Facing reality

CreditCardJunkie

Hi Sarah, well done keep going!
Great news on the emergency fund! I wouldn't be too hard on yourself about the purchases, we're all in need of a little lift at the moment I think! 

Sarahwithlove

And may is here. This year is going so quickly. Made some progress on the debt front. Its now below £10k which i am pleased about. My plan is to get rid of the RBS credit card first and then work on the tesco one. Once they are cleared I will tackle increasing my emergency fund. Unsure what to do about the loan to my dad, at present he is happy for me to repay at £100 per month. He says if anything happens to him before I've finished paying then so be it. I could keep doing the £100 and then do an over payment on my mortgage which charges me interest. I have some time to think about it though as probably going to be about 12 months before my credit cards are cleared. 

curlytop12

you have done great, just wanted to say well done! have you registered with a cashback site for online shopping/ house/car/pet insurances etc? I use topcashback but there are others too. 
I'm going to copy your idea of getting a 0% purchase CC.
I'm currently off sick and from last week, on half pay. I do have a small EF, but don't knw when I will be back at work. Great idea, just in case.

Sarahwithlove

curlytop12 said:

you have done great, just wanted to say well done! have you registered with a cashback site for online shopping/ house/car/pet insurances etc? I use topcashback but there are others too. 
I'm going to copy your idea of getting a 0% purchase CC.
I'm currently off sick and from last week, on half pay. I do have a small EF, but don't knw when I will be back at work. Great idea, just in case.

Thanks. I have a top cash back account. I have to admit I'm not that great at remembering to use it but when my car insurance comes up I certainly will!

I haven't had to use mine yet but its nice knowing its there if I need it. Have you had a look at your budget to see if you have anywhere you can cut back. What about payment holidays? Not ideal as you still get interest but if needed it might be worth considering 

Sarahwithlove

Not much is happening here. Still working from home. My housemate has finally applied for UC and has had a job offer so may be getting a wage again soon which will be helpful as at the moment I have been paying for food and she says she will pay me back but I have a feeling I may end up with a fight on my hands over what she is gonna be willing to pay for. She seems to have cut back her food 8n take down to breakfast and dinner only. Oh well I can't be doing with arguments about it all. I will just be glad when things get back to normal again. RBS card is coming down nicely and I'm hoping that I can make it to end of month before I need to get petrol. I have about a 1/3 of a tank left and only use it to go food shopping or to chemist which is less then 2 miles away. 

doingitanyway

Delurking to say: you are doing so well especially as your mum died not so long ago. 

Sarahwithlove

doingitanyway said:

Delurking to say: you are doing so well especially as your mum died not so long ago. 

Thank you it's been difficult but I'm coming through it. 

ryanm8655

Hey,

Just checking in and wanted to say well done I the progress.

Seen a few times the issue of your housemate eating your food and not paying their way. That seems pretty unacceptable to me. Are you saving much having them there? When I was sharing with a mate I used to sort bills etc. And I’d make a note of any additional purchases we needed to split and just send him a bill each month. Worked well for us but we were good mates and had the trust there.

Maybe you need to say, shall we do a joint shop and you pay half? 

Sarahwithlove

ryanm8655 said:

Hey,

Just checking in and wanted to say well done I the progress.

Seen a few times the issue of your housemate eating your food and not paying their way. That seems pretty unacceptable to me. Are you saving much having them there? When I was sharing with a mate I used to sort bills etc. And I’d make a note of any additional purchases we needed to split and just send him a bill each month. Worked well for us but we were good mates and had the trust there.

Maybe you need to say, shall we do a joint shop and you pay half? 

Thanks for dropping by. On the most part I am financially better off having her here and it makes me cook more than I used to so am eating better and having less takeaways. 

I'm keeping receipts this month and tracking how much she owes me and at start of month when she's been paid I will talk to her about paying me for her share of it. I struggle at the moment to put pressure on her because she isn't working as was made redundant so is having to borrow money off her dad. But part of me is also frustrated because I know how much money she has wasted over the last 6 months when she was earning 50% more than me with less bills to pay. It's made me realise how important it is to not live from month to month.
We used to split the main shop 50-50 but I would often do a top up shop of bread, milk etc and that's the bit I would struggle to get her share of. But lately in lockdown she's gone on a diet and only eats cereal for breakfast and her main meal in evening so she's being very picky about what she will and will not pay towards. So I need to be stricter about what I allow her to eat and if she wants anything else she can go buy it herself. 

SuperFrank88

Hi Sarah,

Thought I would stop by. How about you both do your own shopping and keep it is separate cupboards/shelves in the fridge? Seems a bit extreme but if she is taking the p*ss by being so picky after you have been so good to here over the months then so be it. I get that it must be hard to ask her for her share because she is out of work but that is not really a you problem. If she is having to rely on her dad for money now then it shows she has not been responsible, which again is not a you problem. You obviously have a big heart and are a good person but you should not go without.