Little By Little...

Lydia42

Good luck with the spending diary. I'm still trying to work out the best way to do this. I asked Hubbie to keep petrol receipts so i could collate them and see how much we actually use each month so we can include it in our budget properly - he keeps forgetting. Also, as you said we take cash out and i can't see what it has been used for (wasted) so can't see the whole picture. I know we over spend on our food shopping, and i am terrible for picking up bits from the supermarket, but i think the day to day frittering of cash also needs looking at. Let me know how you get on - all tips welcome lol

redmel1621

GlendaSugarbean wrote: »

I think a lot of us have partners with a rather different idea of money management! At the end of the day you can only change yourself, but hopefully if you are consistent he will get there too . And it sounds like he's moving in the right direction in any case.

Hope you get some good news about your FIL.

You are so right. I can't change him, but I can try to encourage change and lead by example. He went to the co op to get electric and usually would come back with a bag full of junk, but he literally spent £1 on a multi pack of Wispas, so you are right, he is moving in the right direction in some ways... just very very slowly :rotfl:

Anyway, I've added the £1 to the spending diary.

redmel1621

Lydia42 wrote: »

Good luck with the spending diary. I'm still trying to work out the best way to do this. I asked Hubbie to keep petrol receipts so i could collate them and see how much we actually use each month so we can include it in our budget properly - he keeps forgetting. Also, as you said we take cash out and i can't see what it has been used for (wasted) so can't see the whole picture. I know we over spend on our food shopping, and i am terrible for picking up bits from the supermarket, but i think the day to day frittering of cash also needs looking at. Let me know how you get on - all tips welcome lol

It is so hard to keep on top of those little bit that get forgotten about especially when it is cash that has been drawn out. We barely get cash out, but need to for kids clubs, haircuts and for our eldests driving lessons... But then we draw say a tenner out, the kids clubs are £6 for karate, but we obviously just waste the rest of the money. same with haircuts. We draw a tenner out and the kids haircuts are £7 and the rest just ends up vanishing.

I am just writing it down on a pad of paper for now. I'm not sure if that is the best way or not.... but it's a start.

Good luk with yours and I look forward to tips from you when you have sussed the best way to do it :money:

redmel1621

I'm totally baffled. Lowell have a DD set up for £10pm on each debt, but for some reason one of them is only showing as around £8 this month. I can't have paid it off as I've not been paying it more than a year and it was over £300... I have no idea what is going on. I suppose I will have to phone them and ask.

I hate phoning these places.....

BabyStepper

Hi redmel

Just wanted to say hello, I followed you over here from Lydia's diary. You're doing so well getting everything better under control, well done. I sympathise with your husband's work situation and not knowing if the work will continue or not. My income at the moment is sporadic to say the least and it makes budgeting very difficult. Getting your head out of the sand is a huge step forward and not for the faint-hearted so congratulations, you are doing it!

Best of luck with it all. I've subscribed.

redmel1621

BabyStepper wrote: »

Hi redmel

Just wanted to say hello, I followed you over here from Lydia's diary. You're doing so well getting everything better under control, well done. I sympathise with your husband's work situation and not knowing if the work will continue or not. My income at the moment is sporadic to say the least and it makes budgeting very difficult. Getting your head out of the sand is a huge step forward and not for the faint-hearted so congratulations, you are doing it!

Best of luck with it all. I've subscribed.

Thank you so much for the kind words and support.

Between us we have been in and out of work/education the last few years and it has been a nightmare to be completely honest. I wish we could just have a steady income. The job he is working on right now is supposed to finish next Friday, however they are running slightly over.. BUT, it will only be a week or so - then who knows! My contract is a maternity cover and ends at Easter.... I have no idea what the future holds, so as much as I am trying my best to plan for it, it is pretty impossible :cool:

redmel1621

I am shattered. New job is hectic and I have so much information spinning around my head!!

Anyway, I had a nice little surprise from Lowell. I have been paying it far longer than I thought I had. One debt is paid off as of a couple of days ago (woohooo) and the other only has £198 left. I'm not sure where I got my previous figures of £520 and £120!! So that has just instantly wiped £440 off the total debt figure and is £10 less to pay a month....

List has been updated

GlendaSugarbean

That's fab news!

redmel1621

We went out, to the pub, with friends tonight (as we do most Fridays) However, we actually checked how much we were paying for drinks. We stuck with lager and found that Heineken is £3.67 per pint, Carling is £2.89 per pint and Fosters is £2.39 per pint... Such a difference between them.

We only had 3 pints each and stayed away from the cocktails, that normally cost £7 for 2. I know we are debt busting, but there is no way we can stay in every weekend. We stayed in last weekend. We've decided to try and only go out once or twice a month, rather than every weekend which is what we had got in the habit of doing.

We've come home and are having a Black Russian as we have the stuff in anyway.

I have had a hell of a week with having to email the deputy head at my son's school regarding their ridiculous new cycling policy, I have started a new job which has caused childcare issues and is a nightmare trying to learn a million things in an intensely short period of time, my FIL was admitted to hospital and has had a portion of his intestine removed and is also being tested for cancer, My own kids were back to school which means trips to pay for and tired grumpy children, my eldest son bought a motorbike which meant us collecting it for him and helping him to get insured and he only sat his CBT this week... he was due to start back at college this week and on his first journey out fell off his motorbike and scraped all the skin off his knee... Which meant he missed college and knackered his bike so now can't get to college very easily next week (or pick up his younger siblings) I also had a nightmare at work as I was on the wrong payscale and registered as still i'n training', even though I have passed my training year.... I have been so stressed I can't sleep and have been surviving on 4-5hrs of sleep a night.

I am going to cry if I don't sleep tonight. Hopefully a few more Black Russians will help.:beer:

redmel1621

Little more paid off the debts today. Although, they were just the regular monthly payments it all helps: £10 off each student loan debt.

Dh finally phoned the council to organise paying back the overpayment of £350, but they won't take less than £50pm. They are sending out a form to fill out to ask for them accept a lower amount. We had said we would stretch to £25pm but no joy.

I've been playing around with YNAB all morning, and part of the afternoon. I am not convinced by it, especially not for £85pa. I think I would rather use a nice, free spreadsheet, or good old pen and paper lol. I think I would be able to do the budget to £0 on paper just as easily (probably easier) as it is similar to how I used to budget many years ago.