From broke to better ..a journey

Rud0lf

Once you tell them your starting a dmp and who you are working with they should ease of with the calls and letters, I only get the annual statements now from most but still get a monthly statement from m and s after 4 years. I can honestly say the relief from stress once your plan is all set up and running is amazing. Stick with it, it is all worth it in the end x

lillypoo

Not a great weekend for me. But of drama and in house arguments at work. Then emergency out of hours vet visit  for both of my dogs who got into the trash and for some reason ate garlic bulbs which I had thrown out. I think today will be a headache money wise  ...don't know what the vets bill will be yet ..have to ring them when they open this morning ...but I will have to do some shuffling around of money to be able to pay it. I do have pet insurance but you have to pay the vet then claim it back. Need to check what my voluntary excess is.

It's sunny and breezy outside so I'm going to get the laundry on the line , vacuum everywhere  ,  then take the dogs out. I made vegetable madras in the slow cooker yesterday , I think it will divide up to about 8 portions    so I need to make some room in the freezer and get that put away.

Going to get busy this morning then try to have an afternoon of sunshine,   lots of mugs of tea and a good book 

Enjoy your day

Emmel

Oh no, I hope the vets bill isnt too costly, you sound like you are doing a grand job with the budgetting and meal prep/planning too

lillypoo

Hi Emmel

The vets bill hurt a lot BUT was actually less than I'd expected.  Its eaten a massive whole in my emergency fund but I'm trying to focus on the fact that just a few weeks ago it would have gone on a credit card.

My calls, texts and letters from m&s bank have stopped this week. I think it's the calm before the storm ...giving me a false sense of relaxation ...and am prepared for a new onslaught next week.

I've managed to pick up extra shifts this week and next week at work. I'd prefer to be at home in the garden of course but am taking this opportunity to try and build up the cash reserve before starting the dmp

I never got round to the strimming of the lawn last week as I wanted to leave the dandelions for the bees. But the grass is now so long that my smallest dog won't venture into it ( wimpy thing) so that's my first job for today if the rain stays away.

Fir now in going to have a cuppa in bed  and catch up on the forum. I got a bit bogged down in the whole dmp thing at the start of the week, read too much and started over thinking  ... so took  a bit of a break ...but now ready to catch up with everyone's diaries. 

Hope the sun's shining for you all

warby68

You sound really well motivated and positive about your plqns - wishing you well.

Is your work seasonal at all or are extra shifts likely on an ongoing basis? Very handy, if so.

lillypoo

Hi @warby68

I have to be motivated. Absolutely no choice unless I purposely want to be a pensioner who can't afford to put the heating on or to eat properly.  I've left it late to sort myself out.

Work isn't seasonal really but overtime is hit and miss. Its a balancing act ...agree to do it all the time and they take your extra hours for granted .... turn it down too many times and they don't offer it to you again.

wildheart83

Best of luck on your DMP - I'm over a year into mind and it's mostly been plain sailing. You're so right about M&S, you can't get hold of them for love nor money but soon as you miss a payment they're your new besties! 

lillypoo

Have had a fairly uneventful week money wise...no punctures  ...no vets bills ...no contact from marks and s bank
 
The next 10 days till payday will be a stretch though but apart from milk and possibly bread I think I can manage without doing a food shop. My dog food is on subscription as it offers a big saving ...not sure if they'll try and collect the money fir that before or after the bank holiday... hopefully after

Found myself tempted to reward myself for a good day/bad day/tired day/ wet day/sunny day with a bottle of wine many  times this week. Managed to resist every time except for last night. But I must look at the cutting down/cutting out alcohol thread sometime this weekend. 

Am I the last remaining person who can't cope with spread sheets? I've found a brand new notebook in the stationary cupboard (stationary has, in the past, been an obsession of mine) and am going to write down every penny that comes in and out in that starting this coming pay day.  Although I've already missed a Mr Spencer payment, June 1st will be the first missed payments into my old bank account abd the two associated credit cards so that's when things will start to get realky interesting.

The last few days I've been getting up at 5 am and walking the dogs at 6 before the rest of the village is out and about. I live in a designated area of natural beauty and I had forgotten how much free to experience joy the peace and tranquility of open spaces and nature bring me. I love the early mornings at this time of year ...but its meant I've been asleep by 9pm!

Still ploughing my way through several diaries on here. So very grateful for all the advice, inspiration and encouragement to be found in them all. 

This morning I watched Saturday kitchen, young chef on there specialises in recipes made from left overs, no waste recipes using the bits of veg etc that you might usually throw away. Next time I meal plan I shall utilise his website and Instagram and see what comes up. Might even be worth looking for his recipe book at the library.

Anyway the rest of the day will mostly be spent weeding the very over grown but actually pretty garden, then a short shift at work.

Enjoy your weekend.

foxgloves

@Lilypoo - I do use 3 Excel spreadsheets for monthly bills/regular DDs, our 10 savings pots & our personal spends, but apart from that, I use my trusty Money Book. It's an A4 spiral notebook in which I write out each month's budget in longhand & keep a running total of balance. Everything is budgeted for (or covered by the savings pots) apart from the £200 - £250 buffer zone I leave in place each month to mop up any accounting errors, DD problems or small expenses which aren't really sufficient in cost to necessitate a savings pot transfer. I write each of these down asap, along with the new balance. While learning to budget for debt-busting, I really came to see that information is power.....& the same applies to living debt-free & starting to build savings afterwards.
My Money Book defo works well for me & I bet yours will too.
F

Blackcats

I'm another who prefers handwritten notes to spreadsheets.  I've got an A4 folder with a divider for each month of the year and move the current month to the front.  There are lots of plastic wallets for the various notes.  The folder, wallets and dividers all came from my stationery stash.  I think lots of us had or still have a penchant for stationery.