Paying the car tax via EBay, and other shenanigans.

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  • Well done on growing that bump. It really puts everything else into perspective
    Mortgage at 01.01.14 £119,481.83:eek: today £0 Emergency fund £5.5/5.5k & £200/200 cash.:jWeight 24/02/19 14st 7lb now 11st 9lb determined to stop defining myself by my mistakes. Progress not perfection.:T100%through my 1% mortgage challenge. 30.15% through my pb challenge.
  • mfmaybe
    mfmaybe Posts: 1,176
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    Thanks INOD

    Right, where to start. Will try with positivity. Currently have over £2.7k set aside outwith my main bank account.

    £530 relates to bills I will certainly have to pay - a proportional saved amount. Things like field rent, car insurance, road tax etc.
    £675 relates to things I will almost certainly need to spend on - vehicle repairs, horse items, holidays/presents, regular vet bills etc. This could be flexible but have already dipped into bits of it.
    £273 is payrise/dividend related that I didn't expect so have set aside.
    £470 is my emergency vet fund for my uninsured horse. The start of "self insurance" I guess. Really don't want to touch that.
    £820 is towards current outstanding monthly credit cards.

    All looks very healthy.... :T

    However....

    Credit cards currently at £1111 so I'm nearly £300 short, less the £80 that's in next month's budget. At my last posting, I thought I'd be ok for this. However, had to spend another £100 on electric fencing stuff. And can't quite work out where the rest went, I think I'd miscalculated on bathroom stuff. So £220 to find.

    First of two vets bills now in. £360. I can cover £80 from the "standard" vets bill saving I have. So £280 more to find.

    Owe OH £180. Some holiday expenses I thought we'd already paid. Plus other bits and bobs. Can cover £100 from the holiday fund I've set aside. £80 more to find.

    Another vets bill outstanding. Probably £150. Not taking this from the self insurance fund as I wouldn't have claimed if she had been insured. Will worry about this later.

    Farmer already paid so that's off the list for now.

    Total unsolutioned currently equals £580. Have TCB of £85 (not yet all payable). Am going to use the £273 unallocated savings, as the major overspends have been doing our bathroom up, plus having tiny pony put down. Still leaves me about £200 to find, but haven't actually paid the big vets bill yet so can have a think about magic fleabay solutions.

    Other things to dwell on. 3 horse rugs currently in the cleaners, but 2 of them will be sold once cleaned. Could net me maybe £200 although I will probably need to replace at least one of them.

    I am definitely in a better place than before. A year ago, I still owed most of the family debt, had the remains of an overdraft, had about as much on the 0% card, probably about as much on the monthly cards, yet had nothing set aside to pay any of it. In the meantime we went on a very expensive big-birthday holiday, had another round of IVF, had a woodburner fitted, are now doing up our bathroom, bought a relatively expensive horse-related item I'd been trying to fund for ages, had to replace the boiler in my flat, and am having to spend on little things like maternity clothes and baby items :eek: Things are definitely moving in the right direction, which I need to keep reminding myself. I also need to remember that little bits add up to big bits. Might try to get back on a few surveys etc as that all helps - the odd A-zon voucher or 1-poll payout can fund unexpected items.

    Payday is Monday. Current budget suggests I have enough to cover all the cash payments as well as to set aside enough for all monthly credit card payments. I think where I still need to focus are the little bits I add to the monthly credit card. £8 in boots or £5 in Amazon. I need to see what they are, and ensure I'm budgeting properly for them.

    Phew that was long but very cathartic! Need to keep up to date more with the diary, as had to spend ages today updating my spreadsheets. The two usually go hand in hand.
    0% card was £1126.91 / Now £1502.37

    AFD March 2/15 NSD March 2/11 :T

    Other debts paid since 1/1/14: £17,005
  • StressedSteph
    StressedSteph Posts: 2,834
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    Morning mfmaybe,


    Wow you sound super organised with your money pots, you confused me a little :D.


    Reading all the diaries this morning has given me a kick up the bum as I know I have relaxed ALOT with being frugal and questioning where my money is going. Like many say - if you don't tell it where to go it just wanders off on its own :rotfl:.


    Mine has certainly all wandered off this month :(.


    Don't suppose hubby would let you off the money you owe him as you have had all the pony expenses etc???. Abit cheeky but I might try it if I were you :o


    Like you said, we need to remember how far we have come and that we are in a much better situation than we were maybe a year ago. Keep smiling, you sound like you have it all under control :T
  • mfmaybe
    mfmaybe Posts: 1,176
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    Ah I thought I posted ages ago but must have lost it in cyber space. Thanks for dropping by Steph. I don't really feel right asking DH to let me off what I owe, as he is going to be covering so much when I'm off work, and a lot of that is so I can keep the horses. That said, I have a friend's horse here now that will contribute towards the costs, and one of my two will be going off to someone else for a few months, which again should help.

    So, where am I? Payday came and went. Made the family payment so that's on the home stretch. Standard 0% card hasn't gone out yet so will come down again. Have got my monthly card account currently all caught up. Taking a hint from Steph, I simplified my accounts a little so that one bank account is only for the credit card amounts. Previously it had other money in it too so it was hard to see the position. Annual bills account is looking not too bad just now, I want to get as much as I can in here before my salary stops. The gap is still there but I think I can eek a little bit more out of current account this month.

    Rant alert - I am a little annoyed with T@sco who don't make it clear exactly what day the payment in full is due. They just said minimum payment due on x-date. I paid the full balance the same day as well; but unlike say my Amex, which applies the debit card payment immediately, T@sco chose to leave it as unpaid for a couple of days, and hence applied interest. :mad: It's not a late payment, as I had a direct debit for the minimum payment anyway, and it's only a couple of quid, but it has made me cross. Can't decide whether to stomp off in a huff and close my account. Probably not though. My previous non-Amex card was a NW Yourpoints. This scheme is being closed, so the card has no real benefit anymore, whereas the T@sco one does. I will move on to using the S@nt*ander one when I pay off the balance, but for now need a points card. I think I will change the DD on the T@sco one to be pay in full, and that at least saves me working out their sneaky system. In fact, have just gone and done that straight away. But apparently, that makes it a new direct debit, and so it won't take effect until my next statement. This feels equally sneaky, now I need to remember to make this month's payment. Grrr, rapidly losing affection for them, as if I ever had it!

    Aside from that, not much happening. Only another couple of months until bump arrives. :eek:
    0% card was £1126.91 / Now £1502.37

    AFD March 2/15 NSD March 2/11 :T

    Other debts paid since 1/1/14: £17,005
  • mfmaybe
    mfmaybe Posts: 1,176
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    Another week or so since I posted. 0% card payment made so a little bit more progress there.

    £413 in DDs still to pay with £559 in bank. OH owes me (net) £170. Leaves me about £310. Owe card account £200 currently. Likely to spend £70 on food and similar on fuel, plus say £30 on feed for the horses. So about £170 to spend on card with £110 spare in bank. However am happy to cover that from the annual bills account as have a clothes and presents category which make up some of the spends.

    Have also now paid the £350 vets bill (for tiny pony's last day) onto a credit card, due to be paid off at the end of the month. Plan is to allocate £50 from the bills account which has a standard vet category (part of it was annual vaccinations for other horse). Then if it becomes payable in time another £80 from TCB. Leaves me £220 to pay which will come from my "unallocated savings" (otherwise known as payrise) which I've been setting aside.

    Still have a £150 for an emergency call out which isn't payable yet so will see where I am in a month's time when I need to pay that.

    Paid off the T@sco card several days early (with money already set aside :T) so hopefully won't fall foul of their sneaky rules this month. Need to remember to trf this back into current account once the payment shows up.

    Feels nice to not only have money set aside for all "live" credit cards, but also to have a bit of a plan for the future stuff as well. Annual bills account looking not too bad, and I'm definitely frittering less away than I used to. That nerve wracking time on much reduced maternity pay is all a bit alarming though, hence trying to get as much either paid off or saved up for as possible.
    0% card was £1126.91 / Now £1502.37

    AFD March 2/15 NSD March 2/11 :T

    Other debts paid since 1/1/14: £17,005
  • mfmaybe
    mfmaybe Posts: 1,176
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    Still due the £170 from OH, ahem....

    £195 in bank. £71 DD to pay. Leaves me £120 plus what OH owes so £290. Owe card account the previous £200 plus £70 spent this weekend. Still likely to need a food shop and fuel. Looks a wee bit worse as I think I'd missed off a DD on my earlier post, and also managed to spend a fortune at the supermarket this weekend - £100 :eek:.

    I know I bought a few big things - soda stream gas, washing powder, pack of nappies. Also needed a few supplies that aren't the cheapest (olive oil, frozen peas, that sort of thing) and it was my turn to bake for the office so had some supplies for that too. Also we didn't actually do a full shop last weekend so it's not as bad as it sounds, but still annoying. And I suspect I could have managed without the half price magnums ;)

    Not much else going on, trying to keep up with the posting as it keeps me honest. Big vet bill - plan is still the same as previous post. Not much change in other stuff, but do need to buy paint to get our bathroom finished off, otherwise it will never get done!
    0% card was £1126.91 / Now £1502.37

    AFD March 2/15 NSD March 2/11 :T

    Other debts paid since 1/1/14: £17,005
  • mfmaybe
    mfmaybe Posts: 1,176
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    Oh I know what I was going to add. Lots of people also post on their diaries about housework type stuff as well, often the two go hand in hand. Months ago I tried a "3 things before and after work" which worked but I've got out of the habit as I'm struggling to get out of bed these days. On Saturday I trialled a new, seemingly blindingly obvious, method of "if it has a place, go and put it in its place". So every dish that should be in the dishwasher, every book lying about, every item of clothing, everything that just needed tossed, etc. This made a big big difference. Of course there is still loads of stuff that doesn't have a place, but if I can get back into the habit of simply tidying up after ourselves, it should be so much easier to keep, and to get those disorganised things sorted. It makes them stand out if nothing else.

    Now all I have to do is persuade OH that running clothes don't live on the floor, towels don't hang over doors, and keys don't live on the kitchen worksurface :rotfl:
    0% card was £1126.91 / Now £1502.37

    AFD March 2/15 NSD March 2/11 :T

    Other debts paid since 1/1/14: £17,005
  • cazmanian_minx
    cazmanian_minx Posts: 4,046
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    Have we made a Konvert of you yet? Try The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo - it's even working on me and I am notoriously messy! http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-effective/dp/0091955106
    Home: 06/08: £145,145.00 Currently: £106,249.36 Amount paid off: £38,895.64 (26.8%)
    Ethel's: 05/18: £99,000.00 Currently: £99,000.00 Amount paid off: £0 (0.0%)
    Tor: 05/18: £82,500.00 Currently: £82,500.00 Amount paid off: £0 (0.0%)
    Debt-free: 17/02/2017
  • mfmaybe
    mfmaybe Posts: 1,176
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    I have seen it on countless threads on here but am generally not a follower of programmes. Our issue isn't so much that we have too much stuff, but a combination of a very poorly laid out house, too many hobbies, and generally laziness about simple tidying. But I will keep an open mind and research some more ;)

    Tonight I need to rant, so I don't blow up at my DH instead. Just checked our joint account and there is an OD fee of £6 on it. This was a massive surprise as all that goes through the account are DDs which are static, and I'm pretty careful. There's also a £50 OD limit in case of slip ups. Anyway transpires that my disorganised husband took £60 out a few weeks back and didn't put it back for a week (I assume he was somewhere without his own bank card). That might have been ok but the new cat insurance came out as well, an extra £23 pounds compared to a normal month, so all in, the account went £70 overdrawn. Money went in the next day but the damage was done. I guess I'd not been as vigilant at checking that account as it's normally so regular, but you live and learn. I think I should mention to DH as I've told him in the past that I keep that account holding just enough for DDs, so he should have known better. But I don't want to have a row over £6 so I'm swearing at him on here metaphorically instead. :p

    This weekend it's off to ikea to get bits for the upcoming chaotic arrival. Also need to:

    clear out the water trough in the field
    Paint bathroom ceiling final coat
    dig out a plant that is overgrown with weeds
    spray a bit of weed killer (not something I do often but the driveway gets a couple of blasts a year)
    food shopping
    shampoo carpet in spare room
    book in the guy that's going to cut back the hedges (once I think nesting is over)
    call about my rugs that were in for cleaning
    Hoover and quick tidy

    And no doubt a ton of stuff I've not thought of!

    On that note should sleep. Had a very frugal week in terms of lunches etc, did order cat food and also a couple of baby bits from Am@zin.. Hopefully no needless spending this weekend but the ikea trip won't be pennies sadly.
    0% card was £1126.91 / Now £1502.37

    AFD March 2/15 NSD March 2/11 :T

    Other debts paid since 1/1/14: £17,005
  • It's so annoying that you want to scream in a manner that's totally disproportionate to the £6. Glad you had your rant here.
    Mortgage at 01.01.14 £119,481.83:eek: today £0 Emergency fund £5.5/5.5k & £200/200 cash.:jWeight 24/02/19 14st 7lb now 11st 9lb determined to stop defining myself by my mistakes. Progress not perfection.:T100%through my 1% mortgage challenge. 30.15% through my pb challenge.
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