Facing reality 29 January 2020 at 7:43PM in Debt free diaries 766 replies 54.4K views

Lemon_Tree

Well done, I'm still working on getting away from putting stuff on the cc, we tend to use it then pay it off in full but over the last couple of years got too cc happy because we had to spend on the house we got used to spending again 

Sarahwithlove

Friday yay. Did a mini shop today as needed some odd bits £14 later. When will I learn that a little shop isn't a little shop. Also spent £5.99 on 24 cans of Pepsi max which I thought was better then me buying two a day at £1 a time. But then I have drunk like 6 cans today so then it doesn't work out money saving. Might have to ask my housemate to hide them and then restrict how many I have, or just gain a bit more self control. Off to pay the deposit tomorrow for afternoon tea which booking as part of my future sis in laws hen do so that's going to be £40 but at least I will get some of it back. Then it's football tomorrow afternoon for me so that should be only the train fare of like £2.50 so not too bad. Taken chicken out to make fajitas for dinner tomorrow and got some yellow sticker tea cakes for lunch tomorrow. I should still be able to make an overpayment at end of month providing nothing else unexpected comes up in terms of expenses. Although some of the activities I had budgeted for next month are likely to be paid for this month so it could be tight on the spending budget. It may be that I need to pay it this month and then cut the budget for next month to make the overpayment. Either way I want to make some headway even if it's an extra £50. 

Sarahwithlove

Lemon_Tree said:

Well done, I'm still working on getting away from putting stuff on the cc, we tend to use it then pay it off in full but over the last couple of years got too cc happy because we had to spend on the house we got used to spending again 

I know that's my worry so I have stopped carrying them and now that I have cleared two of them I am going to ring up and cancel them so hopefully should just be the two balance transfer ones to clear left over. 

Sarahwithlove

So I'm proud of myself today for no unexpected spends. I had to go pay the deposit today for the tea rooms we have booked for my future sister in laws hen which was £40. Half will pay for mine and her afternoon tea. Then other half I'll get back. Also paid £13.65 for my bowling which is the other part of her hen do. It's what she asked for. Then my train fare of £2.60 to go watch football, which we won yay. I got soaking wet and was freezing cold but I resisted buying any food or drink whilst I was out in town to pay the hen and when I was at football despite being hungry. I made myself go home and make lunch before football and then cook dinner after. Whereas before I probably would have brought both lunch and possibly a takeaway or something from burger van on way home and not even cared. Might have to do a top up shop tomorrow for vegetables for the week but hoping to keep it low by planning meals from freezer and cupboard. Just need fresh fruit And veg and then on Monday will grab a loaf from the bakery but I have some change can use for that. It's football again on Tuesday which I'm still waiting to hear from my cousin about whether we will meet for dinner beforehand. If we do I will find a voucher for somewhere and Monday I'm also getting mine and my friends tickets for an away game in March as well. Oops. But it's all been planned and I have enough in my spends for it still. And as I like to remind myself I don't smoke or drink or do drugs or anything like that. This is the one thing I love and we usually only go to one away game about once every other month on average. I really need to try and sort some stuff to sell on eBay and facebook, I have started doing surveys but find that prolific doesn't have that many at the moment and one poll, I get a couple a day to do but you have to build up so much to cash it out. I did make my first payment using zipzero to my energy bill of £2.80 so that's something 🤣

Sarahwithlove

I forgot to say I did a check of my credit report and closed my first direct credit card which haven't used for about 18 months. They had my old address on file from two addresses ago. I also closed one of my catalogue accounts and going to ring up and close my other one tomorrow. Again I haven't used them in ages but I want them off my file as the amount of available credit I have is ridiculous. Also waiting for my sofa finance to come off. Hopefully will show soon. I'm gonna ring up sainsburys tomorrow as well or Monday if not open and close that credit card as well. That should then leave me with my two balance transfer ones and my HSBC which is balance of zero and still 0% until August. I'm tempted to close that as well but worried that it might be too many closed at once. I was reading online that you're overall debt on cards should be about 25% of your available credit and spread over different cards to have a more favourable credit rating. Not sure how true that is. 

Lemon_Tree

Well done you're doing great, first time round I closed all my cards as I cleared them, now I just have one which we clear each month and I get cashback on,and one which is 0% that the kitchen went on. I ways said if we couldn't clear the monthly card I would ca celxut, but we've been clearing it via savings 😢 which wasn't the plan 

Sarahwithlove

Lemon_Tree said:

Well done you're doing great, first time round I closed all my cards as I cleared them, now I just have one which we clear each month and I get cashback on,and one which is 0% that the kitchen went on. I ways said if we couldn't clear the monthly card I would ca celxut, but we've been clearing it via savings 😢 which wasn't the plan 

Might be worth revisiting whether or not you want to keep the cashback one then. Is it worth it in terms of what you get back if you're not using it how you should be? I'm going to clear them all and once have emergency fund in place get rid of them. I did consider keeping my sainsburys one because you get nectar points but think if I keep any it will be the tesco as you get more for your money in terms of points 

Sarahwithlove

Sunday, funday. Went out for breakfast this morning with my housemate who paid for it so that was nice. She said it was a thank you for all I do for her. I basically cook all the time because she gets in from work so late and is out the door at same time I wake in the mornings. Then we did a mini food shop in Morrisons for some veg etc which need to remind her to send me her share of the cost. Cooked us roast pork and now chilling having a play with the budget as have a few things to pay for this week but it's all looking ok so far. I'm considering taking my personal spends allowance out as cash each week to try and see if that helps cut down on my spending on rubbish. Especially as I want to restrict how much I'm allowing myself. At the moment it's £50 a week which is excessive let's be honest. I'm thinking of giving myself £20 in cash and then saving the other £30 for odd bigger spends such as when have to buy a new 10 trip ferry ticket or for my additional football tickets and even my season ticket. I won't have enough saved for this years one but I figure I could effectively owe myself the difference and pay it back a little at time by saving up the cash left over each week from my £20 a week and pay it into my account once it's all saved up. It sounds like a good plan now that I have written it down. Hopefully it will stop me spending so much on junk food throughout the week and drinking so much Pepsi max. I will let you know how it goes. 

Sarahwithlove

Expensive day for me, managed get mine and my friends football tickets. Put them in HSBC card which is still 0% and transferred my share out of my spends account into my pending account whilst wait for it to show in the statement then will settle it. Hopefully have some of the other money from my friends by then as well. Usually they give it to me as cash when see them but I've asked if can be bank transferred this time into my pending account so its ready to pay it off and doesn't get spent on other things which is what usually happens when I get it as cash. Spent £3 in Morrisons on some chocolate, mints and 6 pack of Crisps which remainder is in cupboard for lunches this week. Decided it was better to buy a 6 pack for £1 rather than 1 pack for 85p. I also signed up for a nus apprentice card for my apprenticeship at work so that was £12.50 but will be worth that in discounts I will get throughout the year. Just waiting for it to be delivered and then going to look into the places it can be used.
Off out tomorrow with my nephew, taking him shopping to primark to spend remainder of his Xmas gift card. I'm going to look to see if can get a 2nd pair if thermal leggings for football days, and need some new pyjama bottoms. Giving myself a limit of £25 to spend from my clothes budget. Also hoping to persuade him to go for either subway or Nandos for lunch as I have vouchers for either. Then in evening it's football, meeting my cousin and a friend in spoons beforehand. At least its cheap food and drink. Hoping to keep it under £10 as already need to give her £10 for my ticket. Going to be tight for the rest of the month, especially as I have a massage booked in for Saturday which was unplanned but I've had a tension headache on and off for last two weeks which is usual sign I need one. It's been nearly 6 months since my last one which considering at one stage was having them twice a month is great. Just a shame its all at same time. The DD for RBS min payment came out today so taken that off my total, tesco doesn't come out until start of march so would have been paid again by then. Thank god next month is a council tax free month as its going to be another expensive one for me. 

floorspeed_2

 Sarahwithlove said:

Expensive day for me, managed get mine and my friends football tickets. Put them in HSBC card which is still 0% and transferred my share out of my spends account into my pending account whilst wait for it to show in the statement then will settle it. Hopefully have some of the other money from my friends by then as well. Usually they give it to me as cash when see them but I've asked if can be bank transferred this time into my pending account so its ready to pay it off and doesn't get spent on other things which is what usually happens when I get it as cash. Spent £3 in Morrisons on some chocolate, mints and 6 pack of Crisps which remainder is in cupboard for lunches this week. Decided it was better to buy a 6 pack for £1 rather than 1 pack for 85p. I also signed up for a nus apprentice card for my apprenticeship at work so that was £12.50 but will be worth that in discounts I will get throughout the year. Just waiting for it to be delivered and then going to look into the places it can be used.
Off out tomorrow with my nephew, taking him shopping to primark to spend remainder of his Xmas gift card. I'm going to look to see if can get a 2nd pair if thermal leggings for football days, and need some new pyjama bottoms. Giving myself a limit of £25 to spend from my clothes budget. Also hoping to persuade him to go for either subway or Nandos for lunch as I have vouchers for either. Then in evening it's football, meeting my cousin and a friend in spoons beforehand. At least its cheap food and drink. Hoping to keep it under £10 as already need to give her £10 for my ticket. Going to be tight for the rest of the month, especially as I have a massage booked in for Saturday which was unplanned but I've had a tension headache on and off for last two weeks which is usual sign I need one. It's been nearly 6 months since my last one which considering at one stage was having them twice a month is great. Just a shame its all at same time. The DD for RBS min payment came out today so taken that off my total, tesco doesn't come out until start of march so would have been paid again by then. Thank god next month is a council tax free month as its going to be another expensive one for me. 

Well done for being on top of events planned ahead with the budgeting, I hope you stick to them for your own goals. The only thing I can recommend maybe in regards to headaches and potential stress would be a APP I use called Headspace: meditation application which is downloadable on IOS/Apple/App Store I would assume it’s on android too. Might not help but it’s free up too a point and has helped ease my mind during stressful times which bring on headaches for myself.