Hi
Just caught up with your diary
You're doing well
Congrats on getting off the fags too, I know someone who kicked the habit and saved enough to buy a brand spanking new Ducati motorbike... cash!
Have subscribed to your diary and look forward to following your progress
All the bestest

Thanks for visiting UncannyScot I am pretty chuffed with myself on the non smoking front!

Things are going ok had a spendy weekend last weekend but planned, I took my new BF out for lunch last Saturday to a very nice restaurant in North Yorkshire my treat and it’s 6 months since he first took me out. He generally pays when we go out anywhere so every now and again I try and treat him when I can. I also bought a present and card for a BF’s niece who was going away to uni. Then stayed in so far this week, no plans tonight and pay day today ( I get paid weekly) so when it hits my account I’ll be doing my weekly money shuffle.

Totals so far
Emergency fund £2000/ £2000 100%
Saved towards parents loan £3315.17/£6000 55%
House renovations fund £695.69/£1500 46%

Saving towards the loan from my parents is still on track I put away £165/month will be repaid March 2019 at this rate hopefully as soon as I can finish the house I can speed this up and improve on this date. I’m not sure how much I will need to finish my house but I’ve chosen to save a figure of £1500 to make a dint in the work, it's so demotivating being so stop/start due to funds so the aim is save a bit then see how far I get. This has gone down a little as I had to use some not sure what for but will transfer more across at the end of the month when I know how much I have left.

I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing I am trying to save a bit for both my parents and to do up the house rather than focusing on one at once. Do I just focus on one for the moment or keep working towards both goals at once? It’ll be Christmas before we know it too so need to start thinking about putting some money aside for that.

I’ve sold something for £15 on a fb selling site so hopefully someone should be coming to collect this evening so a bit of extra cash in my purse which will keep my a bit longer before having to take any money out. Not sure what plans I have this weekend might be getting the train over to Manchester to be my bestie now she’s back from honeymoon so will have to keep some spends aside for that if I do.

Off to catch up with some diaries now it I find it really motivates me reading other people’s achievements and tips etc

Went bowling last night but didn't spend anything as the BF treated me. £1.90 on the train and £2.16 in Lidl was the total of yesterdays spends. Item sold on FB selling site collected yesterday so an extra £15 cash in my purse. I have £26.40 in my purse which I'm going to try and last me as long as possible before touching my bank account. Money does last longer in my purse now I've stopped smoking. Once I have allocated all my weekly wage to relevant pots I have my 'spending' money left this is to cover quite a lot food, travel, entertainment, clothes, toiletries and any other spends. When I smoked there was never anything left and sometimes dipped into my overdraft by a few pounds until next week. My aim now everyweek where I can is to have something left over that I can sweep over to one of my savings / debt repayment pots. Will update with how I get on

Wow so much has happened since my last post 7 weeks ago – where to start!

I last posted at the end of September and a few of days later a friend who I met earlier in the year through Meetup sent a group message to a few people putting the feelers out to see if we knew of anyone looking for a flatmate or wanting to buddy up with someone to rent a two bedroom place she’s seen. This got the cogs turning about possibly renting a room out. My house wasn’t finished and still needed quite a bit of work, but thought it could be a way to get the house finished knowing I’d be getting extra income for renting the room out. A couple of days later my friend G came to look around and liked the house. I explained what needed to be done and she was happy to work to that time scale as she was currently back with her mum but ideally wanted to be moving by the end of November. The decision was made and all systems go as the quicker I could get everything done the quicker I would start paying it off. We have agreed £350/ month for rent and bills on a trial to make sure everything works for us both. I applied for a 0% purchase credit card and got accepted for £4500 0% on purchases for 30 months which was more than enough. With £21 cashback! Bonus!

Works been done in the last 6 weeks

All wallpaper removed from hall stairs and landing – by quite a grumpy decorator £60 needless to say he didn’t get the follow on decorating work
New loft hatch and ladders bought £98
Plasterer to plaster over old air brick gaps above bedroom doors and he also widened my loft hatch, put the new hatch and ladders I bought it- £190
Joiner- Make and install two new gates the front gate was becoming more hole than gate as a bit fell off every day and I haven’t had a back gate ever just an old pallet wedged there that blew into the rode behind every time there were strong winds. The also changed the 4 door hinges upstairs, fitted handles and catches that I’d bought. Shortened one door and build out the frame that wouldn’t close since the skirting board was too far out. Put up my old hand rails with new brackets and sorted out a little bit of skirting board in one of the bedrooms. Make safe the landing banister as the nuel post was wobbly and one of the spindles was broken part way down. £650
New decorator that my bf knows who works full time for the council but was happy to do most of the work on an evening and book a couple of days off to do the rest. He had lots of prep work making the old plaster sound as lots was falling away lots and lots of filling and sanding. Lots of prep on the woodwork hand rail, 4 old doors, banister, original wooden built in storage at the top of stairs, stairs, skirtings doorframes. Painting all stairs landing and celling. £450 which was a bargain I think as he literally did hours and hours and did a great job.
Major clean up the house was filthy!!!
Carpets orders for 3 bedrooms, landing and stairs. £1350 100% wool lovely carpets haggled a bit and got £50 off first price not much but all helps.
Once the carpets were ordered I decided I wanted to go some painting touching up in the 3 bedrooms, some of the walls were looking tired where trades people had mucky marks, knots snowing through on woodwork. I spent most evenings last week and some of the week before clearing each room to be able to re paint all the woodwork and a couple of walls that looked grubby. Lots of removals from room to room. I’m knackered!
Monday night was another big removal the empty 2 bedroom that were then carpeted Tuesday. Tuesday night everything back into those rooms and my room emptied so they could carpet my bedroom and the lading and the stairs yesterday. All the carpets were fitted while I was at work, my mum came round both days and stayed while the carpet fitters were there. I got home last night and could of cried it looks amazing (smells very sheepy still) I’m so so happy. Shattered and my house is upside down I don’t have a clue where anything is, when I last did any washing or sorted my kitchen but it’s DONE!!!!
Last day at work today tomorrow I have a white metal bedframe being delivered £98 reduced from £167 and a chest of drawers £138. I’ve also ordered a mattress that should be coming tomorrow £219 reduced from £399 with £14.55 cashback. Need to get these build this weekend and everything in put away, make space in the freezer, bathroom cabinet etc and look for some storage for the bathroom then I’m all set for G to move in which is likely to be next weekend.

Quite a long post but a lot has happened I never dreamt I’d have all this work done ready for Christmas and have a house with carpets I was so excited when I woke up this morning and remembered I had them sad I know.

I’d managed to get my savings to £1066.99 to pay towards this.
The credit card balance will be £2258.606 once I’ve paid the final payment on the carpets.
I owe myself (EF) £377.90 which I had to borrow as trades people I couldn’t pay with the credit card but bank transfer. This will be repaid first then start repaying the credit card balance.
A couple of things went on the credit card that weren’t for the house a meal out, petrol which was only as I wanted to try and keep as much cash available as possible to pay the trades. I also bought myself a fitbit HR2 £119.99 which is a present to myself for not smoking I’ve done over 4 months now and my app says £1027.63 saved / not wasted on smoking so I figured I’d treat myself to something that’s good for my health instead of bad.

Wow, what a result. You have a refurbished house, extra income from next month to go towards paying off what is quite a frugal way of renovating the house. Impressed at your emergency fund too. Great way of debt busting and hope you enjoy your thoroughly deserved fitbit. Well done on quitting smoking too.

Thanks EnthusiasticSaver it means a lot I do feel quite proud of myself.

The £350 / month rent I am going to put £50/ month aside towards any bill increases. The other £300 a month will go towards repaying the EF and CC (or saving to pay off the CC when the 0% ends) that should be 9 months maximum I would hope to have this paid off quicker though as any monthly saving I would be putting away towards my renovation pot can go towards paying this off now.

November and December are quite expensive month with both my niece and nephews birthdays and Christmas but I might allow myself a little extra though. I want to look at booking a night or two away maybe a spa for January so I need to look into that.

So my lodger moves in tomorrow! I’m quite excited and a little apprehensive it’ll be strange sharing my house with someone but exciting at the same time. She’s set up the standing order so £350 should hit my account in the morning and then she’s moving in after work tomorrow evening. She’s already moved most of her stuff in but will be sleeping there as of tomorrow. We’re going to mark her first night with a takeaway and a few drinks which will be nice. During the day tomorrow I’m off to Manchester on the train to try and make a good start on Christmas shopping and meeting a friend for lunch. Hopefully pop to the Christmas market for a little mulled wine too.

Totals so far
Emergency fund £1622.1/ £2000 (377.90 to repay which I borrowed from myself although not an emergency)
Saved towards parents loan £3645.17/£6000 60%
Halifax 0% card £2435.76 I put some tickets on here as well and I might put some course fees on but it’s interest free for 30 months.

Need to sit down at look at my goals for 2018 financial, personal, career etc

I’m very proud of how far I’ve come at this point last year I was probably at the lowest in my life and I feel I’ve really achieved a lot and turned things around this year

You have done a brilliant job, getting the house finished , been very savvy with your money and making more income.

Hope you enjoy manchester tomorrow, hope it's warmer than today .

Well first post of 2018 I must say I am much better at reading peoples diaries that updating my own. Things are generally going well. Still not smoking over 9 months now so that’s helping with the debt repayments. Things still going well with my lodger I’m allocating all her rent towards credit card repayments I don’t want to spend any of it and get used to having the extra money. We haven’t agreed any time scale for how long she will be living with me as its quite a casual arrangement she’s been with me 5 months now and I’m hoping that things will continue the way they are till at least the end of the year.

Money saving progress made recently - Natwest switch incentive paid £125 applied for first direct account to hopefully switch again before the incentive ends. I also plan to open a regular saver with first direct as my nationwide 5% current account offer has expired now. I’ve run up to cancel sky I was on a really good deal with them last year just over £20 for phone, broadband and basic tv package but it has recently gone up to the full price so hoping they might offer me a better deal before it cancels on May 4th. I am still keeping up with my spending diary which I am finding useful. I now have a spreadsheet with total income and outgoings for Jan, Feb and March. I’ve been building up my surveys and TCB and earlier this month cashed out £47.20 in surveys and £88.05 which is all allocated towards debt.

Savings towards debts
Emergency fund £2000 100%
Towards parents loan £4615/ £6000 76.9%
Credit Card £ 2132.17/ £4141.13 51.4%
Overdraft £0 / £1250 0%
Total debt £4643.96
Debt minus savings £2643.96

The above amounts I have in savings and how I’ve wrote it out is how I think about it. I know I could pay off the overdraft straight away with my emergency fund but my aim is to repay all the debt and have an emergency fund all my debt is interest free at the moment.
I am aiming for the following debt free dates provided circumstances stay the same.
Debt Neutral date – end October 2018 (stretch goal end September 2018)
Debt Free + 2K EF- end January 2019 (stretch goal end December 2018)

I’ve been through every month until the end of the year and worked out the maximum I can allocate towards debt my stretch goals are based on this. These are very optimistic but I have been paying back the debt quite aggressively while I can I feel like its never going to end but also the end is in sight at the same time. January 2019 seems so far away