Third time's a charm!

twiggy86

Happy Monday! 

I'm back from a lovely but very spendy weekend!

I ended up going to a local festival thing with my brother and nephews on Friday evening - spent £34.40, which included something for dinner and a ride for both nephews. Don't begrudge any of this though as was lovely spending time with the them. 

Me and OH were then discussing going there and meeting some friends on Saturday - however the tickets would have cost £17 each (brother bought family ticket for Friday night so that didn't cost me anything). So instead we drove to a local beauty spot and had some lunch and a walk instead. We then sat in a pub garden in the sunshine and had a few non-alcoholic drinks. With parking and everything we spent £53.40!!! More than I would have hoped but less than if we'd gone to the festival! OH has said he will give me half towards this as he forgot to take his card - so I must chase him on that one! 

Yesterday I then went up my parents for a few hours - this activity was free and I came away with a cucumber and some tomatoes! (All grown by my dad!) So this day wasn't spendy (thank god!)

So jumping ahead to September - my birthday month - I have decided to throw myself a "birthday month"! I hate birthdays but then equally I don't do anything to make it special! So for September I am planning to schedule lots of dates with friends and fun things! So I was looking at local event locations (can't think what else to call them!) to see if there was anything I fancied (although not everything will be expensive or even involve spending!). Well it is OH's birthday 2 days after mine and I saw an evening with one of his few "hero's" at a local place. So I ended up buying two tickets for the evening including a meet and greet - so that cost nearly £185!!! It's gone on my CC for now (I know, I know!!!) as I haven't got nearly enough in my "birthday savings pot"!!! With my Xmas pot and birthday pot together, I could cover this - but then I'd be back to zero for Xmas! Need to have a more indepth look at the budget to see what is best to do! 

So as I said - very spendy already and we've only just got to the first of the month today!!!!

twiggy86

So today I have completely paid off the TV!!! 

As I said I am having a "birthday month" (I sound so up my own rear end saying that!) I want to give myself a bit of extra spending money for the month - well if I paid the £400 I had intended to pay this month, it would mean paying the last £185 next month. So when I was re-looking at my numbers to account for the tickets, I decided to re-shuffle some money and clear the TV this month. That may not make sense to anyone else but for some reason it felt right to me. However I have also paid £80 towards the tickets - leaving the last £105 to find, which I would like to clear in addition to my other payments this month. 

I did complete my leafleting round this week, so that's £45 to come in. However, my new spreadsheet has a "predicted" budget (i.e. what I would like to put into my "pots" based on what I expect to receive), which already accounts for this. Well actually I've set myself the goal of making an extra £100 this month and so have included that amount in my expected income, i.e. that £45 is already accounted for so can't throw it at the card! I'm also doing a car boot on Sunday so that will helpfully make me a few pennies and given that we're only on the 4th of the month, hopefully I'll be offered another load of leaflets! I also have £5 reward from my bank account due around the 12th and I've claimed £3.40 from TCB. Fingers crossed all these bits and pieces take me over the £100!!!

Squirrelz92

WOOOOOOOOOO!!! That's amazing Twiggy86! Congrats on paying the TV off! The idea of a birthday month sounds awesome doing lots of little fun things instead of one big bash. x

twiggy86

Thanks @Squirrelz92 - definitely feels good to have a debt gone!!! That's the plan - lots of little things to enjoy! I never organise a party as don't like being the centre of attention and also fear of no one turning up, therefore I never really do anything to celebrate. So trying something different this year! 

twiggy86

I have made a couple more debt payments - £100 to my parents and £75 off MBNA. And I realise I have officially decreased my debt to under £15k!! And also paid off a difference of over £3k!! (Well £3,000.55 to be precise!!!) Plus I have another £95 to pay in "minimum" payments this month (a few pounds above the actual minimum due) - this is already stashed away waiting to be paid. Then the extra for the tickets to find! 

Actually I have been on an online chat with bank this morning as the tickets are showing as a duplicate in my online banking - one transaction completed and the other as pending! Apparently they have until the end of today to claim and if not it will automatically disappear. Hopefully that happens as otherwise I will have to raise a dispute to get it back! 

Squirrelz92

That's incredible @twiggy86, I am so happy for you entering the 14k bracket 🎉 Such amazing progress! 

twiggy86

Thanks @Squirrelz92 - shame it's still such a big number but mentally it feels so much better to be in a new bracket as well as having a debt wiped out this week too! 

Lizzybop

Have just spent some time reading through your Diary, and wanted to say well done with all your debt busting efforts.

And I thought I was the only one who avoids throwing parties due to a fear of no-one turning up!  I'm also a spreadsheet freak 

Keep going, it will be worth it x

twiggy86

Well done for reading through my waffle @Lizzybop! And thanks for commenting too - I'm an awful one of just lurking in the background on others diaries, but knowing others are reading does help keep me accountable! 

I had a lovely and frugal weekend! Only "unnecessary" expense (I think - I haven't yet noted everything in my spreadsheet!) was 4 bottles of beer from the shop!

We met some friends down the beach on Saturday and avoided buying an ice cream! We (well OH actually) bought a meal deal from Mr T on the way and then parked for free and walked down. So I spent nothing but had a lovely day! 

Yesterday morning I did a car boot - only actually made £10.50 though!!! However my friend made over £50 and if I hadn't been selling I would have gone to keep her company anyway (she kept me company last time I did one), so I guess it was worth it! It did also convert some change I had been accumulating (to put aside for change for the car boot) into "meaningful" money which I can put in the bank. (Maybe I can put that towards the tickets once it's in the bank?) I came via my parents and picked up some homemade potato salad and some tomatoes and a cucumber my dad grew! Despite OH making noises about going out for something to eat (not that he had any money to pay) I refused and we had slow cooked gammon instead! 

Oh and also that duplicate transaction disappeared so pleased I haven't got the chase that up! 

Lizzybop

we had slow cooked gammon instead! 

Slow cooked gammon yummy.  Do you cook in cola? (cheap supermarket is fine)