Daring to face the future.

Willing2Learn wrote: »

Good luck on your journey!!

Have you worked out a doable budget yet?

We are in process of, waiting to have a quiet hour over the weekend to sit down and see what we can live without. And many thanks x

Morning diary, things are plodding along documents signed and sent off. Waiting fretting is and has been the norm for so so long now so still feels like it's just another empty dream our end, and promise from their end....Time will tell tho eh. If IVA fails I am 100% going for a DRO guiltfree as I have tried to make payments for 5 years whole heartedly.
Spending bits..
Spent as little as possible for weeks now, the draw to the shops is easing massively, saying that with overtime and general working hours there isn't enough time to sit gawd help shop which is a huge bonus. My main focus at the moment is to stop all online shopping as it is the pound here pound there that is really adding up. The draw to decorate is high at home but tying that in with the TOMM method of cleaning and minimising everything is a happy compromise as have so much STUFF around that I can jiggle and rearrange that it is almost like redecorating, plus we have umpteen tins of paints to touch up for a while. The landing and stairs will need a paint tho. So for next few months it is NSD as often as possible and enjoy time spent with friends and family instead of at the shops.
Health
Weightloss has completely stalled for last 8 months this must be a priority as feel a mess mentally and physically so this is something else to keep me busy.. My to do list is growing by the second..

Just had yet another email from bank saying accounts nearly empty, I so can't wait to hopefully cancel all the direct debits to gawd knows who and start afresh, no matter what I have done it just isn't ever enough. I have joined the October grocery thread on here this is one area I know we can really make a difference to our finances as we don't meal plan and always seem to be in a shop for bits and bobs. I am sure there are loads of places on mse to find best and easiest way to mealplan for a family.

to be continued ...

Evening diary, finally had the date for the creditor meeting 10th October this is now known as D day ! Poop or bust tho huh..
Next plan is to find out what next if things fall through. Been advised to cancel direct debits of non essential debtors as they really are wiping us out week by week, although it's not an awful lot per direct debit it is just so many of them. So I can expect Lowell to be my new best friend from next week on...

Today has been a low spend day just essentials milk etc.. £6.04. Lunches made for work and school, kitchen has been blitzed, dog walked but still really antsy.
Hubby is finally on board to the spending less mallarchy, but although he spends way more than me weekly, the majority of the debts are my doing. The guilt feeds my anxiety a million percent but at least now I am facing it head on. He has recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and has had to reduce hours so digging ourselves out of the financial pit is just not possible anymore.

Cancelled netflix as was offered a free month on a different email address and just happened to be day before renewal so saved £8.99 there, and got to bowling club late and mother in law had already paid DS subs for week so saved another £6.00, I did offer to give it back obvs but she refused. Not a bad little saving there. Years ago when I followed old style on mse I used to get more joy out of earning an extra few quid than spending so can't wait to be there again. Got an overtime shift again this Sunday so more cash in the pot, plus cancelled tickets in local pub to see a tribute band as can't work with a hangover so thats saved another £50 minimum plus earned that too. I am desperately trying to get a small emergency fund together because I just know it is going to be needed.. Was reading earlier £500 at least £1000 is better bit aiming for 3 months bills is advisable, hmmm that seems way off...

My job for tomorrow is to repaint coat cupboard and put up a shelf or two we have plenty of wood here and paint so this will be free and a perfect excuse to strip back coats and shoes to what we use not what we have. Hubby I swear has 8 coats on the go. Main reason for this is my darling cocker spaniel is a pest for shoes and aocks she doesn't chew them just carrys them around and now I can't find one of my comfy work shoes and I have looked everywhere she usually drops things in. Hmm..

Thanks for the comments it's lovely to have some professional debt clearers around xx

To be continued..

Evening diary ...
Hiyas Abba1772 thanks for dropping in, will pop in and see if your still a mad flurry of business soon xx

Thank goodness it's Friday for sure, a long long week topped off by a phone call from my DS 12 locked in a diaabled loo in school, jeez I didn't know whether to laugh or cry ha. Ringing the school reception to send someone to let my son out was def not on my to do list this morning..After a long week he didn't want to go for a practice bowling so saved a few pounds there.

A low spend day on payday is unheard of but £4.06 spent a tub of mayflower curry,, loaf of bread and a triple box of jaffa cakes.( when did a triple box of jaffas have 30 not 36 in huh). Decided to do a full in spending diary for October, so just keeping thing as low as poss until then too. I have been decluttering slowly but surely every room drawer etc but been on a mission last few days as my crazy dog had had one of my lovely comfy eork shoes, finally found it under the raspberry bush in the garden I could strangle her, my poor foot is healing from planta f and its flared something terrible all week as couldn't wear my shoes. Dogs huh, at least I don't need to go spend £30 on a new pair tomorrow now, also whilst stripping house I asked hubby to put a tub chair in the shed as have no use for it anymore and I spotted our black leather ottoman torage stool so scrubbed and polished it and is now sat in living room waiting for a nice fleece and tray to go on top to use instead of buying a coffee table so another nice saving there. I have some vouchers to use up so will have a look for a tray when I take my DS to the shops tomorrow.

IVA news... had lots of letters terminating contracts, and a few offering massively reduced payment plans so I assume they have been notified of what we are doing already. Hubby rang bank and cancelled all non priority direct debits, finally know exactly what and when payments need to be made. Also restarted my YNAB accountnonly really played around with it before but can see it could really be a good way of budgeting.

Finally decided to bite the bullet and rejoin slimming world, I physically am suffering being overweight and I'm mentally shattered trying alone so it is worth the expense for me for sure. It is also just family friendly way of eating so can mealplan for us all. This is a priotity for me tomorrow I refuse to shop until I have.

Have a to do list as long as my arm for tomorrow as have overtime again Sunday so I have to cram all my housy bits into Saturday.
1. Slim world
2. Shops
3.Mealpan for A shop Sunday.
4.Housework.
5.Sort out airing cupboard.
6.Write a rough xmas list.
7.Make soup for work lunches....

We are both feeling a little limbo'like at the moment, both have decided for definite if IVA fails we will immediately seek help for a DRO as we have all our financial bits up to date etc but I really hope it doesn't come to that.

Really lovely reading tips and tricks through others diaries, I had completely forgotten about surveys and cashback sites. Although we aren't buying at the moment it's def something I need to get back into.

To be continued ...

Afternoon diary...

Will this weather ever end, more rain given as a constant for days and days yet.. 1st October finally here although it isn't a pay day it feels like the start I have been waiting for, for weeks.

Joined a few challenges got a few pots ready to fill, and am challenging myself to a No Spend October there will be some allowances simple things like bus fare if needed due to bad weather, all lunches for work will be from home, no coffees or fizzy drinks whilst out etc. All grocery spends will come from set budget and DS will have his pocket money only to spend, I swear this is where all my spending goes, so I will be saying no this month. I have unsubscribed from all shopping emails.

Days are counting down to the IVA meeting, having letters daily by post but was told to expect this. We feel so out of our depth at the moment, all direct debits have been cancelled to debtors, we only have utilities set up as standard now, my tired is tired of the overthinking that comes with sorting debt out but surely it must be easier then pretending everything is ok and burying your head. Anyway another 9 days and we will have a decision one way or other.

To do list..
1/ Grocery inventory for turtles.
2/Meal plan with said inventory.
3/Prep lunches for us all later.
4/Tidy polish and hoover bedrooms for TOMM.
5/Put wash on and put away yesterdays.
6/Take DS to bowling league.
7/Shower and early night with electric blanket on as a treat.
8/Sort DS shirts out he is driving me mad moaning about collars!!

To be continued...