taking responsibilty to get me where I want to be

efes_shareholder

Happy monday people

so , payday tomorrow - in to the overdraft by pennies , Had a look over last months budget and not quite sure where it all went wrong however tomorrow is a new day with a new pot to play with so finger back on the pulse
It would appear however that my trait of having something to look forward too and living for today has to be somewhat accountable

Went to the football with my nephew over the weekend , those pre match beers add up , we didn't get the result we needed so I have banned him from attending !!
Took my mum shopping on sunday morning and then had a sort out for my girls weekend next week ( this is always a cheap and cheerful affair as we take stocks with us)
Then last night took the middle cub to the gym with me and we did an hours session - This was a challenge as my womens monthlys were causing me a lot of discomfort however once there no worries. I am already feeling the benefits of the gym and think it will improve my mental well being as well as fitting the fat

Had a discussion with the ex this week as there had been a clear out of the "man cave" at our house and some of my football membrobilia was inadvertantly gifted to his new gf's family without the oppurtunity of having it back myself . This annoyed the hell out of me , it wasn't what it was or where it went but the fact that it was mine and I should have been asked before it was donated elsewhere.
Anyway , point made and now there can be no misunderstanding that I expect all my things put to one side for me , we discussed travelling to our sons graduation as its stupid to take two cars however this he says causing him a lot of aggro with the GF !!
Seriously , Its our sons graduation ceremony , not two weeks in St Lucia !!
He also said that he knew as the house was interest only mortgage , he was preparing the house to be sold and having a sort out
He didn't mention however that the GF has her place up for sale and is planning on moving in to my house !!
I think they are looking to pool together to buy somewhere after and hers is now on the market
This brings me to the realisation that the sale of our home isn't far away and I need to get the ducks in a row
It doesn't quite suit me yet to have my equity returned however I will not reside in my old childhood bedroom whilst she plays happy families in my 4 bed house.
I am not concerned for the moment as its been on the market about 6 weeks and its not what I would call a desirable property , although its well kept , its purchaser would be age restrictive as its on an over 50's complex
There are also several other units for sale so until I see its status move on right move I am not too fussed by it
Kids bit put out they havent been asked about it but that said I guess until she sells its all hyperthetical

efes_shareholder

So its payday and the distribution process starts.
Little bit peeved that my salary is down £12.00 but I think is because the government has increased the standard pension contributions
I'm going to try and approach the month some what differently - I am away with the girls for my weekender this weekend which is never expensive as we cater in alot but other then this I am going to attempt to keep spends to a min and see what is left later in the month and then make over payments

Words with the mothership last night , I mentioned about the ex's GF position and what this could be possibly mean for the future of our property and as the realisation hit that this may mean my departure she really switched on me...................On reflection she apologised and I think she is feeling over sensitive and her mental health means she will over think everything.
It's so difficult , its like walking on eggshells but then I can't just give her the answer she wants to hear all the time

ftbwannabe

Well done on the gym! I wish I was better at remembering how good it feels afterwards, I am so laxy & unfit. Interesting times with your ex-house, hope it all unfolds nicely in your favour.

efes_shareholder

ftbwannabe wrote: »

Well done on the gym! I wish I was better at remembering how good it feels afterwards, I am so laxy & unfit. Interesting times with your ex-house, hope it all unfolds nicely in your favour.

It will be interesting and lots of things to mull over and consider

The fact she is selling with what I can only assume the intention to move in to the house before they go in together to buy brings home the reality that we aren't too far away from the sale

Ideally I'd like to be debt free for this but I'm also giving a lot of thought in to how to invest the money

efes_shareholder

Well today is my Friday

I didn't make my excercise class on Tuesday as I had an evening blood test booked and this was late which meant I didn't make the class , I have lots to do tonight before my trip away however I am making myself go to aqua aerobics as I am sure this has improved my mental well being

Payday has been and the direct debits are starting to flow , I am going to change my approach slightly this month and pay the mins on the two cards with balances to clear and then top this up as the month progresses.
I'm very mindful that last month was an overspend and I want to avoid this happening again so if I feed them top ups instead of parting up front hopefully this will be straightfoward.
The cap one is stuck at £200 , I have £6025 and in my emergency stash now and I tempted to pay this from here just to get rid of it but my track record of repaying myself isn't great so I'm also mindful of this.
This month is the first of the lower virgin payment so thats a plus , and after FIVE football matches in April I have not bought any tickets for the final game so hopefully this will help keep me under budget

This month should also see the return of 3 x direct debits I covered for my son - these have been allocated to a BNPL on Very due to be covered by the end of June so will be good to get this covered early

efes_shareholder

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend

I am back from my weekender - I am struggling through the day and think that I absolutely exceeded my alcohol intake this weekend and am probably right now in the middle of a hangover !!!
In hindsight I should have booked the day off of work !!

All things considered , I didn't do too badly where my spends were concerned , £50 in cash on transport and bar buys , approx £40 on stocks to take with me and around £20 on the card in last minute bits and pieces which considering I was barely sober isn't too terrible
I am sure I am now getting too old as the recovery takes longer each year !!
It was a great weekend catching up with people , we have booked again for next year as its the one event we all like to do and deposit doesn't go until September so there is no financial commitment needed just yet.

This months cashflow is already an improvement on last month , I've made a additional payment to capital one and have just the barclaycard one to leave and all this months commitments are in place
It still feels like I am emptying a lake with a spoon and really do need to get a realistic and workable budget in place but still as long as I am reducing and not increasing the debt , every step however small is heading the right way

I don't have much else on the social agenda this month so I need to get back on the gym train but today that does not feel possibly when I can just about put one foot in the front of the other

efes_shareholder

Happy Friday , what took you so long !!

I survived the week and what a week !! Spends have been low and sensible which is a great plus for me , there are still another 21 days until pay day so I am not going to start topping the over payments up just yet

I'm finding it hard to get back in to a sleep pattern following a hetic weekend and have been managing on about 5 hours sleep a night , I had no energy for the gym on Tuesday so I talked myself out of it and awful stomach cramps last night which but paid to aqua aerobics so tonight on a friday it is back in the gym for a little burn up after a weeks absence , I need to reinstate this programme in to my routine as I can feel the difference and its good for my mind too

Not much planned over the weekend apart from a couple of "shopping" trips - I usually buy one or two things for my holiday but I have another payday to go yet so I am not going to do it just yet and am going just to have a look at whats out there.
I'm going to the market so if I don't take cash I wont be tempted and besides next weekends job is to have a real sort out in my room so I don't want to add anything until I am aware of what I could do with or what is worn out

My room is constantly messy at the moment which means its time to rejig and reorganise and possibly clear out too , hopefully I'll unearth a few gems for ebay or at least that I can sell

efes_shareholder

And here we are at the start of another week

Today I received my insurance renewal , its up £80 odd but with 9 years no claims (clean since I passed 10 years ago) we will see about that
Generally my insurance will match when I shop around so I'll be shopping about and seeing if I can get this down.

The weekend wasn't too terrible on the spends side - I did buy at the market but only one new evening outfit for my holidays which I thought since I was there I may aswell as it saves a return trip.
I had lunch with my mate in the harvester , I chose a cheaper lunch as I wasn't overly hungry but we ended up 50/50 on the bill anyway - this was £12.00 each

I had too many little bits and pieces on to rejig my room so this has to be the number one priority this weekend - It has to be done , I am simply out of room.
I took my daughters shopping yesterday and didn't spend aside from Lunch so another £7.00 there

I had intended to go to the gym last night but didn't feel very well at all and came over achey whilst shopping and had a temp at home so I had an early night instead , I have bought my kit and will go after work this evening instead.
I managed 90 minutes in there on Friday night , hopefully a similar work out tonight

Kitten868

Wow ES! Really impressed with all the gym activity! You're doing really well with it. Don't write off a week because you didn't go one night is totally the right attitude. It's certainly what I go by.
Maybe it's time for a new tack on the debts? How much of your lump sum would they eat up? I'm just thinking of them being well and truly gone when you're applying for a mortgage. You'd have to be really focused on paying yourself back. What about a goal so you perceive the savings like a debt? There must be £7k in my savings when the house sells. I am awful with money and can't leave savings alone so please don't think I'm being judgemental. Xxx

efes_shareholder

Hi Kitten

No judgement taken at all and its absolutely something that I have been considering , If I pay everything with the exception of the car it will take half of my stash.
I've pondered this and will probably consider it for a little while longer
my first concern is that I haven't quite curbed my spending and habits enough to be strict enough to return it and that if I dip in its an easy fix ( a bit like a consilidation loan ) and I haven't actually learnt anything.
My 2nd concern is that this money is my safety net , if anything were to happen to my mum meaning I had to move or I faced a legal scenerio getting the house sold this gives me the means to do so.
However that said I would like everything gone - As it stands , everything is 0% so technically it isn't costing me anything so I think for the moment I will carry on at least until the 0% expires and re assess at this point. The more I can make a dent the less I would have to dip in to too clear.

Managed 90 minutes in the gym after work , Its clear that everyone goes on a monday after a heavy weekend as it was absolutely packed and there were queues for most of the floor apparatus but I managed to jump on what I needed when it was vacated so it was very productive.
Kit is in the car for a potential visit after work.
I've changed my eating habits slightly , trying to lower the carbs and increase the protein and am hoping that in three weeks time I will look like a bronzed goddess on the greek shoreline.

Yesterdays spend £6.50 this was £1.00 parking for the gym and £5.50 for breakfast , lunch and some hayfever tablets.
Mum has resumed the shopping responsibility which although saves me the job she does seem to get the judgement quite right so next week I will reinstate myself as the shopper - that is if i can find a spare evening to push the trolley round.

Still finding it difficult to nod off to sleep , am able to zone out and relax but not quite take the next step
Hopeful that this is just due to last weekends shennigans which would have startled my body clock and I just have to persist for everything to fall back in to place
If it doesn't improve by end of week I may invest in some herbal nytol or similar to try and kick start a stable sleeping pattern