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

www.wickes.co.uk/pipe-insulation-byelaw-22mmx1m/invt/210013/ This sort of thing.

You need the thickest you can afford, I can't find the one I bought which was 19mm thick.

I've lagged all my 22mm pipes & now I just need to do the 15mm pipes.

If the tank is new and white it shouldn't need a jacket. It will be covered in foam inside the cover.

Claret get thee back to that store and speak to the manager, your little apology is owed and should be collected.

Good luck with the reception stint, I used to do that and I know if it's not your thing it can feel like torture.

Princess glad you got the furniture and everything is well.

ooooh we had a deletion! anyone see what it was?

I spotted that too claret! I bet it was one of those "make £500 a week guaranteed" "jobs"where you have to fleece gullible friends!

Adora - thanks. The money saved buying the bed meant we could afford the dining room furniture. We won't get the bed before Christmas but that suits us as it goes.

Tried to comment on the deletion but it wouldn't post. Wonder if this one will. Here goes.

Morning! Haven't been on all weekend, busy busy busy.

Slightly spendy day yesterday - had to buy the DCs and Dsis lunch in town as I hadn't packed anything, but we shared a couple of massive hot dogs from the Christmas market between us, and I had water and smarties so only spent £7 on that. Had to pay my sis for babysitting on sat too, which was £40, but it was so I could work, which earned me £90, so it's not all bad news.

Our gas and electricity aren't terribly cheap - will be shopping around come January when we (fingers crossed) move house. The flip side is that we are with British Gas and give them a meter reading every month and pay our bill based on that reading. No DD to panic about, which is lovely. Will be hard if we can find something much cheaper but have to put ourselves at the mercy of the energy company's random DDs.

On the upside, new house is a much newer build (ours is only 1960s/70s so not awful, but has a really crap conservatory on the back which is like a heat sink) so should be cheaper to heat, and will hopefully have decent thermostats for up and downstairs so we can set the temps separately.

I have just totted up my earnings towards my scary need-to-make-before-end-of-Dec total and although i'm falling quite a long way short thus far, I have a cheque coming for some work for £130 and some cash to pay in - about £60 - which will bring me up to my week by week target, iykwim. The slightly depressing bit is knowing that I obviously won't earn over the Christmas period, so I need to have earned the vast majority of it in the next 10 days or so. Argh.

NSD today - in work since 8.45 and will be til 11pm, except for run home at 5.30 to get changed and bolt some food.

On the upside, DH is making pesto-pasta- fake chicken for me to munch before I go on duty

Holy crap, I have just done basically all my Christmas shopping (bar a couple of lip balms and toothbrushes for stocking fillers) in one hit. I went over budget, but I did manage to bring the whole lot in for just over £200 for main presents and stocking fillers for both DCs and the two other children (niece and nephew) who I have to buy for. Have Santa wrapping paper put by from adding it to a food shop a few weeks ago, so only have normal wrapping paper and cards left to buy in terms of gifts/cards.

This is the first year I've ever even vaguely monitored what Christmas is costing, and although I can already tell I woefully underestimated, it's good to know I'll have the information available for next year to work with and plan a bit more effectively through the year.

MIL has just offered to bring a big beef joint for boxing day meal when they come for Christmas, so am saved one little outlay!

£5 morrisons voucher turned up today from the sun+ offer, so that's most of our turkey crown paid for, all of it if I can find a marked down one late Christmas Eve. Yes, I loiter in the aisles waiting for the mark downs on Christmas Eve.

Next few days will be spendy as I want to get nice champagne for Christmas & maybe cognac.

NSD today.

NSD but only because I couldn't get to the petrol station - will be a spend tomorrow!

I don't have a hot water tank. Is it worth lagging any central heating pipes? I have been overly excited by how well my draught excluder does its job!

3frugalthings: emergency packed lunch day again, I hate leaving it until morning but could not stay awake last night, luckily found a tin of tuna in the cupboard. Dinner has been a pasta surprise, made a surprisingly nice sauce from some bacon and spinach from the freezer mixed with a little philly and a spoonful of marmite (inspired by nigella's marmite pasta recipe). Have started to research into holiday let's for May half term. We were supposed to go with DH family this year but couldn't pin a date down; I was being a bit vague as some of the suggested places were so expensive! Luxury houses with extra rooms for each DC. I'm happy to gave our dd in with us if it works out cheaper but SIL working to a higher budget. Anyway, thought if I start looking now I may be able to find somewhere reasonable. Ideally I'd like the rest of the family to book a cottage with a garden which we can camp in! Any suggestions?! ( to sleep 6 adults, 3 children under 4).

You must have a combi boiler if you haven't got a hot water tank. Definitely lag exposed pipes, with thick lagging not the cheapy stuff.

Orange Snap! This too is the first year I have monitored my Xmas spending. It's bloody scary isn't it. Am definitely going to try and start saving up for next year now. I will lower my food budget from £350 to £300, and put the other £50 aside to actually give me a challenge

Tis another NSD for me today. I've got my step-MIL's Xmas present and paid for it online with my points (I had £25 in points and present came to £21). Have got her some browny coloured eyeshadows and a shadow brush and there was a good freebie with 2 No7 products so I will give her that too.

Just got my neighbour (some leggings), secret santa (no idea who I am buying for yet) and BIL aged 34 to get something for then I will know exactly how much I have left to spend on my boys.

I'm a bit Meh about Xmas this year as DH's dentist found a white patch on his tongue in September which could be something & nothing but she wanted to refer him to hospital (routine, not fast track). His appointment at the hospital was last Wednesday and two doctors there said they "think" it's nothing but they want him to have a biopsy (routine not fast track). An incidental finding of a neck lump was also discovered so they want that ultrasound-ing. Both appointments have come through for Xmas eve (despite them being routine and not fast track so alarm bells are ringing). I tend to catastrophise so I'm now imagining it is something very sinister which will lead to him not being able to work, which will lead to us getting into financial trouble, bankruptcy, losing our home etc... (I'm actually refusing to think about the worst case scenario of him dying) so buying presents and thinking about Christmas holds no joy for me this year, and neither does looking forward to my new job as I just want to find out what's going on with DH first.

Oh lord, I think all biopsies are quick partly because if they hang about and it is serious you can sue them. It's impossible not to worry though when it's your dh.

£5 aldi voucher in the mirror/daily record this week.

Oh claret hope everything turns out well. I too am a complete catastrophiser! Maybe it's our way of coping because when you prepare for bad news more than likely the outcome is nothing like as bad as you'd imagined. Doesn't stop the stress and worry in the meantime though. Thinking of you and sending positive thoughts xx

Claret as an ex NHS manager it could be that the biopsy and scan appointments have come through for Christmas Eve because:

A) no one wants appointments on Christmas Eve

B) they've been holding appointments back in the hope that they could knock off early and some meanmanager like me has said no it's a normal working day.

C) the consultant has done the "ooh but it might be significant" thing with the referral to get it through quicker. If they say it might be it has to be treated like it is.

Claret I'm sure it's as Helena says, try to look on the bright side that it will be sorted very quickly .

Going to finish last bits of shopping tomorrow morning then back on the earning grindstone to try to rake in some money before Christmas.

Oh claret. Sorry to hear your news but do try and keep your worrying to a minimum at this point. Easier said than done I know.

NSD for me today. We're heading home tomorrow so I'll catch up properly then.

Another one here to hold your hand, claret.

£47.21 on food shopping. £30.11 at Lidl, which is the most I've ever spent there . I think it's positive, as it's showing I'm getting nearly all my shopping there now. Oh, and £2.50 on 5 2nd class stamps, so £49.71 total.