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MeandO's money-shuffling

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  • MeandO
    MeandO Posts: 3,273 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 11 August at 2:04PM
    Afternoon, I hope a lovely weekend was had by all. I haven't slept well all weekend so am feeling shattered and in need of an early night tonight. I've also noticed that tiredness really makes me want to eat rubbish which then makes me feel worse so a bit of a vicious circle! Am definitely in need of another coffee soon though.

    On Saturday I picked up the paint for DS's room (£27 :s), and two plants at 50% off to go in the pots outside our front door after removing the spent summer flowers. £31 spent there which I've taken from the house pot. I now need to find the energy to paint this week before DS is back at the weekend. It won't be done today.

    I had an engineer appointment booked to come out and look at the broadband yesterday as it's not been working properly since they installed it. Half an hour before the end of the appointment time slot I had a message to say they won't be coming and they re-booked it for today. The same happened today - a message to say they won't be coming as are too busy. It's so frustrating, but they have applied a £30 credit to my account for each day they haven't shown, so if they don't show again tomorrow that will be my bill paid for the next 2.5 months. 

    Last night OH and I picked a big bowl of blackberries and about 20 big eating apples from an unoccupied piece of land nearby. Such a shame it's been left, as you can see that it used to be well tended and looked after. On the plus side we have a huge pan of apple and blackberries stewed down for crumbles and some to freeze for winter use. :) We also have around 6 or 7 apples we left for eating as they were too lovely to cook.

    I've sorted another bin bag full of clothes, some games DS had as a little'un and no longer wants and some bric a brac for the charity shop which I am planning on dropping off later. I'll start another bag then as I'm sure there's more that can go. I'd really like to streamline the kitchen cupboards and utility room as the cupboards and drawers feel a bit full of stuff and we don't use a lot of it. The shed needs tackling as well as there are garden toys in there that need to go.
    I have put the suitcases back in the attic from our recent travels now though, so at least my little box room feels a bit tidier.

    Oh, and I just had my car tax renewal letter drop through the door. £195 for the year! :o When did that go up?! The money is in the car pot to cover it, but with breakdown cover due, a major service booked in and possibly new tyres/brakes needed this month that pot is going to be drained, if it covers everything. :( 
    Mortgage @ 03/2019: £125,000, Now: £49,869.55
    Mortgage OP’s: £22,109.28
    SHTF pot: 500/1000
  • MeandO
    MeandO Posts: 3,273 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 11 August at 2:16PM
    I've just added a few more listings to vinted - one item of clothing and a couple of random decorative items. I also reduced the price of all the bits I had left on ebay this morning in the hope of generating a few sales. A couple of listings that haven't sold in ages have been put in the charity bag, so they have been deleted from the 'bay.

    I'm feeling a bit  :(:/ about the spiralling cost of everything at the moment and the lack of savings. It's highly unlikely I'm going to be able to afford to find the £1300 to reach the mortgage OP 10% this year now, and it's not looking hopeful that I will be able to afford to renew my gym/fitness studio membership when that's up in November. :( Hopefully I'll feel a bit better after I've received the backpay and little increase in salary this month to boost the savings, plus I've asked the ex to pay me back the full amount of money he owes me, but he didn't reply so I have no idea whether I will get that.  :( Although the backpay is likely to mean I won't receive any UC next month, so I'll have to take that amount out of any backpay to cover the usual income so I can cover everything. 
    I still feel like I need to re-assess the budget AGAIN. It's just not working and every month is difficult, although I have had extra things to pay for these past few months, but it seems every month is like that lately.
    Mortgage @ 03/2019: £125,000, Now: £49,869.55
    Mortgage OP’s: £22,109.28
    SHTF pot: 500/1000
  • Sarahwithlove
    Sarahwithlove Posts: 3,408 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It definitely feels like everything has increased in cost but the wages haven't gone up anywhere near as much to account for it. 
    *Dad loan - £5300 - £7200
    *Virgin Credit Card - £3552.50 - £0
    *Natwest - £1828.35 -£0.00

    Barclaycard - £2315.25 - £0.00

    Creation Finance - £960.32 £840
    *Total debt - £8040/£11641.17*


    Savings
    *Savings Buffer - £100/£1500
    *Emergency Fund - £1500/£1500


    New diary- https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6474943/the-three-cs-coffee-clothes-credit-cards/
  • Mrs_Money_Penny
    Mrs_Money_Penny Posts: 1,323 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Things are so expensive I got two bags of groceries today in *idl and it came to £45. Since when has 5% fat mince been £8.17 😱x
    2025 Decluttering 13021⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    2024 Decluttering 11728⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • MeandO
    MeandO Posts: 3,273 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Yes, you're both right Sarahwithlove & Mrs_Money_Penny. £8.17 for mince?! Wow. What was it, unicorn?!  :# That is just crazy.

    I was right down in the dumps yesterday and felt like I just had to get out of the house after work. I had a quick last sweep round for stuff to chuck in the charity bag, decluttered the mug cupboard of mugs I don't particularly like and put it all in the car and drove to the charity shop. I had a quick look around the rails they put all their 'new in' stuff on first and found some really lovely clothes, I think all donated by the same person as the stash I picked up a couple of weeks ago as it was all similar expensive brands and the same size. There were also 2 men's rugby jerseys and a branded T shirt I bought for DS which I know he'd like. They would usually be quite expensive and were obviously unworn - one still had the tags on. I bought 10 items which cost me £27. Two items didn't look great on me when I got home so they went straight on v!nted and have already sold for £22. :) A third item was too big so has also gone on there and 30 people have favourited it so far so I'm hoping for a sale soon. I've priced that at £12 (t would have been around £65 new :o ), so that will be more than the money back that I've spent when it sells. Everything is in the wash and will be out on the line to dry today. Unfortunately, I was so excited by my lovely finds that I forgot to drop the bag and box off of donations!  :s:#  It's all still in the back of the car, so I will do that later in the week. Today I want to get on with re-decorating DS's room after work.

    Last night I made three blackberry and apple crumbles from the fruit we picked, there was also a tub full of cooked fruit to go in the freezer. We also picked about 5 or 6 more apples and every day I'm picking a few more red tomatoes from my garden. I've given one of the crumbles to OH's parents, we had half of one last night (the rest I'm sure will go tonight!) and I'm going to somehow try to get the third one in the freezer. That may not be possible though as I don't have a huge freezer and it's rather full, it'll take some serious freezer-tetris skills.

    The broadband company are supposed to be coming out today but I'm half-hoping they can't make it again for the extra credit towards my bill.  ;) I also had a call from the local water company about my leaky loo and there's a plumber coming out on Saturday to hopefully fix it for free. :) It's a water-saving service they offer so will be great if that can be done as I'm sure it's costing me a lot of money in water usage.

    OH is intent on using things up from his freezer this week so food is costing me a minimum all week as he is basically feeding us. :) I think it's fish and veggies tonight with jackets or new potatoes - whichever needs using up first.

    Have a good day everyone, hopefully it's not too hot where you are. I'm grateful it's a bit cloudy here at the moment which is providing a bit of cool relief from the temperatures that were forecast. We actually had some rain last night too.
    Mortgage @ 03/2019: £125,000, Now: £49,869.55
    Mortgage OP’s: £22,109.28
    SHTF pot: 500/1000
  • Newstartforme
    Newstartforme Posts: 236 Forumite
    100 Posts Name Dropper
    Are you OK Meando , hoping things improving at work xx
  • MeandO
    MeandO Posts: 3,273 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Hello everybody and thank you for checking in on me, Newstartforme, I’m ok, but have been away at ‘home’ on and off for a few weeks. It’s been lovely to spend time with my parents but I am full of concern at how much they seem to be deteriorating every time I see them.  :'( Both of their health has declined and I had to take over some of their admin tasks and sort out some stressful situations for them. I cooked, cleaned, demolished (a rotten fence), weeded, washed and laundered and decluttered whilst there, just trying to help them as much as I can whilst I was there. I hate leaving them. :'(
    Anyway, it is what it is and I have to get on with things as they are for now.

    I do have quite a bit of money saving news to report, the biggie being that I have now paid this year’s 10% mortgage allowance in full. I was intending on stashing everything away to savings, but I actually did the reverse and used savings to pay the remainder of the allowance. This was because my total worth was getting close to the Thesholds for UC eligibility at the start of the month when I was paid as I received back pay and a small pay rise. I am now working on building the EF pot back up and have already raised it from £40 to £300 in a week or so, so I’m pleased with my efforts and will continue to work hard to build it back up.
    I also set aside the equivalent of the monthly UC payment from the back pay to use next month as the higher income for this month would mean a payment of £0 in UC for next month and I would struggle.

    Tonight, I’ve swapped utility companies as my fix had ended and I found a better deal. It was with the same company OH is with so he sent me a referral link and we’ll both receive a £50 voucher. I see there is also half price electricity at some times with this company so I need to make the most of that and plan washing/dishwashing/tumble drying to utilise the cheaper deal.

    Other wins lately have been a free repair of our loo by the water company (new flush unit) which will hopefully also reduce the water bill. Lots of blackberries, apples, rhubarb, runner beans, green beans, pears which have either been gathered, gifted or picked from various family member’s gardens have been consumed, frozen or stewed down and frozen for use over the Winter. A plethora of tomatoes has also come our way from both mine and my Parents garden and also the biggest cucumber I’ve ever seen! My Dad also picked up a fantastic Lidl fruit and veg box he kindly gave me from which I’m still eating the fruit and veg. 
    My car has been serviced this week and, unbeknownst to me, my Dad had already paid for it as he knows the mechanic well. My protests didn’t work and he wouldn’t take the money for it. I’m very grateful but do feel bad as they already help me so much. It does mean that my car/house pot will remain over £1000 for now and it gives me chance to build it up to a really good amount to cover any unforeseen issues.

    I’ve continued with the decluttering for both myself and my parents and took a car full of donations to the charity shop a couple of weeks ago. I also took several puzzles and activities to the local convalescence type hospital as they were appealing for things for their elderly patients to do. I’ve made donations to them via an Amazon wish list before and plan on making regular donations to them as they really had very little in terms of ‘comfort’ and it broke my heart to see.

    I’ve spent some money on school uniform and school supplies the past few weeks - £220 at the last count. Thankfully I had the funds saved to cover it. 

    I also heard from the child maintenance co last week. The ex has ‘disputed’ the £10 per month increase that was calculated by them based on his earnings last year and he has asked them to reconsider their decision. Yes, £10 per month…
    Meanwhile, he has asked me to look after DS for extra days soon as he and his partner are going away.
    I am considering telling him to stop paying the CM and instead we’ll go halves on everything - school dinners, gym membership, sports fees, uniform, toiletries, clothes (he doesn’t buy DS anything), shoes, mobile bill, DS’s allowance, trips, sports kit. He’ll soon want to go back to paying CM. 
    I am not letting it, or him, bother me. I will continue to provide for my son whether his father chooses to contribute or not. I will always find a way to make sure DS doesn’t go without. 
    It’s unfortunate DS still puts his father on a pedestal and defends him, but I do my utmost to let it go these days and I don’t comment. I just hope one day he sees his father for what he is but he will have to do that for himself.

    Back to positivity now… I want to try and get my Mortgage OP/EF/everything else savings pot back up to £1K initially, so that’s my first target. Once some eBay & vinted monies clear is should be over £300 so am nearly a third of the way there already. :) 



    Mortgage @ 03/2019: £125,000, Now: £49,869.55
    Mortgage OP’s: £22,109.28
    SHTF pot: 500/1000
  • Lovely to hear from you Meando , what a busy few weeks you have had . I feel for you regarding your parents , they will very much appreciate all the jobs you completed for them , do you think they would accept outside help in the future ? That is if it's available in their area of course . We'll done on the mortgage,  you are doing amazingly well with that and will soon build your fund back up I am sure . Hope your son enjoys his return to school , shocked at ex complaining about the 10 pounds rise , seriously wouldn't get much with that nowadays ! Xx
  • foxgloves
    foxgloves Posts: 12,807 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    £10 a month!! Honestly, that would barely cover rising food costs. It's not even 3 cups of coffee! 
    Feeling indignant on your behalf, @MeandO. Your son will see the reality for what it is when he's older, I'm sure.
    F
    2025's challenges: 1) To fill our 10 Savings Pots to their healthiest level ever
    2) To read 100 books (36/100) 3) The Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg

    "Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards" (Soren Kirkegaard 1813-55)
  • MeandO
    MeandO Posts: 3,273 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Yes, £10 is £10 but doesn't go very far at the moment and his payment has only risen because he earned considerably more last year than the year before and around £10K pa more than me. He is also living with his partner who is a high earner. I could understand his objections if I was the type to go on lots of holidays, get my nails done (never!) or was a prolific buyer of clothes/shoes/handbags etc (I'm definitely not, none of these things interest me), but he is well aware of how much I pay for for DS every month and how savvy I am to ensure I have money to pay for these things. He knows the money goes on DS and not myself, yet he'd rather have that extra £10 for himself than put it towards things for his son. It says everything about him in one statement, really. I think his motive is to get the whole amount reduced, not just the £10. He currently pays under £200 a month and their income is a lot higher than mine, he also has no mortgage! Whenever DS is out with him DS has to buy his own food/drink etc whilst the ex will buy large portions for himself. At DS's sporting trip last month we ran into the ex holding a huge takeaway pizza box he'd bought for himself from a food van that was there. He told me DS had had no lunch, there was nothing to eat and asked me to go and buy sandwiches and drinks for DS from a local shop. OH was with me and just couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wasn't even prepared to share his massive pizza with him. OH thinks very little of the ex and the way he treats DS and me.

    Anyway, it's the last day of the school hols and DS has gone out with his friends for the afternoon. I've posted an ebay sale made last night (£16.75) which will go into the savings pot when it clears. I also had to pop to the supermarket to pick up things we'd run out of and it came to just under £25 for a not so big basket. Food prices really are astronomical now. DS has asked if we can have a steak soon, but at £7.50 for one piece of steak, it's just crazy prices. I may pop into the butchers if I get chance and see how much they are in there. 
    Mortgage @ 03/2019: £125,000, Now: £49,869.55
    Mortgage OP’s: £22,109.28
    SHTF pot: 500/1000
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