A Little Advice Please

brednall

EssexHebridean wrote: »

Have you got Christmas budgeted for? If so then don't increase that now else that defeats the object! I'd suggest to transfer any surplus to either debt-busting or Emergency Fund - or even a split between the two?

Take a good look at the extra expenses that have come up aside from your budgeted amount too - were these things that were missing from the budget and that should be factored in for the future? or a situation where temptation struck and dragged you off the straight and narrow? If the latter then make sure you always practise the "stop and think" method - step away from the temptation and ask yourself whether you actually need the item in question, whether you have anything else that does the same job, or whether in fact you can manage perfectly well without it...

I have lots of loyalty points saved up which go towards Christmas and already bought a few bits & bobs plus Amazon vouchers saved up from surveys/apps etc. Every bit helps :rotfl:

EssexHebridean

So you plan to "do" christmas "cash neutral" just using your points/vouchers I take it? Great work!

brednall

Well my nectar points buy Christmas dinner and my boots points buy quite a few gifts plus Amazon vouchers go towards something for my children. Next year I am saving all points on all cards and apps purely towards Christmas!

brednall

So this week I have £15.64 left from my £100 withdrawn which has covered shopping fuel and other sundries. Do I save it for Christmas or pay off a CC debt??

enthusiasticsaver

Do you have any emergency savings?

You have made a good start in starting to live within a budget. Having an emergency fund is usually a good first step as is saving for things like Christmas and car maintenance, annual bills etc.

How much debt do you have and are you paying interest?

EssexHebridean

As above - if you have already budgeted for Christmas then pay off debt, if your current plan for christmas is to use credit to cover any shortfall, then use the saved money for Christmas. (And regardless, DON'T use credit to cover christmas costs - instead set a budget for what you can afford and only spend up to it - if that means less shiny things than people are used to, then tough.)

brednall

Well, my best laid plans have taken a hit today. Been for an asthma review and the nurse has issued another inhaler plus a spacer along with the prescription I'd already ordered so 3 prescription charges to pay later. I am wondering whether to get the pre-paid 3 month cert as I am sure at least one of my inhalers will need replacing before the 3 months is up??

Sanctioned_Parts_List

brednall wrote: »

Well, my best laid plans have taken a hit today.

Actually, this is a positive:

You'd saved some money, which meant you had it on hand to deal with an unexpected expense rather than having to reach for the CC. :T

KxMx

brednall wrote: »

Well, my best laid plans have taken a hit today. Been for an asthma review and the nurse has issued another inhaler plus a spacer along with the prescription I'd already ordered so 3 prescription charges to pay later. I am wondering whether to get the pre-paid 3 month cert as I am sure at least one of my inhalers will need replacing before the 3 months is up??

I would definitely recommend a pre paid yearly certificate.

10 monthly DD payments of £10.40 and you're then covered for every prescription, repeat planned and one off unplanned. Works out at £2 a week.

Even if it doesn't pay for itself in monetary value, it's worth it IMO for peace of mind budget wise that everything is covered.

EssexHebridean

Get the pre-paid certificate! I use the three-monthly ones and then "play the system" a bit with the allowances on how often you can order a repeat. Basically you only need to get 4 prescriptions inside the 3 months to make it worthwhile - anything more than that you can get in as well just increases the value. So I ensure I order on the date I'm allowed to each month while I have the certificate to build up a bit of a stock, then I have a couple of months with no certificate but only needing one prescription at the most, if you see what I mean. If you have multiple medications it can work very well. For me it works out more cost effective to do it that way than having the annual certificate.

You don't have to wait for a card to come through the post any more either so if you order it online to start today (or whichever day you plan to collect the prescription) then you'll be able to print it off and use it for the three you've ordered.