Let's face the music and dance...

Starbrite

It has been all go here the last week, did a full week at work so will get a full weeks (minus tax etc) pay next week. Also received some unexpected but very welcomed working tax credits today. The pay I received for over Christmas ( I do not get paid for bank hols) barley covers the rent, council tax and a bill or two!

Having realised after not being paid last week, I need a back up fund, a emergency pot, I joined the group for saving such a thing. I have put half of the unexpected working tax credit into the account, even renamed a redundant savings account in my online banking to 'Emergency Fund', so I know what the money is for

Paid the usual bills, rent, weekly percentage of council tax, water and three debts: Wescott £5.00, Intrum £1.00 and Tescos c/c £15.00. New balances Wescott 2,880.00 Intrum 3,025.00 tescos c/c 1,200.00.

I am the tortoise in the race, but I hope to clear the tescos debt by May 2021

Drawingaline

Well done on prioritising an emergency fund!

Starbrite

Drawingaline said:

Well done on prioritising an emergency fund!

Thank you, It does seen odd to be 'saving' rather than pumping money onto the credit card. But I do understand the rational of having an emergency fund

Starbrite

Payday tomorrow whoop whoop, Still on emergency tax and I will be receiving a back dated WTD payment to my surprise. One week my pay will be 100% correct and I will know the amount I earn after tax ni pension etc thus making budgeting easier!

Had a 'leftover' £10.00 in the bank I put £9.00 onto the very account and put £1.00 in a redundant account I have named HOLIDAY! hopefully by time covid has gone away I will have a few pennies to put towards a day/weekend away. Trying to get the work/bills/life balance going

Starbrite

All exciting here today!

Finally the tax man has refunded me my tax so that has gone into the emergency fund bring the total to £625.49. Hopefully next week for first time since starting my job end of November my pay will be correct! one can hope

I have also paid the usual bills, rent, council tax the final payment for the year, and paid mum back some money I borrowed. Have also put £20.00 onto the very account. I also opened a Help to Save account the other day, and put £25 into there too, will put £25 in next week too. and paid £10 on the tescos credit card, balance is now £1,175.00. Slowly getting there

beanielou

All good then   

Starbrite

beanielou said:

All good then   

So far so good, and it feels great to be earning and able to put a few pennies away too

Thank you Xx

Starbrite

Woo hoo payday once again, no council tax to pay too whoop whoop... until April

Put the £31.00 I'd normally pay on CT to the Very account, £20 onto the credit card, £25 into the help to save account.

Brought some eat well for less cookbooks this week from Lidl, and have been cooking out of them. The recipes are so easy yummy and cheap! have been meal planing to a new level. Always take my own lunch into work, usually a left over of some sort! I have shifted my priorities from paying of the debts to saving for an emergency fund, I have £701.04 saved at the moment and just having this in an account is making me feel more secure than I was! Yes this time last year I pumped every single penny into the rent arrears, and cleared it, but I felt like I was poor all the time. So learning form this and going for the slow plod until I have 1,000 in the emergency pot

Starbrite

Turns out I have £101.92 left on the council tax for this year, last month they told me it was all paid! wish they would make their minds up. So divided this by 3 and paid £34.00 today.

Going to be tight next week as only worked three days this week, due to a plumber coming to fix the unequal water pressure I have been experiencing in the bathroom. Paid all the usual bills, still taking own lunch into work and plodding along. Kinda glad about lockdown that I don't have to make excuses as to why I cannot go out socialising due to lack of funds. 

This time next year I hope to be better off and in less debt!

Starbrite

Day before pay day and I had £18.49 left in the bank account! so I have just put this into the savings account and now have £740.00 in the emergency fund. I did toy with paying it onto the credit card or Very account, but the savings won!

Rather pleased I have a very small savings pot and know if my job comes to an end I can cover the bills for a month