The Three C's - Coffee, Clothes & Credit Cards

Sun_Addict

Sorry to read you’re not feeling well, hope you pick up soon. You’ve made some brilliant progress in the debt totals, well done! 

Sarahwithlove

OK signature looks a bit better now. 

Is anyone else really concerned about how much bills are going to go up this month? I'm just sat waiting for all the new bills to come through the post or by email this month. From May I will get a slight increase in pay for moving up a step on the pay scale but think it's about £25 a month extra. Or course we will no doubt have the usual scenario of waiting until November to find out what the pay rise will be agreed at and then no doubt be paid in January. I'm trying not to think about it as I want it to basically come off whatever debt is left on my credit card at that point. 

I also might chase the overtime as just realised nothing ever came of that. We've had another person hand in their notice at work so it's going to be 4 people they recruit for. Well when they finally get round to it anyway. 

I feel like I need to get myself back in the money saving head space again. Menu planning massively helps, I'm trying to use my freezer up ready for my next trip to Costc0 at end of month. 

I still haven't sold anything on v!nted either so need to sort that, along with put the few bits left on FB marketplace. Hopefully I feel well enough this weekend to give it a try. 

I've cut back on my massages and now aiming for once a month, but leaving myself a £50 buffer in my beauty pot so that I can have an emergency one if needed. 

Also just realised that I took the cat food from my spending money this week but should have come from different pot. Something to sort in a minute. 

I've also decided to switch up my savings. I moved my household repair funds into emergency fund and changed Sinking funds to purely things I pay for annually. I basically averaged the cost of the last few mots to give me a car maintenance amount. 

I'm now building up Savings for some household repairs/maintenance but it's probably going to be continously going up and down as I spend from it. It has £50 in it at the moment and I have £50 in my buffer which can hopefully go in it at end of month. 

I'm struggling at the moment with the balance between paying down my credit cards and building up my savings. My hope is by May I will have filled up the saver and can start paying more towards the cards. I will then increase the amount into Sinking funds as I pay the yearly cost so its refilled in time for the next year. That will mean the payment to credit cards will decrease again but my hope is to clear Natwest by December when it's 0% runs out. Then I will balance transfer whatever is left on virgin at that time. But for now Virgin payments will remain at £50 a month so will be at £950 by time it's 0% runs out in January. I keep getting balance transfer offers on my barclaycard and natwest all time. So not worried about being able to move it. 

My mortgage is due for renewal in June but it doesn't look like the rate is going to differ a massive amount. I will probably just try and keep payments at same or round up to next £10 and then it will be a small overpayment. My gym membership will also come to an end in June as well. So that's another saving. 

From July I will restart payments to my dad as my new mortgage deal will be sorted by then. I've taken a break just in case I need to apply for a new deal rather than just stay with current provider. 

But all in all feeling in a fairly good place. Just need to try and convince myself that I don't need a holiday this year. Next year I will be in a much better position financially so it will be an option. My nephew will also be old enough I could get him to cat and flat sit as well. It's scary to think that. But he has a gf and been accepted into college now, so no longer my little monkey 😭

Sarahwithlove

Chocolatefund said:

Colds are never fun! 

Hope you feel better soon.

Thank you! 

Blackcats said:

Hope you feel better very soon.  

Thanks. I hope you are keeping well. I will catch up with your diary soon 

jwil

Hope you feel better soon.

It is a horrible time waiting to find out just how much everything's going up by this year.

Sarahwithlove

Wow hadn't realised my previous post was so long. 

Still not feeling great, been left with a horrid cough and my voice is slowly coming back. My health pot has definitely taken a massive hit though over the last 10 days. 

I am going to try and work from home again this Wednesday rather than office as that will save me some pennies and I want to be OK for my days off at end of week. Plus nobody likes people going into office with a lurgy. 

I was trying not to leave the flat until then to save some pennies but I need some more milk and fruit. Suppose I best write a list so I don't go off track with it. 

I saw on local FB page today that my local council will be sending out council tax bills this week. I've logged on to both my water company and service charge accounts but neither have put new bill on yet which is annoying. Last year both had been released by now and I know we are getting water bills in for clients at work. So must be due soon. I just want to be able to properly budget for next month. 

daintydaisy

Hope you feel better soon! 

Sarahwithlove

Hello! Still not 100% well, which is annoying. I gave in and spent £10 on some night nurse which seems to be helping. 

Came home to a water bill and service charge bill. Good news is service charge has only gone up by about £5 for the year, so less than 50p a month. Wish I could say the same about my water bill. Gone from £21 a month to £40 a month. And that's only waste, I pay a water bill as well but that runs from July to June. It's so frustrating that I can't be on a meter as it's only me at the property. 

Haven't received my council tax bill yet but I looked on their website and it's going up £18 a month. The good news is that from April's pay (Mays bills) I will get an extra £35 a month so that will cover majority of the increases. 

dawnybabes

Here if they can’t give you a meter they charge you an estimated amount that they think you’d use.  Could you ask for that as an option ? 

Sarahwithlove

dawnybabes said:

Here if they can’t give you a meter they charge you an estimated amount that they think you’d use.  Could you ask for that as an option ? 

I'm on a reduced rate apparently as a single person living in a 2 bed property. But it may be worth a call to them as it's a big jump. 

biggerpickle

Hope you're feeling much better soon @Sarahwithlove.

I did the same this week and logged into my council tax to see no bill so looked on the council's website to see it's going up by 5% which is about £6, I have buildings insurance due next month (managing agents have switched from Jan renewal to April renewal) but that bill hasn't come through yet nor has my water bill and my broadband is scheduled to go up by 8%. While I don't have a payrise to cover it, my tax code has improved so that might cover the ups.