Countdown to Part Time…

Spinayarn

Received overtime payment today. £349.50. £300 of that has gone into various saving pots. £49.50 to pay for tonight's work do - £22 for the fixed price meal and then money left for drinks and taxi home.

Went looking round charity shops this afternoon for a gift for a friend but didn't find anything suitable. Didn't find anything for myself either so nothing spent in there. £5 spent on groceries.

Been working from home today so I had a later start. Used the time to do 5km on my exercise bike then used some expensive body oil and pampering bits after my shower to remind me to use what I already have rather than looking to buy more.

Spinayarn

Sooooo... spent about £45 on drinks and taxi last night. Had a good time. The taxi was paid with £10 cash that I had withdrawn the previous week. I withdrew nearly £10 from prolific and left that in the current account. 

I am definitely struggling to keep to the budget this month.

I have a friend who had a special birthday and moved home this week so I want to give her a present. I couldn't find anything yesterday, so I'm off to a different precinct of shops this morning to have a look. Hoping to find something like a nice candle in a charity shop and maybe a house plant. Hoping for £5-10 spend. I had planned to put away £40 into birthday savings but this month I've spent over £40 on different gifts for people. That has been a bit of an eye opener. I know I have a few friends and relatives with birthdays in August too. Then my parents' in September. I need to sit down and go through the months and the birthdays and other celebrations that need gifts or cards and do a budget round it. My usual method of "winging it" is not working! Funny that!

Husband and I had a good chat this morning about financial stuff and how we are both working towards retirement goals. I'm much more open with him about my debt now - usually I would try to hide it. But, because I have a plan, I feel much more comfortable admitting the amount of debt there is. He told me he was really proud of how I was sorting it out. It definitely helps that I have a solid goal of wanting to step down from management responsibility and then go part time.

Oh and a bonus last night - had a voucher from vodafone for £3.09 to spend on strawberries and cream at Morrisons. As I was going there anyway (hubby was picking up a Too Good to Go from there) I went in and bought 2 packs of wonky strawberries and a pot of double cream. Cost me 60p on top of the voucher.
 

Blackcats

You are doing so well.  Amazing  progress.
I always seem to overspend on presents.  I really enjoy choosing nice gifts for family and friends.  There are lots of family birthdays in October, November and December - just as Christmas looms.  My weakness is giving gifts "just because" - to cheer people up or thank them.  These are rarely planned for but make me happy and I hope the recipients happy too.

@Sun_Addict mentioned whistlefish on her diary.  They sell beautiful, high quality cards and gift wrap at really reasonable prices   They often do offers to make it even better value.  I've been super organised and bought all my birthday cards for the year and a few thank you, congratulations and sympathy cards to keep in stock. Definitely a good way to keep me away from the shops and last minute panic buys.

Spinayarn

Thanks @blackcats for the headsup about Whistlefish. Looks a beautiful site!

Well, I bought a couple of things from the charity shop for myself - a dress and pair of trousers for my holiday - £12 total. Bought a planter, a houseplant, notebook and pen set for my friend, plus 2 cards. Total spend was £15 for her. Also bought a little wicker hamper (for £6) as I've been asked to put together a hamper for a leaving gift for a colleague. All my "incidentals" money has now been spent. BUT I've got £48 coming this week in things I have sold.

Been working overtime this weekend - though I did struggle yesterday as I was hungover from Friday night! Spent a couple of hours this afternoon in a local park knitting with a group of friends which was lovely. Got a "Too good to go" bag to collect at 9:00 tonight. We've hardly bought any groceries this weekend - used things out of the freezer and made sure to use things up rather than letting them go to waste. I've got leftover sausage and potato salad for lunch tomorrow.

Spinayarn

I feel like things are slipping a little at the moment. A few pounds spent here, a few pounds there... It might be because I know I've got overtime coming in at the moment, but I really have to get more used to not spending frivolously. It's not like I'm spending lots in one go, but I'm definitely spending on things that are not necessary. The overtime won't last forever and I can't sustain all the extra hours. 

My side hustle (etsy shop) is doing well, and I am doing an in person market in a couple of weeks. Hoping that will give me some extra money to put towards the EF. 

I think I do have to remind myself that I didn't get into this debt overnight and it is going to take some time to get rid of it, but boy do I want to hurry this up! Dave Ramsey refers to it as "gazelle like intensity" - running away from it like a gazelle running from a predator. I can relate to that. Not running away from it like not paying it, but just trying to pay it down quickly.

And I have to keep working on the mindset - not spending money that doesn't need to be spent! If only it was that simple.

Spinayarn

I feel like it's been a very spendy month with little bits here and there. Another week to pay day but I got another overtime payment today. Paid some of it into holiday savings. Also, my "save the change" money has been going into an account so I transferred that across to my emergency fund.

I've kept £80 of overtime money in my current account, plus £28 from a sale last night. 

Going to keep spending to a minimum this weekend. Went out last night and spent £6 in Starbucks. Got last 2 direct debits of the month going out on Monday.

Good news - I am a public sector worker and so the government announced a pay rise yesterday. This will definitely help me to pay off debts quicker. I am hoping that I can allocate all the extra pay (when we finally get it) to overpaying debts each month.

Spinayarn

Aaargh - still spending and I need to get a grip. I feel like when you diet and go off the rails. I can use my overtime payment this week to pay for things but it’s not good as I was planning on it going into savings.

How do I get better at self-control?

Direct debit for Barclaycard went out this morning. I looked at the balance on the app and thought “yeah but then they’ll add interest back in that.” Then I remembered it’s 0% on that card so it’s only ever going to go down. 

And, even though I’ve gone over my budget this month, nothing has gone on credit cards. I’ve just eaten into overtime money and saved less. And maybe subconsciously that’s why I’ve overspent - knowing I’ve got that buffer.

Overtime is going to reduce this week - which is just as well as I’m feeling burnt out. 

Spinayarn

So I'm feeling a little more positive today. I have come a long way in the last couple of months, and I need to be a little kinder to myself I think. I'm trying to think of all the lovely things I have and find ways to use them rather than trying to justify spending on myself. I'm off to have a shower shortly and I plan to delve into the cupboard to find nice smelling goodies to use to make myself feel a little pampered. I bought some interesting tonic water and soda from Approved Foods earlier in the month - going to make myself a gin and tonic with lots of ice, lemon and an interesting tonic. Time to celebrate it being Tuesday!

My side hustle has been making good money this last week - been squirreling it away as usual though as I do get nervous using the money. Got an in-person market on Saturday - I hope I do more than just break even on it. It's a new type of market I'm selling at and not sure how my niche will go down in it. Fingers crossed! I think any money made at it will go into the emergency fund.

Blackcats

You have indeed come a very long way and your mindset is different now compared to when you were racking up your debt.  I'm impressed by the reduction in your overdraft and the progress on your emergency fund - you should be very proud of yourself!
little treats like a pamper night or a g&t are great ways to sustain you on your journey to part-time.

outoftheviciouscircle

I was the same as you, I started my debt free journey in December 2022 but it wasn't until April that something just clicked.
Post in your diary everyday, even if you have nothing to say. Thats why a lot of people like PADing as it give them a reason to check in everyday.
If your debt figure is going down rather than up, you are on the right track. Be Proud!!