Learning to budget and taking control of my life.

Disney_Princess85

Had a bit of a sort out over the last couple of days.

I managed to sort some books to go to the charity shop which I am going to be dropping off later today. I've got some that I've sold on WebuyBooks ( managed to use a 10% extra code as well) and I've listed some more on a teaching group I'm on on FB in the hope that I will get a bit more for them. I've also listed a couple of old bags and purse on eBay in the hope of decluttering and raising a bit of extra cash.

I've managed to claim a £5 gift voucher I earned from a survey, so I've cashed that out as an amazon voucher and I've got that waiting in my account for either DD's birthday or I'll use it for Xmas.

Clearing stuff out is definitely cathartic. I had a bit of a sort out and rejig of DD's bedroom today so that looks tidier and as she was at school I didn't have her trying to keep everything!

Anyway I'm off to brave the rain and go to the charity shop before it closes.

Amber1980

Hiya, I also find getting rid of stuff very cathartic,makes me wonder how I ended up with so much in the first place!?😂
I dream of getting rid of everything and starting again but that’s not really realistic…
But I definitely feel calmer with less of everything around me, I too have been clearing out but I think I need to get more ruthless with it 😊😊

Disney_Princess85

Amber1980 said:

Hiya, I also find getting rid of stuff very cathartic,makes me wonder how I ended up with so much in the first place!?😂
I dream of getting rid of everything and starting again but that’s not really realistic…
But I definitely feel calmer with less of everything around me, I too have been clearing out but I think I need to get more ruthless with it 😊😊

Haha it's true isn't it. Although I enjoy the space for a bit and then inevitably it ends up being filled.

I am I'm awe of people who live really mimimalistically and frugally, but then I realise I could never do that. I just can't part with everything!

Disney_Princess85

So, I didn't manage to donate the books on Friday. The shop I normally use is close for a refurbished and I tried another one and they wouldn't accept books. So my book currently has 3 bags of books floating around in it. So that's my job on Monday.

Disney_Princess85

It's payday today so I've transferred all my money to my various pots so I feel organised for the month. I set up a Monzo account so that I can use that as my main spending account each month, I like the breakdown that it gives you of your spending so I'm hoping this will give me a better idea of what I'm spending each month. I'm currently not in work and I'm enjoying the time off until I start my new role which starts at the end of April. Whilst it's nice being off work I am very aware of how much money I'm spending. My default seems to be going to the shops and spending on stuff that I don't really need. I'm very much looking forward to starting my new job. In the mean time I'm hoping the Monzo account will help keep me a bit more on track.

I've reached my pay out on Populus Live or Y live as it's now called so I should have £50 coming my way in a couple of weeks as the next pay out is not until the beginning of April. I also reached threshold for Views bank so that will pay out in a couple of weeks so once I have both of those I'll have a further £62 for my daughters school stuff for next school year.

I've set myself the goal of clearing my DMP early. I'm overpaying it so I should have it finished by December rather than August next year as it says in my account which is very exciting and will mean that I can start putting more cash into my house fund. I've still got a while before I will be in a position to get a house as I have an account that refused to default me until quite late so I'll have about 3 years once the DMP is paid off before that final default is off my credit report. However it just means that I'll have an opportunity to save more cash and hopefully have a bigger deposit and all the cash I need for fees etc when I am ready to buy somewhere.

Disney_Princess85

Finally managed to get a load of stuff down to the charity shop today so the kitchen is looking less cluttered as I no longer have 5 bags of books and clothes lying around. Ive still got a few bits I need to send off once I've sold them which should clear a bit more space.

I've also done a few PA surveys today so hopefully by the end of the week I'll be able to cash out a reasonable amount. PA is definitely my fave survey site as I find the surveys actually interesting and they're not too long  I've done SwagBucks and Opinion outpost in the past, but I always get screened out on those and they seem to make you do quite a few questions before getting screened out which annoys me. Onepoll I have on my phone and the surveys are usually pretty short so don't take too long which I like.

WinterWarrior

A mortgage broker may find a way around a default as long as you have the deposit and finances. I don’t think that would be a deal breaker when the time comes.

Disney_Princess85

WinterWarrior said:

A mortgage broker may find a way around a default as long as you have the deposit and finances. I don’t think that would be a deal breaker when the time comes.

Thanks. I'll make sure I look at using a broker closer to the time.

Disney_Princess85

Sold some books on ziffit today. A grand total of £16 will be winging its way to me which will go to the house fund. 

I also got an email from the vets to say that they'd taken an extra payment for my pet care plan last month so  they are going to suspend the payment for April as I should get a payment free month once a year. So the money will go towards the house fund. It's only £10 but I've realised over the last couple of years that the small payments really do add up over time.

I did a shop yesterday and I've planned meals so hopefully I can avoid wasting money buying takeaway. I can slowly feel my attitude to food changing and I am getting slightly better at using up food rather than wasting it.  It's definitely needed in the current climate.