My Diary - SmellyOldSock

SmellyOldSock

Well I've been knocking around for awhile and have decided to write down and face you all with my soa

Rent - 600
CTax - 90 (reduced thanks to Martin)
TV - 12
fone & BB - 55
Life Ins - 33 (mine and hubbies)
water - 47
sky - 38
loan - 170 (without ppi)
edf - 55 (dual fuel fixed til 2010)
petrol - 120
food - 400 (this is for 2 adults and 3 kids and 3 more kids at weekends and holidays)

TOTAL 1620

Earnings

Hubbie - 1200 (rough figure as it changes week to week but this is the least)
Me - 220 (rough figure as it changes week to week)
CB - 169
TC - 320

TOTAL 1909

left over 289

DEBTS

Lloyds tsb card 3600 - 0% until november 2008 - paying 70 which is over min
Abbey card 1000 paying 25 which is over min

As you can we are meeting our payments etc with not too many problems.

We also but 100 into a savings account for the car, ie MOT, tax, insurance.

I just wanted to put this down as I've had my LBM and just need support in cutting down further. The debts are my doing not my Hubbies, he knows about them but he lets me deal with everything and doesn't have alot to do with the money side.

Thank you for reading, any comments or advice would be appreciated.

Best Wishes
Charlotte

Cleosmum

SmellyOldSock wrote: »

Well I've been knocking around for awhile and have decided to write down and face you all with my soa

Rent - 600
CTax - 90 (reduced thanks to Martin)
TV - 12
fone & BB - 55 Can you switch to someone like talk talk who do BB free with phone for about £20 PM. Go via quidco for cashback.
Life Ins - 33 (mine and hubbies)
water - 47
sky - 38 Could you check and see if you can get phone and BB thrown into this amount? Go via quidco (even as a current customer).
loan - 170 (without ppi)
edf - 55 (dual fuel fixed til 2010)
petrol - 120 Could this be reduced at all?
food - 400 (this is for 2 adults and 3 kids and 3 more kids at weekends and holidays) I currently feed 2 adults and 3 kids on £200 pm, maybe allow a bit more PM for the other 3? My £200 PM covers all toiletries, cleaning stuff and packed lunches for 2 kids. Have a look on the old style board for lots of ideas for cutting back.

TOTAL 1620

Earnings

Hubbie - 1200 (rough figure as it changes week to week but this is the least)
Me - 220 (rough figure as it changes week to week)
CB - 169
TC - 320

TOTAL 1909

left over 289

DEBTS

Lloyds tsb card 3600 - 0% until november 2008 - paying 70 which is over min
Abbey card 1000 paying 25 which is over min Whats the APR?

As you can we are meeting our payments etc with not too many problems.

We also but 100 into a savings account for the car, ie MOT, tax, insurance.

I just wanted to put this down as I've had my LBM and just need support in cutting down further. The debts are my doing not my Hubbies, he knows about them but he lets me deal with everything and doesn't have alot to do with the money side.

Thank you for reading, any comments or advice would be appreciated.

Best Wishes
Charlotte

Hi Charlotte
Sounds like you are doing well, hopefully cutting back a bit will allow you to pay things off much quicker. Have a look at http://www.whatsthecost.com/snowball.aspx put the debts, aprs etc into their snowball calc and see which it suggests paying off first and how much, bet your debt free date isnt too far away

Cleosmum

Benthosboy

SmellyOldSock wrote: »

The debts are my doing not my Hubbies, he knows about them but he lets me deal with everything and doesn't have alot to do with the money side.

Charlotte, a plea from the heart: get him involved with the finances.

I'm in the middle of being divorced and I'm convinced that me not being involved and the debts getting the way they did is part of the reason she's going. The debts were joint but as she took care of all the finances, I simply had no idea how bad they were. Naive but true.

Even if that's not the reason she's going, if I'd involved myself, I wouldn't have got the shock that I got when it all came out in the wash :eek:

Martyn.

SmellyOldSock

Well have joined the April Grocery challenge. So far so good (thank you Cleosmum)

As I've shown in my SOA my hubbies wages depend on where he's working so have decided to put in a savings account the excess to make extra payments on the cards.

I'm heading for $75 per week grocery spend, which will give us an extra $100 to put towards the cards.

Am going to speak to TalkTalk as one reason I went with them was for the FREE broadband, last time I spoke to them it wasn't available in our area.

best wishes
Charlotte

SmellyOldSock

Well I've mad a decision to help reduce the petrol costs

We live over 1 mile from school (soon to be 3 miles) so use the car to take my eldest to school, middle son to pre-school. Have been coming home only to go back again.

Today was such a lovely morning I stayed in town until pick-up time for middle son. Have realised I need to do this more often to reduce petrol costs. On Tuesdays I work in the morning, wednesdays is town mother and toddler group, thursday is another mother and toddler group.

I'm quite looking forward to doing this as also will mean I'm walking around more so hopefully will lose a few pounds (in weight NOT money)

Charlotte

Cleosmum

http://www.talktalk.co.uk/talktalk/servlet/gben-server-PageServer?article=MAIN.UK.TALKTALK.STATIC.TESTHUB

Should be able to check on that page.

Could you walk the 1 mile to school/pre-school? Or cycle

SmellyOldSock

Well have rung and emailed TalkTalk and got told it'll be soon, told them I've been told that for over a year now! I suppose the real question is how soon is soon?

Cleosmum, have tried walking to school, but with a 5year old, 3 year old and a 18month its pretty hard going, as for cycling where do I put them all?!? My eldest can ride a bike - just but the other 2 can't! Perhaps I should try harder with them.

best wishes
Charlotte

Cleosmum

Bike trailer

Nah I know how hard it is to pull one of those, my DD has one, still gets you trim lol.

You are making good headway with everything, think of all the small things each day, they all add up.

Right, mammoth day ahead, I spose I better get on with it.

I wish ebay parcels packed themselves.....

sophiesmum_2

Hi
You are doing fine:D
Just take it a day at a time and make little changes where you can, keep posting on the small things thread and soon all the smal:T l stuff adds up:D .
Kids can manage a mile no problem and they will benefit from the regular exercise. Stick the youngest in a buggy and get the other two used to walking. i had 4 aged under five so when oldest started school we all had to go,two in double buggy,two walking and it was almost two miles. They moaned at first but soon got used to the walk, just allow enough time;) . It helps develop their road safety sense too.
Perhaps use the car when it is a really wet day.
Good luck

SmellyOldSock

Have been to work today and they are increasing my hours! Am so pleased, its regular so will be able to include it in my budget! It means starting at 6am but will finish about 11 so still have rest of day with hubbie and children.

Have used savings to pay off some credit card, am a bit nervous about not having my 'safety net' but hey, we have an over draft!

best wishes
Charlotte

SmellyOldSock

Have paid the niggly bits of my next account, will ring them to cancel account and bin the books! Feel quite liberated, might even burn them!! Less rubbish in the house! Will only keep argos and tesco direct. They're a good size to throw at hubbie when he winds me up!:D

My grocery looks like it might go a bit over this week, time will tell, its step sons birthday so we're having some family over. Hoping to 'make do'.

best wishes
Charlotte