My accountability Diary for £42k!!!!

Hi enthusiasticsaver and thank you for your response.

I was planning to get rid of the Amazon card first just because it is the lowest balance and will be one less to worry about. The Tesco one stresses me out because we are not clearing very much on it at all due to the interest but once the Amazon has gone I can then concentrate on that one. All my cards are already cut up and binned and cleared from my computer etc so I can't spend on them, I will close them down as and when they are paid off, I don't want to be doing this again!

Regarding the 0% deals ending soon I am going to see if my husband can get a new 0% balance transfer card in his name so we can transfer some of the debt to that. Luckily we have very good credit history with no missed payments so I am hoping that may be an option to help keep the balances going up too much from interest. All our current cards are in my name. Of course we would cut the card up immediately and not use it.

I guess if I stop the kids savings for now I can clear the Amazon in 5 months by which time I'll be back to work. To be honest the income won't change a great deal as I can only do 15 hours a week, luckily my mum provides free childcare but I can't take the mick, she is amazing and helps us with so much!

Thank you for your suggestions, it's nice to have others points of view on things when you can't always see a way out.

So today was a real NSD, we went to the soft play centre and Mum refused to let me pay for anything so think I owe her a few treats. Very tired today, Mini me 2 is only sleeping for 1.5 hours at a time during the night and his daytime naps are all over the place so really feeling it at the mo Moving him to his cot this weekend as I think the moses basket is getting too restrictive for him now, he spends most of the night in my bed so hopefully the cot will change that so I can get some deep sleep!

Tomorrow will be busy but hopefully won't cost me anything, I need to go to Asda still to change the sleepsuit and collect the present for Sunday's party but am hoping I can hold out til Monday on the extra bits of shopping I was going to get so I can add them to next weeks food spend instead. I don't think there was anything really urgent, my breakfast cereal mainly as I only have 1 days worth left but I can live off something else for a couple of days.

That's it for today, very boring unfortunately but not getting in any more debt so that's a positive :j

Busy weekend but no money has been spent :j we stuffed ourselves on food at the party today so no need for dinner

I have just got a sleeping bag for Mini me 2 using a voucher that we were given when he was born, I set up his cot earlier and we only had one sleeping bag so needed another, hoping he will sleep better in there.

I took the sleepsuit back to Asda but they wouldn't exchange it or give a credit note because they didn't have that particular stock in that store at any time! It still had the labels on but no idea where it was bought as it was a gift so looks like that will have to go in the eBay pile.

I read somewhere today that BT are doing a deal for free BT Sport if you have a mobile contract with them (and I think broadband but need to check that). will definitely look into that for hubby as that would save us £29.99 a month as long as the BB and mobile were the same as we currently pay, or hopefully cheaper. I also need to check our energy as I don't think we have the cheapest at the mo.

Another positive, hubby has been given a Barclaycard balance transfer card with a limit of £3000, we need to wait for the card to activate the account and offers but hoping they are decent (if not it'll be closed) and can then transfer some of the MBNA balance over to avoid paying interest on that. I already have more 0% offers from MBNA on that card so the plan will then be to transfer the Tesco balance across to that one, I think there will be enough available to cover it. I know that's not paying my debts off but it is helping to keep the cost of the debt down.

Plan for this week is to shop from my cupboards to see if I can feed us for under £30 for the week. I would also love to be able to start listing bits on eBay and do my retrospective budget to see where our 'spare' money is going. Payday Friday so I will then be able to work out a budget for next month. Unfortunately all our car insurances are all due next month and I think I will need to pay those monthly so that means yet more outgoings each month I know it doesn't sound like a lot to do in 1 week but looking after 2 kids, a dog and hubby working nights I don't get a lot of free time! Very frustrating when there's lots I want to get done and can't!

OK, so I have managed to feed us main meals from the cupboards, I think I might be able to do it next week as well, fingers crossed. Spent £11.15 in Aldi yesterday then £18.55 in Tesco today and that included £1,50 on a pumpkin and £1 on a kid safe pumpkin carving set which will hopefully keep Mini me 1 occupied for a couple of hours this weekend. Actually managed to get him to help with dinner tonight which is a first! He helped to mix the batter for toad in the hole and also half peeled a potato. So that is goal number 1 done, yay!

Picked up the sleeping bag for Mini me 2 today, parked in free car park so no spend there.

Due to hubby splashing out on treats for himself whenever he puts fuel in the car we are £25 down on the food/fuel card so have had to use the Tesco credit card so he can get to work. Grrrrr! Plan is to transfer the money straight to the card on Friday as it's payday. I'm getting a bit fed up of having words with him over his spending habits. Last week I got really upset over it and tried to explain that the amount he spent that week was 1/3 of my grocery budget for all of us! I'm hoping that it is starting to sink in.

I have also managed to check our spending over the past 3 months to see where our 'spare' cash is going. This month it mainly went on our mortgage, we have just remortgaged but I was late organising it by a few days so we reverted to the standard variable rate for October's payment which cost over £200 more, luckily my friend is a mortgage advisor and arranged the new mortgage free of charge for us and it would have cost £250 usually so I guess it all balanced out, lesson learned to be more organised.

*Must set up spreadsheet for annual spends and include end dates for important things like mortgage

September we had to pay the electricians final bill which was £610 so that was our 'spare' cash for that month gone then August it looks like we overspent in a few places, our Sky was costing £20 a month more, we still had paint and bits to buy for the house, hubby took Mini me 1 to watch Moto GP at silverstone and bought him a hat and t-shirt for £50, yes £50!!!!! He didn't even buy the next size up so it'll last a couple of years! At least Mini me 2 can wear it next, and I've had words about a) the price!! and b) buying things a size too big to get as much wear as possible. We also way overspent on our groceries for that month, no idea why. Oh and an annual charity donation came out of £100, the charity is closing down so I assumed this would stop but obviously I was wrong. Again, need to be more organised.

Anyway, what I've got from it is that I need to be much more mindful of where our money goes, and more organised, so I have planned our spends for next month (payday Friday). This is what I am planning:

Income:
Wages £2648.85 (plus 12 hours overtime, around £300 I think)
Maternity £594.72
Child benefit £137.60
Total: £3381.17

Outgoings:
All bills £1176.96
Debts £468.69 (plus the fuel cost from today, approx £40 I guess)
Dog £125
Annuals account £100
Fuel £300 (hope to be lower but not more)
Food £250 (hope to be lower but not more)
Cars £50 (2 MOT's due in next 2 months)
Medical £13
Clothing £20
House £50
Emergency fund £50
Gifts savings £100
Entertainment £30
Eating out £30 (hope not to use this but will budget for it just in case then pay it to a card if it's left at the end of the month)
Business costs £86 (includes stall fee of £35 for Christmas fair, hope to make around £300 from it)
Childcare £25
Cash £10 (if needed, if not will go towards debt)
Total: £2824.65

'spare' pot £496.52 (to go towards debt, Amazon card first)

We also need to renew the insurances on all of our cars. Unfortunately we seem to have purchased all of them at the same time of year! Great planning that was! One price has already come through for the classic at £154.50. Am hoping hubbies overtime from last month will cover that. And one car needs a service, hubby can do that but we need to buy the parts so will be approx £100 which I have put aside already for this. Just need to work out our best solution with the other 2 insurances, I think it will be around £480 in total that we need for those but need to dig out the paperwork and get new quotes. They may have to be an added monthly cost for this year.

Wow, I think I write as much as I talk!

Thanks CCW007, I didn't know that, he was approved for the card, just waiting for it to arrive to activate before I can see the offers & will see then.