December debt destroying *blows the budgeteering bugle*

[claretandamberforever]

Okay, so probably not much debt will be getting destroyed this month, but hopefully we won't add too much to it.

Here's the thread you want if you need to keep a spending diary somewhere, confess money sins, ask for help or have a general whinge at the cost of living.

Welcome to any newbies

[GhettoPrincess001]

Thanks for good wishes regarding my job interview. I'm currently waiting for the outcome, due next week.

Pearshaped toad - what a bugger of a thing to happen. Any way you could ask your guest to bring a dessert and/or wine when it's rescheduled ?

Now that my husband has been paid, we've paid the gas & electricity bill (including prompt payment discount), the rates (paid monthly to assist with budgeting) and I've got petrol, which I don't buy that often as I only use the car for a few errands and my husband walks to work. (Eighty five mile round trip for yesterday's job interview, but hey.)

I'm living overseas presently. There's a chain of furniture and electrical shops that's selling goods at cost price to employees of selected government departments and to all volunteers as a thank you. Woop woop ! I'm a volunteer and I can get the bed we need (current one 19 years old) at cost price ! We need a new set of dining room furniture but even at cost price we couldn't afford that and the bed. The fridge freezer has got rust on the door but is still working. So, we've had to prioritise our spending and just get the bed.

[AdoraBell]

Ah, I see. Hope you enjoy the panda cotta

[AdoraBell]

That's a good scheme Princess would you be able To replace the fridge/freezer in a few month's time using them? I'd Choose that over the dinning table.

[GhettoPrincess001]

Adora (you're getting warmer) sorry if you are to young to get that.

Thanks but the offer ends on Monday. We would have to get the bed, the dining table and chairs, and the fridge freezer in one go to maximise on the offer. Even at cost, that will really ratchet up the bill.

We've just narrowly avoided a financial disaster recently and it would be prudent not to go asking for trouble. Even paying for the bed using our 0% credit card, when the interest free period ends in 6 months time we will have the bill to pay to avoid interest. We gambled on me getting work, well, that hasn't happened for the last 12 months. If I get a job in the future, all well and good. If we have to replace the fridge-freezer in future, we'll just have to, 'bite the bullet'. Fingers crossed that it co-incides with a sale at that time. What are the chances ? (Don't go there !)

The dining room table and chairs will just have to do. If we didn't buy any furniture, what have lost ? Nothing.

[ThePearShapedToad]

Fingers crossed for a well timed future fridge sale ghetto

[GhettoPrincess001]

PearShapedAmphibian - thanks. Also, it must be the same dimensions of our old fridge freezer because the slot in the kitchen is only big enough for our current fridge freezer. That was a small miracle from when we moved into our house in 2011. However, we are now stuck with those dimensions as I don't want to destroy the cupboard space above or around the existing area where it goes.

[AdoraBell]

Good luck with Job hunt/selling Princess

[GhettoPrincess001]

Adora,

Thank you. I've nothing to sell. I would just wait for a sale for a bargain like most people.

[AdoraBell]

Sorry, my mistake

[Fluffycloudland77]

2 vouchers in the daily star, £5 off £40 spend in iceland & £5 off a £12 spend in WH Smith.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Ps also in the express for the smiths one but not the iceland one & the stars only 35p.

[Possiblyorange]

Phew, car got through MOT this morning without ANYTHING needing doing. Such a relief as I had budgeted £200 and was terrified it would be even more (was £350 last year ). Now to resist the temptation to celebrate with takeaway, since we don't actually have the money, it just means I have to earn slightly less to cover our shortfall this month.

Also found out yesterday that DH will get £100 bonus plus £50 Sainsburys vouchers from work.

[ArtemisatBrauron]

£12.90 yesterday on drinks after work, the Christmas season is expensive!

We are going to a school play (A Christmas Carol!)and school carol singing/mince pie sale this evening, we'll have to chuck some money in a tin, say £4 but apart from that it will be a NSD.

On the plus side I am getting free posh dinner at work on Saturday (thank you for running a soccer team this term) and free sunday roast lunch at work on Sunday (thank you for taking pupils on a fun run and ice skating on Sunday)

[NK5BM3]

I'm waiting for my car's MOT. Am at the garage. And they've just told me it's not going to pass coz some lights alerting them to something which they need to check. Argh methinks it's going to be costly.

[Helenagrace]

A couple more NSDs this week although yesterday's slow puncture ended up needing a new tyre .

I work for a charity which is recruiting for some part time flexible work from home admin / coordinator jobs. From 5-15 hours a week which can increase once you're experienced. Don't want to out myself but PM me if you're interested. They can be done mostly in the evenings if need be.

[ArtemisatBrauron]

Pondering selling a few bits on eBay to raise some extra £££... but put off by the new postage rules etc., also hassle.

NK5 fingers crossed it's something minor!

[CremeEggThief]

£1.70 on bus fares to the G.P. DS and I suspected he might have tonsillitis, but luckily, it's just a nasty cold. And £19.51 at Tesco on food for the next few days.

Have a good weekend, everyone .

[Fluffycloudland77]

£5 more pipe insulation

£10 draught excluders, to go with the other one dh hasn't fitted yet

£3 meal deal because I was out later than planned.

Good news on the mot, do any of you use the council run mot testing centres? Apparently they don't do repairs so no vested interest.

Not that the motor trade is dis-honest in any way

[Helenagrace]

I've replied to three PMs about the jobs so do check your MN inboxes!

[Turnoffthelights]

It's been four weeks since the big gas bill and joining you all on this thread. Thank you for the encouragement and ideas! It really helps to not spend knowing that I have to come and own up to it on here! For example no lunches had been made for today and I was tempted to think 'it's Friday, let's all have shop lunches' but then my December Debt Destroying head took over and I miraculously whipped up three packed lunches out of the dregs of the fridge!

But, on the other hand, tonight I've had a real emotional splurge at tesco. Nothing major, £26, but we really could have got through the weekend with an extra loaf of bread. We've had a tough couple of days supporting some close friends through a difficult situation. Won't go into details as it's not mine to share but the result for me was just wanting to buy a nice easy dinner, some good beer for DH and to generally give thanks for what we do have rather than always worrying about what we don't. Plus I get a warm fuzzy safe feeling in tesco - maybe it's the bright lights?!

[ilovepicnmix]

£1 on milk. As I'll be with family for a long weekend I'm hoping it won't be too spendy. I've already paid the train ticket but we'll need to get a taxi to the station as we're going quite early and getting the bus would he too stressful. Got snacks and lunch for DS ready to take.

[AdoraBell]

Turnoff Well done on helping your friends and yes, you deserve the easy meal and beers.

Spent too much in roads and parking Today, taxi service for DH and DDs

Parking £6
Roads£4
Lunch because I was out £8
Greengrocer's between drop offs £25, included 2 kilos of freshly shelled nuts
Dog food, again, £5
Chocolate, for tree and secret santa at school £8
Plus half a tank of petróleo

Tomorrow we're actually going shopping for Christmas gifts.

I've seen espresso cups that I want. Don't need them but I might treat myself. The ones I have were a gift from someone I now cannot stand the sight of, so they Gotta Go! New ones work out To £12 for six, might only buy four.

[GhettoPrincess001]

Purchased a double bed and a suite of dining room furniture today. Both cost about 750 quid each, a third off the full price ! All I is well.

[ArtemisatBrauron]

£18 on emergency dental treatment and £15.70 on prescription charges for antibiotics.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Dental charges are ouch-y in every way aren't they, did they give you two different types of antibiotics?.

£7 on fuel for dh car.

£3 on washers- got the wrong sort so I will get a refund.

£86 quarterly water bill. Flushing of loos is now banned in this house . I just need to fit a shower flow regulator while dh is out. It's an actual reading too.

£10 morrisons voucher arrived from the sun subscription I took out for £1 & then cancelled.