Reality Check...

My monthly wage does vary due to my student loan and how much commission I have earned the month before as I pay national insurrance the following month on the previous months earnings. My basic wage averages at around £1100 and my commission can be anything from £0-£1200 but averages at around £650.

My outgoings are as follows:

Mortage: £392.39
Council tax: £95.00
Gas & Electric: Unsure as I have just switched to British Gas from paying quarterly with Scottish Power, I estimate £80.00
Virgin: £36.13
Specsavers (contacts): £15.00
Boiler innsurance: £9.62
Netflix: £6.99

I also have high pet costs due to not having insurrance anymore (long story!) and after a trip to the vet on Friday my dogs medication every 4 weeks will be £235.48 plus special food and normal dog food coming in at £69.72 every 4 weeks, this is a new monthly outgoing of £305.20!

So far: £940.33

I will make a budget for food costs as right now we eat out a lot, order in a lot and I buy fresh ingrediants daily when I am making dinner...I need to meal plan and budget! I will also calcualte miles to work to work out a petrol budget....

xxx

Thanks Rach, I am going to have to do something if i want to be debt free, i've been in debt all my life, nothing major but always living the fur coat no knickers lifestyle...I'm 34 in a few months you would think i'd have learnt before now!

I've made a list of what I have in the cupboards, which isn't much as i tend to cook fresh, but i've had a look and i think i can get by with £20.00 this week for shopping....I am hoping i can learn to get by on £20 a week so £80 a month with a further £20 for cleaning stuff, washing powder, dog treats....£100 - i can only try and amend as i go along!

I have worked out petrol for the week to work to be £4 each day so 5 days at £20 and another £20 for evenings/weekends...hoping won't be that much as i don't really go far!

So, thats an extra £200 onto my monthly spends..... on top of £940.33 thats is taking me to £1140.33....basically my wage with nothing paid into my debt.

My commission in sales is never certain and we are always told not to depend on it, but for the past 3 years in the job I have never not earned anything, so I am hoping for £500 a month (any extra is a bonus to pay off debt!) £400 towards debt and £100 spending money....I hopefully won't be buying much/doing expensive things, but i need to be semi realistic...

My daughter is 18 and at uni, she has a part time job and generally doesn't ask for much - it's me who always buys her things and go over board on her Christmas/Birthday....I always have but until i get my finances on track i really need to calm down!

Before i had this 'light bulb moment' i stupidly decided to change my less than one year carpet in the hall and repaint it all....its cream, but i want grey - stupid things like this contribute to my debt! I have changed my carpets 3 times since moving in less than 3 years ago, i am aware this isn't normal, but i am always paranoid with dogs! my dog done the toilet as an accident when ill at christmas time and i went completely over the top and ripped the carpet up as days later i was still convinced i could smell dog pee....so i do have to get the carpet! I also need to go through with painting as i have big grey test patches all over the place! I will need to go have a look at more samples though as i don't think i will be going for the farrow and ball paint as planned!

Anyway i am going on a bit much in this post, tomorrow i will have a look at how to see what debt to pay off and how long it will take me...

Until then i am off for a long soak in the bath with a large glass of wine - i should actually make it a small one as my wine of choice is Oyster bay and at £9ish a bottle that is half the food budget so there won't be anymore wine being bought for a while....

Night diary xxx

checked my barclays card this morning and now interest has been applied the balance is actually: £5,927.19 so minus the £3100 interest free i need to pay £2827.19 ASAP as this is what is costing me the highest amount of interest. I have checked my commission account and i have £900 in there so better than i thought, will take out £300 over the next 3 days as that is the limit and with £100 from current account even thought this is technically not even mine and it is my overdraft, but it means i can get a good chunk of £1000 paid on Friday!

Bad spending news is last night, i went out for dinner! A local tapas does a great deal on a Tuesday where all tapas are £2.50 - great deal IF you have money! It did end up costing £20, all because I couldnt be bothered cooking/going to the shops then my daughter put it in my head and before i knew it i was eating paella!

I did pop into Lidl on the way home and spent £18...but got a great amount for my money, normally i shop in Morrisons, but it is so expensive in comparrison. Got lamb mince, x2 packets of chicken, whole chicken and vegetables and some fruit. With every meal i make i am going to try and make a "ready meal" for the freezer so that times like last night i always have something to eat.

I have £25 in my purse at the moment, i am hoping i have enough food to last for a week my car is running on empty so will need to put in £20 and Ideally i dont want to touch the £5....

Have the vet on Friday and looks like the weeks trial of medication for my dog is working, so will need to pay for Fridays consultation plus the meds...

My home insurrance is up in a few days, will do a few comparisons to try and get this cheaper.... and will probably put it onto a credit card as I still have some money on interest free so makes sense (sort of) rather than add onto my overdraft which will in turn charge me. Its all really robbing Peter to pay Paul!

Really need rid of this debt as I should have money left each month if i wasn't paying minimum payments/debt busting to live debt free!

Still have the carpet to pay for which is £820!! This doesn't include underlay on the stairs only on a few landings, i live in a townhouse so there is a good bit of carpet needed but I may get a quote from elsewhere... I have just always went to this local independent carpet shop as I like the man!

Living day to day is so expensive! had to pay £3 for a birthday in work, £1 for a charity football card and then i was popping into my mums on the way home and she asked me to bring her in some milk and a newspaper so that was an unaccounted for £1.60 on top of my £20 petrol which i ended up having to put the £21.60 onto a credit card as never had enough cash! I will put the £20 cash into the bank of Friday so that it is not in my purse. I have £2.65 in change in my purse - i am hoping to keep this in there aslong as possible!!

The vet is this evening not tomorrow so this will be a pricey visit, but i will need to put this onto a card rather than overdraft... i dont know if there is any logic in this, but seems the best way so far!

I currently have 3 credit cards, all interest free apart from £2827.19 on Barclays the £3100 in 0% until August next year.... I have one that is 0% until January 2017 which after tonights vets trip will probably have around £2000 on it... and then I also have an M&S credit card which after i pay for paint and carpet will have around £3000 on it and interest ends in August this year!

As soon as Barclays is paid which i am hoping is by the start of April, I have 4 pays to tackle M&S which at £750 a month is semi achievable, providing i dont have any unexpected things happen....which i will! Worst case I have to pay interest for a few months on a low balance....that's the plan! The old me wouldn't even try and pay any of it off and just have the plan of switching the balance to another interest free card!

I really find this therapeutic putting my thoughts onto paper even thought it is probably all a big ramble to anyone else!

Lunch is with me at work today, food in the fridge for dinner so other than the vet i hope i dont need to spend a penny more!!

xxx