Flying solo

FacelessNumber

Well done for staying strong! What are you crocheting at the moment? My baby blanket has stalled due to arrival of said baby keeping me busy for the last 10 weeks or so!

twiggy86

I've just finished making a "dinocorn" i.e. a dinosaur/ unicorn!!! I don't actually have anything else that I'm making at the moment - which is a sign of how busy my life is and that I've lost my crochet mojo slightly at the moment! 

Good news is that there has been no further contact from ex! 

Also good news is that we won at netball, but more importantly it was a fun game! I met my friend at the pub before hand and I bought the drinks - I think she bought them last time so it was only fair. However it did take my personal spends down to about £8 with a week to go until payday. So I am trying to suppress the guilt in having transferred the £75 I had set aside as a potential CC overpayment into my personal spending account. This is the reason it was set aside and hadn't actually been sent to CC!!! 

Tonight bf has said he's bought us tickets to go and watch speedway - I haven't been since I think I was a child, so looking forward to doing something different! Think the plan is to walk there from mine (mile or so) and grab some food - I will at least buy us a drink or two. 

So today's bits and bobs...

• Make lunch to take to work 
• Update spreadsheet 
• Finishing work at lunch time and will pop into town for a couple of bits on my way home - will park for free 
• Snap any receipts 
• See if there is any ways to save money tonight - both for me and bf 

PennysIntoPounds

No need to feel guilty, you're allowed a life and you're not spending on anything ludicrous. And if there's any left next week you can send that over to cc!

Aimingforthegoodlife

Hi @twiggy86 I have spent the last few days reading your diary through, what a rollercoaster you have been on! I punched the air in delight when you responded to ex about the money, your progress is incredible. I think it is important to remember, you can be nice and kind and still protect yourself, and that is what you did. If you need a month or two paying the minimum on CCs, then that is what you need to do. If you push yourself too much one way, then you may find spending goes too much the other way as a weird brain rebellion! I do PAD- Payment A Day, so a minimum of a £1 I send everyday, a max of £31 on a long month which is affordable, it helps me to feel like I am always doing something, but isn't crippling me. 

Keep up the great work! Also, I totally assumed you were tall playing netball, so I giggled when you said about being vertically challenged!

twiggy86

Thank you so much for your air punch @Aimingforthegoodlife!! I'm naturally a people-pleaser (even those who are FAR from deserving), so it felt good and weird to put myself first!!! Definitely out of my comfort zone - which I know sounds strange to say!! 

Most important update - no further contact from ex! However, that doesn't mean I don't still expect to hear at some point! 

Now on to waffle about my weekend...

Friday night bf bought us tickets to watch speedway! Haven't been for years so it made a really nice change! We walked down, had a couple of drinks and a burger and then walked back. He paid for most things, but I did buy us both a drink.

Then Saturday we went to a shopping centre about 45 mins away as he wanted a few bits - again he paid for lunch plus kept trying to buy me things! I didn't accept anything, as he isn't made of money and had spent enough on me already!!! I did pay for parking as my token appreciation! I then went to a pub to meet some friends, who generously bought me a few non-alcoholic drinks - although in fairness, I did then give them a lift! 

Sunday bf had his daughter but picked me up and we went to his sisters where I met his mum! (Think she liked me!) We then took his daughter to a local funfair for an hour, which she really enjoyed! 

Then yesterday was mostly a quiet day at home! Was meant to meet a friend for a drink, but she cancelled. Then was meant to play a game of netball but there was confusion with the time and the whole team didn't turn up! I did go up and watch a game to get out the house as another friend was going to watch. 

I need to update the spreadsheet, but overall not much spent thanks to others being kind! I get paid on Friday and have suggested two plans to bf which I will pay for (or at least contribute) as I don't feeling like a "free loader"! Pop to my parents on Sunday evening so he can meet them and then go for dinner, get tickets to watch the circus in July (I've seen a code for cheaper tickets but they're only about £15 each). 

twiggy86

On to today's bits and bobs...

• Working from home so will use little petrol this week - which is a good thing as light has just come on and ideally I want to wait until I'm paid until I top up! 
• Dye my own hair - already had the dye 
• Wash towels on 30 degree quick wash 
• Update spreadsheet 
• Continue considering June budget 
• Make decision re balance transfer 
• Use cooked chicken breast for lunch 
• Bf is cooking me dinner tonight 
• Look in freezer for something I can take out for dinner tomorrow 

twiggy86

Hoping writing this out will help me get my thoughts together re balance transfer and/or someone can help me come to a decision!!! 

So I currently have 3 credit cards - however, some of these have multiple balance transfers on them which end at different times! So to give the full picture, I set out all the amounts...

V CC - £925 - 0% ending 30/11/24
HSBC CC1 - £2,670 - 0% ending 20/6/24**
HSBC CC2 - £930 - 0% ending 19/10/24
MBNA CC1 - £3450 - 0% ending 19/9/24
MBNA CC2 - £3430 - 3.9% ending 15/2/25

So as you can see, I'm going to have to do a bit of shuffling around this year as most interest free periods expire at some point this year! 

However, the one with the ** next to it is the one I need to focus on now. I have two identical offers available to me - both for 0% for 15 months with a 5% fee. One is with H CC (currently zero balance on that card) or MBNA CC (currently a balance of £6780). I do have another option with only a 4% fee but it is only until March - and given the size of my debts, I think it makes sense to go for the longer option at this stage as it is highly doubtful I would be able to clear it by March! 

My "confusion" is I don't really want a single CC balance at nearly £10k (the limit is £11.5k), but equally not sure I want to spread the minimums across 4 cards again!!! 

However, if I look at the above, if I transferred the £2670 from HSBC to MBNA now, in 3 months time I will then be transferring £3450 off of that card again - taking it down from the £10k mark again. At which time it may also be useful to have the H CC as an option to utilise - i.e. if I use that option now, I will have taken away a possible option for September (as I wouldn't have MBNA available to me at that point as it needs to come away from MBNA!)

So I think after all that waffle my conclusion is to transfer the £2670 to MBNA... thoughts from anyone wiser and/or more decisive?!?!? 

Floss

When I was a skint single mum of teenagers back in the very early 2000s, I would drive on the Friday nights when my boys were at home, and they would buy my non-alcoholic drinks (cheaper than their share of 2 taxis). 

twiggy86

I don't mind driving rather than drinking generally - you will still often find me on the dancefloor dancing like a lunatic even when sober!!! People just assume I'm drunk by my dancing! 

PennysIntoPounds

I'm not a CC wrangler but if it will bring you more peace of mind and flexibility to keep your options open then go for the transfer to MBNA, as you say, you'll be reducing your debt as you go along