Taking the scenic route from chaos to calm!!!

seahorsey

Good morning! Sneaking back in after a few days with my head buried in the sand. So, I’ve taken out another cc and transferred the Tesco balance. The card was a mess with various dates for 0% ending, the soonest the end of the month. Rather than just transfer the lump that was ending I’ve done the whole lot. I’m not sure my brain could cope with another card to service each month and the remainder of the year is going to be soooo tight. I realise that I’ve now been charged a transfer fee for debt that was still on 0% (and feel a wee bit sick at it tbh), but the debt is now 0% for 27 months which gives me ample time to pay off. The other card 0% runs out July 2020, so will need to transfer the remainder at that point (ideally on to the new card to keep it neater and easier to manage).

So current plan of action.....
1. Pay off Next (£58.18)
2. Pay off very 1 (£52.48)
3. Pay off very 2 (£363.48)
4. Pay off BC cc1 (£5842.33)
5. Pay of CC2 (tbc)
6. Pay off OD

I know that the OD should be higher up the list as it’s the only one other than next occurring interest at the moment. However, it’s the one I find hardest to do without during my DF journey. I’ve paid it off times, by adding it BT or paying it down, but when things get tight it’s always wrongly been my get out of jail card. At the moment it’s maxed out at the £650 mark. I have no desire to increase it. My plan is to decrease the limit by £100 each quarter until its paid off. I think weaning me off it gradually is the best way forward for me. Works out at a little over £1 a day plus the interest. Not sure if this makes sense to anyone else but it does to me :rotfl:

So priority 1 - Next. Going for the quick win here. £10 payment has been made yesterday (yet to come off total), plus another £12.60 this morning from overnight eBay sales. I have £25 gift card due from work (the award that HR and management had bigged up and wanted to present in front of everyone was for £25 :rotfl: can’t help but laugh but still better than nothing and nice all the same!). Also have £5 waiting to land in Paypal from receipt hog, so if my calculations are correct, just an additional £5.58 to find there.

I’m hoping DS birthday pressies are sorted now. Need to go through the stash with OH and decide what to give him for birthday and what to save for Christmas. Still need to sort party bags for the party though. Aiming for approx £30 to do 25 bags. Seen a nice box set of books on the book people website so will probably give each child a book and some sweets rather than plastic tat!!!

Right, best get ready to face the day! Have a good one x

seahorsey

Happy Monday everyone!

Definitely feels more Autumnal this morning - still dark when I got up and a definite gentle chill in the air. I love this time of year!

Turned out to be a spendy weekend. OH needed petrol and the food shop came in at a whopping £110 :eek: We had literally be running on empty after last weeks mini bargain shop. So I guess £140 over 2 weeks is still better than our usual £85 a week. Also had to buy pony feed, but this should last a couple of months.

Last week with DS before he starts preschool feeling very emotional about it, but excited for him at the same time. He’s more than ready and it will do him the world of good.

Right best get cracking - have a good one x

seahorsey

Morning!
Busy day at work yesterday, feeling physically drained at the minute - I could sleep for a week!

£5 eBay sale and £5 landed in Paypal from receipt hog, so that’s the next account paid off once my gift card arrives. Next target is Very account 1 with £52.45 left to pay. Would be good to also clear this before the end of the month fingers crossed.

Spoke to OH last night and Santa is going to bring DS a bike. His current one won’t last him a year, it’s ok at the mo but come spring it’ll be too small. It’s an expensive treat to have outside birthdays and Christmas so Santa’s going to bring it instead, even if it does mean he still uses his existing one for a few months. Will keep an eye out for bargains! Determined that Christmas will be sorted by the time December arrives :rotfl:

Nothing else to report really, so I’m off to spend time with my spreadsheets and planner before DS wakes up - such an exciting life :rotfl:

seahorsey

Good morning! I can’t believe how dark it is this morning - seasons are definitely turning.

Lovely though spendy family day out yesterday, had a fantastic day and we were all thoroughly shattered by the end of it - a great end to the summer.

The Next gift card arrived yesterday, so will pay that off when I’ve logged of here - that clears the Next account. The next focus is Very 1 which has £52.48 left to pay. Currently 0% til end of October. Would love to clear it this month ( though may not be possible in light of yesterday’s spends), but if not will comfortably be achieved next month.

As September has arrived my count down to Christmas has officially started (sorry :rotfl:). I’ve been buying bits all year round, but September marks my final push :j I’ve a rough idea of budget for the remaining pressies and will be crossing them gradually off my list. Really hoping to be organised this year and having DS at preschool for 2 mornings will defenitely help, especially when it comes to wrapping! Ordered a few bits that were on offer at boots yesterday, which has sorted 2 pressies out. When the points get added to my card I should have enough to sort another one for free! Also have £15 ish love to shop card from TCB so that should be at least another sorted free of charge :T . Plan is to be done for beginning of December so we can fully enjoy the festive season! Wish me luck!

seahorsey

Morning - another week, here we go!
Spendyish weekend, needed to get DS a few bits for preschool and food shop plus a leathal trip to Home Bargains (why oh why do I do it?). Going to have to be on best behaviour for the next 2 weeks.

Food shop wasn’t too bad - £68. We also got handed 2x £5 loyalty card vouchers, so hopefully next weeks should be pretty reasonable too. Batch cooked a load of mushroom soup from mushrooms that were due to be chucked and a load of jacket potatoes for the freezer, so should keep me going with lunches for a while.

Took advantage of a morning to myself yesterday and went for an 8.5 mile run. I’ve got a half marathon in 3 weeks time, determined to get round one way on another. Big confidence boost but come 7pm last night I was wiped out!

I have the week off this week to try and help get DS settled at preschool. I also have a list as long as your arm of things I want to get done around the house! Hopefully will get to use some time to get the house sorted so that it’s easy to maintain in my two mornings of freedom, that way I may be able to sneak a bit of “me” time without impacting the rest of the family.

Have a great week x

jwil

Have a good week

seahorsey

Thanks jwil.

So far so good with DS and preschool, he seems to be really enjoying it. He has been wide awake since 5am this morning so not quite sure how today will go. Beginning to feel a bit more in control at home too, so that’s a big bonus.

Money wise not much to report - 2 weeks until payday, just aiming to keep things steady until then. OH car goes in for a service this week. Fingers crossed all is ok, always get nervous when it comes to cars.

Right best go - I’m just waffling on now to keep myself accountable :rotfl:

seahorsey

Thanks jwil.

So far so good with DS and preschool, he seems to be really enjoying it. He has been wide awake since 5am this morning so not quite sure how today will go. Beginning to feel a bit more in control at home too, so that’s a big bonus.

Money wise not much to report - 2 weeks until payday, just aiming to keep things steady until then. OH car goes in for a service this week. Fingers crossed all is ok, always get nervous when it comes to cars.

Right best go - I’m just waffling on now to keep myself accountable :rotfl:

seahorsey

Morning - I’m sneaking back in.......

Things seem to have somewhat gone to pot and budget has been completely thrown. OH car was more expensive than first thought and I’ve now got all 4 of my fur babies on meds for life. With the meds has come blood tests etc so have had nearly £200 in vets fees plus the meds to sort :mad: Can’t complain really as over the last 10 years, the 3 newly medicated furry friends have barely cost me a penny in vets bills other than routine jabs and dental, the fourth on the other hand let’s no got there....... he’s pretty much responsible for one cc :rotfl:

The last week or so I’ve found myself feeling increasingly overwhelmed with the finances, house, work, health etc - everything I started this diary in order to address. We’ve got a lot of changes going off at work some for the better and others not so much so. I’m fully expecting things to get worse there before they get better and I need to safeguard my mental health so I don’t start spiralling.

So, plan of action.....
Finances
Just tick over until Christmas is out the way. I’ve got DS birthday, car mot and services and pony jabs and bloods to fund between now and then. Minimum payments to be made to cc’s and clear very account before interest kicks in. I’ll be eBaying like my life depends on it and meal planning to cut food costs. Any additional money will got towards much need emergency fund rather than debt repayments. Will update plan of action for 2020.

House
Use one morning whilst DS is at preschool to declutter. I’ve come to the conclusion I’m never going to get on top of things until clutter is out the way. DS has so many toys and it’s only going to get worse with birthday and Christmas coming up in the next few months. Clear out and eBay / fb things.

Health- mental and physical
Use one morning whilst DS is at preschool to exercise. Return to running for fun / mental well being once the half is out the way at the end of the month, removing the pressure of having to train. The Trello app is my new best friend - I’ve discovered it over the last few days and have used it to brain dump everything I need to get done. Feel a little lighter already thanks to it.

Right best get breakfast sorted. Have a great day x

[Deleted User]

Welcome back! Don't worry, we all veer off track every now and then - it's part of the journey! You seem like you've got a good plan in place now. Sometimes it's just about survival until we're in a better place to make bigger strides forward. Paying minimums and getting an emergency fund together sounds sensible - it's so helpful to not have to dip into the credit cards again!

I sympathise on the vet bills - my emergency fund had reached a comforting £700, then the dog needed £580 of vet treatment that isn't covered by his insurance - nightmare!!