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@prowla- Possibly. I'm just not used to somebody being so deliberately cruel. If we go out then I pay half and so I'm hardly a kept woman. She's had nothing but kindness from me and my family.
Just had lunch with all the family and she sat there and didn't speak to anybody. OH said he was going to complete her CV tonight and she snapped that she is seeing her boyfriend, not applying for jobs.
@BestnamesRgone. - I am the common denominator and I don't wish to sound like some sort of victim. I admit I have zero tolerance for what I deem to be unkind behaviour. Others opinions are always welcome and there will be no shooting down in flames from me. I must have come across that I'm easily offended and I'm really not. I'll stop the grumbling and get back to the money saving and debt repayments. I've probably overshared, but was giving some context to my situation.
In my defence regarding the dog, losing so much sleep over the last 16 days hasn't been good for me. Running on 4 hours of unbroken sleep has been difficult. Last night was my first full night's sleep, where I haven't been up at 3am and I feel fantastic for it Regarding the owner of the dog (my sister), my mum used to drop and pick up my DD from school When she was diagnosed with terminal cancer this stopped and I got a childminder. My sister would drive past DD in the rain, even though she was going to the same school, citing 'I'm not dropping her off and helping her (me) to thrive.' It upsets me a little that her dog got treated better than she treated my DD.
Morning. Off to The Newlife Charity Shop today. It's a superstore and sells all brand new items at a fraction of the cost. The last time I went they were selling underwear for 50p. I have an odd thing for charity shops and so I'll get my fix today and it shouldn't cost me much money. DD has sold more items. I think she is at £200 now. She's saving the money she earns. Enjoy your day x
Had the longest day yesterday. Drove to that charity shop and it wasn't as good as the last time I went, I then drove to Mcarthurglen and decided to drive to Bicester Village. I think because I have been stuck in for so many days I just wanted a day out and felt very free with no work to get back for. For those of you that haven't been to Beicester, it is a feast for the eyes. Opulence everywhere. Obviously, I have no money but I quite enjoyed walking around like Pretty Woman. Dresses were in excess of £1000 and handbags just had loads of zeros on the price tag. I thought it would be a cheap Cheshire oaks, how wrong was I? There were wealthy tourists everywhere with empty suitcases that they were filling with expensive items. I got home at 10.30 last night and had a good nights sleep. I've woken up in a happy mood.
Meeting with a supplier on Thursday to tout for work for September. We're taking a gift of a chocolate hamper. They were very expensive online and so I've made one. It's a Bobby Dazzler too and looks like it has cost a fortune, but was a fraction of the price.
My sister said that I should make them to sell, but the time v effort isn't financially viable to scale it up.
Evening Marzipan. I've not been on here for an age and so didn't see your message. Thank you for checking in with me. x
Everything has gone a little Pete Tong at this end. Back in September I got a phone call saying my mum had fallen and they had called an ambulance. Turns out she had broken her Femur, and they couldn't operate as she has also has a heart defect. Eventually, they put rods into her leg, using a spinal and she was moved to a rehab centre to learn how to walk again. She is already bad on her legs. Since being home she is argumentative and generally a worry.
I knew bad news was coming that day as when I woke up that morning I was very teary and filled with a sense of doom. It got to 10.30pm and I thought it was just my hormones, and then I got the phone call saying she was on the floor and the ambulance had requested morphine to move her. We sat in A&E until 4am.
Weeks and weeks later of working more than full time then visiting the hospital and the rehab centre, she has finally come home. I was on a rota for house cleaning, but now she is refusing to let us do it.
I'm cooking meals around three times a week as she is still unsteady on her legs and cooking the bare minimum. I worry she'll slip and burn herself. I cook the meals, drop them off in takeaway containers, and then all she has to do is put them in the microwave.
During the Summer, one of our contracts didn't pay us and so I had to borrow money from my OH to cover my 6 weeks of not working. Not a good position to be in. I've paid him back now that the contract has come through, plus the credit card that I had to use to cover food shopping etc.
OH booked us a holiday during Summer and told me to just pay what I could afford. The message then came back via his DD that I was only with her Dad for money, and so now I'm having to pay back the whole of the holiday at £500 a month (my choosing). Gutted doesn't come close. I'd have never booked it. I paid for his DD to get her hair cut in August as my DD was getting hers done and she asked about getting hers done. The message came back that she hated it. I didn't pick the cut, just paid for it. Lesson learned.
We've had a huge argument tonight about money. OH now wants me to go away next year with his brother for his birthday. It's going to cost thousands and so I've said I can't afford it. Nobody has discussed hotels/locations with me and I got a message tonight saying that the hotel that has been booked is £400 a night. Some sort of boring retreat in the middle of the desert, that is half an hour away from the nearest civilisation.
Again, he has said that he will pay for it, but I've got his daughter's comments in my ear and so there's no way that will be happening.
One of my comments to him was that it's ok when you have a lot, but I have nothing and constantly being in debt for holidays is ensuring that I never have anything. He earns a six figure salary and I just can't compete with that level of disposable income. His car is worth nearly 20 times what mine is worth.
DMP currently sits at £12500. I have £2700 saved up and the last debt falls off my credit report in March 2025.
Eventually, I want to buy a house, and so I'm currently googling if the DMP will be visible, even if it is no longer on my credit file. Will I need to get this cleared first?
Just finished cooking my Mum and Dad's tea and so going to box it up then write some reports in bed. I thought I was doing really well financially, but now I just feel like I'm not.
I did go to the spiritualist church last week and I got picked out. The medium stood at the front and told me I was very impulsive and was always the first one to go for the ride. He then held up his thumbs and said, 'Well done, they are very pleased with you.'
Not sure who 'they' are, but nobody tells me I'm doing ok and so I'll take it.
Oh sweetheart I am so sorry to read of all the set backs. Stepchildren can be exhausting - even if they aren't officially yours. Sounds to me like she's lashing out at whatever she can. And it also sounds like she is too old to be doing so.
For what its worth, I agree with "them". You are doing brilliantly, you keep putting one foot in front of the other. You've made inroads in your debt, you've got a plan, you're learning to say no. I'm proud of you.
Hugs x
❀ total
debt at LBM 01/2023: £47,178.76 ❀ debt at highest point: £51,062.14❀
£1600+ made on vinted since 2023 ⚜ we could get better, because we're not dead yet - frank turner. ❧ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great to see you back posting. Personally, I wouldn't be going on the holiday and I wouldn't be paying for it. Those £500 a month payments towards your own debts would be game-changing, plus not sure how relaxing it would be anyway.
One thing I always think of when I read your diary is a phrase someone told me ages ago: you're either a radiator or a drain.
You are a radiator. Warmth, energy, power, comfort. Always chasing new contracts, coming up with new ideas for your business, doing things for others, being generous with your time/energy/efforts/spirit/money but this doesn't seem to be reciprocated.
It seems like you have so many drains around you. How would life be different if you changed this?
Morning. Thank you for your comments and compliments. I'm not feeling well today. I've got some sort of headache and cold. I'll have to take some tablets before I start the next part of my day. We are buying our contractors a Christmas gift and have stumbled upon these little ornaments that are less than £2 each. Last night I saw them online for £10 each and so I've bought 100 of them to see if I can sell them before Christmas. I know this may seem odd to you reading this but to me it feeds that aspect of my personality that likes risk and acting on impulse. I've curbed this side of my personality well and have a sensible job and routine, but every now and then I do something impulsive and last night was one of those nights.
I've started eBay again and have sold £60 over the last couple of days. I'll put that into my savings I've also sold my old mobile phone for £130 and so that can sit in the money pot. When I have £500 I'll go to the bank and cash it in.
Not much else to report really. OH is my friend again. @mis@MissShoes- I do have alot of drains, but not sure how to get rid of them.
I've been told I have high blood pressure. Somebody from the Drs is contacting me over the coming days. I've lost 2st 6 this year and have starting walking the dogs for an hour before breakfast.
I have a lot of headaches and so I wonder if this is the cause.
We've booked a house for Christmas for us all. We go on the 24th Dec and come back on the 27th. It's cost £175 a person. We're going because my mum fell and the trauma of her operation and rehab has made us all want to spend Christmas together.
We've paid for my mum and dad for their Christmas present. We're near the beach (I love the beach). I now need to organise the activities for the three days. I was thinking Karaoke and Christmas songs on Christmas night, murder mystery on Christmas day and quiz night on boxing day. I'll have a think. We're taking our own food.
OH and his DD have been invited. He has spoken to his DD and she said she just wants Christmas with him at home. He said they will drive over in the evening, as she isn't seeing her boyfriend that night and so will be sat in. He is driving her back the next morning. I don't personally see the point if I'm being honest. He'll be sat on his own then until I get back. He has no other family in the UK.
Picked up 9 more hours of work. My share is £72 a week of it before tax and NI.