Dilemma, Dilemma, Dilemma

Queen_of_the_Hive

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895054#Comment_81895054

We really did, it was a lovely time.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Monday has come around again so fast!

I have been off my diet and haven't been eating the best. I do confess I ate a LOT of chocolate yesterday but did enjoy it so rather than feel guilty just putting it down as a one off. Today am back on the fast and have been up and out for my morning walk. Want to get back into C25K too. Was doing well but the weather has been dreadful and I got lazy! But this week weather is looking much better so no excuses to get out.

Fri is payday and am needing to seriously review this months outgoings as am expecting my salary to be very little due to the incorrect pay in Jan. I've got some cash put aside to top up with but its frankly a pants situ. Main breadwinner on a part time salary now paying back being overpaid :( . I have tried really hard to be frugal esp over half term but its challenging.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Happy Friday,

Its payday and its as bad as expected. Spoke to my good friend at work yesterday and she's been worried about me enough to send me a lovely message this morning to check i'm ok. I've talked to her before about my money worries and she's shared her's too. I'm determined to not let it put me in a bad mood that it did in Jan. Will use the savings pot and look at this positively rather than negatively. Main one being we are def being more thoughtful in our spending, making use of 'magic bags', cashback apps and giftcards etc. I was celebrating yesterday getting 20p in Sprive. OH gets a bit annoyed but knowing from experience the little and often is how we will get through hard times.

Prolific surveys have come up trumps. I was quite low down on my £25 p/m target for Prolific yesterday morning but 2 good surveys came in and boom now upto £20. I've had a few smaller paying ones so far and slowly edging close to the £25 target for Feb.

This weekend we are not doing much as next weekend we are back in the city with the kids. We are going on a Haven weekend to celebrate OH birthday. Last year we were in Leeds General for the start of a major medical treatment so we are very much glad to be doing something a lot more fun!! Packing is going to be a bit of a nightmare we have either a very large bright pink suitcase or a very small one and as we need to take towels so me is leaning towards the large pink one. Oh well!

debtfreewannabe321

We used back packs when we went on holiday. Could you use the small one and perhaps back packs too instead of a great big one? I've Also borrowed from friends before when going away so I've not had to buy new luggage. Hope you have a good time away next week though 😁 I haven't been to haven in about fifteen years - and it rained the whole time we were there which was annoying 🙈.

Sorry your pay isn't as good as you hoped. Are you entitled to any benefit to top your wage up?

peb

Is it worth checking charity shops for suitcases? Speaking as someone who has a just not quite right one used once which is being dropped off shortly?

Queen_of_the_Hive

White Rabbits! Happy 1st March! Happy St David's day!

Yesterday started as a bit of a dull day and ended quite unexpectidly bright! It was a lovely day. The day started with myself and OH waking up at silly o'clock and conversation quickly moved to a tricky row / heart to heart & sleep wasn't going to happen. After grumpy face from both sides, we needed a "pick me up" so OH suggested we should go for breakfast at the cafe. By the time we got ourselves organised it was late morning. The cafe was very busy and I eneded up getting roped in to help with the washing up! I get on really well with the ladies that run the cafe and we had a bit of a laugh and they were very greatful for the help. I was glad of the compay and the banter. We ended the shift, enjoyed a well earned cuppa and joined in their little treat of scratchcards. Mine didn't win anything but a couple of them did & it added £8 to the cafe's pot for future scratchcards.

We popped into T*sco on the way home and treated myself to a well needed pair of mock sheepskin slippers for £8 in the sale, bought youngest some reduced thermal tops for £5 which will do us perfectly for our upcoming suprise trip to lapland in January. We also enjoyed a cook at home stir fry meal for £5. Spent £35 but paid in gift vouchers / cash using Sprive.

Yesterday evening was a mix of Brit Awards, a couple of Prolific studies and some reading. Also struck gold and found some reasonably priced accomodation in Lapland where we can pay closer to the trip rather than now. Its centrally located & fits our practical needs perfectly for a mini break rather than a dreamy wooden hut in the woods.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Jobs for today:

• Cash out Prolific £24.47 for reno & refurb pot.
• 10 mins reading highway code - have been putting this off for way toooooo long!
• Use £50 voucher from work reward for a new pair of running shoes.
• Go for a run.
• Business admin.
• Cleaning
• Packing for trip.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Morning @debtfreewannabe321, sadly I don't think we qualify, we are just over or out of the criteria. Tried applying for attendance allowance for OH but he's not sick enough. I think patience will win the day. Thanks for suggesting ❤️

Suitcase wise - I think we'll be fine with the big suitcase. We have to be a bit careful with OH carrying heavy loads with his back and not looking to spend money on more luggage at the moment.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Hello SunnyTuesday Morning.

Things seem to be improving in very small baby steps. The scales are saying im loosing a bit of weight, i'm making conscious spending decisions on my CC's (hoping to see these stabilise and hopefully drop a bit) and am hoping to start adding to the save 1p challenge for this year and two days in a row have read a bit of the highway code. I think the spring air is agreeing with me :). I want to buy the book atomic habits and think im making a bit of a start on it already.

Today should be a cheap day, there is an offer on at the moment on train tickets for Northern trains so am buying newspapers for the tokens. I love reading newspapers, it was something I used to do a lot when I was in my 20s but haven't sat with a big newspaper for a long time. It wasn't for the main news it was for the puzzles, comments columns and suppliments. So later on today will pop to the shop and buy one.

Queen_of_the_Hive

Hello, its a breezy Thursday!

So its been a couple of weeks since last diary update. Its been my partners birthday last week & to celebrate we had a very mini mini break to Haven to celebrate. I think i'd mentioned before, the prices were really good for last weekend as it was their opening weekend of the season. We went and had a nice time. The caravan was a decent one, I made sure we booked one with central heating as OH needs to be warm. Unfortuntely DS 2 also brought a flu type bug that made him ill on the Saturday, yours truly then succumbed to it at home on Mon / Tues and now OH is in bed with the same bug. Sadly our plans for us cooking a meal for my mum & stepdad on Sunday are now postponed and my plans to visit a friend tomorrow is also cancelled. I didn't want to spread the bug on. With OH and his weakend immune system we have to take any cough / cold / virus etc serious so its going to be a much quieter, calmer weekend at home cleaning and recouperating. My friend is meant to be going on an "explore Asia" trip with her family over the Easter holidays. Its all up in the air now dut to the middle east situ. Will def make time to see her soon!

Monday wise we are ticking over. Last month I had a mini win in that the interest charged on one of my CC's was £12.56 less than the previous month. Its a small bit significant win. Hoping to carry on the trend this month too.

Tomorrow is the 13th and my monthly finances review and given the current situ going on globally, its not going to be pretty. I've followed stock markets since starting my private pension just before the 2008 crash and know it can look ugly for quite a while before it looks better so know not to panic and make any rash decisions. I was looking at taking a bit of money out of my S&S ISA to pay down on a cc but this is not the right time for this so will continue as we are.