Adventures of the Boy & Me: Part 2..

Chandelier.

So I've figured out how I am going to tackle this debt and have decided to take the both the fast and scenic route which I have explained below.

- Pay Santander CC in full. (This is to avoid interest charges and I have the money available to do this.)


- Pay £50 per month to Virgin. (This is on a 0% interest promotion with the shortest time period so I will focus on clearing this first and throw any extra money/savings towards this to clear it sooner)

- Pay £50 per month to First Direct. (This is my other card that is on a 0% interest promotion. This has a longer interest free period then the other so I'll just set up a direct debit that can run its course. Once the other debt is tackled, any extra will be thrown at this)

If left it as the minimal payments as above, they will be paid off within a twelve month time frame. However I'm going to set myself mini challenges to tackle them sooner. There are many ways I'll do this and it will give me something to focus on over the next few months, aside from saving. I'll post at least once a week with how I'm getting on just to keep track.

Chandelier.

Afternoon,

I hope everyone is well. It's the beginning of the month and I've just been making sure everything has been paid and that all my accounts are aligned up with each other.. so far so good.

I paid of the Santander CC in full last week and have been waiting for statements for the other two and then I've made payments towards each of them. I think I'm just going to pay them both manually at the beginning of each month rather then a direct debt as I am usually on the ball with this and sort out my budget/money at the beginning of each month. I've rounded off the figures so it all looks neat and tidy.

They are as follows;

First Direct: £400.00.
Virgin:!£450.00.

Total: £950.00.

I have quite a few outgoings this month so I really need to pay close attention to every thing and I'm tracking every spend to make sure. Things should slow down by the end of the month after our upcoming celebrations, the main being my sisters wedding of which I'm bridesmaid for.

The wedding on the whole has cost me quite a bit due to all the hen dos (three in total, don't ask- they were all worth it though to see her happy face) and paying for other costs associated with it. It shall be one less expense next year.

I've been shopping today and yesterday. My friend is due to have her baby so I've thought ahead and bought her some items for the baby which will help them out and also a couple of small gifts for her to enjoy once the baby is here. I have also bought my best friend a present as she is leaving work and is on to her next adventure!

I'm just getting back into the swing of things now I'm back from our travels. I don't think things will calm down for another couple of weeks as I'm catching up on everything and getting used to my new work rota.

I also went to Aldi and spent £10 on some food and toiletries to give to our local homeless shelter for the harvest celebrations. I've decided I'm going to make this a monthly thing and stock up on much needed items where I can to donate. I'm sure it will all be used and much appreciated.

I've also been thinking about a possible business venture I may look into. It's a small obsession of mine but could bring in a few extra pennies each month. It's something I will be looking into and researching over the next couple of weeks.

That's pretty much it for now .

beanielou

Good news on the CC & your donation to the food bank.

Chandelier.

Afternoon!

I'm all sorted moneywise with my accounts and up to date with all my expenditure which makes me feel so happy and organised.

It's been quite a spendy week, mostly due to buying presents for both my friends. I made a budget and stuck to it though which was an important thing to me. My friend who is leaving work absolutely loved her gifts; I got her a lovely scarf, a candle, keyring and a pen which all came to under £20 which I was impressed with. It just proves if you shop around and plan ahead you can get some fantastic deals/bargains.

I'm aware Christmas is upcoming and I've been good this year and set aside an amount each month to cover all costs. I have also dwindled down who I'm buying for and have set a budget for each person. I've already bought a couple of little items, more as token gifts if anything but I'm sure they will be much appreciated. Sometimes, it's the little things that count. I have swore that I won't be buying tat and any extra stuff to make the boys pile look bigger. I'm going to get him a couple of presents that he has asked for and maybe a few other bits and bobs. He hasn't really asked for much to be fair. He is still lego crazy and that is what he is asking for so I'll try to shop around. I have also cashed in some of my points off one of my reward cards meaning I have a £50 Amazon voucher. I'm excited for this to come and will most likely use it for the boy's presents. Then what money I would have spent can go towards savings.

Just lately, I feel like I am a little bit bored in life and I fancy a challenge. As a person, I am not great with DIY and it's something I'd like to do more of. I have been looking into night classes and have found a plastering course which costs just under £400 for a ten week course. It starts in January. It would be something to keep me occupied and plus my bedroom will need plastering when it is redecorated. Now, we all know how quickly these costs can add up so it may be beneficial towards that. It's also something I could look into as a hobby or a sideline of work. It would definately be different to my nursing career but I guess there may be some demand for female plasterers. I just think it could be fun. It would also help when I move out and it comes to decorating my own place. My mum does all her own DIY so I guess this is what inspires me. Maybe in time I could collect a few other skills under my belt, one thing at a time.

I also have another idea that could bring in some extra pennies but its something I need to look into properly before I take the plunge. It's more buying in bulk and then selling on but I think it could work. I have a stationary obsession and I'm always looking for new pens for work and a lot of people laugh at my findings. The more novelty, the better. I don't expect to rake it in money wise but it could just give some additional pocket money. There are other ideas I have which may contribute towards this but we will see. I need to look into this properly and work out costs of buying, shipping costs and then the cost of packaging/posting to see if it is worth doing and whether there is any profit in this. I would just work this around my day job but my head is full of ideas.

So, I have a lot of ideas and need to really think things through properly before I take the dive. Once I venture into one thing, I may look to expand into others. Whatever profit I could possibly make could go to future investments.

I just need a new challenge and something to keep me busy. I've already thought about a name for my possible venture and I can do all the logo/graphics myself when starting up. There may be initial costs and outlay but hopefully it would repay itself.

I think in me there is a business woman somewhere. I'm good with numbers and like working things out, especially on spreadsheets. I am also full of ideas and a creative person in general. Sometimes I feel I don't get to express myself enough. One of my family members really inspires me to do this. She started off small and has built up a couple of profitable business over the years. This means she is always home for her children and I want to be there for the boy.

I want to carry on our adventures and be able to create as many new experiences as possible for him. I'm determined to succeed and create a secure future for us.

At the moment, I am alright money wise and have a surplus budget each month but that may not always be the case especially with the changes within the benefits system. It currently balances me out working 30 hours as what I receive in tax credits makes up the loss of the 7.5hrs. I come out with the same money on thirty hours combined with tax credits, if I worked 37.5 hours where I'd lose my tax credits. So it's a fine balance.

However I won't always be reliant on tax credits hence me wanting to think ahead.

Once I move out from my mum's, I'll be the sole earner in my household as I'm single. I just don't want to struggle financially hence wanting to take up the opportunities for further development now. I may also return to university at some point to open up another career oppurtunity that pays better then I'm on now.

I'm ambitious and want to succeed. I need more challenges both ohsycially and mentally. Although I love my job, sometimes it's not stimulating enough and I find I'm bored. I'm good at what I do but I have the potential to go further and I want to embrace that. I want the best future possible for the boy and me. I want him to see that hard work pays off and that he can achieve anything he wants.

If I decide to go back to uni to retrain, I'll still work alongside this to keep our funds afloat. I may go to an open day at some point to explore my options further. I think I'd get a lot of help and support due to my health conditions which would also be beneficial and reassure me.

This has turned into a very long post but I need to get it out somewhere.

I'm currently sat having a coffee whilst the boy is at an indoor climbing centre. This has come out of the entertainment budget for this month. He loves it here and always pushes himself to overcome his fears. It's just quite spendy and not something we can do a lot of each month. There is a climbing wall at our local leisure centre which I may look into and I think he will enjoy. It would be a bit more challenging and difficult for him. The boy is very active and does a lot of extra curricular activities. He does swimming lessons, skates four times a week (more now due to rehearsals for their upcoming Christmas show) and I've just recently looked into getting him back into football. He used to train and play for a team but it coincided with another hobby so he had to quit. He does football at school but this class I've looked into will teach them skills and they only play a friendly match once every four weeks which will fit into our tight schedule much better. I might talk to his dad and see if he will pay for the football. He has spoke of increasing his maintenance payments but I might ask him to pay for this instead, I'll see how he reacts. He pays minimal each month and thinks it's the end of the world. It doesn't even cover most of the outgoings I have for the boy each month. The difference between me and him is that I save for things, budget well and plan ahead where as he fritters all his money and expects sympathy of which I don't have. He makes out like I'm rolling in money when I'm just careful. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

Anyway, I best get on with my day. I was going to look at getting myself some new boots as I'm due a new pair but I think I may hold off for a couple of weeks and shop around instead. Now the winter is coming, I want to be prepared. I could do with buying myself a few more winter jumpers but I might make do with what I've got.

I plan to get back into the gym soon and aim to lose some weight. I was doing so well earlier on in the year but got sidetracked due to personal reasons but I'm ready to give it a go again. I want the gym to become part of my weekly routine and I'll fit it in where possible. I do quite enjoy the gym and exercise when I'm in the right mindframe and it gives me some me time as well and will be beneficial to my mental health as well as my physical. I'm going to make it a slow overall journey and make small changes at a time. As I'm in charge of the food shop each week, I can make a meal plan and shop accordingly. I'm trying to keep costs down whilst providing a variety of food options for us all each week so we don't get bored. I enjoy the food shop and challenge myself to stick to the budget whilst buying all essentials. I might do an inventory of the freezer and see what we have in and try to run down one of them so we can defrost it, ready for a big shop before Christmas. We have three freezers in total (don't ask) and they are all currently full. I'm also going to start batch cooking meals to save time with us all working during the week, I just need to factor in when there are more of us then ususal, i.e our lodger or when my uncle comes for tea which is twice a week. I also like to set a day each week for "pizza night" with the boy. We just cheat and get a pizza from Aldi and have garlic bread with it which is much cheaper then a take away. We don't tend to have many takeaways as a family as this can prove costly. I just want to improve all our diets as a family and not waste any food if I can.

I am also going to set myself a few money saving challenges to keep me on track but I'll post these in a seperate post. I have two money boxes which are for our adventure funds. I need to start saving for these as I have a couple of ideas for me and the boy to explore next year. I'm looking at Disneyland Paris maybe in the half term holidays next year and us travelling around Europe in the summer. It will take a lot of careful planning and budgeting to make it work. I will fore go other expenses to give him as many memories as possible. I love him so much and he is my world. Whilst we can do the things we do, I'm going to take full advantage of my current life situation as it stands. You never know how your future may change.

But for now it's me and the boy. If I meet someone further down the line then great but I'm not too fussed about this at the moment. I have enough friends and family to keep me busy.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chandelier.

Morning,

There has been minimal progress here in regards to debt busting. However I have been accumulating lots of NSDs by being careful and thinking about my money.

I've joined the NSDs challenges to keep myself on track.

A spend day to me will be any spends not budgeted/accounted for or unplanned days out/social activities etc.

A no spend day will be where I don't have any other spends apart from things that I have already budgeted for (food/petrol/my sisters wedding fund etc). These categories will not be classed as spend days as I have already planned ahead and taken these expenses into account for the month and have the funds/budget to pay for them.

So far, I have accumulated 4/15 NSDs this month. I am aiming for 15 as a starting point. Any more is a bonus.

--

Todays to do list.

- Do a food shop. It will be a small one this week as we don't need much.
- Get petrol. I will be filling my car up fuller then usual as I am doing a long journey this weekend.
- Go to the bank. I am going to withdraw the wedding fund cash ready for this weekend.
- Go to the dentist. This is for both the boy and me. Currently I pay for a private dental plan but I'm going to see about swapping back to the NHS if they will let me.
- Put my ironing away. My floor currently represents a floordrobe.
- Pick my sister up. Its a 1.5hr drive, hopefully they will contribute towards petrol money.
- Review my bank accounts. I'm going to have a look at these and move money around to free up some funds and possibly make an over payment to a CC.
- Pay for the boys childcare. The money is set aside for this.

So a couple of things to keep me busy there.

I beat crack on.

Chandelier.

Todays to do list.

[STRIKE]- Do a food shop.[/STRIKE] Food shop done. £21.37 spent. This was more of a top up shop and I got myself some drinks for work.

[STRIKE]- Get petrol. [/STRIKE] My car is all filled up, grand total £62.50. Ouch! This should hopefully last me the month. However I still have some funds left.

[STRIKE]- Go to the bank.[/STRIKE] I've been to the bank and withdrew my money for the weekend. I feel slightly rich but have a lot to pay out over the next few days.

- Go to the dentist. We are going here next.

[STRIKE]- Put my ironing away[/STRIKE]. Ironing out away. I have also been through my wardrobes and got rid of clothes I dont want. I'll drop these off to a charity shop tomorrow.

- Pick my sister up. This is later on after the dentist.

[STRIKE]- Review my bank accounts. [/STRIKE] I've moved money around and freed up some to go towards debt repayments.

[STRIKE]- Pay for the boys childcare.[/STRIKE] All paid for and up to date now.

So I've just two things left to do on my list.

I've been to visit my friend who's recently had a baby so I got lots of cuddles! I also gave her some gifts I bought which she loved.

I have made some extra payments towards my credit cards by moving money around. I have updated the balances as follows:

First Direct: £375.00 (Paid £25.00)
Virgin: £400.00 (Paid £50.00)

That's pretty much it for today

beanielou

Debt going down~~always good

beanielou

& you are doing so well with your NSd's :j

Chandelier.

Morning,

I've a busy day ahead following yesterday. It's all the last minute bits now and preparation and things I want to do for myself. I'm trying to keep myself accountable.

Yesterday finished off okay and I got everything done that I needed to. I ended up having an unplanned spend at a fast food place as my friend and I hadn't eaten before our journey but I'm not too fussed about that.

I went to the dentist and we have agreed, I need a small amount of work done. So I've chosen to have it done privately but the dentist has said once that is done, he will swap me over to an NHS patient. Win, win. However I'm going to put the cost onto my 0% credit card so this does mean that my debt is increasing but it is all manageable. I have the funds in a seperate account if needed but this is currently earning interest so I'll leave it where it is.

Once I have final figures, I'll update my debt totals. I paid a 50% deposit yesterday at the dentist and have rounded off the figures on the credit card. My next appointment is next Thursday where we will know the extent of the work that needs doing.

So although my debt is going up, its not entirely a bad thing. I have another bank account where I need to sort out the online banking stuff. If I get time today then I'll do it, if not it can wait till next week.

I already have one 5% interest account that I save the maximum into each month. I may possibly set up another one over these next couple of months to divert other funds elsewhere. I currently save £500 per month spread across my higher interest accounts and my help to buy ISA. I'm hoping to increase this in the near future and once other things are paid for.

That's pretty much it really for today. I've a really long to do list that I need to get tackling before I pick the boy up from school and sort everything out for later.

I've made plenty of lists and hope I can stick to it and get as much done as possible. Some things can wait till once the weekend is over.

Chandelier.

So yesterday ended up a spend day and so has today. I went shopping this morning to buy myself a new electric toothbrush and bought some new pyjamas. I shouldn't need anything else now for a while, although I do need some new winter boots. My total spends came to just under £60. I had money in a seperate account to cover this.

I already have my budgeted money for the weekend in cash in my purse and also have some extra just in case. I'm going to sort through my purse afterwards so I know what I have. I'll use money from my entertainment fund to pay for the meal tonight. I've already sorted out my online banking for the day.

So I'm all set and raring to go!! I just need to remember not to exhaust myself too much or else I'll be cranky lol. There just seems to be a lot needed to do and not enough time. Baby steps, that's what I will do.