Positive Balance: Focused on Budgeting

PositiveBalance

Wow, it has been ages since I posted!


I have to go to work now, but posting this will force me to come back and post some more and details the horribly expensive month that has been this month, so it has been worth doing!


See you soon...

PositiveBalance

I'm back again.

Well, it has been eventful!

So what were all the spends for?

A relative of mine passed away. Cue flights and spending money to foreign climes.

To top it all off, one of my major kitchen appliances broke at around the same time, so I had to buy a new one.

And my house & contents insurance was due this month.

All in all, it has been expensive. I had to take some from the money I had saved up to go towards debt (or some from my pots and some from my emergency fund due to not being able to go and physically remove the money from one of my savings accounts, but it's tantamount to the same thing) but I could cover it all and did not need to use a credit card*.

I changed far too much money into foreign currency, so I'm trying to figure out if I should convert it back or leave it for next time and resave the money into my pots. I would technically lose the least on it as the exchange rate back is never as good.

Any spare money from next month will have to go to refilling the pots. I took £300 out of my emergency fund and my pots are all dead.

I need to work on the pots. They had money taken out of them last month as well due to Fido expenses.

Speaking of which, the vet practice I went to and were useless and didn't send a copy of the records to the insurance company, so I haven't had the money back yet. :mad: I need to get that sorted.

There's lots of explanation here and few figures. I need to get that sorted.

I hope you are well. :A



*Which is good cos I don't have one any more! :rotfl:

Shelbi

Hi PositiveBalance:wave:

I finally got back onto the mse wagon and my 1st thought was to swing by and catch up!! I don't know how I let it go so long but Ive missed your updates & am super happy you are still here:D

I'm so sorry for your loss, sending you a massive virtual hug:)

I was happy and proud to read that those pots came in handy and your credit card is still intact I think Dave would have saluted too:T:T
It's also good that Fido is better, I hope youve taken a moment to breathe before giving those vets both barrels for the insurance paperwork recovery! Not to worry I just know you'll get it sorted! I hope you're taking the time to look after yourself hun.

I'm looking forward to your next update...hot cuppa in hand, cozy on the sofa ready t hear all;)

Speak soon,

Shelbi x

PositiveBalance

Shelbi...I just posted on you thread and you are already here! It's soooo good to have you back! :kisses3:

Yes, I think Uncle Dave would be proud, although I need to get the pots re-established. They have taken quite the battering this past few months. I started a super duper complicated spreadsheet to keep track of them, but with being away at the time of raiding them, I haven't updated them and are starting to think it might be an overly-complicated way of dealing with it. I'll take a look when I get my payslip and do the spreadsheet for next month.

And yes, I need to get the paperwork sorted for Fido ASAP. I spoke to them and told them I would get it to them when I got back into the country (last weekend), but it has been manic since my return so it will have to wait until this weekend as I have not stopped! Unfortunately, she's not going to get better (chronic illness) so I need to make sure I get this sorted as any future claims may counts against this one if it's the same illness.


In other news, I invested in a chest freezer today. I had some vouchers for @rgos so I had to get it from there but I am 100% absolutely disgusted with their customer service and will never buy anything from them again now that I've used them up. :mad: (£49.99 actual cash spent.)


Right, I had better go and get some sleep. The morning won't tarry about coming and I'm going to have a long few days ahead of me.


Take care Shelbi et al.

PositiveBalance

Oh boy!

To top off the most expensive month of my life, my laptop just died.

Shelbi

Sorry to hear fido's condition is ongoing...bless her I hope she's feeling better at least. I'm sorry about your laptop...im hoping you've been off line because murphies law has finally moved on and all great things have been happening! either way I look forward to your update lovely...speak soon!

Shelbi x

PositiveBalance

Shelbi wrote: »

Sorry to hear fido's condition is ongoing...bless her I hope she's feeling better at least. I'm sorry about your laptop...im hoping you've been off line because murphies law has finally moved on and all great things have been happening! either way I look forward to your update lovely...speak soon!

Shelbi x

Hi Shelbi.



Fido is fine but costing me an absolute fortune in food! :eek:



I hate hate hate typing on my phone as I always make more typos etc hence not being on here much at the moment.


The end of the year is proving a bit of a financial wipe out due to my pots being eradicated earlier on in the year. I've opened a bank account which allow me to set up separate pots for different things so it will help me to keep them straight. I was trying to do it out of one account which didn't work very well for me.



Thank heavens it's payday tomorrow but I have yet to see my payslip so I can't do my monthly budget yet. Grr!



Hope you are well. X

PositiveBalance

I'm just nipping in to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and if I don't get on in time to wish you all a very Happy New Year.



:j:T:beer::xmastree::xmassign::snow_laug:santa2::coffee:

PositiveBalance

Hello everyone! *Watches tumbleweed blow by*

I manged to get myself locked out of the email account I used to change my password when the forum changed over meaning that I couldn't log back in until I got back in and I only managed to get that sorted today so it has only been two months...

And what a two months to pick! The world hasn't quite gone to hell in a handcart, but it is certainly rolling in that direction...

After navigating the panic buying and crazy people (at a two metre distance, of course) I still have to go to work as I have been deemed a (non-medical) key worker so no extended opportunity to declutter my house for me, alas! (It's a good thing, though, as I would manage a week, perhaps ten days in isolation before losing my marbles.)

I don't mean to make light of other peoples' situations, as a lot of people, including some of my loved ones, are suffering. Financially, I am clearly one of the lucky ones as I still have a steady job and given that some major opportunities for overtime have presented themselves, assuming that I don't catch the actual illness, I could end up being one of the few people who ends up richer than I started this whole crisis, if I work my tail end off.

It feels a little but wrong - almost like I will be profiting from a crisis - but with so many people where I work already in medium -term hibernation due to pre-existing medical conditions, I'm needed and I am trying to be as positive as possible through this all as the news and social media are nothing but constant bad news and it's driving so much anxiety and fear in people, which really isn't helping on top of everything else.

And let's face it, it's not like I have much of a social life to look forward to, is it?! 😁

On the extra plus side, a lack of social life and ability to go to the gym etc plus some extra cuts in bills no longer needed and a bit of overtime last month means that I am about £350 better off this month. That's not small change!

I'll be back when there is more to report.

I hope you are all keeping well. Take care of yourselves and stay safe. Xxx

P. S. I'm counting that money in my signature for inspiration purposes but I'm not sending it to debt quite yet - I think it's good to have a little cushion at times like these.

savingholmes

Well thank you for the work you are doing and welcome back. I look forward to seeing you update regularly again. I too am lucky currently as I can work from home as can DH. For medical  reasons we would be wise to anyway.