📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Teetering on the brink

1…2526283031…88

Comments

  • ellenvan
    ellenvan Posts: 233 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Photogenic
    edited 10 February at 12:29AM
    Another little suggestion
    You could try a car boot sale somewhere when the weather gets better, or an inside table top sale.
    Ideal for getting rid of the smaller value items like the cheaper jewellery or things that are not worth an added postage charge. Things that I have found sell well, are childrens clothes, unwanted presents, books and shoes.
    In our area you can pay bewteen £7 and £10 for a stall. I usually only make between £70 and £100 sometimes a little more.
    Sometimes one of the grandchildren will help in return for a share of the profits,
    So maybe your daughters could help.
  • EatingBeans
    EatingBeans Posts: 409 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Another bad TN day. Had to take the day off work. 😔

    Still determined to list my 5 things though even if it takes me all day. I’ve managed two so far but now time to eat and sleep. 
    End of
    Dec-24
    Jul-25
    Brother      5,400.00      8,100.00
    Overdraft owed      1,349.90                -  
    MBNA CC    10,534.20    12,073.22
    Barclaycard CC      9,667.21      9,725.88
    Fluid CC                -           712.50
    NatWest CC    12,018.14    12,171.46
    Aqua                -           342.08
    Total debt    38,969.45    43,125.14
    Paid off in the month -    4,638.17
    Total paid off 2025 -    4,155.69

  • EatingBeans
    EatingBeans Posts: 409 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    OK I am definitely staying put now! I’ve just heard dd1 potter down the stairs and announce that she is going to have cereal instead of waiting for the roast chicken dinner that dd2 is in the middle of cooking. 😬 “CEREAL!!” dd2 was less than impressed. I don’t blame her. 
    End of
    Dec-24
    Jul-25
    Brother      5,400.00      8,100.00
    Overdraft owed      1,349.90                -  
    MBNA CC    10,534.20    12,073.22
    Barclaycard CC      9,667.21      9,725.88
    Fluid CC                -           712.50
    NatWest CC    12,018.14    12,171.46
    Aqua                -           342.08
    Total debt    38,969.45    43,125.14
    Paid off in the month -    4,638.17
    Total paid off 2025 -    4,155.69

  • EatingBeans
    EatingBeans Posts: 409 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 10 February at 8:53PM
    Dinner cooked, dd1 pottered back down the stairs, cereal bowl in hand, and like a scene out of Oliver, “please oh mighty dd2, please may I too have a roast dinner” (from a suitable distance to show respect for the ‘do not go in the kitchen when dd2 is cooking’ rule.) There was even a little bow. lol

    She got the roast dinner. 

    ‘Twas all highly amusing to watch. 

    Then dd2 looks at me. 😳 “Oh please, oh great one, bringer of deliciousness, please forgive thy giggling.”… Not enough? errr… “you’re very pretty?!” Cue 🤣 The “you’re very pretty” is something dd2 used to say to me, (along with batting her eyelashes and giving the big eyes like Puss in Boots), when she was young and really wanted something. It may be ridiculously transparent but it works remarkably well! Roast dinner secured! Yes! 😍
    End of
    Dec-24
    Jul-25
    Brother      5,400.00      8,100.00
    Overdraft owed      1,349.90                -  
    MBNA CC    10,534.20    12,073.22
    Barclaycard CC      9,667.21      9,725.88
    Fluid CC                -           712.50
    NatWest CC    12,018.14    12,171.46
    Aqua                -           342.08
    Total debt    38,969.45    43,125.14
    Paid off in the month -    4,638.17
    Total paid off 2025 -    4,155.69

  • ellen_vannin
    ellen_vannin Posts: 424 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 100 Posts
    Ah teen-agers. But everyone now well fed by the sound of it.
    Hope tomorrow is a better day for you.
    Also well done for sticking with the 5 listings a day rule.
  • EatingBeans
    EatingBeans Posts: 409 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    List 5 things a day ✅ - I actually managed 6 today. 🎉 No sales again yet but the more I get listed the more chance they will start coming through again. 🤞

    And guess who called me today? EDF! Apparently my direct debit has been cancelled AGAIN, so would I like to provide them with my bank details for the third time? 🤦‍♀️ THIS is why I hate messing with anything related to my energy supplier. It doesn’t seem to matter who I am with, everything just seems like such hard work. Wifi switched, barely noticed, mobile switched twice in two months, barely noticed, I ask to change the account my energy direct debit comes from, and they just repeatedly cancel the direct debit and ask for the details again. The best laugh is I now have two EDF direct debit instructions now showing on my new current account but EDF themselves think they have none.  🤷‍♀️

    Oh and since I’ve now definitely got my increased limit on my MBNA and have no intention of taking out any more credit any time soon, I figured what difference would one more hard search on my credit file make, and opened a regular saver account with First Direct. I need to start putting money away for dd2’s 18th birthday next year, as part of our agreed “springboard” plan is they get £1000 for their 18th birthday. dd1 has already had her money and is busy using it for driving lessons, but I need to resave dd2’s after I borrowed it back from the pot I had put it away in, when I needed a new boiler. 🤦‍♀️ I had planned to resave it in the ‘pots/overdraft’ account once I had saved enough for dd2’s new phone this year but since this money definitely should not be touched until next year, I decided to separate it out and opted for this new account as it is offering 7% AER. Yes, it is a lot of money for their 17th and 18th birthdays, (especially given my debt situation), but it is what I agreed and it is kind of a final boost into the financial world of adulthood where I expect them to start contributing to the bills not zapping me of every last penny. It worked for dd1, 🤞it also works for dd2. She can’t say she hasn’t had plenty of notice. 🤣
    End of
    Dec-24
    Jul-25
    Brother      5,400.00      8,100.00
    Overdraft owed      1,349.90                -  
    MBNA CC    10,534.20    12,073.22
    Barclaycard CC      9,667.21      9,725.88
    Fluid CC                -           712.50
    NatWest CC    12,018.14    12,171.46
    Aqua                -           342.08
    Total debt    38,969.45    43,125.14
    Paid off in the month -    4,638.17
    Total paid off 2025 -    4,155.69

  • EatingBeans
    EatingBeans Posts: 409 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Thanks to MSE tip in their e-mail today I have just followed the steps to beat the hike in Microsoft 365 subscription and saved myself £25 in April when my annual renewal is due. 😁💪🎉

    I will definitely be reading the tips more closely from now on to see if there are any other gems I am missing!
    End of
    Dec-24
    Jul-25
    Brother      5,400.00      8,100.00
    Overdraft owed      1,349.90                -  
    MBNA CC    10,534.20    12,073.22
    Barclaycard CC      9,667.21      9,725.88
    Fluid CC                -           712.50
    NatWest CC    12,018.14    12,171.46
    Aqua                -           342.08
    Total debt    38,969.45    43,125.14
    Paid off in the month -    4,638.17
    Total paid off 2025 -    4,155.69

  • EatingBeans
    EatingBeans Posts: 409 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    £5 NatWest Rewards this morning, now totalling £112.87 aka 22/100 £5’s.
    End of
    Dec-24
    Jul-25
    Brother      5,400.00      8,100.00
    Overdraft owed      1,349.90                -  
    MBNA CC    10,534.20    12,073.22
    Barclaycard CC      9,667.21      9,725.88
    Fluid CC                -           712.50
    NatWest CC    12,018.14    12,171.46
    Aqua                -           342.08
    Total debt    38,969.45    43,125.14
    Paid off in the month -    4,638.17
    Total paid off 2025 -    4,155.69

  • HampshireH
    HampshireH Posts: 4,972 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    EatingBeans said:
    Thanks to MSE tip in their e-mail today I have just followed the steps to beat the hike in Microsoft 365 subscription and saved myself £25 in April when my annual renewal is due. 😁💪🎉

    I will definitely be reading the tips more closely from now on to see if there are any other gems I am missing!
    Been following for a while but generally just read not comment.

    Do you use all the features of 365 to get the value out of what you are paying?

    I ended up ditching it on my personal laptop and thought I'd try a free equivalent. For the limited personal use I've been using office suites (free version) and it's been enough.

    Maybe something to consider in the future if you have 365 through work and don't need full functionality at home.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.3K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.8K Spending & Discounts
  • 244.4K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 599.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.1K Life & Family
  • 257.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.
Update Your Picture