect at the moment, and that I had a traumatic childhood and past, that I am blessed in so many ways, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Toni'sfriend

Still on holiday. My guests have gone home and my son has arrived. It was lovely to see them all but I'm hoping next week will be a bit more relaxing. Too many viisits to the pub, I suspect.
Haven't had any NSDs but roughly on budget. Haven't eaten out but have has lots of lovely meals using the local butcher..
Think I'll have to go to the naughty step. Went to the sales and C bought me a jacket for our trip next month. as what I have just now isn't"t really warm enough.
Kept off the computer games on the tablet and am going to continue doing so. Next 10 days-- cut down on the alcohol if not give it up completely.
Really cold here but the hills look beautiful covered in snow. Hope you're all safe and warm.

apple_muncher

Florence - absolutely love your post, especially your evaluation of the year.

I am stuck in bham. Pesky snow. No buses. No taxis. Can't get to the train stn. Dd is with me, so where I would have given it a go if I were by myself, she would get far too cold and wet to cope with it. It feels naughty, having to miss work tomorrow! And given the state of the roads/rails and the freezing forecast, we may yet be here longer...

I am grateful today for dd playing in the snow, for being able to dry her out and warm her up, for the washing machine, for the heating, for internet, for making the decision earlier on not to try to get home, for having a book to read and the telly to watch, for enough food (though if we have to stay another day, I'll have to trek 1+ miles to get to a shop that sells gf/df foods for dd).

greent

apple - you know I've already said elsewhere that it's far better that you and DD are safe and warm x Same goes to anyone else stuck somewhere/ 'needing' to travel somewhere where there's bad weather.

We have a local-ish hospice which is in an area with bad weather - and has an uphill, winding driveway (itself in need of some repairs last time I drove up it) - staff can't get in and they have called on locals in the village to help clear the drive, as families are obviously still coming to see their loved ones, where possible - possibly for the last time I do love how people pull together for things like that, though - lovely to see community spirit when it's needed


NSDs 6. Not going anywhere. Would have gone to the shop for more jam sugar, but making do with 'normal' + lemon juice

Lunches taken/ prepped at home HM seeded brown bread, toasted with cheese and lots of tomates

Debt destruction: Aiming for DFD (exc BTL mtge) of 10/18
Exterminate Facebook gone from phone. Will keep it off. Regenerate - will re-start cleaner eating - starting with dropping sugary snacks in between meals (hard when there are chocs everywhere at work!!)
Clear up, clean up and take control. Clear space by removing 31 items - 21/31 Clean up your way of talking to yourself. Let yourself sparkle. Take control of your finances, your time, your habits, and your health. -
Explore your local area failing at this - but weekend weather hasn't been conducive!
Mental health.. Do something every day this month that makes you feel good: Write down 4 gratitudes each day.
* having a warm house, warm clothes and warm food
* the smell of strawberry jam cooking
* DS2 building a snowman
* having more than enough food/ drinks in so that we don't have to go anywhere
Budget EVERYTHING
Food 126.80/450
Social /£120
Gifts /£125
Fuel 50/65
Make extra money 14.86/50 (+ 5.5 extra hours at work)
Evaluate (Done) Now to 2018: (targets set)
Remember to do - DONE (I still have some things for homeless collection when I find a collection point!)

1.5KG of strawberries being turned into jam, along with most of a bottle of prosecco added to the pan. Will finish off some presents May drink the remaining bit with dinner tonight
Hope everyone is still staying warm - and safe x