Adventures of the Boy & Me: Part 2..

Chandelier.

Afternoon,

It's been quite a busy week yet tiring.

It took me all of Monday to get over the hen do in London. It really took it out of me and I slept most of the day.

On Tuesday I sorted out all my online banking and budgets for the next few months which has made me feel at ease. I've moved around savings into the appropriate categories and I'm all set now for everything that's upcoming. I closed one account and opened up a new one which offers 0.5% interest each month so I'll put any extra savings into that and build it up as much as possible. It's better then other accounts available and along with my 5% saver account I should maximise interest as much as possible.

I decided to apply for a 0% purchase card which has 17 months promotional period on it. I've decided I'll use it to book upcoming excursions for our holiday and any other big expenses then then the idea will be that I pay a set amount each month and put any extra money I'd normally pay it back with into a high savings account. It will also help to build a better credit history for when I decide to apply for a mortgage.

Whilst on the phone to my bank we discussed mortgages and how it would be interesting to see how much I could potentially borrow. I'm going to look into this within the next week just out of curiosity to see how much I can borrow. If I carry on saving into my HTB Isa by the end of 2019 I should have around a 10k deposit which will be around a 10% deposit. I'll probably look at buying a property in 2020, that's one of my goals anyway. I'll just keep saving as much as possible each month towards it as well as saving for other things.

Also on Tuesday I attended my best friends 50th birthday celebrations. I wasn't going to go but she literally begged me too. They had hired out a beach hut so I finally gave in and took the boy with me. We ended up staying around five hours in total but I was able to chill out and enjoy myself. I saw many of my work friends whilst there but I just told them what I tell everyone else. I just need my own time/space to get through things and I'll be back shortly. There were plenty of hugs and laughter and it cheered me up. I'm glad I went. I wasnt going to initially due to worrying about what people would think of me attending but then being off sick from work. In the end I just thought stuff it, I don't have to explain myself to anyone.

I'm currently in the car on the way to the second of my sisters hen dos which is glamping in Wales. Hopefully this weekend is a more relaxed affair then last. I need to relax, chill out and just go with the flow. I've bought some things upfront such as any alcohol that will be consumed and plenty of bottles of water. I'll be making my favourite cocktails for everyone. I think I've spent £17.35 on all the stuff needed drinks wise. On the petrol/travel costs, my mum has filled up her car before we left and will do once back home in order to collate more accurate costs. That was her idea. I'm thinking with all the travel it may end up a bit more then originally budgeted for. Once there I think we will be going to do some food shopping to keep us going the next few days so that will be split equally. I'm just trying to keep costs down as much as possible so I'm able to utilise the money/budgets elsewhere.

I've finally phoned the tax office and sorted out my tax code. I overpaid around £115 last tax year so should be able to get a refund for that. I've also overpaid tax these past few months so the person on the phone said I should get a refund of that in my next wage which may be around £150 to £200 which will be a bonus. I'll split the money between my budgets.

I may have mentioned the idea about the boy's birthday which will be a festival/camp set up in our back garden. I've bought the tent which was on offer and cost me £79.99 (I'll then use it to.go camping over the summer months when we get chance). I've made the invites and sent them with the boy to hand out today. Hes invited three of his friends. I contacted two of the mums who have already replied with a yes which has made me feel better because I was worried they may not be able to make it. The idea will be that we get disposable bbq's to cook food on and I've bought some fondue sets that they can melt chocolate on and dip marshmallows pr fruit into. We will have a separate one for toasting marshmallows. I'll be buying water guns and water balloons for them to have water fights and will find a film they will all enjoy watching for later in the eve when it's time to calm down. The next day we've been invited to a BBQ of one of his friends which should be good and a way to end the birthday celebrations. For his actual birthday we will be away in a caravan in Mablethorpe with my friend and her daughters.

I've a busy week ahead of me.

On Monday I'm due to meet with my consultant and we will review my medications and current mental health state. I'm taking a family member along with me as support and who may be able to reinforce conversations we have.

On Wednesday I have an occupational health appointment where I will discuss options regarding returning to work and what we can put into place to support me best. I'm hoping to get some set shifts in order to give me some basic structure and routine. I also have my aunts funeral later on in the day which will be rather upsetting but I'll get through it. She passed away in the hospice so we will be making donations to that rather then buy flowers.

On Thursday I've booked myself in to have my hair done as I haven't had it cut or coloured in 6 months so it will be a little treat for me and a pick me up. I'll only be getting my hair trimmed and roots touched up. It should cost no more then £50.00.

My best friend goes away on holiday for two weeks for her 50th birthday so I'll miss her greatly as she is a fantastic support. Another friend has stated she will step in and see me through these next few weeks.

We've decided to come up with a folder/action plan related to my mental health conditions. My friend has one and it's really opened my eyes and I think it's a great idea. In it will be all about my condition, things and triggers that affect me, what to do when I'm manic or depressed and other important information. I'll have a copy for home and a condensed one for work. I really want this to work and it will have contact details for all my care teams and those closest to me.

So that is pretty much it. I'm off to enjoy my weekend and I'll catch up next week!

Chandelier.

I'm back from my sisters hen do which was a weekend glamping in Wales. Oh my goodness, it was amazing and the place we stayed was beautiful and had fantastic views! I've totalled up all costs that I've roughly spent for in total for the weekend.

Actual costs

- Accomodation: £78.00. (Budgeted £80.00).
- Petrol: £25.00. (Budgeted £25.00).
- Drinks: £17.35. (Budgeted £20.00).
- Activities: £75. (Budgeted £100.00).
- Food: £50.00. (Budgeted £100.00).
- Decorations: £20.00. (Budgeted £20.00).
- Outfit: £20.00. (Budgeted £20.00).

So the overall total came to £285.35.
The original amount I budgeted for was £365.00.
So I have managed to save £79.65.

:D:D

The overall budget for both hen dos was £665.00. Through minimising costs where possible by shopping around for good deals, cutting back in certain areas etc, the final total for both hen has come to £494.90. That's means I've come under budget by £170.10 for everything which I'm super impressed with!

The money that is leftover will go straight into my budgeting account for the rest of the upcoming wedding costs which I have previously wrote a rough budget for. I'll make sure over the next three months I'll set aside the money to ensure I have more then enough to play with and hopefully make future savings!

:j

Chandelier.

Afternoon!

It's been a busy start to the week.

Yesterday I had the appointment with my consultant where we have made some small changes to my medication which will hopefully kick in soon. We also discussed what options will help and support me in the future and at work so he is helping with that. I've to inform the DVLA about my MH condition so I will do that later on this week and my consultant will write to them saying he's happy for me to drive. I then went to my doctors to sort out my medication and how I receive them and I picked up my sick note and dropped it off at work. I then took my car to the car wash which cost £5 but they do an amazing job. I'll clean and hoover it myself either this week or next dependent on time. I invited my uncle around for tea (the one who's recently lost his wife) and it was the first time in a long while that I've actually prepped and cooked a meal so I was proud of myself and it was lovely.

Today I've been on a eight mile walk with my friend and her dog along the sanddunes and beach here. It felt so nice to feel the sand and water between my toes.

I've then come home and done the washing up and put all the clean stuff away before grabbing a shower and walking to school to pick the boy up. We had a nice conversation on the way back and he told me all about his day.

The tent that I ordered has arrived and he wants to build it up tonight and sleep in it. I've said we will see but it will be a nice thing to do. I need to get some foam mats/padding to put down in it. I'll check them out at Aldi later on in the week.

My mum and I have decided we are going to buy a gas bbq for the rest of the summer and we will go halves on it. So I'll be looking into that later on tonight and through shopping around I'm hoping to get a good deal. It will serve the purpose for the boy's birthday and plenty more occasions in the future. We always said we would get one but have yet to do so, so the timing just seems right.

Tomorrow is my aunts funeral in the afternoon. The boy would like to come so I will take him out of school for the afternoon in order for him to say his final goodbyes and be surrounded by family.

I'm hoping to walk him to school more and back this week to reduce my petrol outgoings. The price of petrol just seems to be increasing continuously, it's insane. My car tax is paid for and now I'm just waiting for my car insurance renewal which is due the end of August.

Tonight's tea shall be spaghetti and meatballs. I'm hoping to start dwindling down the food we have in the freezer in order to defrost them one by one. We currently have three and they are mostly full. We could get away with eating out of these and only buying fresh stuff when needed.

Anyway I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day! Hope all is well with everyone.

Chandelier.

Morning!

I've not updated here in just over a week. Life has been quite busy and hectic.

I'm still off work but have been keeping in touch with my manager. I had a meeting with her last week where we discussed what's been going on and about my return to work. My consultant and occupational health doctor both wrote well written letters stating that once I go back I'll require a set shift pattern. We have agreed that I'll do 3x10hr shifts and I have days on a Sunday and Monday whilst the boy is at his dads. The other shift will be any during the week to cover for others. I'm happy with this compromise. I have had to make a doctors appointment to discuss my return to work/current state of mental health and obtain a fitness to work status. The appointment is booked for the 7th August and I'm hoping to go back from then on where I will do a phased return.

I had a bit of a meltdown on Tuesday and was really upset with myself and what's going on in my personal life. My CPN was quite worried but it's just a blip. I'll get myself back right again.

I met up with my friend this week and had a good chat and a catch up. She's due to go on holiday soon whilst my other friend comes back this weekend. I need all the support I can get.

This month has been a spendy one but I'm still on track money wise. I've had a couple of unexpected spends but I've had money elsewhere to cover these so it's not been too bad.

Today, the boy breaks up from school for the six week holidays. He has asked me to take him for a haircut after school and then he has his camping/sleepover for his birthday. I originally set a budget of £180 and have gone slightly over by £8.09 but I'm not too bothered. Some of the things such as garden games can be reused and other things like refreshments can be consumed over the next few weeks. The weather is forecast rain but I'm trying to keep my fingers crossed that it may hold off. I'd bought the boys some water guns and water balloons to have a water fight and also bought some slime ball making kits which they should enjoy. The food will be simple burger/hot dog/pizza options. Instead of party bags I've bought mason jars which I'll fill with sweets for them to take home. Tomorrow I'm taking them all to our local climbing centre for the morning before we all head to my friends BBQ. After that we have another BBQ to attend at my aunties. So two in one day :rotfl:.

I've wrote a small to do list and I've sorted out all my spends so my bank accounts should all tally up by the end of the day.

I have started doing the weekly shop and have been coming within budget. My mum and myself have decided on going halves on the shopping from now on and we both put in £100 to the food budget account each month. Yesterday I went to our local butchers where I bought a big meat hamper which should last us 6/8 weeks. It's really good value and the meat tastes amazing. I've portioned these up and put them in the freezer. We've actually been cooking proper meals once again and sitting round the dining table to eat them. Any left overs go straight into the freezer.

The whole camping/sleepover thing has been a massive saga. At first I bought the wrong size tent so I'll need to return that. Then only two of his friends RSVP'd so I then bought a three man tent but at the last minute his other friend replied so I then had to go out and buy a bigger tent which is now erected in the garden. I'm going to keep the two and use them for future camping trips.

I'm going to spend these next couple of weeks doing things with the boy that are free/not too expensive. I may get him a summer pass for the climbing centre which gives him six climbs in total over the course of six weeks. The first time he went here was last weekend and I didn't think he would enjoy it but how wrong was I. He really tried his best.

In regards to my upcoming holidays I have most of them budgeted for. It's just the Caribbean cruise fund that I need to build upon over these next two months. I've taken out a 0% purchases card that I may use for some expenses and I also have the clarity card to use for any foreign transactions. This is going to be our last big blow out holiday for a while. Although I'm planning on travelling round Europe with the boy next year, I'm going to do that on a budget which I'll start planning towards the end of the year once all other events/special occasions are over.

The other upcoming holidays are a long weekend away to a haven site in Mablethorpe on the weekend of the boys actual birthday and then we have a week in Cornwall at the end of August.

I have my car insurance due at the end of August and have money set aside for that. I've downloaded an app to monitor my driving and this should hopefully save me around 15% off my premium. I'll begin to look at this and shop around at the beginning of next month.

I've recently lost a friend who I was quite close to. I'm sad that the friendship has ended but it was probably for the best. Who knows I may see them further down the line in the future but I'm not keeping my hopes up. This has affected me quite a bit and contributed to my melt down on Tuesday but I'm just going to have to deal with it in the best way possible. Time is a healer I guess.

So that is pretty much it. Everything is budgeted for and savings are allocated where they should be. I've set up different funds for all different things so I won't have any unexpected spends. Once October arrives I'll be changing all my budgets/fund accounts to prepare for next years adventures. I plan on going to Amsterdam with s friend, Europe with the boy and possibly New York with another friend. So I really need to get my head down and save for these.

I recently opened a new bank account that should give me a 5% return on a balance of £2500 so once that's all come through I'll transfer money there. I need to make sure it has a £1000 transferred to it each month so I'll just send what is needed then I'll transfer it back to my other main account. After opening this I'll be able to open another account which offers you 5% and you can save £250 a month into so hopefully by doing that I'll have enough next year for all my travels and even gain interest. I'm trying to maximise the high interest accounts where possible whilst still saving for other things.

Anyway, enough from me. All of this is where I'm currently at. I've been making provisional searches and light plans for the trips planned next year. As mentioned previously I may put some of the balances onto the 0% card which the promotional offer is for 17 months and I'll just pay above the minimum payments each month whilst placing the money into one of the high interest accounts.

Bye for now. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Chandelier.

So in regards to the 0% card, I am potentially putting myself in "debt" again but I have the means to pay it off when needed to. As I said I'll just pay off just above minimum each month and hopefully this will build up more credit history. I'll still use my AMEX card for petrol purchases etc and set the money aside each month for this and build up points on it where hopefully by the end of the year these will have mounted to enough for me to claim them back in gift cards and possibly go towards Christmas spends.

I've recently started a diary on the money saving board where I've been posting more indepth details about my budgets/savings and this is helping me keep track massively. I record all my monthly spends each month on an app I have and I just tally everything up as I go along so I can see where I'm spending money.

I've got a huge to do list that I'll hopefully tackle over the next few weeks before all my upcoming events.

I've also been budgeting for my sisters wedding and will have funds set aside to cover all other expenses and enough for a gift.

I'm going to make a big effort to see as many of my friends and family as possible in the nearby future as a few recent bereavements have knocked it into me that time is precious.

I'll get back to where I was as I'm determined to get myself better. I'll put plans into place and make sure I'm organised to try and minimise stress and triggers before my holidays. I've got to go clothes shopping for both the boy and I so will look to do that within the next six weeks.

I'll also be looking be sitting down and looking at booking the extras for our cruise. We can save some money by prebooking which I'm happy about. They charge for wifi on board the ship which is quite costly so I'll doubt I'll bother. It might do me good to have two weeks where I totally lose contact with the internet.

I've recently got rid of all social media apps off my phone and I feel much better for it. I'm no longer interested in other people's lives and what they post on there. Life is for living, not sharing all the 'perfect' moments like some of them do. It can make you feel so down sometimes. I'm not saying I'll never use social media again but for now it's not what I need. I need some privacy and I'm finally allowing myself that.

efes_shareholder

Hi Chandelier

Totally agree with you about social media , I do think it gives us more pressure to have that "perfect" life with all the happy moments and I am sure some people only use it to give the perception that everything in their life is amazing , When you are feeling less then amazing yourself it often doesn't help to see all the shared happiness reminding you that you aren't quite in the right place right now

At least people seem to have stopped airing all of their dirty laundry for the world wide web to see although many are still partial to a passive aggressive picture quote and I am sure there have been many instances were people have seen others celebrating an occassion and been excluded from the event etc which ultimately leads to arguments and bad feeling

I am sure life was much simpler when we didn't live it through social media

Having said that , its a great way to share things with friends and family members who live too far away to see you on a regular basis

Chandelier.

I do agree life was much simpler before. I dread when the time comes that the boy accesses social media. I'll try withhold for as long as possible. A couple of my friends kids have things like instagram or snapchat and I'm like why .

It's just started raining here. I hope it doesn't come down too hard.

Chandelier.

Afternoon,

I thought I would post a little update.

Everything has been ticking along just fine and I've kept myself busy as much as possible so I don't have the time to think about other things.

The boy's birthday went well and they all had lots of fun. It wasn't as stressful as I thought it may be. I'm glad it's over for now. The boy's actual birthday is August but we had it last week just as the kids broke up so all could make it.

In the end, I decided to get the boy a summer pass for the climbing place which cost £40 for six climbs. Overall it saved us £31.10 and the boy is loving it, so in my mind it was worthwhile. We will have a lot of fun with this over the next six weeks.

It's nearly time for a new month and I'm just waiting for my final income to come in and then I'll allocate the money to each funds.

August is a very busy month for us so I need to keep my head in the game and pay attention to my outgoings. I've the money set aside for our first two breaks away and I'm building up the fund slowly for the Caribbean cruise in September. Any money left over from one break will go towards the others.

We have enough going on around us to keep us busy. We have a pass for our local theme park which we will use and will arrange days out with friends.

The boy is off to his dads tonight for a sleepover so I'll hit the gym and complete any other tasks on my to do list.

I haven't been to the gym in a couple of months. Previously I was doing well and lost some weight but with life getting in the way and other personal circumstances, I kind of fell off the bandwagon. I'm getting back into the swing of it now and setting aside time to go which is hard sometimes due to the boy being off for the six weeks. It's mainly evenings that I can go. I just hope I'm not too tired. I've six weeks to go until the cruise so I'm hoping to lose at least a stone in that time so I can fit into any holiday clothes and I'll only need to buy essentials/basics. I'm on the lookout for a nice red evening dress so I'll try to find a bargain online. The boy does not need many holiday clothes and that's another task I'm going to undertake this week.

Anyway, I beat get on with my day. I've plenty to do and need to get organised!

I hope everyone enjoys this weather.

Chandelier.

Afternoon,

I've not posted on here for a while as I mainly post into my savings diary these days. However I have recently been using my credit card for holiday expenses and it builds up before you know it. The good thing is its manageable and I could pay it off tomorrow. I have different credit cards for different things. Some I've used for the 0% purchases offer so I'm able to spread payments out. Others are travel credit cards to save on exchange fees and withdrawal charges and then I have my amex card which I use for day to day expenses when home and pay off in full.

So at the moment I have three "debts".

First Direct: £450.00. (This was used for any holiday shopping I did and for some other expenses I had. The plan is to clear this over the next nine months by paying £50 per month. I have 15 months left on the promotional period but I will most likely pay it off sooner rather then later. At times I will also throw any spare funds across but for now I'll let it tick over. I need to set up a regular direct debit for this once I'm home).

Santander: £240.00. (This card was used to withdraw cash on to save on exchange rates/withdrawal fees and I got a really good exchange rate compared to travel currency back home.
I shall be paying this off in full once home as I have the funds to do so and don't want to pay interest. I may have to withdraw another small amount before we go home to tide us over but that's okay with me).

Virgin: £175.00. (This was another card used for the no exchange rate fee/withdrawal charges and has been used for other holiday expenses whilst here. It shall be increasing once more due to any onboard expenditure I have this week but I'm still okay with this. It has a 12 month 0% purchase offer so I'll most likely pay off a lump sum then set up a direct debit to pay the rest off over a set time period. I'll decide that once I'm home and have final figures).

All these credit cards have been utilised for their benefits and I do have the funds available to pay them off straight away if required but instead I'm going to leave myself a small sum on the 0% purchase cards that I'll pay off monthly to build upon my credit file so when it comes to me applying for a mortgage, they can see I'm able to budget and manage my money well. The only other card I use is my AMEX card for the cashback and this is used for day to day expenses such as petrol/food shopping. I set aside the money spent into a seperate account and when payment is due, I pay it off in full. This will also help towards building a solid credit history.

So this is where I currently stand. I'll update from time to time and I'll most likely clear it before the time periods I've stated as to be honest I dont like seeing the balances but I'm saving all other money into high interest accounts. I just need to be patient!

Chandelier.

So I'm back from our cruise and have added up the final figures for what I now owe on the CCs.

First Direct: £450.00
Santander: £240.00
Virgin: £530.00

Total: £1220.00.

All in all, it is not as bad as I thought. This amount includes any pre-holiday shopping as well as our spends whilst there. I thought it would be a lot worse to be honest with the cost of everything going up and poor exchange rates.

I now need to decide what I want to do and how I'm going to pay it all off- whether I take the scenic route and pay if off slowly over a set amount of time or to just pay it off straight away. I feel like I'm up to a challenge and setting myself a target to pay each month and finding ways to cutback/save to do this.

It may seem crazy to some, but it gives me something to work at and focus on. I'm still saving money so this is just a bit of added fun to myself. I see this debt as a game, one that I can beat.