My main job involves a lot of talking, and I'm naturally quite a chatterbox as well. I had a cold at the weekend, and on Monday my voice started going, and yesterday I had to struggle through with nothing more than a raspy whisper. Today I have had to cancel my normal work and work from home to rest my vocal chords as I don't want to do any long term damage.
Have lost my voice a few times when I've been ill, and it's so frustrating as I just can't function!
Am hoping I'm better soon as I have various social engagements this week as it's the run up to Christmas...
At least working from home today gives me time to catch up on a load of admin I need to do - oh the joy! Well, when I'm not blogging of course ;p
About Me
- The Debt Girl
- I'm single, broke, and in my early 30s... but thankfully decided a while ago to sort my life out once and for all; in particular to sort out my finances, and to move forward into a debt free life. I'm hoping writing a blog will help spur me on through my social life cutbacks, my successful and not-so-successful attempts at dating, my new addiction to the Sainsbury's Basics range, and the general insanity caused by the stress of money troubles.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Sunday, 16 December 2012
2013 - Wishing & Hoping
...that I don't get blown off course next year. By the end of 2013 in theory I should be only a month away from being debt free (due in January 2014) but there are various things that could mess this schedule right up. They are:
Fingers crossed for a good year 2013 then! 2011 and 2012 were bleak for many reasons; I'm hoping I'm owed a little luck! :)
- Mileage claims for job 1 changing - they want to change my expenses base (and that of others too) to a central base I never go to, meaning that instead of having a personal mileage to my existing office (due to shut) of 1 mile each way, and being able to claim for every journey on top of that, I may have a personal mileage of about 30 miles each way. If this happens it will totally screw me over as I regularly drive journeys around 25-28 miles, which will then come completely out of my pocket. Add to that 4 years of no cost of living pay increase and it works out as a massive pay cut. If this happens I would have to pay about £200 a month less on paying off my debts to cover the cost of petrol. We're fighting this but it could well be imposed anyway. :(
- Moving house - I mentioned earlier this year that my landlady (and friend) was thinking of selling, but this didn't happen in the end. However, she is very stressed at work and seeking a new job that would be a demotion, meaning that she will have less money to cover the extra expense of her flat I live in (because of maintenance charges she has to top this up by about £200 a month). What this means is that I would not only have the stress of moving (and trying to find somewhere that would take me with a cat), but also have to find deposit money for a new place (as she is my friend I never gave her a deposit), and also pay associated costs around hiring a van, etc.
- Redundancy in job 2 - both our nearest stores have recently shut and I fear we may not be too far behind. They have shut though because either their leases were due for renewal, or they were regularly making a loss. Our store doesn't make losses, and I don't think our lease is up for renewal soon so fingers crossed... If I lost this job I would have to cut back on debt payments in order to be able to eat, as my job 1 wage only covers bills and debt payments.
Fingers crossed for a good year 2013 then! 2011 and 2012 were bleak for many reasons; I'm hoping I'm owed a little luck! :)
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Lessons learnt
I mentioned in my last post that with the arrival of my new shiny, I now have a lot of credit available. I've just totted this up (including overdrafts) and I could, if I so desired, go on a spending spree up to £18,150!! Obviously, I won't. Ha
It is a relief though to have come so far from a few years ago when my credit file wasn't great (from a couple of late payments on credit cards), so that I couldn't get the example APRs or even be approved for some credit cards. I remember in early 2010, being turned down for consolidation loans. Best thing that ever happened though. I have learnt that credit cards are not the baddies, it is how you use them that counts. Over the last few years my credit score has been improving, and if I had taken out a loan I would have been locked into a set amount of (sizeable) interest to pay. By not having taken a loan, as my credit rating has improved, I've been able to use 0% deals to my advantage, and for the whole of the last year I've paid zero interest on my credit cards. Small balance transfer fees are nothing in comparison to the interest I would have paid.
The other good thing about having been turned down for a consolidation loan is that I have had to learn to manage my money better and get to grips with best ways out of debt etc. I have consolidated before, and not learnt any lessons. In fact, I was looking through some old bank statements yesterday and to my horror spotted that almost straight after taking a consolidation loan in 2008 (the one I'm still paying off) I was back spending on the credit cards.
Looking back through those old bank statements shows me how much I've progressed with my mentality towards money - looking at them now I can see just how ridiculously extravagant I was. £60+ here and there on supermarket shops (for 1 person!) really is far too much - I never spend more than about £10-15 a time on food shops now.
This is how I'm now using credit cards:
It is a relief though to have come so far from a few years ago when my credit file wasn't great (from a couple of late payments on credit cards), so that I couldn't get the example APRs or even be approved for some credit cards. I remember in early 2010, being turned down for consolidation loans. Best thing that ever happened though. I have learnt that credit cards are not the baddies, it is how you use them that counts. Over the last few years my credit score has been improving, and if I had taken out a loan I would have been locked into a set amount of (sizeable) interest to pay. By not having taken a loan, as my credit rating has improved, I've been able to use 0% deals to my advantage, and for the whole of the last year I've paid zero interest on my credit cards. Small balance transfer fees are nothing in comparison to the interest I would have paid.
The other good thing about having been turned down for a consolidation loan is that I have had to learn to manage my money better and get to grips with best ways out of debt etc. I have consolidated before, and not learnt any lessons. In fact, I was looking through some old bank statements yesterday and to my horror spotted that almost straight after taking a consolidation loan in 2008 (the one I'm still paying off) I was back spending on the credit cards.
Looking back through those old bank statements shows me how much I've progressed with my mentality towards money - looking at them now I can see just how ridiculously extravagant I was. £60+ here and there on supermarket shops (for 1 person!) really is far too much - I never spend more than about £10-15 a time on food shops now.
This is how I'm now using credit cards:
- My new shiny to pay off credit card 2 as the 0% was ending and I hadn't paid it off (slapped wrist)
- My now empty old credit card 2 (going to hang onto for now as a potential option in case I need a card for further balance transfers)
- Credit card 1 - at 0% until May 2013, which I used to consolidate all my credit card debt onto, and have been paying off monthly ever since
- Cashback credit card - I earn 3% on all purchases and use this only for petrol, to save me having to find money upfront for travel expenses for work. I pay it off in full every month when I get paid my expenses back.
Pay day already?!
Wow, I really must have reigned it in this month, without even trying! I just looked at my calendar and realised I get paid from my second job tomorrow (get paid fortnightly), and I still have over £100 in my second job earnings bank account! That's taken me a bit by surprise! I'm normally trying to hang in there, desperate for pay day to come around.
Good timing I guess as I have only bought a fraction of the Christmas presents I have to buy... Amazon's telling me I have 5 days left, better step on it then!
Good timing I guess as I have only bought a fraction of the Christmas presents I have to buy... Amazon's telling me I have 5 days left, better step on it then!
Saturday, 8 December 2012
New shiny card
Ooooh just after writing my last post my mail was dropped through my door - my new credit card which I did a balance transfer onto from my credit card 2 has just arrived :)
F*** me, they've given me a credit limit of £4900! Add that to the £8200 credit limit on my main card that I'm using to pay off debts and the £3000 credit limit on my credit card I've just transfered the balance from, and that's access to a hell of a lot of credit!
Thank goodness I'm not so easily tempted these days... ;)
F*** me, they've given me a credit limit of £4900! Add that to the £8200 credit limit on my main card that I'm using to pay off debts and the £3000 credit limit on my credit card I've just transfered the balance from, and that's access to a hell of a lot of credit!
Thank goodness I'm not so easily tempted these days... ;)
Off the rails
So, I've not only not been writing my blog, but I have also fallen off the wagon in terms of sticking to a weekly budget and saving money.
Instead I decided to get a few things for my wardrobe on Ebay, and have just been buying stuff without consulting my finances. Bad debt girl!
However, the good news is that I haven't been spending any money I don't have, and have still been paying down my debt. As of this month, it's now just below £7k, not too bad considering when I started paying off my debts I owed about £19.5k!
Just over 1 year to go, provided everything goes according to plan. But that wouldn't be normal life now would it?!
Looking back at my last post, I can update you now that I didn't get the other job I interviewed for, but did manage to keep my own job working for the same company. However, it's harder graft than it was following various changes, which is partly responsible I think for taking my eye off the ball financially; I just don't have as much time any more to be so financially geeky.
I'm no longer writing in Money Saving Expert forums, no longer getting points (and therefore money) with Swagbucks, no longer looking into a variety of ways to make extra money...
However, this weekend is a free listing weekend on Ebay, and I'm hoping to get some stuff on there today to try and claw back some savings (as I have spent most of the money I saved over the last few months).
I didn't manage to pay off my small credit card by November when the 0% ended so I have moved the balance across to a new 0% card. It's 0% for 13 months which takes me exactly to when all my other debts finish. I am going to try and pay £50 a month on this to get rid of it. I can't really afford £50 a month, which is why I must try and get my Ebay on at all points possible!
Instead I decided to get a few things for my wardrobe on Ebay, and have just been buying stuff without consulting my finances. Bad debt girl!
However, the good news is that I haven't been spending any money I don't have, and have still been paying down my debt. As of this month, it's now just below £7k, not too bad considering when I started paying off my debts I owed about £19.5k!
Just over 1 year to go, provided everything goes according to plan. But that wouldn't be normal life now would it?!
Looking back at my last post, I can update you now that I didn't get the other job I interviewed for, but did manage to keep my own job working for the same company. However, it's harder graft than it was following various changes, which is partly responsible I think for taking my eye off the ball financially; I just don't have as much time any more to be so financially geeky.
I'm no longer writing in Money Saving Expert forums, no longer getting points (and therefore money) with Swagbucks, no longer looking into a variety of ways to make extra money...
However, this weekend is a free listing weekend on Ebay, and I'm hoping to get some stuff on there today to try and claw back some savings (as I have spent most of the money I saved over the last few months).
I didn't manage to pay off my small credit card by November when the 0% ended so I have moved the balance across to a new 0% card. It's 0% for 13 months which takes me exactly to when all my other debts finish. I am going to try and pay £50 a month on this to get rid of it. I can't really afford £50 a month, which is why I must try and get my Ebay on at all points possible!
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Back once again...
...for the renegade master...
Been rather off radar recently, not quite sure why, just not been in a writing kinda mood.
Lots of things going on - redundancy consultation at work begins Monday (we knew it was coming though), I have a job interview on Tuesday, and today I am applying for 5 other vacancies and finishing preparing a presentation for my job interview.
Things still not amazing with the bestie after she got together with my ex; we're amicable but I just don't feel the same about our friendship as I did. Made a random new friend via an internet date that didn't go anywhere romantically. Nothing to report really on the dating front, except I'm in contact with a nice guy who I should be meeting up with when he gets back from holiday soon.
Absolutely bricking it about my interview on Tuesday - interviews don't normally worry me but the job is doing lots of things I've not done before, so I need to make sure I come across as well as possible to stand a chance. It's paying £13k more than I'm on at the moment so it would sort my finances right out if I got it. It's also doing something I really want to do, and with no job security where I am it would be great timing. Fingers crossed for a lucky break! I've not had the best 2011 or 2012 so far so hopefully I'm due one?!
On the money front I've been relatively good, managing to save a little from my weekly budget every week (20p saved is still better than nothing right?!) and saved bits here and there from bank accounts i.e. what's left when a new payday in one of my jobs comes round.
Had to spend £93 odd on a car service and a bit of repair work so my savings got a little dent, but still got about £530 saved ready to pay off my credit card 2 in November when the 0% ends. Just need about another £200 and I'm there.
Been going great guns on Swagbucks - making about £20 a month in a mixture of Paypal payments and Amazon vouchers. Been using the Amazon vouchers on birthday presents which has made the last couple of months easier financially.
Right, on with the job interview presentation...
Been rather off radar recently, not quite sure why, just not been in a writing kinda mood.
Lots of things going on - redundancy consultation at work begins Monday (we knew it was coming though), I have a job interview on Tuesday, and today I am applying for 5 other vacancies and finishing preparing a presentation for my job interview.
Things still not amazing with the bestie after she got together with my ex; we're amicable but I just don't feel the same about our friendship as I did. Made a random new friend via an internet date that didn't go anywhere romantically. Nothing to report really on the dating front, except I'm in contact with a nice guy who I should be meeting up with when he gets back from holiday soon.
Absolutely bricking it about my interview on Tuesday - interviews don't normally worry me but the job is doing lots of things I've not done before, so I need to make sure I come across as well as possible to stand a chance. It's paying £13k more than I'm on at the moment so it would sort my finances right out if I got it. It's also doing something I really want to do, and with no job security where I am it would be great timing. Fingers crossed for a lucky break! I've not had the best 2011 or 2012 so far so hopefully I'm due one?!
On the money front I've been relatively good, managing to save a little from my weekly budget every week (20p saved is still better than nothing right?!) and saved bits here and there from bank accounts i.e. what's left when a new payday in one of my jobs comes round.
Had to spend £93 odd on a car service and a bit of repair work so my savings got a little dent, but still got about £530 saved ready to pay off my credit card 2 in November when the 0% ends. Just need about another £200 and I'm there.
Been going great guns on Swagbucks - making about £20 a month in a mixture of Paypal payments and Amazon vouchers. Been using the Amazon vouchers on birthday presents which has made the last couple of months easier financially.
Right, on with the job interview presentation...
Monday, 9 April 2012
Tinker tinker...
Apologies if you think the blog looks a bit weird... been playing around with it to get the margins and layout how I like, etc.
Thought I'd stretch it out a little so I don't have so much blank space around my musings.
Still a bit new to all this fancy altering blog stuff!
Thought I'd stretch it out a little so I don't have so much blank space around my musings.
Still a bit new to all this fancy altering blog stuff!
Online money making
Been having a bit of success with this lately. So far this month I've managed:
* x2 £5 Amazon vouchers on Swagbucks points site
* £15.15 cashback on TopCashBack for signing up for Netflix (which I cancelled before the free period ended)
* £25 on Facebook sale (a couple of Habitat lampshades)
* £20 on Fabulous Bingo (played with a referral money bonus... no chancing my own money)
* 99p (will be less minus fees, probably about 61p) on Ebay sale
I have 13 items listed on Ebay so am hoping for more money than just the 99p I've made so far! That was for a book, and the other books listed didn't sell. It seems to be really hard to even sell brand new books on there.
Also got someone coming round to pick up some old CD racks from me (that I advertised on Facebook) on Wednesday for £8 so can add that to the pot when I get it.
And am almost at my first payout on Superpoints. Will claim 5 dollars via Paypal for that as better value for points accumulated than Amazon vouchers. After the exchange rate this will be £3 odd, but better than nothing :)
If anyone wants to join Superpoints, using this referral link will get both of us 25 bonus points:
http://superpoints.com/join/jcsl1l
Swagbucks is my favourite though, as I find it easier to rack up the points on there quicker. If you'd like to join Swagbucks a referral link is on the right hand side of my blog.
Also, if you're interested in TopCashBack there is also a link for that one the right hand side.
* x2 £5 Amazon vouchers on Swagbucks points site
* £15.15 cashback on TopCashBack for signing up for Netflix (which I cancelled before the free period ended)
* £25 on Facebook sale (a couple of Habitat lampshades)
* £20 on Fabulous Bingo (played with a referral money bonus... no chancing my own money)
* 99p (will be less minus fees, probably about 61p) on Ebay sale
I have 13 items listed on Ebay so am hoping for more money than just the 99p I've made so far! That was for a book, and the other books listed didn't sell. It seems to be really hard to even sell brand new books on there.
Also got someone coming round to pick up some old CD racks from me (that I advertised on Facebook) on Wednesday for £8 so can add that to the pot when I get it.
And am almost at my first payout on Superpoints. Will claim 5 dollars via Paypal for that as better value for points accumulated than Amazon vouchers. After the exchange rate this will be £3 odd, but better than nothing :)
If anyone wants to join Superpoints, using this referral link will get both of us 25 bonus points:
http://superpoints.com/join/jcsl1l
Swagbucks is my favourite though, as I find it easier to rack up the points on there quicker. If you'd like to join Swagbucks a referral link is on the right hand side of my blog.
Also, if you're interested in TopCashBack there is also a link for that one the right hand side.
Back on it
Sorry guys, been a bit slack with the 'ol blog. Life just gets busy, y'know?
I'm such a worrier, shouldn't have panicked so much about the valuation thing... price came out low and my landlady/friend has decided not to sell. Found out her reasoning behind it all as well - poor thing got a bill of over a grand through for some extra maintenance work.
Have applied for a job in another county as I mentioned in a previous post, and have seen another I'm going to apply for. Still planning to get away for a fresh start if possible as my life here has been getting me down. Makes financial sense anyway - both jobs pay more than my current job plus my second job so it's a no brainer really!
Finances are currently still going in the right direction... savings are going well and my spending, whilst not as careful as I'd like, is within my means with still some left over. I now have over £400 built up to pay off my £772.50 credit card when the interest free period ends around November time. Sadly, I realise my car is due a service very soon, so that'll will probably swipe £100-150 or more out of the money I've saved :( Still, better than the old days when I would have just put the bill on my credit card and not really paid it at all!
Happy Easter by the way everyone! I've been having a text conversation with one of my mates today who cannot understand why I'm not really an Easter egg fan... I just find chocolate on its own boring. I like chocolate with caramel, or biscuit, or nuts etc. but on its own? Snooze. Every year I either give away my chocolate, forget about it and end up throwing it away when it's out of date, or melt it down to make yummier things. I've had a hankering for brownies for weeks now, so am thinking about making some today, but you usually use dark chocolate for them and I've got a glut of milk chocolate. Any suggestions?
I'm such a worrier, shouldn't have panicked so much about the valuation thing... price came out low and my landlady/friend has decided not to sell. Found out her reasoning behind it all as well - poor thing got a bill of over a grand through for some extra maintenance work.
Have applied for a job in another county as I mentioned in a previous post, and have seen another I'm going to apply for. Still planning to get away for a fresh start if possible as my life here has been getting me down. Makes financial sense anyway - both jobs pay more than my current job plus my second job so it's a no brainer really!
Finances are currently still going in the right direction... savings are going well and my spending, whilst not as careful as I'd like, is within my means with still some left over. I now have over £400 built up to pay off my £772.50 credit card when the interest free period ends around November time. Sadly, I realise my car is due a service very soon, so that'll will probably swipe £100-150 or more out of the money I've saved :( Still, better than the old days when I would have just put the bill on my credit card and not really paid it at all!
Happy Easter by the way everyone! I've been having a text conversation with one of my mates today who cannot understand why I'm not really an Easter egg fan... I just find chocolate on its own boring. I like chocolate with caramel, or biscuit, or nuts etc. but on its own? Snooze. Every year I either give away my chocolate, forget about it and end up throwing it away when it's out of date, or melt it down to make yummier things. I've had a hankering for brownies for weeks now, so am thinking about making some today, but you usually use dark chocolate for them and I've got a glut of milk chocolate. Any suggestions?
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Valuation
So here we are. I'm doing project house tidy (or rather will be when I get off my comp!) in preparation for the valuation of the flat I live in later today.
Should hopefully find out afterwards if my landlady is going to put it on the market, and at least then I'll know where I stand.
Should hopefully find out afterwards if my landlady is going to put it on the market, and at least then I'll know where I stand.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Payday
Just been paid in both jobs today, so been moving money around to see where I stand...
£12.45 saved this week from my weekly budget... would have been more but had to contribute to a present for my boss at work. This is in my money tin as is cash; will be paid in at a later date.
Also saved:
£15 saved in second job bank account that I didn't withdraw
£4.34 saved from main bank account that I didn't use this month
£196.22 saved from extra pay in job #1 (expenses, paid overtime and holiday sold back)
Plus £7.07 cleared from TopCashBack - just waiting for it to hit my bank account.
Have transfered all this money (except for the cash in my money pot) into my new ISA, ready to use against my credit card #2 when the 9 months interest free period ends.
Annoyingly job #2 have underpaid me this fortnight, leaving me £49.82 in my buffer account when it should be more like £88 - will have to follow this up. £36 still left from last month's council tax free month, which is good as I can use this against my new tax disc, due in April.
All going fairly well on the financial front then. Just got to get through an appraisal at work, and although I'm good at my job I'm so behind on my admin I'm likely to get a telling off... :(
£12.45 saved this week from my weekly budget... would have been more but had to contribute to a present for my boss at work. This is in my money tin as is cash; will be paid in at a later date.
Also saved:
£15 saved in second job bank account that I didn't withdraw
£4.34 saved from main bank account that I didn't use this month
£196.22 saved from extra pay in job #1 (expenses, paid overtime and holiday sold back)
Plus £7.07 cleared from TopCashBack - just waiting for it to hit my bank account.
Have transfered all this money (except for the cash in my money pot) into my new ISA, ready to use against my credit card #2 when the 9 months interest free period ends.
Annoyingly job #2 have underpaid me this fortnight, leaving me £49.82 in my buffer account when it should be more like £88 - will have to follow this up. £36 still left from last month's council tax free month, which is good as I can use this against my new tax disc, due in April.
All going fairly well on the financial front then. Just got to get through an appraisal at work, and although I'm good at my job I'm so behind on my admin I'm likely to get a telling off... :(
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
This week's budget
Somehow I still have £18.45 left, and only 2 more days to get through...!
Have decided to put £10 in my money tin, so as only to have £8.45 on me, to try and make sure I don't splurge : )
Have decided to put £10 in my money tin, so as only to have £8.45 on me, to try and make sure I don't splurge : )
Points sites
Been getting into points websites lately...
Just added links to Swagbucks and Superpoints websites on the right if you want to have a go too.
These are sites you can do stuff on to earn points - surveys, watch videos etc., and points = prizes! Or rather Amazon vouchers, cash via Paypal etc.
It takes a little while to rack up the points, but I seem to be managing it without too much effort, and a fiver claimed here and there is still a fiver here and there!
Also added a link to TopCashBack - great website for claiming money back on online purchases.
All the links are referrals... this means if you use them it will get me some points, but also get you some too : )
Just added links to Swagbucks and Superpoints websites on the right if you want to have a go too.
These are sites you can do stuff on to earn points - surveys, watch videos etc., and points = prizes! Or rather Amazon vouchers, cash via Paypal etc.
It takes a little while to rack up the points, but I seem to be managing it without too much effort, and a fiver claimed here and there is still a fiver here and there!
Also added a link to TopCashBack - great website for claiming money back on online purchases.
All the links are referrals... this means if you use them it will get me some points, but also get you some too : )
Monday, 19 March 2012
Woohoo
Laptop is back : )
They were able to fix it in the end, so that's made me £55 out of pocket rather than £350ish out of pocket for a new laptop, so am a happy bunny!
Paid the £55 out of the £91 saved from this month being a council tax free month, so felt fairly painless!
They were able to fix it in the end, so that's made me £55 out of pocket rather than £350ish out of pocket for a new laptop, so am a happy bunny!
Paid the £55 out of the £91 saved from this month being a council tax free month, so felt fairly painless!
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Just joined Twitter...
Might be nice to have to keep it short and snappy : )
And with my laptop still out of action, I can update easily on my phone!
Feel free to follow me - button is on the right.
And with my laptop still out of action, I can update easily on my phone!
Feel free to follow me - button is on the right.
Friday, 16 March 2012
Busy, busy, busy!
Am working a crazy amount of hours this week, what with full time work + 25 hours in my second job, due to taking some cover shifts. However, this is helping to keep me sane, and stopping me from worrying about my housing situation etc.
Need to be more positive. Blatantly failing on that New Year Resolution I made!
Paid in my pot of savings money this week as it was getting full... that with some online savings almost totals £100, almost. All is now in my shiny new ISA that I set up a few days ago.
My laptop is still in the computer shop at the moment as they try to figure out what is wrong with it. Turns out it wasn't as straightforward as it first appeared. Fingers crossed I won't have to buy a new one... we'll have to see I guess.
Got a busy couple of weeks ahead, but after that I must get off my backside and sell some stuff... especially as I may have to move house at some point. Got a few expensive dresses to get rid of, and think I might try a dress agency as the first port of call. If I get a spare minute this weekend I might put a couple of things on Ebay (things I want to start at more than 99p) to take advantage of their free listing weekend.
Oooh in other news, I have a date next weekend to look forward to : )
Need to be more positive. Blatantly failing on that New Year Resolution I made!
Paid in my pot of savings money this week as it was getting full... that with some online savings almost totals £100, almost. All is now in my shiny new ISA that I set up a few days ago.
My laptop is still in the computer shop at the moment as they try to figure out what is wrong with it. Turns out it wasn't as straightforward as it first appeared. Fingers crossed I won't have to buy a new one... we'll have to see I guess.
Got a busy couple of weeks ahead, but after that I must get off my backside and sell some stuff... especially as I may have to move house at some point. Got a few expensive dresses to get rid of, and think I might try a dress agency as the first port of call. If I get a spare minute this weekend I might put a couple of things on Ebay (things I want to start at more than 99p) to take advantage of their free listing weekend.
Oooh in other news, I have a date next weekend to look forward to : )
Sunday, 11 March 2012
It's all falling apart
Disturbing news today. A friend who is also my landlady has texted to say she wants to meet to talk about the flat. I wanted to cut to the chase and texted back to ask if she is selling it. She said she's not made a decision yet, but has booked for an estate agent to come round and value it in a couple of weekend's time.
I am a landlady myself, and rent mine out to someone I met through my letting agency that I was using initially to set the tenancy up. If I was to get the property valued I would let my tenant know before I even booked the appointment, and she isn't a friend. I am quite hurt that my friend has done this without even consulting me, even though I know full well she has a right to do whatever she wants when it comes to the property.
You may ask why I own somewhere and then rent somewhere else. I bought mine when property prices were higher and then decided to relocate back to my home town after a couple of years. I tried to sell it just as the recession started, and the offers I got were a lot lower than I paid and I would have lost a lot of money that I'd put into the property. I decided therefore it made the best sense to rent it out for the time being. I ended up renting out my friend's flat as she moved in with her boyfriend, and she was in the same position as me - would lose money to sell hers.
Nothing is definite yet, but I'm already dreading potentially becoming 'homeless'. My first port of call was to ring my dad and ask if I can move back in if necessary. Poor dad had to put up with me sobbing down the phone, but he made me feel a bit more sane, telling me that I am 'having a rough time of it at the moment', and that he felt bad for me, and was happy to be a shoulder to cry on. Anyway, moving back in with them is always a possibility, although there isn't room for most of my stuff, so I would have to pay for a storage unit. And my commute would go from 5 minutes to 45mins/1 hour every day. It's also obviously a step backwards.
I explained to my dad that the problem is I don't have the cash spare to put down a deposit to rent anywhere else (unless I use a credit card, which defeats the point of everything I'm trying to achieve), and that I am going to struggle to find anywhere anyway that will let me keep my cat with me. The advantage of renting from my friend was no deposit to find and letting me have the cat here.
I am facing redundancy later this year, as my sector is disappearing, being wiped out by government cuts... My dad suggested to me I look at jobs further afield, and maybe have a fresh start somewhere, as he has picked up on how unhappy/stuck in a rut I am at the moment. He thinks it would do me good to start somewhere new and perhaps he is right. However, I will still have the same problems of finding a rental deposit and being able to take kitty with me.
Perhaps I should look into selling my flat, even though I'll make a loss on it. I could use the profit to pay off my debts and then I could start again. I have always been loathe to do this, as it won't leave me with enough to buy another property, and makes the whole getting on the property ladder a total waste.
Why does life have to be so hard? 2011 was bad and this year is turning out no better. I've always been very independent, but suddenly the idea of having my parents around me feels quite nice. I feel I need the love and support at the moment.
I am a landlady myself, and rent mine out to someone I met through my letting agency that I was using initially to set the tenancy up. If I was to get the property valued I would let my tenant know before I even booked the appointment, and she isn't a friend. I am quite hurt that my friend has done this without even consulting me, even though I know full well she has a right to do whatever she wants when it comes to the property.
You may ask why I own somewhere and then rent somewhere else. I bought mine when property prices were higher and then decided to relocate back to my home town after a couple of years. I tried to sell it just as the recession started, and the offers I got were a lot lower than I paid and I would have lost a lot of money that I'd put into the property. I decided therefore it made the best sense to rent it out for the time being. I ended up renting out my friend's flat as she moved in with her boyfriend, and she was in the same position as me - would lose money to sell hers.
Nothing is definite yet, but I'm already dreading potentially becoming 'homeless'. My first port of call was to ring my dad and ask if I can move back in if necessary. Poor dad had to put up with me sobbing down the phone, but he made me feel a bit more sane, telling me that I am 'having a rough time of it at the moment', and that he felt bad for me, and was happy to be a shoulder to cry on. Anyway, moving back in with them is always a possibility, although there isn't room for most of my stuff, so I would have to pay for a storage unit. And my commute would go from 5 minutes to 45mins/1 hour every day. It's also obviously a step backwards.
I explained to my dad that the problem is I don't have the cash spare to put down a deposit to rent anywhere else (unless I use a credit card, which defeats the point of everything I'm trying to achieve), and that I am going to struggle to find anywhere anyway that will let me keep my cat with me. The advantage of renting from my friend was no deposit to find and letting me have the cat here.
I am facing redundancy later this year, as my sector is disappearing, being wiped out by government cuts... My dad suggested to me I look at jobs further afield, and maybe have a fresh start somewhere, as he has picked up on how unhappy/stuck in a rut I am at the moment. He thinks it would do me good to start somewhere new and perhaps he is right. However, I will still have the same problems of finding a rental deposit and being able to take kitty with me.
Perhaps I should look into selling my flat, even though I'll make a loss on it. I could use the profit to pay off my debts and then I could start again. I have always been loathe to do this, as it won't leave me with enough to buy another property, and makes the whole getting on the property ladder a total waste.
Why does life have to be so hard? 2011 was bad and this year is turning out no better. I've always been very independent, but suddenly the idea of having my parents around me feels quite nice. I feel I need the love and support at the moment.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
30p
That's all that's left of this week's budget, to last until Friday! Donated £1 to charity by buying a cupcake (wasn't completely alturistic haha) and spent £2 on a sandwich. Must make sure I take lunch with me on Thursday, or admit defeat and spend a bit of money out of budget...
Savings are currently up to £71.32 with £20 to add from my bingo winnings a while back. Trying to do 'risk free' bingo at the moment to make a little money - basically the principle is to sign up to sites that offer free money to play with (the one I signed up with was via an account on a points site and I got £5 free to play with), or to sign up to sites via a referral, giving some bonus money to play with, and then go for it! Some of the sites require a £10 deposit, but I am only doing this with sites that I get £10 back from immediately via referral money. Basically the idea is, spend no money or only money I can definitely get back, and make money by signing up via cashback websites, or by being lucky enough to win some! Lucky I don't have an addictive personality, as I imagine some people would keep spending their own money on these sites... I personally find online bingo pretty tedious.
Credit card #2 is now at £772.50 following my 0% balance transfer of £750 for 9 months to pay off my friend and the existing balance on the card, plus the £22.50 balance transfer fee. Decided to set up a savings account to put the money in that I'm saving up towards paying this off (as I like to have different accounts to split up my money), and decided a Cash ISA is the best way forward, as they have the best interest rates. Have decided that rather than using this account as a temporary holding area to keep the money separate from my other spending, I might save up the money to pay off the £772.50, and then pay it all off in one hit just before my 9 months 0% interest is up. This would give me 9 months' savings interest on the money rather than making no interest on the money by paying it off my card in bits, quicker. I think this is the best idea, although I won't like looking at the credit card balance barely coming down over the next 9 months! I will of course, have to pay minimum payments so it'll come down a little bit in that time, but psychologically this will be a weird thing to get my head around.
Best get sell, sell, selling to start raising the money!
Savings are currently up to £71.32 with £20 to add from my bingo winnings a while back. Trying to do 'risk free' bingo at the moment to make a little money - basically the principle is to sign up to sites that offer free money to play with (the one I signed up with was via an account on a points site and I got £5 free to play with), or to sign up to sites via a referral, giving some bonus money to play with, and then go for it! Some of the sites require a £10 deposit, but I am only doing this with sites that I get £10 back from immediately via referral money. Basically the idea is, spend no money or only money I can definitely get back, and make money by signing up via cashback websites, or by being lucky enough to win some! Lucky I don't have an addictive personality, as I imagine some people would keep spending their own money on these sites... I personally find online bingo pretty tedious.
Credit card #2 is now at £772.50 following my 0% balance transfer of £750 for 9 months to pay off my friend and the existing balance on the card, plus the £22.50 balance transfer fee. Decided to set up a savings account to put the money in that I'm saving up towards paying this off (as I like to have different accounts to split up my money), and decided a Cash ISA is the best way forward, as they have the best interest rates. Have decided that rather than using this account as a temporary holding area to keep the money separate from my other spending, I might save up the money to pay off the £772.50, and then pay it all off in one hit just before my 9 months 0% interest is up. This would give me 9 months' savings interest on the money rather than making no interest on the money by paying it off my card in bits, quicker. I think this is the best idea, although I won't like looking at the credit card balance barely coming down over the next 9 months! I will of course, have to pay minimum payments so it'll come down a little bit in that time, but psychologically this will be a weird thing to get my head around.
Best get sell, sell, selling to start raising the money!
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Blown the budget
Already! Friday's budget of £30 is down to £3.30 to last me until next Friday (9th)... yikes!
I barely bought anything last week and ended up spending just under £16 out of my budget, with the other £14 going on £2 coins, £10 of which were purely random, £4 of which were me deliberately buying £2 coins at job #2 to stop me spending on the penultimate day of my budget.
However, the flip side of this, is that I needed to stock up this week, with cat food, toilet roll and the like, as well as food, meaning my supermarket spends were high. On Friday night I bought a couple of things, and then on Saturday did a Sainsbury's shop. I'm getting increasingly annoyed at the Basics Range... just keeps going up and up in price every time I go through the door. Basics Blueberries, were 90p, now £1.15. Basics Fruit & Fibre, was 60something p, now £1, etc. Starting to wonder if I'm going to be priced out of eating...! I might shift my buying to Tescos and Morrisons going forward... Tescos often have good reductions on stuff going out of date, and Morrisons tends to be generally cheaper, and their Value range is ok.
Almost everything seems to cost over £1 now. And I continue to get really upset over how much cheese is! £2.20 for a small block of mature cheddar has always seemed a lot to me :(
Just as well I get fed breakfast and lunch 3 days a week in one of my workplaces. And working evenings for my second job often stops me eating dinner, so instead I eat a small snack, which can work out cheaper, though I don't know how good for me that is.
Adding to the fact my supermarket shops were fairly hefty, Sainsbury's gave me x2 £2 coins in my change meaning I have to save them, hence why I am left with so little to live off for the rest of the week.
Let me think about what I'm going to need to buy. On Monday I am not in my usual place that feeds me, so I will need lunch. Evening dinner I have stuff in for. Tuesday and Wednesday should be ok as I'll be fed at work, and have stuff to eat in the evenings. Thursday I will need lunch, and also something to get me through my Thursday evening job #2 shift. Friday = new budget. I think I'll be ok. Cheese sandwiches if nothing else now I've forked out my £2.20! ;)
I barely bought anything last week and ended up spending just under £16 out of my budget, with the other £14 going on £2 coins, £10 of which were purely random, £4 of which were me deliberately buying £2 coins at job #2 to stop me spending on the penultimate day of my budget.
However, the flip side of this, is that I needed to stock up this week, with cat food, toilet roll and the like, as well as food, meaning my supermarket spends were high. On Friday night I bought a couple of things, and then on Saturday did a Sainsbury's shop. I'm getting increasingly annoyed at the Basics Range... just keeps going up and up in price every time I go through the door. Basics Blueberries, were 90p, now £1.15. Basics Fruit & Fibre, was 60something p, now £1, etc. Starting to wonder if I'm going to be priced out of eating...! I might shift my buying to Tescos and Morrisons going forward... Tescos often have good reductions on stuff going out of date, and Morrisons tends to be generally cheaper, and their Value range is ok.
Almost everything seems to cost over £1 now. And I continue to get really upset over how much cheese is! £2.20 for a small block of mature cheddar has always seemed a lot to me :(
Just as well I get fed breakfast and lunch 3 days a week in one of my workplaces. And working evenings for my second job often stops me eating dinner, so instead I eat a small snack, which can work out cheaper, though I don't know how good for me that is.
Adding to the fact my supermarket shops were fairly hefty, Sainsbury's gave me x2 £2 coins in my change meaning I have to save them, hence why I am left with so little to live off for the rest of the week.
Let me think about what I'm going to need to buy. On Monday I am not in my usual place that feeds me, so I will need lunch. Evening dinner I have stuff in for. Tuesday and Wednesday should be ok as I'll be fed at work, and have stuff to eat in the evenings. Thursday I will need lunch, and also something to get me through my Thursday evening job #2 shift. Friday = new budget. I think I'll be ok. Cheese sandwiches if nothing else now I've forked out my £2.20! ;)
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