Positive Balance: Focused on Budgeting

PositiveBalance

I'll take it - any day of the week and twice on a Sunday (I wish)!

PositiveBalance

Sooo...busy times in the PB house!

Still haven't done anything about electricity/broadband. My only guaranteed day off is a Sunday when nothing appears to be open. Grr and bad PB!

I have spent a bit of money on clothes recently an it was desperately needed: I needed a new pair of trainers for my sporty activities and I managed to get a pair for a bargainous £28 as all the pairs that looked like they would do the job were about £90!:eek: In fact, I like them so much and they are such a bargain (and not white! why are trainers always white - soooo hard to keep clean!) I am seriously tempted to go and buy another pair to use after these ones eventually die.


I stopped off at an outlet on my way home from work yesterday as I really needed some specific new items of clothing and found some at a really good price plus some other things that I needed but might not have bought myself if they were not at such a good price. I spent £45.25 on myself on good-quality, necessary things I really needed which should have cost me £79.50 and I also spent £49.50 on buying things for my remaining parental's birthday present (due in a few months), which should have cost £78.50.


That may seem extravagent, but it's really hit-and-miss at that outlet; I don't go in much, but when I do there's sometimes absolutely nothing there and other times it's a bit like yesterday evening. I won't go back in for ages, just in case! :rotfl:



I also spent just over £20 in Aldi, much of which was on fruit to make jam with this weekend as it was on offer and my jams go down very well as presents!


What's interesting is that I really don't care for shopping much anymore. It has become a much more functional activity. I'm pleased with what I bought as my wardrobe has been hovering on 'nearly empty - throw away the things that have developed holes' for quite a while and it could still do with more new things, but this top-up has got me things I desperately need and should last for a good while as they are good quality. I want to lose some weight, which is part of it, so I always think I will buy some nice clothes when I'm a dress size down or whatever (flawed thinking, I have come to realise), but I think in general I've become a more thoughtful consumer and try to use things up before buying the next/new one thoughtlessly as we are encouraged to do by society at large.



Right, no more excuses. I need a shower and need to take me and my new trainers down to the gym.


Happy Sunday and happy bank holiday Monday everyone! :T

PositiveBalance

Guess who's back? Back again?

Right, so lots going on (finally!)

Fencegate: being replaced this week. Will cost a bit more than quoted (£400 apparently), but with better-quality wood than was previously mentioned. I'm glad - the others sounded too cheap and as much as I love a bargain, cheap isn't always good value and I need these to *last*!

Electricityandgasgate (I'll keep going while I'm at it! :rotfl:): I'm struggling to speak to my potential new supplier to see if they are prepared to reduce their ridiculous estimated DD amount, so I have emailed them asking if they will and if they will honour the £50 referral code for both my friend and I. Reply awaited.

Bankgate: I finally managed to get the identity documents scanned and sent so the bank account has been opened. I have received some letter through the post and just need to go onto the website and do some messing around to open it fully. This should be worth £125 now to me, plus £50 in the future for staying, plus an extra few pounds each month as a 'reward' on certain bills paid out of the account, despite them taking a few pounds a month to run the account. I'm a bit nervous that all the DDs might not transfer across correctly, though, as I have heard the new switching service isn't 100% perfect, so I shall have to keep my peepers peeled!

Broadbandandlandlinegate: after some online snooping I have today moved provider. The only downside is that I get a small number of international calls on my new deal (all the deals seem rubbish at the minute – I think it might be to do with Brexit). I have paid the line rental for the year in full (£172) as this will save me £30 for the year. I will pay £8 a month going forward for an international call package. I think I will have to set up a pot to replace this money. I should also get £50 cashback for this. As this provider is also the same as my mobile provider I was supposed to be able to get a better deal on my mobile package with them, but they can't currently beat the package I am on. Small mercies, I suppose! :rotfl:

My current provider's bill has crept up to £36.45 last month as it is now out-of-contract. This switch should bring it down to the monthly equivalent of £22.50 with the £30 saved for paying in advance. That's a £13.95 difference each month. Not too shabby – I just wish I had made my mind up and switched sooner!

In other news, due to complicated reasons that are really too complicated to go on about here (and also really might out my identity), I am apparently going to receive a very unexpected lump sum of about £700! I don't know exactly how much it will be until the money hits my bank account, but it's fair to say that it is very welcome, although I am somewhat sorry as to how it has come about.

I had £391.48 difference between my wages and my budgeted bills this month, but I have spent £180 of it on the year's landline upfront plus the first month's international call package.

That CC debt might just crumble this month, depending on how and when all this money comes in to me! Crosses fingers :T

PositiveBalance

I've realise that the £125 and at least one of the £50 aren't going to come in for at least a month so yah boo sucks. Still, as long as they come in I will be happy!

PositiveBalance

I went to the gym on the way home from work and I was given new exercises to do. They were a lot harder than the previous ones. I'm nearly dead!

I stewed some apples that I bought for a bargainous 16p a packet of 6 as they were on their last day. So silly, the way they label food - there was nothing wrong with them, I have eaten some and the rest will result in some bargainous apple crumbles/pies.

Spent £3.00 on a contribution to a leaving gift for someone at work.

I've finally got round to spraying the weeds out the front with weedkiller (honestly, they are so big it's embarrassing!:o) I need to do the back as well, but most of all I need to cut down the lawn which is so tall there could be a dead body in there for all I know! :eek:


One load of washing done tonight, an omelette cooked for a dinner, weed spraying done, exercise done and a small bit of ironing before I go to bed left and push zzzs to the ceiling.

PositiveBalance

And I'm back. Finally. After a long time.

Work has been a bit mental (my own fault) and I've finally managed to change broadband and gas and electricity suppliers. I ended up paying the line rental for my phone/broadband for the whole year in one go as it worked out cheaper so I will only have £8.00 coming out of my account for a call package each month.

In other news, I eventually received the unexpected windfall, which turned out to be £780!

I paid it off my CC which left a balance of £486.08 which I paid off when I got paid yesterday meaning that...


:beer: :jI have paid off my credit card! :j :beer:


100%. In full. Forever.


I'm closing it tomorrow when I have the time to call them!:T


However, my work is far from done. I have realised that I have messed up my pots in the past few months which will require a better, more accountable spreadsheet to sort out and a few months of diverting extra money to them to get them back to where they were (another job for another day).


Also, I want to get my EF up to £1000 then start saving up to pay off the rest of the debt and look to topping the EF up to 3-6 months of expenses plus do the house up. Also, I need to save up for some eventual expenses for my parental.


This will require some thinking and plotting. I will let you know what when I have finished plotting.


Also, I'm going away for at the end of the week for my annual holiday. (Would have preferred it to be another time, but needs must.)


One debt down, the rest to go! :j

DrSpendLittle

Congratulations on paying off the credit card :T:T:T:T. Fantastic news!!

Enjoy your holiday - make sure you celebrate!

PositiveBalance

DrSpendLittle wrote: »

Congratulations on paying off the credit card :T:T:T:T. Fantastic news!!

Enjoy your holiday - make sure you celebrate!

Thanks Dr SL. :beer:


I will, don't worry. I'm currently drinking more white wine than is good for me and will figure out my 'reward' with time


My desire for a Karch*r Steam Cleaner has waned a little, but it's still a possibility! :rotfl:


I still have work to do, though - I clearly don't have this pots system down to a fine art. I'm convinced it's due to the lack of accountability in a spreadsheet of what I have taken out of it, so I feel a new spread sheet coming on!

WannabeFree

Amazing news PB well done!

Make sure you have a treat too

Have you got the fence sorted now?

x

PositiveBalance

WannabeFree wrote: »

Amazing news PB well done!

Make sure you have a treat too

Have you got the fence sorted now?

x

Thanks Wannabe!


Yes, I have got it sorted, but I think I need to paint it. Apparently it has been treated but it looks naked, so I think some staining is in order.


I also need to do the fence on the other side of the garden as well, so that's going to keep me busy!