2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

chickchick82

wow wish i had known about this b4

dND

Hi bails,

My dad just phoned me up to say he needs to reorder his oil and did I know anywhere cheaper - I offered (again) on Mothers Day to overhaul their finances and he actually listened this time it seems The thing was it needed to be ordered TODAY as they're very low! Still, I did manage to get them a cheaper deal (although perhaps not the best :rolleyes:). At least the message is trickling through though...

Sometimes the people who need MSE most are those who won't look at it. I have a friend like that but persistence is working. She reads the newsletter now - I know because she's started to tell me what's in it and I take that as a huge step forward.

You can't force people can you but a good nudge every so often does seem to work:D

bails

Tryingtodobetter, it'll probably come any day now, I always get my payouts in the first week. The beginning of the month was a weekend so that may throw things out a few days.
Chickchick, welcome, and if you're keen to join in, it's not too late

grandma247

I paid my mortgage payment as usual over the phone yesterday and got chatting to the person on the other end.It seems that not only can I pay by standing order weekly but I can overpay by any amount I like as there are no penalties.
I have decided (after consulting with OH) I will pay £80 a week as opposed to £65 which would be normal payment roughly. That alone would mean it would be paid off in just over 5 years. I have also made a paper mache cash cow for any spare money I have and will pay that in as a lump sum when I can't get anymore in it.
I could not have contemplated this without all the wonderful advice and encouragement on MSE and especially this thread.
My husband earns just over £11,000 a year and I earn about £240 a month plus about £30 a week from two little jobs i do and we get wtc, ch tax credit and ch ben. So we should be able to cope.
I will keep reading this thread and others to keep me motivated and am going to put a graph on the wall so I can see it.

whitewing

I've been lurking this morning but didn't have much to say. But now you're all being so cheerful that I'm excited all over again by the challenge.

Grandma, I'd prefer your mortgage to mine, if it's going to be paid off in 5 years. Mine's sooooo far off that it's not even worth thinking about. Won't stop me making overpayments though.

Everything in my life seems to be on hold for something or other at the moment, but hopefully it means that April will be glorious!

grandma247

Whitewing
It has taken me more than a year to get to this point. Our mortgage was not very big by standards in most other places but we bought almost four years ago just before the boom for £22,000 plus loans for essential works etc so it ended up at £27,00. We now owe just over £23,000. We had six months of living on half pay when my husbands company lost a contract he was working on so it was hard but we got through it but it was a wake up call.
I am a bit edgy when I hear talk of recession because we lost our last home we were buying during the Thatcher fiasco. started the morgage with income of £600 a week and mortgage of £500 a month and by the time we left the income had dropped to £300 a week and the mortgage had rocketed to £900 a month. We had'nt a hope.

Mollymop5

Afternoon everyone,
I purchase wine as part of my grocery budget.I sometimes have a bottle over the weekend when my kids are away.I tend to buy it when theres an offer.Asda are good at the moment This is my treat.I don't smoke or go out so feel I deserve it.
I haad to spend £5 on busfares today.I'm vounteering at local primary school to build up some work skills.It's my choice therefore I fund it.I didn't know the busfares were going to be this much though.It's only 4 miles away in the next village but there isn't a safe foot path or bicycle lane to use to get there or I'd consider walking. oh well rant over

MarkyMarkD

Mollymop Volunteering is great. I've done some primary school volunteering, but gave up relatively recently because of work pressures - I was doing it in half work time and half lunch time, as part of a work-sponsored scheme called "Right to Read".

It's good to feel that you are putting something into the local community.

Like you, though, we had to fund our own travel and I had to go around 4-5 miles each way to get to the school we volunteered at.

Mollymop5

Thanks MarkymarkD.I'm enjoying it. I could volunteer in my daughters school in the village but find this compromises me, as other parents ask me how their kids are doing ect and there are confidentiality issues!
I'm on a benefits and feel this gives a little bit back and hopefully will give me the experience I need to apply for positions as a teaching assisatant.I've been out of work 5 years now and Know I am capable but I need a confidence boost

mumzyof2

Afternoon all, I have spent today £5.48 which 20p of that was given to my son for him tidying his room yesterday..with that he going to save them all up for his hols...He will only have about £5 but im stull guna change it to euros in 4 weeks time.