Debt Payers and Savers Support group

[Natasha2605]

How is everyone doing?

Can't wait to get paid on Friday and pay some debt, even if it is only a little. We've decided we absolutely won't be booking a holiday until we are debt free. A look at our finances shows us that aiming for July to be completely debt free is a good target.

Going to get some food shopping this morning. Writing a list and attempting to stick at it!

 

[wishuwerehere]

I am mixed today, i finally sorted out my parking permit for work which should save me £60 a month coming out of my overdrawn account so that's positive.

However we're having problems with our car (still drives but having gear change issues) and if it's the gearbox (as we suspect) then it'll cost almost as much as the car is worth to fix. Not worth it we got it with our wedding gift money and it had really low mileage and was supposed to not fuck up unlike our last three cars. Could really bugger us if we potentially have to look for a new car, so oh is going to find out if we might be able to limp along with a shagged gearbox for a few months to give him a chance to save up for something else. Frustrating!

 

[weewdy]

Well finally a new card reader has arrived for my online banking so I have set up some standing orders for payday each week, I have also set up a Christmas savings account.

I have done well so far this week by not going into any shops, i have even stopped online buying, although i did buy my dd socks/tights with the h&m codes.

Also due to complaining about a few things with asda they have given me a £10 evoucher which i will use with my weekly shop this week.

 

[aimee-lou]

Sounds like everyone is doing ok. Please give me a nudge if I've missed anyone off the list. I've not been able to get on the PC for a few days as hubby has been working on coursework before going back to Uni next week and consequently I don't get on it ever lol.

Good and middling stuff here. Sorry to hear about all the car trouble. The cold weather isn't the best so I really hope these things are sorted quickly as possible for people.

Sky TV is one of my bug bears. I seriously hate them - they are just out to make money no matter what......people who cannot afford it are sold massively expensive packages and they are totally unethical. But anyway.....lol. We have free-view which we never use. It's not tuned in and consequently we don't have to pay TV licence either. For phone and broadband we use plusnet and for fibre-optic BB and all phone calls, it's about £40 a month. Sounds a lot but we use our internet a lot (skype/facetime and hubby's connection to Uni) so we pay extra for a large package and it's high speed which is handy lol. We used to pay nearly £70 a month with BT.

Not a lot else to report. The final payment has been made on the holiday so it's all booked and paid for and I've even made my 'packing list' as I was hellishly excited! lol I have to get things like new pants and socks for Earl and sun cream but otherwise it's going to be 2 weeks in cornwall on the cheap lol The on-site restaurant does 2 steaks and a bottle of wine for £25 - may have to partake! lol Also paid off one of my debts......3 more to go.

Have added a whopping 39p to my savings over the past 3 days - it's not much but I am so determined, and I have about £40 worth of stuff to sell this month including an aquarium and a load of baby clothes so hopefully that'll start to build up now.

Hope everyone is ok. Hugs to those that need them and keep on going girls.

Natasha2605 - I'm the same. I have to wait until the kids are in bed to do anything of any consequence. They're currently sat eating their breakfast/watching the eldest eat breakfast with a jealous look on his face lol so I have a bit of time to type this, but I know that if I try to do anything more productive they'll kick off.

Anyway, best be going. Hubby has finished all his courssework, so today Earl is skiving off pre-school and we're going to use our voucher for the sea life centre and have a bag of chips on the way home

 

[Zizzle]

OH managed to get bleach on his work suit yesterday so I had to go and do an emergency suit run, so expensive!

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

We are doing okay so far, this month we have some money spare even after what I have budgeted bills etc so I have bought dd2 her highchair as when she needs it in a couple of months we won't have any spare.
Depending on the hours I get at work when I go back end of April/May I might have to lower my yearly budget but we will see xx

 

[catty]

Went round to my friends and she was saying how she needed to get rid of a microwave... ours just broke, sorted!!

Also our sky, internet,phoneline and night calls cost £50, am I actually much cheaper swapping?

 

[Natasha2605]

Sorry to hear so many of you are having car troubles! We couldn't afford to run a car, so expensive!

This month to debts I'm hoping to pay :

Wonga £233
Provident £203
Council Tax Debt £50
Very £40
Santander £40
Littlewoods debt £50
Then about £100 to various other catalogues

so £716 to debts... And that's before I pay any bills.

Does anyone here keep very detailed spreadsheets or similar or spending? Do you feel it helps?

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

I have a spreadsheet it has what money we have coming in, what we have going out (including debt) then what is left over is for food, Amelias ballet class, the car (hubby likes to save some money every month incase anything happens) and activities for the month.
We get paid 4 weekly so it helps to know exactly what is being taken out as a few months out of the year we have a bit extra and that can go towards things like kids shoes, Amelias uniform etc

Xx

 

[Natasha2605]

We are four weekly as well which massively helps as every year we get to keep a months rent. The joys of being paid 13 times in one year!

I've set up a spreadsheet. One page for bills and debts, another for food spends and a third for other spends.

So far today I've paid £455 to debt. That's not too shabby I don't think.

This afternoon after dropping Summer at nursery I'm going shopping with Maci. Hoping to get my mums birthday, friend's baby shower gifts and anything else I buy for Maci's birthday within £90. That's what we got paid extra unexpectedly this morning.

 

[Blah11]

Ended up putting 175 in my saving account the other day as I spent £50 on night nappies for meadow.
Transferred another 50 today and hopefully I'll be able to put 50 a week from now on into my account when oh gives me dig money. Thatd give me just over 1000 by holiday time.
Also going to put away feb and marchs council tax money as it's the 'free' months so thatll be another 244. 2 of the kids need passports though ugh.

 

[weewdy]

Just transferred £500 into my isa from our monthly pay. I made £35 last night selling my dd old clothes on ebay although its in my paypal, think i will just keep it in it for ebay purchases. I have also transferred £50 today from my weekly pay. They more you save the more you want to save lol

 

[Blah11]

Forgot to say I updated my tax credits claim to include baby meadow and think I'll get 150 more a month for her. That will be getting put away too as she doesn't cost us anything just now

 

[babycrazy1706]

Savings from my weekly pay today:

£10 holiday account = £60 in total
£7 Disney land fund
£2. Elijah's account
£20 savings.

 

[aimee-lou]

brilliant to read all the updates! not much here as been an expensive couple of days lol. will catch up tomorrow.

 

[Jchihuahua]

I am not doing well . The car was going to be £1500 minimum to repair. Can't afford it so hubby's dad's friend who owns a garage will look at it and if he agrees that it isn't worth repairing it will be scrapped . We paid one garage £250 to look at it and another £150 so that is money up in smoke, which hubby had to put on his credit card. We also had a full tank of petrol the day before it broke down so that another £50 down the pan. Grrrr!!! And no car now so having to spend money on bus tickets which works out expensive.

 

[babycrazy1706]

Big hugs jchihuahua

 

[Jchihuahua]

This morning Oh's car wouldn't start.... Haven't taken it to the garage yet but SERIOUSLY !! This is exactly how every year starts for us :/ a few big token items break and we end up in debt :/ and it spirals etc etc last year we lost the tv the washing machine and a fridge in the same month!

This is us exactly!! This January our car is totally broken as I said and our oven had to be repaired and last year in January my TV blew up, had to pay a plumber to repair a leaking tap and had to be £300 in vets fees!

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

I am not doing well . The car was going to be £1500 minimum to repair. Can't afford it so hubby's friend who owns a garage will look at it and if he agrees that it isn't worth repairing it will be scrapped . We paid one garage £250 to look at it and another £150 so that is money up in smoke, which hubby had to put on his credit card. We also had a full tank of petrol the day before it broke down so that another £50 down the pan. Grrrr!!! And no car now so having to spend money on bus tickets which works out expensive.

Thinking of you!!
Our old car had to be scrapped in September just after we had dd2. My mum luckily lent us some money for a car. If she hadn't hubby would be jobless now as he works a 30 min car journey away not on a bus route
I hope things improve soon xxxx

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

This morning Oh's car wouldn't start.... Haven't taken it to the garage yet but SERIOUSLY !! This is exactly how every year starts for us :/ a few big token items break and we end up in debt :/ and it spirals etc etc last year we lost the tv the washing machine and a fridge in the same month!

This is us exactly!! This January our car is totally broken as I said and our oven had to be repaired and last year in January my TV blew up, had to pay a plumber to repair a leaking tap and had to be £300 in vets fees!

haven't been back to the thread for a wee whilr but had a fairly awful week... obviously jinxed myself with that post. After I posted on monday about the car breaking (oh took mine to work) I took one of my dogs out for a wee. And he couldn't go, he was off his food and drink. .. about 3 hours later he started peeing blood :/ long horrible story short ..... we had to put him to sleep on monday night. Not only are we devastated at the loss of our boy but in trying to fix him we spent 400 pounds feeling a bit bitter about it because he still died!!! But least we tried eh ? January is a write off for us now. Heres hoping feb is a bit kinder