Looking for the silver lining

A question about : Looking for the silver lining

Well I'm back! After clearing my debt in 2010 and staying debt free for a couple of years I'm now back to square one. Mainly due to OH's work being so erratic (he is a sub contractor in the building trade). He has weeks at a time with no work and when he does get work the pays not great - but anything is better than nothing. My wages cover the bills and food thankfully but nothing else.

Anyway a combination of OH not bringing much in and not budgeting properly has led to me building up credit card debt again (thankfully at 0%) of Ј5368.95

I have realised that the only way to stay on top of things is to stick to a budget. What we were doing before is spending the money before we had it on a credit card and then clearing it at the end of the month. But OH can be at work one day and laid off the next so we didn't always have the money to cover what we'd spent and this is where we have been going wrong and how the debt has built up again by me having to transfer it to a 0% card.

What's happening now is I'm trying to stay on top of things by having a pot of money in my monthly budget and sticking to that. Once I have cracked this then it should be easy to stay out of debt when it's paid off.

At the end of the month whatever OH has earned is split as follows:

50% is for petrol, OH's work expenses/mobile phone, and anything else we need that month

25% is for holidays (I know we shouldn't be having holidays whilst in debt but they keep us smiling through the uncertainty)

25% is for paying off the debt and when this is paid off this will become savings.

So far I've stuck to this for two months. It's hard at times but this is the only way to do it. Should OH not bring anything in one month then I'm afraid we'll have to dip into what little savings we have in our emergency fund. BUT NO MORE ADDING TO THE DEBT!!!

Currently the debt is split between two cards:

Barclaycard Ј1800 0% until September 2013 -so this must be paid off first

Halifax Ј3568.95 0% until 2015 - so a bit more breathing space on this one but still want it paid off asap.

I'm doing the grocery challenge and the virtual sealed pot and doing well with this. The VSP will pay for Christmas.

Decided to do a new diary as it helped so much last time - so here I go again on my second debt-free journey. Determined this will be the last time.

Best answers:

• I have a few goals for March and at the end of the month I'll look back and see what I've achieved.
  Goal 1
  Grocery budget is Ј330. This is for 3 adults, 2 cats and 1 dog. I am trying to get this down as I think it's too high.
  Goal 2
  Budget for monthly spends is Ј540. I know this sounds a lot but OH travels a lot for work and can easily spend Ј300 a month on diesel. He has to buy his own tools too and he always seems to be needing a new hammer or something. I often say to him that it costs him more to go to work than he earns!
  Goal 3
  I really need to lose the 10lbs that has crept on over the past few months. I plan to do this by trying to stick to 1400 calories a day, walking 3 miles to work every day, dog walking and doing exercise DVDs. I also have a treadmill, an exercise bike and a cross trainer - so no excuses!
  Goal 4
  We are going on holiday at the end of next month for a week so need to save Ј250 towards spending money.
  Goal 5
  The most important one! I would like to pay at least Ј250 off the debt.
  Of course all the above two goals are dependent on OH working for the rest of the month. He has work at the moment but he's being held back a bit by the weather.
  Let's see how it goes!
• Just realised - I've had a no spend day today! Day off from work so not been anywhere but walking the dog. Major achievement for me!
  Unfortunately tomorrow I'm at the hairdressers so not a cheap day - but at least it's budgeted for and the cash is in my purse (briefly!).
  This weekend I'm going to sit down and do a menu plan from now until payday. I will also plan my diet/exercises so I don't go off course. I've got the My Fitness Pal app so will make use of it. Also need to look at ways to start paying bits off the debt weekly to keep chipping away at it. Now what can I eBay/ Music Magpie mmm...
• Happy shiney new diary
  Keep posting!
• Monday again! Actually I don't mind Mondays as they feel like a fresh start. Usually this feeling has disappeared come Tuesday afternoon!
  I was proud of myself when I went to my hairdressers on Saturday. I usually have a gel colour on my nails every 3 weeks there but they have put the price up by Ј5. Said no to this as I think it's too much now to pay out every 3 weeks when I can paint my nails myself quite easily. So saved myself Ј20 by going home and doing them myself.
  This weekend I also decided to pay something off the Barclaycard debt every week by either making money (eg eBay or Music Magpie) or for example spending a few quid less in my grocery budget or other budget. A sort of "pay something off for nothing" type of thing. Imagine how chuffed I was to go into my bank account today to find Ј30 paid in from Money Supermarket for switching my gas and electricity. So this week's "pay something off for nothing" has been a doddle and the said Ј30 has now been sent straight to Barclaycard and I can report the balance is now Ј1770.00.
  Feel like I'm back in the game now!
• Looking good
• Hello Sun Addict
  I'm reading your diary with interest as we have also cleared debt before and find ourselves with a little again (around Ј3,000).
  I'm going to start my diary this week and now subscribed to yours!
  Best wishes and good luck!
  Nikky xx
• Hi again Beanielou - I remember you from my last diary! Good to hear from you again!
  Hi Nicky - I'll look for your diary. It makes you angry with yourself when you've got debt free once and then build it back up again doesn't it. Good luck anyway!
  Well just over half way through the month and this is where I am at the moment with my goals:
  Goal 1 - Grocery budget Ј330 - only have Ј80 left in this but new budget starts next Tuesday so should just do it. Seems extra hard this month as we keep running out of stuff and both food cupboard and freezer are looking bare.
  Goal 2 -monthly spends - have overspent in this area. Blaming this on OH!
  Goal 3 - lose 10lbs - not lost anything yet. Have been exercising but been a bit half hearted with diet. Am going to start writing everything down as I've been successful before when I've done this.
  Goal 4 - holiday spending - still ongoing until payday.
  Goal 5 - pay Ј250 off debt - Ј30 so far. Will pay a bit more off this Friday - I've joined the extra payment a week challenge to motivate me with this.
  So not doing brilliantly at the moment but still got another week to go! Will keep on pressing ahead!
• Thank goodness it's Friday!
  I've had a rethink about how to handle the monthly spend that's mainly OH's expenses. This gets put on a Tesco credit card and then gets paid off at the end of the month. However, I've decided to keep on top of it I'm going to pay it off weekly as OH gets paid weekly. I'm forever re-jigging how I handle the finances and having new "light bulb moments" so we'll see how this goes. Still trying to keep in mind a budget of around Ј500-Ј600 though.
  Grocery budget hasn't gone well with a slight overspend. Struggling a bit with this as cupboards, fridge and freezer seem to be quite empty but will keep pressing on.
  Another Ј27 paid off Barclaycard as OH's van insurance was Ј27 cheaper than last year's. Already had last year's amount saved so surplus has gone to the "Extra Payment a Week" challenge. However, it wouldn't let me pay just the Ј27 as the minimum payment of Ј39.82 is due next month. So I've now paid Ј66.82 off it today. New balance on this card is Ј1703.18 and I'm so itching to pay off the odd Ј3.18 as I like to see nice even numbers! Realised I need to pay off Ј293 a month to clear this card by the end of August so need to crack on!
  Put another Ј2.91 into my Virtual Sealed Pot which now stands at Ј128.36.
  AND last but not least I've put Ј250 away for the holiday spending out of OH's pay. So that target has been hit.
  OH's wages next week will be going to paying off debt after the Tesco card has been squared up. I feel like I'm on top of things now I'm sorting stuff out weekly. Just need OH to keep working. He's got plenty of work on it's just the weather spoiling things at the moment.
  Just waiting for my payday now!
• What a weekend! The weather here was appalling - freezing cold and tons of snow overnight on Friday. Where's Spring?
  OH's van started playing up yesterday. Luckily he got it going again so hopefully it was just the cold. Can't be doing with that expense. Also iron has stopped working! Luckily have a spare - not brilliant but will do for the time being.
  I'm getting concerned about OH's health as he keeps falling asleep all the time, he can't get warm and he seems a bit sort of "out of it". He says he will try to get a doctor's appointment as he is worried too.
  I have spectacularly overspent on March grocery budget. Really struggled this month as everything seems to have run out. Will have to try harder next month.
  Had yet another rehash of budget and hopefully will finally be getting it right this time!! OH is off work due to snow so he's fed up. I hate not knowing what we've got coming in every month but at least my wages are predictable. He used to earn twice as much as me but at the moment we're lucky if his wages match mine. Damned recession!
  Oh well just have to keep going in the hopes that things pick up.
• Only 2 more days to payday! Am becoming obsessed with spreadsheets and paying bits and bobs of money off. Glad OH gets paid weekly as I can get my "fix" more often.
  Have stocked up on pet food which will hopefully last a month for 2 cats and 1 small dog. Pets at Home are doing their own brand cat food 2 x 12 pouch boxes for Ј4.00 which is brilliant as I usually pay Ј7.00 for 2 boxes Felix. So I got 8 boxes, a big bag of meaty chunks for dog and some frozen meat for dog for Ј21 - this was with a Ј5 off when you spend Ј25 VIP Club coupon. Am determined to stick to grocery budget in April so this should help keep costs down.
  Will be starting new grocery budget tomorrow and finally getting my food stocks back up again.
• Payday at last!!
  So this is how I've done:
  I've paid Ј175.69 off my debt, Ј100.18 of this is overpayments for the Extra Payment a Week challenge. I've only been doing this for 3 weeks so am pleased with this. So my debt now stands at:
  Barclaycard Ј1660.00 to be paid off by end August
  Halifax card Ј3533.26 to be paid off by 2015
  Total debt now Ј5193.26
  Went way over with the grocery budget and overspent by just over Ј47!! Ran out of so much stuff and went off the rails towards the end. Have set April's at Ј340. MUST stick to this!
  Saved Ј370 towards holiday and associated spends. I'm prioritising this as it needs to be saved by 25 April when we go. This is to include spending money, kennels for dog, airport/plane spending, car parking at airport and last but not least OH's birthday present (as it's his birthday while we're away!).
  Am keeping on top of monthly spends by paying off spending credit card on a weekly basis. Have just squared it up so the current balance is nil. This is the best way I can keep on top of this and not let it get out of hand.
  Added another Ј3.08 to my Virtual Sealed Pot and this now stands at Ј131.44.
  Don't ask about weight loss as I think I've only lost about a pound!
  Have a great Easter everyone!!
• I mentioned earlier that I am worried about OH's health - now I'm scared as yesterday he went to work - against my advice as he'd struggled to get out of bed. He came home a couple of hours later in a right state - he was on the way to the toilet and the next thing he knew he was on the floor and he'd messed himself. How he managed to drive home I don't know! After having a shower he slept on the sofa for the rest of the afternoon. Last night he said he felt better for the rest. I'm very worried as he has also been slurring his speech and walking funny just lately. I told him he must get medical help and he said he would see doctor after Easter. But I think he needs to see a doctor urgently. If he's still not right when he gets up I'm going to ring 111 and see what they say.
• Hi there sun addict - I just discovered your thread. Am very sorry to hear about the troubles your OH has been having. I agree with you 100% - he needs to see a doctor asap.
  Best of luck sorting everything out you seem to have organised yourself very well
• Hi If and thanks for your support.
  OH just rested all day yesterday. He said he feels better for the rest and there have been no more "episodes". However he's still not at all well and I'm keeping an eye on him and I will phone doctors first thing Tuesday to get him an appointment. He is adamant he's going back to work but unless he has made a miraculous recovery in the next 2 days he has no chance of that happening! He's eating well but spending most of the day sleeping. He livens up a bit at night but is going to bed early.
  It started off a few weeks ago with him having trouble sleeping and waking up very tired. He started getting a lot of cold sores and feeling stressed. He deteriorated in the last week feeling exhausted and not being able to get up in the morning. He says he felt so tired he was drifting off when he was driving and he has no energy for anything. I'm hoping it's just a stress/fatigue /virus but I have this pit of dread in my stomach that it's something worse. I lost my mum to a brain tumour 13 years ago and am aware of the symptoms so it scares me. I am laying awake most of the night and I feel sick with a churning stomach at the moment.
  He loves taking the dog out to nice parks and the seaside but at the moment the poor dog is having to put up with me walking her round the streets and on local rubbishy park - and I am useless at throwing balls!
  As you can imagine the last thing on my mind at the moment is debt busting I would normally be setting goals for April but the only goal I have is for OH to get better. We are supposed to be going to Lanzarote at the end of April but I can't even think about that - we'll have to see how things go. It would do him the world of good though!
  It's typical - just as things were starting to pick up and I was getting organised this happens! It brings it home to you that health is more important than money!
  Sorry for depressing post but needed to get this off my chest and there is no one else to talk to but my diary. Happy Easter to anyone reading.
• Been awake since 3 this morning stomach churning and heart pounding. OH slept until lunchtime yesterday then got up but kept falling asleep. Later on he said he was feeling a bit better but exhausted and had headache. He was talking about trying to get out today. About 9pm I heard a thud - I must have nodded off - he was on the floor couldn't get up kept saying I'll be alright in a minute. I couldn't help him up as he's too heavy. He got up finally and went to bed but where he fell it was wet - he'd wet himself. I decided enough was enough and dialled 111 but they were "experiencing a high volume of calls" and I gave up OH was fast asleep in bed by now so I thought it was best to let him rest. I was also conscious of the fact he'd had a few beers and they might think he was drunk not ill.
  I am so worried about him. I might ring his sister today just for a bit of support really and she might take us to hospital. We've got to get him sorted out ASAP. Trying to hang on until doctors reopens tomorrow but I'm sure he'll send him to hospital.
  What a nightmare!
• Hey Sun Addict, hope things have calmed down now and OH is Ok.
  I would take him to the hospital - even if he feels better, the whole messing himself thing shows that he is losing consciousness very deeply if you see what I mean.
  The best thing to do for your stomach churning worrying is to go to the hospital.
  I know what you mean when you lose some one you love from a particular illness, my boyfriend had tests for lung cancer a few weeks ago and I was terrified as that is how we lost my Dad, mentally checking off symptons is never good. go to the hospital and explain everything
  Big Hugs xxxx
• Hi Sunaddict,
  Just found your diary, well done on getting things back in order.
  Re your DH I really think you should get him in the doctors first thing tomorrow, he really doesnt seem right at all does he!
  Hope its just a virus or something which has knocked him a bit xx
• Hi buffy and mummy
  Thank you for your support. It's very much appreciated. Buffy I hope your boyfriend is in the clear now. OH lost both his mum and dad to cancer -we've not had much luck between us on the parent front have we! They were all older though and he's only 47.
  He has been up and had some lunch but now gone back to bed as his back hurts. DS is coming round soon to see us. It will be nice to see someone as we have been stuck in the house since Friday. I'm hoping he has virus - I know a couple of people who have had a seizure due to a virus and they are fine now so pinning my hopes on this. He has been very stressed with work for a while and I know this can contribute. Hoping he doesn't have another seizure but if he does I will call an ambulance no messing about.
  If doctors say he has had seizures then he won't be able to drive for a long time which means he won't be able to work as he is a roofer- but that's something to worry about another time - the main thing is to get him better.
  Dog is desperate to go out for a walk but I daren't leave OH on his own. She will have to make do with a run around the garden. DD is at work so we're on our own at the moment until DS arrives (suspect this will be after the footie!!).
  Keep hoping I've been dreaming this and will wake up soon!
• Thinking of you and hoping everything is ok with your OH.