Single, six kids and going to be debt free!

Mumoffourkids

So pip form has been posted off and today my esa form arrived, so over the next couple of days I will be filling out this form. But I also got confirmation that I will be getting esa of £74.35 per week from 14th May. 

This will definitely help things around here. Not much else money saving going on round here though.

Mumoffourkids

Oh I phoned sky today as I have their tv, broadband and phone packages. I was paying £62.45 per month as it had crept up from £40 which is what I had started paying nearly three years ago now. So I told them I wanted to cancel as I need to cut costs at the moment. Well I have managed to get the exact package that I was getting along with the added extra of boxsets for £44 per month. So nearly a £20 saving per month. I am very happy with that. I know we could get it cheaper but I am happy with £20 a month saving.

I also had to pay to get my car battery fixed today. It has been very on and off. I called out my breakdown cover on Saturday, who jump started the car and said the battery would be fine as it wasn’t dropping revs when turning headlights on. Well when I went to start the next day, it was dead again. Neighbour jump started me so I could get the food shopping. I went to start it today and dead again. I never seem to have much luck with cars, so I put a decent amount away in my car maintenance fund just in case. I phoned my local garage this morning, they said they would get someone out to jump start it this afternoon and put a new battery in. Well at 2pm, they came out, changed battery over and my car started. Car all fixed and yes it did cost me but I love having the service from this garage. I could probably have done it myself but it was only £118.91 to get it changed over. My mot and service is due in August but I still have nearly £900 in maintenance fund and I will be putting another £150 into the fund over the next couple of months which should be enough to cover mot and service. I got the brakes and tyres done last year, so I shouldn’t have any big expense items this year as the car hasn’t done as many miles this year.

Drawingaline

I am like you with cars. Swear they hate me and know when I have any spare money! I put £100 a month away, need my cambelt doing in the next year really, so trying to save money for that. I used to fix my old mini with my dad help as they are his pet projects, but he hates newer cars, so have learnt to seek out a decent garage wherever we live and stick with them. My starter motor and battery were replaced last year, the battery wasn't desperate, but they called and said it wasn't great and it was the start of the winter so just did it. Glad now, don't think it would have been happy with the lack of use since march!

Mumoffourkids

In a way, I’m glad it’s not just me that cars hate. But I’m sorry to hear that you seem to have the same problems as me with cars. In fact the only car I haven’t had issues with in my 25 years of driving was a Citroen Picasso that I bought brand new and it didn’t need any real big money spent on it until it had done nearly 200,000 miles and was 13 years old!

Drawingaline

Tbf to my cars I am not one to be careful with them 😂

Mumoffourkids

I am not either tbf  😂😂. 

So today it is just me and the middle two kids at home for a few hours. The youngest two have gone to youngest’s dad’s for a few hours. Second eldest has gone for a picnic in the park with her friend. Socially distancing of course and eldest is staying with a friend for a couple of weeks because our relationship was getting very strained. It’s a long story but it is probably for the best that we have a couple of weeks apart. Anyway, I have a few hours to myself as the middle two are occupying themselves so I am currently trying to get my website sorted. I have been waiting for a special offer on the website builder I am using, which has happened today and I have the money saved ready. So that is a year’s worth of website costs sorted. So now I am trying to upload products that I have ready for sale. I am hoping to get some sales and when the kids go back to school next week, I will have more time to make some more bits to sell. I am quite looking forward to it. I have been thinking and my ideal job would be to have my own little shop selling hand made stuff. So I need to work towards that.

Mumoffourkids

So pip form has been received and is now being processed, esa form has been completed and posted. Now I just have to wait and see what happens.

This morning I have been out the back weeding my part of the shared driveway. My next door neighbour had done theirs so mine was looking a bit messy in comparison so I have done mine. I still have to do my driveway but that can wait until tomorrow. Today’s inside cleaning has to be the bathrooms. They really need a big clean. I also need to put some washing on. I have put some out on the line to dry, then I need to sort out the dry washing, put it into piles and get whosever it is to put it away. 

Last night me and the eldest boy had a big clean of the living room and kitchen so that looks tidier today. My eldest boy is so helpful unlike my diva of a ten year old girl!

Also last year I made a memory cushion out of school uniform. It is a patchwork style. This year, I put out a post on Facebook for orders and I got four orders originally. I have just posted this morning about the cushions again due to it being a very different climate at the moment, and I have got another three orders already. I will keep pushing these as they are easy to make and it is a lovely memory to keep for a child leaving school. 

beanielou

Memory cushions sound fab.
I would have loved to have onw when DS left primary school.
Bit late now as he is grown up!

Mumoffourkids

Memory cushions are going great now. I think I now have orders for ten cushions, which is absolutely brilliant. I only actually have the uniform here for one of them, so I will be starting on that one over the weekend and then I will try and spread out collecting the uniform from the others.

Im not expecting anymore money in this month so I have a round up of my totals for my targets today.

Emergency fund £510.10/£500 102%
New house deposit £2659.05/£2500 106%

So I am ahead of target on both of these even if it’s only by a little bit. I have started using YNAB more this month, so I am currently half funded for June already. The next couple of months are my biggest in terms of childcare costs, so I need to get ahead of the game. My bills are all funded for next month, I have half my spending money stashed away and some of my monthly bills already got money put aside. I think this has partly been down to lockdown not going out and spending less, but also due to tax credits and their strange way of giving you an extra payment when they recalculate. This has happened a few times this month, so although my weekly payments have gone down slightly, I have had a couple of extra payments.

Over the weekend I am going to think about realistic targets for these two items for next month, although I am hoping to hear about the house today as I filled out the form on Wednesday and the agent said he would speak to the landlord and get back to me. If the house move does go ahead, all fund could be diverted to house fund rather than topping up emergency fund.

Drawingaline

Fingers crossed for the house move