"Thevinternet's still in debt" diary

thevinternet

Paid £40 into my bank account today from tips at work this week - hopefully that will stop me from going over my overdraft limit when my loan payments come out at the end of the month. Got work again tonight, so I'll be able to stick a bit more in tomorrow.

It's weird, I keep expecting to be hit with charges for going over my OD, but I haven't been over it this month so it's quite a novelty not to have any! Weird how you get used to large amounts of money just disappearing - hopefully never again! One of my loan repayments finishes in February, I wonder if it will feel this weird when I am £80 better off a month?

Went to Sainsbury's today, so it's not a NSD - however I did use lots of vouchers so got £1.07 off (it was only a very small shop). I also got the sweets in for trick or treaters, and the pumpkin to carve, can I make anything yummy from the flesh and/or the seeds?

Final thing to tell you all - my pre-xmas diet starts today. I do one every year as 'damage limitation' for the goodies I nosh at xmas. From now on it's 1200 kcal per day, no excuses. I've had some naughty treats today already, and they will be the last ones until xmas!

Dinah93

I make this soup from pumpkin (actually buy it just for the soup), but there are loads of yummy pumpkin recipes including muffins and stews. Basically you can use it similar to butternut squash.

Have you won any competitions yet?

Good luck with the diet.

starnac

pumpkin pie is delicious too. we buy pumpkins just for the pie as we don't celebrate halloween.

thevinternet

Aha - thanks for these tips! Dinah, where would I buy 'Thai red curry paste' from please, can I get it in the supermarket? Forgive me, I'm rather ignorant about Thai food. I've never cooked it myself, although it's always tasted rather yummy when other people have.

Now, any ideas for what I could do with the seeds? Are they edible if you toast them? Would the birds eat them? God I'm such a DFW nerd these days

thevinternet

Dinah93 wrote: »

Have you won any competitions yet?

I have rather given up with the comping, I must confess. I became somewhat disheartened. I must make a decision, either I start comping again or I change my sig!

Dinah93

Don't know who you shop with but this is Mr T's one which I use, a little goes a long way but its really easy to just stir a bit into a tin of coconut milk and voila, you have a curry. Add a bit of pulped pumpkin too make it thicker and full of vitamins.

thevinternet

Dinah93 wrote: »

Don't know who you shop with but this is Mr T's one which I use, a little goes a long way but its really easy to just stir a bit into a tin of coconut milk and voila, you have a curry. Add a bit of pulped pumpkin too make it thicker and full of vitamins.

I shop with Mr T too, so that is perfect. Thanks!
I already make a lot of Indian curries in my slow cooker, it will be good to try something new.

So, work went well last night, and I have work again tonight. We do have rather a snooty party coming into the restaurant though - they are from a local club and I remember they were a nightmare to serve last time...:( oh well. Work is money and all, I know I really shouldn't complain! It won't be a NSD today, since I need petrol to get me to work.

My monthly loan repayments went out of my account today, I get really tragically excited when this happens every month now! Especially when I've budgeted properly and I don't go over my OD limit, like today. Glad I put that £40 in the other day though.

Gonna make some candles today for xmas presents, it's my first attempt at candle-making so wish me luck!

thevinternet

Well, what do you know? The old coots I had to serve last night were actually pretty good fun in the end. You never can tell with people, they were much cheerier than last year! So tips weren't too bad either, I will stick that cash in the bank on Monday.

In other news, I found out last night that an old friend has just been diagnosed with cancer. I think it's terminal, although I haven't seen him for years so I don't have all the details. He's only about 45 and has just got remarried. It makes me soooo sad, my mum passed of cancer a few years ago, and it always brings back all those old feelings. My OH is away this weekend which is a shame, because I could really do with a hug.

Still, it puts all this money stuff into perspective - I may be in debt, but at least I've still got my health. And you can't put a price on that.

thevinternet

Oh no - now another friend is sick, this time with anxiety/depression. I went to see her yesterday to have a chat. It is work-related stress, she has a horrible workplace by the sounds of it and has been signed off sick. I hate seeing my friends feeling crap like that, you just feel like you can't help very much.

I looked at my work rota for November today and it's looking very scanty so I will have to be careful this month. I have to find another £100 for CC2's payment by the 10th. I have already paid off £100 of it, so halfway there .

Realising that all this bad news might make me gloomy, I decided to be proactive this morning in promoting my own happiness. I called my loan companies, found out how much is left to pay, and then updated my signature....

Loan 1 is down to £315. Loan 2 is down to £1718. These both seem like reasonable amounts now, especially when you consider that they both started at 6 grand each, so that cheered me up massively. I know I haven't made much progress on the CCs or overdrafts yet, but at least I am making my loan payments each month, and they are going down steadily, therefore reducing my total debts.

I also rejected the interest increase on CC1. This effectively means that once I have paid that account off, it will be closed, but in the meantime I won't be able to do any more spending on it. That's perfect, it will eliminate a potential source of temptation for me, and keep my interest rates a little lower over the life of the balance. If I was more mathematically minded, I could probably figure out how much cash that's going to save me in the next year, but I am not, so let's just say I saved *cough cough ahem rhubarb* quid!

Got to head to the bank now to pay in last night's tips. People were generous, sometimes it helps being a girlie

thevinternet

So - I got asked to go away this weekend with a couple of friends, one of whom I haven't seen for ages. But I have had to turn it down because of a serious lack of money. I know if I stay at home this weekend, I will spend less than a tenner...but if I go away, there will be meals out, or takeaways, or drinking at pubs etc. I am gutted as I would love to go, but I hope they will understand....sometimes people who aren't in debt DON'T understand, and then they think you are being boring.

I added up my total debts yesterday (including student loan) and it is well over 40k, so I need to really focus. Bummer.