Keeping afloat till I can get round to the debts!

NeverendingDMP

slm6002 said:

It is so frustrating that is for sure.  Can you be put on a waiting list for DH doctors just in case they take on any new patients?

Gonna try. Its every time at our GP this I wasn't surprised. Hoping she naturally recovers herself. Its no one's fault it's a country wide problem really isn't it but it's such a pain 

jwil

It's very frustrating isn't it.  It does vary so much gp to gp though as well.  I've (touch wood) never had an issue getting an appointment if I need one.  Definitely try a walk in centre if you've got one nearby.

NeverendingDMP

So it's Friday. Budget reset day as DH is paid weekly. And monthly destroys my motivation 😂 
I've joined the grocery challenge and I'm monitoring my spends this week by moving all the money allocated to a separate account. I've splurged and bought the kids new socks cos I've spent two weeks seeing them in tatty grey school socks and repeatedly hearing them say mummy I can't find any socks.... I've used my nectar points so it only really cost me six pounds. Such a  Depressing use of nectar points. Next time I save enough I need to get something for me.. probably socks too....
Child still Ill but now in a normal way ie has a normal cough/looks run down. Will still go to GP and will probably look like I'm wasting an apt someone else needs more but I want the Dr to hear me out and listen to child's chest as I'm still not certain all is fixed.

jwil

It's not a wasted appointment, you've waited long enough!

NeverendingDMP

Drs apt done. No rattles or concerns on her chest so I'm very relieved as I was hearing and feeling allsorts of noises there earlier this week. that means we are definitely on the back end of being sick. Dr queried whooping cough but I said none of it sounded like the Google recordings of it so she decided viral infection more than likely two at the same the time with the different symptoms as it progressed. DH is ill but so far rest of us have a mild version ans I have  nothing at all.

NeverendingDMP

Then a very spendy afternoon. New PE footwear, wellies for everyone for a school trip and more socks for them all... Used a voucher I got as a thankyou for staying with insurance company and the clothes budget for this week and next.
also bought a load of second hand books at a charity fair. Six pounds and double figures of books on the shelf. I will read them and once I've read a few donate them back again as we don't have room. I should get a couple of months out of these. And I recognized a few I think we had donated to them on the tables 😂, made me wonder though if books are now something that struggle to sell in a charity shop as this was a special event to clear out a backlog by the looks.of it and they had a good selection of all sorts. I could have bought loads more but my bag was full and the kids were getting antsy as  there section was mainly infants aged books. Shame really but they managed to buy themselves some random adult fact ones to look at instead

jwil

Good news about the Dr appointment.

Little miss and I had a mooch around a few charity shops looking for books a while back and there were loads of people looking at them, so they still seem to be in demand here.  Maybe they just had a glut to get rid of.

NeverendingDMP

Hopefully just a backlog then.it would be a shame if the written book has gone out of favour! Especially when they are already in existence 

Aimingforthegoodlife

Sounds like you have a really rough run recently. I hope the Schange DMP will be the answer, as others have said, having the EF will be the making of you, anything that comes up that can be paid in cash, stops any on the CC. So hard to get it all started though. I wonder if it would make sense to allow yourself and DH your own 'spends' budget. Therefore, he can buy his daily alcohol, spend that fiver, but once he spends his amount, he has to stop. Might help him to see more value in money. DH and I both put money into our 'house' account, then have our own spends as well. Just a thought, good luck

NeverendingDMP

Thanks aiming for the good life. Over the years I've tried many methods of budgeting and combining and separating the finances. The current finances which seems to be working ish (but isn't totally fair) is he pays 450 a week to me from his wage and keeps the rest. This at a guess is 100 a week plus any overtime. He endlessly promises extra if he does overtime for Xmas etc etc but I've learnt not to rely on it as something will always crop up and I won't get all that's promised. Murphy comes to visit as the Americans say. He then pays his own petrol, food for work and the pet insurance/pet plan cost the rest he seems to spend on beer/random life stuff that crops up.
I use that 450 along with my wage c benefit etc for all other costs normal to the family household. I budget myself 20 a week spends but that's activities with kids/overflow on food.....excessive amounts of books this week...ooops😂
450 sounds a lot but by the time You've done mortgage, council tax, food,gas electric and water for a family of five it gets used up fairly quick. 
The current budget I've set allows for the kids still to have swimming lessons and money to be set aside for haircuts,clothing,school trips etc etc I just have to be strict with it. I lost the plot somewhere over the last six months and ended up in a muddle and not keeping up with things. My e fund got evaporated a few times a long the way with cars, white goods and some other stuff. So yep e fund is key isn't it.