Trying to beat this thing called debt..

Kittychick · 5 August 2017 at 5:17PM

Here we go. I'm new to posting but read the diaries and other forums regularly.
I'm a little different to many other posters in that my debt is very low, only £399 at my LBM but my earnings are zero. Due to ill health I am not working and as such am supported by my husband who has a good wage but when it's split between two people it's not as good as it looks. I have £60 a week in my account but I use that for food shopping, mobile phone bill and dreaded credit card so it's not just purely for me to spend.
I have two grown children with their own homes although we help them out at times but nothing regular.
So, bearing in mind the tiny-ness of my debt, why am I here? I am trying to make small changes that will get this debt off my shoulders. It is very important to me that I pay this debt myself and as a first step I have done a bank transfer to move to Halifax and I have used £100 of the transfer fee to pay off my credit card. So that's now £299...
I won't be doing a SOA as I simply am responsible for phone, credit card some of weekly food payments..
This is more to keep me on track than anything else

enthusiasticsaver · 5 August 2017 at 5:36PM

£60 per week for personal expenditure for yourself and food shopping for 2 people is not very much. How did you come up with this figure?

As a comparison £299 is more than your monthly income, which is not really income as you have to cover food costs out of this too. I would stop using the credit card altogether as you have no income as such. How old are you and do you qualify for any non means tested benefits like PIP?

Kittychick · 5 August 2017 at 7:03PM

I stopped using the credit card after Xmas, and the £60 a week is just a figure we both felt OK with-its not a strict amount that is all we have for food, it's for when I'm out and about to get shopping, husband also pays for some as well. He pays everything from his wages this was to give me some independence. I'm not happy claiming benefits as I don't want to get into the stress that brings. However I am now starting applying for jobs-I do voluntary work already so I'm able to use them as references.
I have also opened a savings account alongside my new bank account, idea being ill round down my 'normal' account each Sunday evening and this will pay for husbands Xmas present-we don't go mad but I don't want yo have to ask him for money to buy his own presents. Also going to put any cash back amounts I get into savings account.
It's going to be a long haul because my disposable income is so small but feeling OK about it as I'm now being proactive.

Kittychick · 5 August 2017 at 7:11PM

Today is 1st NSD of August, maybe ever, lol! We go away on 23rd of this month for 5 days, money is sorted for that.. So that's 18 days between now and then.. Going to go for 6 NSD's before holiday.. So I'm on 1/6 so far.. Not holding my breath but trying to be positive, won't be a NSD tomorrow as local supermarket is always a good yellowsticker option just before closing on Sunday.. Got £17 left until Monday so hoping to get abit more in savings tomorrow night

Kittychick · 6 August 2017 at 4:47PM

Managed a NSD today-only because o/h paid at supermarket, but I'm having it! That's 2/6 NSD's.. On a roll &#55357;&#56834;
We had a good/bad surprise yesterday-an email from person we rent holiday accommodation from and she mentioned the outstanding balance... I thought 'that can't be right, that's an extra night, she's got mixed up'.. Luckily I decided to check the flight confirmation before I emailed her back, and yes... We are idiots, we're going for a night longer than we had remembered! It's a lovely surprise, but means we are down on our spending money-we changed the currency last week. It means we need to pay an extra €150 for the night and then find an extra days sending money.. So it's a good/bad surprise! We will manage it though, we have already started saving for 2018s holiday so we will save what we can this month, then borrow from that and pay it back the following month-done the calculations and think we will need to borrow around £100 so it's no big disaster!
On a more banky sort of nature, I have rounded down my/housekeeping account and had 17.21 in it and seeing as we had the holiday shock yesterday I have transferred the £17 to the holiday money account and have out the 21p in my savings account.. Every little helps etc.. Hope everyone is having a lovely sunny Sunday... &#55357;&#56842;

Kittychick · 6 August 2017 at 4:52PM

Just thought it's worth saying... Normally if I had £17 left over I'd have paid some off my credit card, but seeing as I paid 25% (£100) of it off this week I felt OK with using if for holiday money.

Kittychick · 7 August 2017 at 9:57AM

Monday... Not going to be a NSD, at very least I need to collect a book from the library so that's 60p...or less if I pay at the machine-what I tend to do is take any loose coppers and 5ps in with me and pay them in the machine, which is how come I have 7p still owing from my last book I ordered in. As long as it doesn't go over a month it doesn't affect my borrowing so I'll pay the 7p off and some of the new reservation fee and then it's all good. Book I've ordered in is by the author of He said/She said which was amazing.. So big expectations for this new one!
Yesterday I made a huge (double amount) of a butternut quash and lentil daal and have frozen 11 portions-all ingredients were in so that's that's an evening meal for us both one night for next five weeks.

Kittychick · 7 August 2017 at 10:02AM

... Going to get a pot of arrabiatta sauce done for the freezer too for pasta today and couple of meals down the line. So got a real veggie chilli favourite going on at the minute so am on lookout for yellow stickered mushrooms so I can stockpile some of that too.. Especially for after holiday when we'll have three tight days before payday...

Happierdays · 7 August 2017 at 1:10PM

Hi kittychick!
Just caught up on your diary...only just got the hang of how to find people!
Thought I'd pop in just to say it sounds like you're doing well - I've definitely found little changes do help - just like the little spends all add up and don't help!

Hope you have a lovely hol...and make the most of the shock /surprise extra night! X

Kittychick · 7 August 2017 at 5:08PM

Thanks.. HD xx
Well as predicted not a NSD here, 6p at library and then 7.97 at wool shop, totally unnecessary and abit annoyed really, was dearer then advertised online so it threw me abit, didn't say anything but I didn't get as much as I was thinking I would and then blew that non-spend on 'luxury' stuff for me-on offer at 2.99 and I got 2 balls... Other one I got was for an order I've taken to make something do thought while while I saw it I'd get it in.. Only cost 1.99 and item is £15 so I'm in profit with that..or will be.. Always feels worse if I'm buying for myself somehow... Guilt hitting now...
Also small Aldi shop for this week... Pretty much spent up and it's only Monday!
Ohhhh on a more positive note I spotted a builder filling a skip with some really good pieces of wood, sent husband for a chat and we have several tubs of firewood...

Kittychick · 9 August 2017 at 12:06AM

Reading back on Mondays post, none of the batch cooking has been done, I realised I was short on chilli beans... Need to get to Asda where they are 45p a tin as opposed to Tesco where they're 65p a tin, would only make it 40p more but I object when its into double figures.. Only Tesco was open when we were coming through tonight so maybe tomorrow..

Stuck with the meal plan for today, small victory...
Not a NSD but I've only spent £2..

Trying to beat this thing called debt..

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