“Debt is normal. Be weird.”

MrsMe

Hi BG,

I've been following your diary but this is the first time I've posted.

Just wanted to pop on and let you know that TopCashback have some good cashback deals on SIM only contracts at the minute. I've just purchased one for £8 (unlimited calls & texts +8GB data from 3) with £40 cashback. It'll take an age to come through but will come in handy when it does!

You've taken some really positive steps so far. Good luck with your journey, I'll be following you and will pop on from time to time to cheer you on :beer:

MidsHollie

Hey BG,
I've done some similar things to you recently: continually cutting down my CC limits (don't really have an OD) and selling what I can. I've cancelled audible, and every now and again toy with cancelling Netflix. What I will do next time its up for renewal though is consider not using Virgin for TV, BB & phone, as I could just use catch up services for the little amount I watch TV, and it all adds up when you include the licence fee.
I love the sacrifice you'd make for your kids You are smashing your debt!

browneyed_girl

MidsHollie wrote: »

Hey BG,
I've done some similar things to you recently: continually cutting down my CC limits (don't really have an OD) and selling what I can. I've cancelled audible, and every now and again toy with cancelling Netflix. What I will do next time its up for renewal though is consider not using Virgin for TV, BB & phone, as I could just use catch up services for the little amount I watch TV, and it all adds up when you include the licence fee.
I love the sacrifice you'd make for your kids You are smashing your debt!

Thanks for the support . I realised we were paying over £50 for TV license, Sky and Netflix - really not worth it and more TV than we could ever watch! I think catch-up and streaming services are the way of the future - soon Sky and Virgin will be almost obsolete. Good luck with your own plans when the time comes! And yes, I would give up everything for my kids without a second thought. I’m sure every parent would do the same .

MrsMe wrote: »

Hi BG,

I've been following your diary but this is the first time I've posted.

Just wanted to pop on and let you know that TopCashback have some good cashback deals on SIM only contracts at the minute. I've just purchased one for £8 (unlimited calls & texts +8GB data from 3) with £40 cashback. It'll take an age to come through but will come in handy when it does!

You've taken some really positive steps so far. Good luck with your journey, I'll be following you and will pop on from time to time to cheer you on :beer:

Thanks for the advice and support! I love TCB so will definitely check those plans you’ve mentioned - sounds like you got a great deal! I add all my cashback to my emergency fund, which has taken a battering recently. Would be great to have more to add to it .

browneyed_girl

Lovely day at home with the kids today. DD3 has recovered from chickenpox and (rather bizarrely) none of the other children have had even a single spot. Not sure what’s going on there... :think:

Managed to get a lot of housework done today. There will be more tomorrow (isn’t it annoying that it never stays done?!), but for now I can relax knowing I have a (mostly) tidy house and only half a mountain of laundry to finish tomorrow . Also put together a meal plan for next week and made the most of leftovers to stretch out what’s left in the cupboards to last until shopping on Monday.

Best money-saving task today has been cutting DD1’s and DD2’s hair myself. Local hairdresser charges £7 for each, so £14 saved :j. Luckily, they both have long hair and want to keep it that way, as a basic trim is about my limit. Going to have to watch some more instructional videos to prepare for when DS needs a cut.

Just realised whilst typing this that today has been a NSD :j:j:j:j:j. There is very little that makes me happier these days!!

browneyed_girl

Very nearly had another NSD...then DH had to put fuel in the family car in order to pick up some dining chairs. Boo for failed NSD, but yay(!) for free chairs...overall, I think we’re still winning .

DH has made some sales today on FB totalling £72 :T. Going to put this towards Very as still needing to clear another £330 this month to avoid any interest. I also made a few £s from surveys - not nearly as impressive, but it all adds up!

Start of a new week tomorrow, so will start again with £120 budget. Have noticed some change left over from this week but not counted it yet - will be adding it to the sealed pot.

Has been a pretty uneventful day otherwise - not always a bad thing! Now I just need to get DS sleeping through the night consistently and I’ll be blissfully happy! Problem is that he’s such a mummy’s boy that if he wakes up he won’t settle again without me. DD2 and DD3 both slept through the night from 6 weeks old, so it’s probably the universe deciding I’ve had it too easy up to this point!

browneyed_girl

Morning all! :wave:

Turns out I spoke too soon re: the chickenpox situation. DD1 and DD2 all ready for school, about to step outside the front door...then noticed a red spot on DD1’s neck. On further inspection, she has about a dozen more across her torso :doh:. DD2 still seems fine and DD1 was really disappointed to have to stay home from school. Not sure it has anything to do with school, more that she was due to go out with her “boyfriend” after school on Wednesday. Yep, 9 years old and her first official boyfriend. DH took them out together after school last week for their first “date” (yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds). They went for dinner at our local family pub and apparently couldn’t stop smiling at each other! The boyfriend also announced that since “dating” DD1, he has chosen to be vegetarian like her (confirmed by his mum), which is just about the cutest thing of all time ever!! At the end of the evening, DD1 gave him a kiss on the cheek and they held hands whilst walking back to his house. I know - total cuteness overload, right?! :happyhear

Anyway, back to the topic of money....DH is due to do the main grocery shop today. Will be at Ald! but know already that some things will have to be bought at Mr T, so likely another smaller shop due tomorrow. I have managed £3.06 from surveys this morning - will soon have another £10 ready to add to emergency fund .

Wrapped some presents for nieces and nephew (all have birthdays in the next few weeks) that I had bought a while ago when I spotted some good bargains. All presents are less than £8, but are each perfect for them and look more expensive than they are - winning!! :T. Also managed to wrap them in paper that I had saved from gifted items. It gives me soooo much satisfaction to remove it carefully so as to be able to use it again, but I imagine it’s agonising for anyone watching! :rotfl:

Not got much else planned for the day. Need to clean the chairs that DH picked up yesterday, chop some wood, keep an eye out for more surveys, find something to keep DD1 busy...oh, and complete work from home today. Almost forgot that one. Clearly wishful thinking on my part!

browneyed_girl

Took the chance to update my spreadsheets this evening as loan payments come out at the beginning of the month. Combined with the extra payments made to Very, we’ve knocked another £1100 off our total debt in the last month alone! :dance::j:dance:

Feel like we’re back on track but hoping to do even better next month. Scrimping to the extreme!! :A

savingholmes

Well done on the debt repayments. Hope the kids recover quickly from chickenpox. Better for them to get it young

darrannah

sorry to hear about the kids, but I suppose its best they get it now rather than later in life congrats on the debt busting, thats some going

browneyed_girl

savingholmes wrote: »

Well done on the debt repayments. Hope the kids recover quickly from chickenpox. Better for them to get it young

darrannah wrote: »

sorry to hear about the kids, but I suppose its best they get it now rather than later in life congrats on the debt busting, thats some going

Aw, thanks! Thankfully DD1 is well in herself, but getting her to stop scratching is a full-time job!

Not much achieved today on the money-saving front due to being at work, but it has been a NSD so far for me as I remembered to bring lunch in from home. Nothing necessary for DH to buy either, so hoping he’ll tell me the same when I get home this evening.

Late last night though I did finally complete an online tax reclaim for professional fees over the past 4 years. Always put this off because it didn’t seem worth it and I imagined it would take ages, but the process was actually incredibly easy so can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner! I calculated that I’ve spent just under £2000 on such fees, so hoping that this means I’ll have something due back. Thought I’d check my personal tax account via government gateway to see if any information about my claim was available but didn’t see anything related to it on there. Once I submitted the form, it did say I would receive an outcome via letter, but shouldn’t my account at least register the submitted claim?? Having not really used the account before, I’m not sure but am worried that it didn’t submit properly and thinking about completing another claim. Am I just being silly and paranoid?! Hmm...enough time fretting. Back to work...