Debt, Endo and Reno

birdsfoottrefoil

Afternoon, from the weirdly sunny for November countryside!

So…. As predicted my debt is up by about 2 grand. On a more positive note I’ve paid off £140 and moved £4,500 onto a 2yr deal at 6.9%apr with no transfer fee, as it had just run out of 0%. Should have been more than that but they have charged me about £60 in interest for the period between it coming off and transferring, then I see this month they’re charging me interest on that interest. It’s so frustrating as my Santander was down to 0 then I check it and it’s got a £60 balance being charged at 22%apr! On moving the £4,500 onto a 6.9% rather than a 0% deal, as the house should be let out then I should pay it back before the interest is more than a transfer fee onto 0%.

Aside from the interest I can’t work out how I’ve paid £360 towards my debt but I’m only £140 better off… unless I’ve added up wrong last month? As I’ve typed that I’ve checked all my statements and seen that it’s because I’ve got a vvv short memory and had forgot I’d spent on my card, which also explains the interest charge. Hmmm not good!! 

Was going to say I was slightly happy that the first time in ages I still had a tenner left at the end of the month, but that is probably as I used my card.

All that aside for the first time since July I’ve actually reduced my debt not increased it.

Onto this month, been good on the spending. Did get a dress this weekend, only £25 for “& other stories” so happy with that and it’ll do me a few parties this Christmas. Do at times question if it’s just expensive H&M but it’s pretty…. No spend yesterday and today apart from some Flu medicine as I have the lurgy. Was very tempted by a Ganni one in a second hand (or preloved as it’s jazzed up to now) shop but it was an extra £30.

I think back pay should be around £750 before tax so say £500 after. That is going in saving for Christmas!!

Finished work early this afternoon so going to walk down to the shop with a Vinted parcel.

birdsfoottrefoil

I realise that might have read a bit confusingly! The debt went up 2 grand in September, so showed on Octobers statements. My debt is down £140 from the beginning of October. 

birdsfoottrefoil

So updated my signature to reflect the increase… I’d been resisting as it’s rubbish to write down and admit. 

Worked out that even though I’m paying £156 off the loan last month only £70 came off the amount. Quite depressing!!! I need to dig out the paperwork and see if I can over pay (when I actually have some money).

Text the electrician this morning to chase again, pointed out that I need him there as I need to get it let out or I’ll be completely skint. It’s such a fine line between being easy to ignore and pestering to the point that you put them off. I have about £800 saved up for house bits. I feel quite unsympathetic to whinge that I’m skint, as I own a house that I’m going to let out. 

Just having my lunch at work now, brought in some leftovers. Plan to do a shop tonight, was going to go to Aldi but the boyfriend wants some bits from Sainsburys. He left me some
cash out as it’s Sainsburys not Aldi this morning. It’s kind of him and I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I feel so pathetic when he does as I feel like a charity case. 

Anyhow! Feeling a bit dispirited and full of cold. 

birdsfoottrefoil

Morning all.

Bit of a mixed weekend, cold is a bit better but my dog was ill so a trip to the vet. I’m unexpectedly £70 down but thankfully nothing serious!!! Apparently he was just being a bit dramatic…. The car was at the garage the week before as well which was £40, so it’s been the month of admittedly small but unexpected spends. The garage did warn that the hand break is fixed for now, but next time it’ll need more work and might not be viable as it’s done £170k in mileage. I CANNOT afford a new to me car right now or finance, so that is quite a worry. 

Had taken the boyfriend out for lunch on Saturday before the dog drama (we came home to him vomiting everywhere and refusing to move, after a panicked drive to the vets he perked up…) so it now looks like an expensive weekend. 

I’ve sold some bits on Vinted and done a few surveys on Prolific so that should be another £20 in. I covered for a friend cleaning on Saturday morning but that won’t pay till the end of the month. 

On a more positive note, I pay £100pm to my oil supplier. Needed to fill up and thankfully I had enough money paid into account to get 1000L without having to pay any extra. I think it worked out at about 0.60ppl but I’ll check on the delivery note. 

The rest of the week needs to be very low spend!!! The main positive of the cold has been WFH the last few weeks quite a bit so I’ve hardly spent on petrol. 

I’m debating on getting one of the prepaid prescription yearly things. I had to admit defeat this month and go back on codeine for my periods. I don’t like taking pain killers as I worry that they are less effective over time. However I’ve been struggling more and more recently and as surgery made my Endo worse, then I think it’s worth a try on occasions that  things are really bad. I don’t get a prescription every month but I do think I’ll get over 10 per year. 

Anyways that’s the end of my lunch break so back to it!!

birdsfoottrefoil

Bit of a better day today. 

Earned £2 on Prolific, I’m up to £12.60 in my account now. You can withdraw at £6 but I’m
going to keep it in and keep going and then take what’s in out at the beginning of next week to tide me over till pay day on the 29th. I’m aiming to get to at least £20. 

Had a bit of a nightmare on Vinted as it won’t let me download the label, so I’m hoping I won’t be out of time by the time it decides to work to get the top posted. Between Vinted and Prolific I’ve got about £25 currently. 

Checked Topcash back after buying new broadband through them last month. Nothings showing, so I’ve queried it and apparently through their Compare system it can take up to 90 days to come through!!! I’m trying to look on the positive side with that in that it’ll be a January bonus. 

No spend today and yesterday, hopefully tomorrow will be the same. We’ve loads of veg in the house at the moment so trying to think of something exciting to make with it. Feeling slightly fed up of stew and soup. The boyfriend is beating at a shoot on the weekend so hopefully he’ll come back with some pheasant. I know it’s a bit of a controversial subject for some, but I like to think pheasant will have had quite a nice life compared to the average chicken. Plus it’s free and local. 

Completely different subject and potentially a bit TMI, but has anyone tried period pants? How did you get on with them if so and is there a brand you’d recommend? Both on the good value and do the job front. I’m out on site quite a bit with work and I think they’d be useful. 

birdsfoottrefoil

Oh also! Realised I had £3 in an old saving account, as I got a email saying they were reducing the interest rate to 1%… 

So I’ve transferred that to my Santander CC. I keep reading about people putting little amounts toward their CC balances throughout the month. I wasn’t really sure if it’d be worth it, but I think I need to get out of that mentality and think that everything is worth it to get things paid down. 

twiggy86

Absolutely all the small amounts can add up, without necessarily feeling the "pinch" in your account!!! If you applied the "it's only £3" to spending, then you could potentially fritter money left, right and center! So I take the view that every penny counts - both for spending and for debt busting!

dawnybabes

I use the period pants, I buy the Primark ones as they are cheap and wash well.  I’ve also bought some cheap Chinese ones off Temu which are ok. 

Sarahwithlove

Have you set yourself a budget for xmas? Is there anyone you could choose to not exchange presents with to save money? 

birdsfoottrefoil

Thanks @twiggy86 I’m going to try and put a few quid to them per week going forward. I know what you mean about it adding up, I used to get take away coffees loads and it was only when I started putting my spends in a spreadsheet that I realised how much it was adding up to. 

@dawnybabes thanks!! I’ll give the Primark ones a try. 

@Sarahwithlove I’ve got about £140 saved for Christmas as I put £20 per month into my credit Union account. It’s not much but I should get my back pay for the year as well in this months wage which will be about £550 after deductions. I think that should cover me for Christmas presents. There isn’t really anyone I can cut back on as I have a lot of young nephews/nieces, so I wouldn’t want to exclude them. Last year I made little hampers of homemade or home cured food like chutney, mince pies, truffles, venison sausages and smoked cheese (bought cheese and boyfriend smoked it) for my siblings and parents so I’ll probably do that again. 

No spend today (unless I need to grab some milk). Electrician is still AWOL spoke to the joiner and he can come next week to get some bits that I don’t need the electrician to do first. Was wanting to get the electrician first but needs must as I’ve been waiting so long!!! Oil was 52ppl which I’m happy with. Need to buy some undercoat, timber and get the paint shop to mix me some paint to match Farrow and Ball colours. Then an exciting weekend of painting!!!