Trying not to get into more debt

Toonie

savingholmes said:

Good luck on your journey.

How much debt are you trying to tackle? Are you job hunting? Do you have a plan?

Thanks

I have just over £3000 of debt at present on a 0% card. I'm have been job hunting but due to my leg injury it is tricky as I work in early years education. My current plan is to keep on asking about the referrals to see what is going on health-wise, I've put in a claim for ESA which I'll hopefully hear about by the end of next week, and I'm looking around the house to work out if there is anything that can be decluttered and sold, I've also signed up for a free CPD course to do with children and mental health and I'm looking to see if there any other things I can sign up for.

I've always been fairly frugal and so when I found out I would be losing my job I made the decision to pay the minimum on my credit card and use my wages to save a buffer fund to pay for bills. As the debt is currently not accruing interest I thought this would be my best option.

savingholmes

Good plan. Can you transition to a more office based role at a council? Perhaps doing something different but related?

Toonie

I'm hoping to find a role which uses my talents but doesn't need as much physical interaction, but currently it's hard going as the injury is quite bad and so I'm a bit fuzzy headed. I think that's one of the reasons I decided to make a diary.

NSD again yesterday and today as I didn't fee up to going to the shops as my pain levels were high and the instability in my knee was very bad. I hate going to the shops on the weekend so new trainers will wait until Monday or Tuesday.

Toonie

The weekend was spend free, but today has not been, though they were all planned or necessary.

I managed to get some trainers and they were on sale, so £38 which isn't too bad. Shoes are one of the few things I won't scrimp on as (normally) I do a lot of walking and when at work I'm on my feet a lot. So to find my preferred trainers, in my awkward size (7.5) marked down by £17 was a good result.

As I'd paid to get the bus into town and I'd be paying for the return journey I also decided to go into the pound shop and I was able to pick up toothpaste and soap which we hadn't managed to get in Sainsbury but got the last ones on the shelf (so £2 there).

Lastly I went to Lidl to get some food for the week ahead and spent just under £15 on fruit, veg, eggs, nuts, and dried fruit.

I'm now relaxing with a brew before making myself a chicken salad with leftovers from yesterday. Later, I'm going to make steak bakes as my DP mentioned them over the weekend as a favourite lunch when he used to work in town, so there is beef merrily stewing away and I got some puff pastry out the freezer, I'll serve them with chips for supper.

So £54.69 spent today but no more spends planned until Thursday when I finally go for a scan to see what's going on with the dodgy leg.

savingholmes

Hope scan gives you some answers

Toonie

savingholmes said:

Hope scan gives you some answers

Unfortunately the scan has had to be rebooked as the MRI machine has broken down, so I have another two weeks to wait. I do have an ultrasound scan on my knee on Saturday but my GP isn't sure whether that will actually show what the problem is.

No spends forecast until Saturday, I'll catch a bus to the medical centre, then as it's close by to the Aldi we shop at, my DP is going to meet me there after the scan and we'll do our store cupboard stock up. This means I'll spend some of today going through the cupboard and checking what we need, and work out a vague menu plan so we can buy meat for most of the month ahead (which will be a five week month for us so possibly will need to get some as the month goes on as we have a small freezer).

savingholmes

Sorry your scan was delayed... 
Well done on meal planning it does help. I completely messed up this month as I just bought what I fancied - and too much of it!! Think will need to go back to online shopping - I can't be trusted in shops!!

Toonie

Well, given the current panic buying fuel crisis we decided not to go to Aldi as the roads are gridlocked locally with people trying to get fuel. We've instead decided that we will stretch out what we have and DP is going to walk around to the corner shop and pick up bread, tomatoes, and some fruit and that will sort him out for work lunches along with the bits we still have indoors, and I will use what we have lurking in the cupboard and freezer (I see at least one fish finger sandwich in my future!). Evening meals may be a little repetitive, as we only have pork chops and beef mince left in the freezer.

Whilst going to that shop is costlier than a supermarket, without using the car, we'd be paying £6.20 for bus fare as well as whatever we were going to buy from the shop. So, we'll plan a stock up shop for next week instead.

savingholmes

If you can make your food cupboards stretch that's worth it. Hope the rest of your week goes smoothly

Toonie

The week was mostly spend free. Due to the ongoing fuel issue locally (DP still hasn't been able to get petrol) we've done an online order from Sainsbury to come on Tuesday. £57.18 which is obviously more than I'd usually spend but I need to balance spending money and pain from my leg which unfortunately means I'm just not able to carry home the shopping.

Otherwise no spends this week and none planned until Thursday when I have my rebooked MRI scan.