Don't hit me with those negative waves Moriarity

LzzyIsGod

This week I've fallen down a Tax and Pensions Rabbit Hole and like Alice in Wonderland I'm not 100% sure I'm any the wiser for it 😂 What a combobulating world they are! I have also eaten FAR TOO MANY BISCUITS this half-term so have a late entry to my Lent list has been added.

Anyway so far a relatively quiet and cheap week money wise but looming on the horizon is car spending (yep playing up again) and youngest youth needs a musical instrument upgrade which will most certainly not be cheap.

Hope everyone is well and not too soggy in all this rain!

Rhyddid2026

I'm not sure there is such a thing as too many biscuits 🤔

Sun_Addict

I know people who work in pensions and still don’t understand them. I reckon it’s deliberate jargon designed to confuse people.

LzzyIsGod

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81893272#Comment_81893272

After this week I completely agree with this 🤣🤣 even trying to find out the answer to a simple question seems jargon.

@Rhyddid2026 I'm afraid my ever expanding waistline appears to disagree these days

LzzyIsGod

I'll be there for youuuuuuuu - The Rembrants (did they ever have another hit????)

Early morning here although for a change it's not me going to work this weekend but DH has pootled off to do some overtime . Yep I'm still cracking that whip!!

Yesterday I was reminded of that scene in an early Fri£nds episode when the CC company calls Rachel up saying there had been unusual activity noted on her card. Rachel replies along the lines of "but I've not used that card in ages" and the reply comes back "yes that's the unusual activity!"

Hats off to Ll#yds this week as their antifraud system picked up a dodgy transaction on one of my CCs thats quietly ticking down on its 0% and questioned it. When I called them (following the proper procedure I promise!) I said how odd it was as that card never leaves the house and the lady said "yes I can see you haven't used it in a while!" That's the 3rd instance Ive had of dodgy transactions in 18 months, all on different accounts and oddly ones that hadn't been in regular use at the time. I've often talked about my habit of doing at least a daily bank account check on each account which I thought would settle but no I'm still compulsive about it. Makes me smile as 2 years ago I'd actively avoid checking my apps as it would trigger a spiral wave of doom and depression.

Talking of my 0%s the allocated money is still sitting waiting patiently for each balance to come to the end of it's term. I wonder if it's almost been a little unintentional test for myself just to prove I can manage self control and restraint. I wonder if I will ever truly trust myself 100% and if this really is a whole new Lzzy .......

Dakota_Rose

It sounds as though you have made fantastic progress with the cards. I too am a bit obsessive about checking my accounts every day but it has helped build new habits. I thought I had rewired my brain but I opened a new CC before Christmas, purely for the free gift card offer. The planned spends were fine, but we overspent on it and I’m really cross about it. Nothing went too badly wrong and all paid back now but a real eye-opener as to how easy I found it to fall back into the trap. I don’t think I will ever be a use the credit card just for points kind of girl 😂

LzzyIsGod

I suspect I am the type.of person that just should avoid CCs like the plague - I definitely don't feel the same when I use cash or a debit card.

Currently I have 4 open, 3 with 0% ticking down but the money to clear them all when the 0% ends and clear them i will. I think I will maybe keep 1 open but not use it regularly - not.to use really for credit as such but for the protection when purchasing bigger items like gig tickets and only if I have the actual money in cash to clear it within the month. I think the scheme works for debit cards too but I've never had experience of claiming things back with those.

Dakota_Rose

I am very similar and do use mine for large purchases but pay off as soon as the payments stops pending from a pot that I have put aside for the item. I can cope with that. The managing multiple spends a month and then transferring at the end of said month definitely did not work for me.

jwil

I'm the same. I tried stoozing once, and found that I spent so much more than normal as there wasn't the same running out of money barrier that you get with the debit card. I have my card for big purchases now (and the ones with the car balances) but I definitely can't be trusted with CCs.

LzzyIsGod

Good morning everyone.

I'm awake early today! Probably as we had a nice quiet night in after popping to the local social club to watch the rugby (less said about the score the better!!) I was pleased though as I had set a strict budget for yesterday and managed to stick with it. Regular readers will know my budget willpower deserts me when I'm enjoying a pint!

it's just under a week til payday and I have somehow still £200 wiggle room in my personal account which I am really hoping to stash into my personal EF / pray for my car fund. There's also about £300 in our bills account (where all the essential DDs and general divving up SOs of money come out of) which I am encouraging dh not to spend and to save that too. That's bigger than usual due to it being month 11 of council tax, it would have been bigger but I didn't add up my shopping yesterday when I did a physical supermarket shop and went over the grocery budget! I should definitely stick with online shopping.

I shall get up in a mo to make a cup of tea but I might just lie here and watch the sky brighten, listening to the birds sing in the day. Small pleasures 🙂