I want to believe I can do this!

abba1772

My daughter has applied for many jobs since January and only secured a part time job recently xx

pidge04

That’s great she’s found something after this long while ... had she been looking for full time?

efes_shareholder

Hi Pidge , Keep going if its meant for you it won't go by you

I think the competition is so much fiercer for part time work these days as there are a lot of parents looking for 16-24 hours to fit in with working tax credits etc

pidge04

I've had to take £100 out of my savings this month. I just looked over the month's spending and it turns out I am not very money saving expert AT ALL.
Look at this....

(I've rounded all the numbers up to the nearest pound)

1) Impromptu drinks/snacks for colleague and I £6

2) Unbudgeted present for colleague £9

3) Snack £2

4) Extra petrol £10

5) More extra petrol £12 (apparently my £40 a month petrol budget is not correct)

6) More extra petrol £10

7) Impromptu snacks and drinks for family £8

8) Snack for child £1

9) Supermarket (can't even remember what I bought) £10

10) Impromptu lunch with colleague £6

11) Parking £4

12) Snack for child £1

13) An impulsive buy for self £9

14) Supermarket £4 (can't remember what I bought)

15) Sandwich for child £1.50

16) Professional fees are closer to £21 than the £20 I budget for

17) Car insurance is closer to £21 than the £20 I budget for

18) Snack for child £1

19) Cafe for family £14

20) Supermarket £5

21) Snacks/drinks £5

22) Supermarket £6 (don't remember)

23) Supermarket £7 (child did give me pocket money in cash for this and I paid by card)

24) £3 toy for child.

OH MY! I had no idea it was so bad.
Lessons learnt:
1) NEVER leave home without food/drinks and do not go to supermarkets!!
2) Say no to colleagues.
3) Budget more realistically for petrol or use the car less!!!
4) Leave debit card at home.

I've wasted £100 which could have taken me one step closer to what I want in life or it could have paid £100 off the debt which hangs heavily around me.

It's done, it's spent BUT next month will be much better - I promise!

GlendaSugarbean

Hey, no beating yourself up! You didn't blow £100 on cheap vodka or a pair of shoes you'll never wear, you just underestimated your petrol costs, did a few social things and popped into the supermarket a bit too often.

I like the YNAB philosophy of rolling with the punches - your budget didn't quite work this month, but you had the funds to shuffle things around and now you have plans to do it differently next month.

Would it be an idea to set aside a bit of extra money a month for having lunch out once or twice? This is a marathon not a sprint, after all.

pidge04

Pay day and I have reduced my overdraft by another £100 so it is now at £600. Next month it will be £500 and that will give me a big boost I think.
I have another overdraft on our joint bills account which I am going to start chipping away at. That’s £750. When my main account overdraft has finished, I’ll be able to pay £100 off a month. Looking to be free of that one by next summer.
I have £1000 in savings now.
Thanks for reassuring messages about my shoddy budgeting last month!

Kitten868

Is the bills account in joint names? Be careful your lodger doesn't take it back out again for family expenses. Stick out your tactic of reducing it as you go on it? Is there any risk he's borrowing in your name?

Great work on the overdraft! It definitely is a good feeling getting it back to £0. Keep going Pidge - you're doing great xxx

pidge04

Feeling the blues today ...

Saw a house I would love to live in which has come up for sale... trying to banish those thoughts ‘if only I had got my act together years ago...’ but the past has happened and there’s nothing I can do to change it.

I’ve paid off half my debt and I have half to go. I will do it.

Today is a blue day but pay day is a mere 10 days away and pay day will see my debt reduce by £500.

Anyone else got the mid way blues?

pidge04

My overdraft is now £500. I have reached the halfway mark! Looking at an end date of November. The £500 milestone is massively good news after years of being £1000 overdrawn every month. Have £1150 in savings. 13 loan payments left. Credit card going down very slowly - not adding to it though which is a positive.

WelshKitty85

Well done Pidge, you're making great progress