Oops I did it again

Aimingforthegoodlife

Ah Saturday, I was only in work three days this week and they were all full of stress and anxiety, I can still feel it all bubbling in myself. I think I managed to sort most things, but the brain is whirring. Going to take the youngest dog out for a long walk when DH finishes work, and the old dogs for a little potter tonight. Anyways...here's the bit I am here for!!

PADS this week:

CC: £116.74 (£100 of non payment council tax)
Loan: £9.06
Mortgage: £20.40
Holiday: £100

Waiting for the usual CC payment to go out, should have gone out on the 1st but hasn't, unsure why- wondering if the OP's have somehow upset the usual payment, though it hasn't before. DH will check later. 

CC is now at £682.19/2162.22

Ah loan, just a tiddly OP today, but still an OP all the same! 

Little token payment to the mortgage, wish we could pay more, but one day we will!

Holiday needs a £100 a month to ensure that we have enough for next years holiday, so that £100 for this month covered. May still add a little more if DH gets any overtime as would be nice to know it is well covered. Also thinking we may have leftover monies from our holiday in May, though if we don't that is fine. No more credit card!

Will do another update for Feb total, the excitement!!

Aimingforthegoodlife

Drum roll......February 2024 totals!!

Credit card: £227.01
Loan: £145.88
Holiday: £250 saved (£1323 paid off May holiday, all from savings)
Mortgage: £80.40
Savings: £200- but we have used this, so actual savings in general are £0! Have managed to keep the savings at £2000 though, so I am happy about that, may not add extra, but not taking away either!

Aimingforthegoodlife

Standard Credit Card payment of £80 finally went out- supposed to go out on the 1st, they changed it to the 3rd, which of course is a Sunday, so it finally went out today! Messing with my budget!

CC is now: £762.19/2162.22

This makes my step total 33.6/100! Woohoo!

So I now need to find £75.55 a month extra to OP to get rid by December!

Aimingforthegoodlife

Man, it is already shaping up to be an expensive month. Hairdressers was an extra £40 on top of £25 deposit last month, that includes bleaches, toners and a hair cut. Sadly, my top got wet and it appears it has been bleached, but I didn't realise until I got home, so as I am pants at standing up for myself, I have not told them- I suspect they were aware. So I am a £17.99 work top down. Annoyed. Hair does look great though...

Mother's day will be at least £40, £20 for mum and £20 for step mum, then two cards. Off for a meal with mum on Sunday, should be an alright price as a chain restaurant. 

£40 has gone out on klarna, planned to buy two more work tops, (not including replacing the damaged one) then bought two more t-shirts and a jumper. Oops! So that was £80 klarna'd into three payments, and the other £12 of that was a last payment from Jan buying. Clothes are really nice though...will replace my other top that got ruined and still need a new sports bra, maybe next month. Life insurance and professional fee have come out, that was another £40. Need to buy a passport this month, now hair is looking good again, so will try and get that done this weekend, what is that, another £80 give or take? Two more food shops will be needed, and I will need to top up on fuel if not fill up completely.

Saw a utube lady and she said, that before you buy anything, you should ask 'if I was offered the item for free, or I could take the cash, and I would take the cash, I do not really want the item'. I should have read that before I did online shopping  

Does anyone else find it is the start of the month they are most likely to be gung ho about spending?? After week 2 I seem to regain my senses!

Aimingforthegoodlife

PADs this week:

CC: £30.71
Loan: £11.87

CC is now: £792.90/2162.22 
This is 35 steps out of 100!
That is £72.15 a month to find now, every bit really does make a difference over time. And next week will take us over £800, that makes me happy!

A little extra to the loan, not a huge amount, but chipping away is the only way of managing this I think!

Read that I can claim tax back on professional fees, so will look into doing this, can send anything back towards the loan so that will be nice. Accidently bought a couple more cute baby clothes in the TCO sale and used DH discount, so bargain really. Can't help myself! Managing not to spend adhoc better, pretty good for NSDs but not so good in the food shop this week, seem to have bought loads of snacks without really thinking about it. Not good!

Doing alcohol free March and going well so far, just decided to do a month, after my op, I won't be able to consume alcohol, fizzy drinks or caffeinated drinks. Already drink decaff tea, do drink fizzy drinks sometimes and really enjoy a bit of booze on occasions, usually have a bottle of red on a weekend. Good to practice working towards now, I think not being able to eat will feel so stressful and as I have binge eating disorder, I am scared how I will cope with not being able to eat. I have heard of people using alcohol to cope- it will take much less to get drunk due to the tiny stomach etc so is not recommended for at least 6 months after. So perhaps by reducing my reliance on easier things- wine of a Friday to chill after work, less caffeine and less fizzy, perhaps my coping skills will be better when the food restrictions hit. 

It is a lot to think about, scary stuff, but I need to have the operation now, I don't want to be leaving my 30's so big, I have dieted since I was about 13, and it does not work long term. The time is now!

Aimingforthegoodlife

Currently OP to the loan are: £532.37 (since Oct 2023)

If I include normal payments: £162.95 a month, I have now paid off the interest completely and am paying off capital. I am also hoping that the actual amount of interest reduces given the fact I am overpaying and reducing the term. Need to find another £119.10 to knock off another month: £532.37/651.80. This should be attainable over the next two months. 

I have an end date of 24/05/2028 at the moment, I wasn't monitoring the original date when I started OPing as I was doing it and not paying too much attention- too overwhelming to face the whole debt at that point. Starting to feel a little better about it. All my OPs are taken off the term, not the monthly payment so it works well. Though Santndr are archaic, they don't actually show me any payments on the app, just a small box with current payments etc and there is a delay in them being added on and actioned, I also get paper letters for each OP and haven't worked out how to stop that yet. Wondering if I would be better just paying off a chunk once a month rather than weekly? Doesn't have daily interest, as it is set, so shouldn't affect that side at all and may be easier to follow along, as well as saving a couple of trees. Though I like sending weekly payments!

I am currently building my personal spends to £3k, as the operation is actually £9.5k, which is actually cheap for the UK, shockingly. I like to have a £2k buffer, which I build up whenever used- birthdays, car insurance, etc- so wanted to get the extra £1k. Though I do wonder if I am better sending money over to the loan and once it is paid- probably July/August/September time when I have the operation- then rebuilding my own savings. 

It is the all or nothing part of me, I hate the wanting something gone, having to focus on building savings whilst also facing debt. But, this is the way it is. I have another £500 to save so that my £2k buffer is safe, that will take quite a few months as the loan payment takes a chunk out of my 'spare money' and I am using the money I get towards fuel costs to build up savings. Not sure we will even get expenses this month, as manager is off sick and I think I changed the person on Friday, but it didn't tell me it went through ok, so who knows!

FacelessNumber

Have just read your diary @Aimingforthegoodlife, you're doing so well on the PAD overpayments! I think you're approaching things in the right way by trying to build up the extra buffer too, especially if it doesn't really affect interest. Good luck, and I will subscribe and follow along!

Aimingforthegoodlife

Thank you @FacelessNumber nice to have a visitor and some luck  

Just popping on as have popped a Tax request in for professional fees and subscriptions and it has increased my tax free amount by over £200! It said, if you are found to lie you will be faced with a fine, and I was all worried even though it is all true haha. I do wear a uniform, though often wear my own clothes, so don't think I will claim that. Only claimed this last year as my professional fees have been paid in previous years by private companies I worked for, though the subscription to a professional thingie I have paid myself since I qualified. It's a start anyways!

Have paid for my passport, paid £10 for the photos!! £10! I was horrified (I look like I am about to be sent to prison for some seriously hard time). But no matter how many photos we took at home, none seemed to be right. Either shadows, or even with no filter on the camera it sort of looked like a filter. Annoying! So have paid £92.50 so far, and will be paying postage for the old passport to go off tomorrow, so about £100. Expensive business. Needs to be done, I will insist on going away. Hoping to get away with including this in this months budget, rather than using savings. 11 days to survive.

Have filled up with fuel: £50 and a further £25 spent on Mothers day on Sunday. In two days I have spent over £160 quid, ouch! These things need to be done, have two mums to buy for so doubles the budget before I start, haha. They both deserve a lovely present so it is all good. Then 'accidently' bought some yosushi bits after the photo torture, £6.84, tut tut!

I am going to see a friend on Sunday, so will be having some lunch and a drink, thinking that should be my last spend if I remember to be sensible!

KeepOnKnitting

Just living gets so expensive, doesn't it. Just putting petrol in the car and buying basic food adds up to so much through the month, I am with you there. Hope your outing with your friend is fun.

Aimingforthegoodlife

@KeepOnKnitting it does doesn't it? Council tax has gone up by £25 a month, so would be £205 a month, makes my eyes water. Thinking I will make it over 12 months, which would make it £170 a month, we paid £180 last year. We could then increase the credit card by a tenner, so not missing out on the fact we used to pay more. Two months no payments is nice and all, but not spending over 200 a month would also feel nice. 

I have decided to invite friend to mine, got hot cross buns and a cute easter cake for us, about £6, so bargain!

I complained about passport, it was exactly £100 including photos, actual passport cost and postage, but it actually arrived yesterday! Took from filling form in on Monday and getting the photos, sending old passport on Tuesday and new one here yesterday, amazing service to be fair. 

Still going with the alcohol free month, still finding work stressful so the desire to buy wine has been quite high at times!haha. Only bought lunch once this week, and that was because we went to watch a band on Thursday. Got home from work, ate, got changed and went to Manchester, watched some great bands: As Everything Unfolds, P.O.D and Skindred, danced a little, got home at 12.15, had a hot chocolate, went to bed, then got up for work and could not be bothered making a sandwich haha. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. 

Have added up this weeks PADs so will do this on the next comment box, have also been playing with numbers with the loan, but won't share those until I know I am right haha.