From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2 · 17 April 2017 at 9:47PM

Enjoyed the last day of the holidays. We went for a walk along the public footpaths down to our nearest cove. It was beautiful. A nice last relaxing day before the start of term.

Another NSD today making 3 in a row.

BettyBones · 19 April 2017 at 10:06PM

Awww... how sweet that your 15yr old wanted to join in with the Easter Egg hunt. Love that!

I struggle to get my 15yr old to even step outside the front door with me these days! :rotfl:

Honeysucklelou2 · 23 April 2017 at 1:21AM

Hi Bettybones, thanks for dropping by. :hello:

Managed 3 NSDs last weekend more out of necessity than planned intent as I seem to have hit a financial wall. :(I know where I've gone wrong...holiday times really add to the grocery budget which has been one factor. In hindsight I should perhaps have graciously declined the group Sunday lunch a couple of weeks back but didn't want to let friends down. The knock on effect financially of the 2 factors has carried into this week. I had to get a decent food shop on Tuesday as I'd used up lots of cupboard staples such as flour, sugar, cereals etc over the Easter weekend. ( I do quite like the challenge of seeing what can be made with what one has in the cupboard.)

This week has also had a couple of extra expenses. One of the DDs had outgrown her school trousers, one needed new trainers and DS2 had outgrown his school shoes. I have been wearing boots all winter but they are rapidly falling apart so I ended up needing to get new shoes for work. Sometimes these things come all at once. I do have a growing emergency fund but it is a postal PO account which would probably take a week to access any money. This coming week has to be a super frugal week for me.

Cherryfudge · 23 April 2017 at 1:41AM

It sounds like a tough week

. Good that it's a short month, I hope you're okay through the rest of it.

Know what you mean about things all coming at once... well done for the emergency fund though. If you need to dip into it, well, that's what emergency funds are for.

Honeysucklelou2 · 23 April 2017 at 6:50AM

You'r e right Cherryfudge. I had been trying to get the EF to £500. I've got another £100 to go, but I guess it's better to dip into that and replace than get into further debt.

Spent time yesterday in minor injuries with DD2 who had managed to slip and hurt her ankle. Thankfully it was just a bad sprain rather than a break. Waiting in the MI reception gave me chance to sit and do nothing! The MI unit is close to a Home Bargains shop so I did nip in to stock up on shampoo and conditioner which is cheaper there.

Have planned a menu for the coming week to be as frugal as possible.
Sun-Roast chicken
Mon - chicken risotto
Tues - Macaroni cheese
Wed - children eat with the ex.
Thurs - lasagne
Fri - something on toast meal
Sat - homemade pizza.

Am just thinking about doing a lemon meringue pie for dessert today, will use up the lemons I have. Will also try to get a decent amount of baking done. Will need to hide it though as a batch of vanilla muffins I made yesterday vanished by bedtime!

MoneyMission · 23 April 2017 at 9:21AM

Honeysucklelou2 wrote: »

Have planned a menu for the coming week to be as frugal as possible.
Sun-Roast chicken
Mon - chicken risotto
Tues - Macaroni cheese
Wed - children eat with the ex.
Thurs - lasagne
Fri - something on toast meal
Sat - homemade pizza.

Hello! Just read your diary and I'm wowed by your energy! You're doing so well.
Your menu plan looks remarkably similar to mine. Making a chicken risotto from left over roast chicken is a regular in this house. And macaroni cheese. And lasagne. And homemade pizza.

I also love reading about your garden exploits. I struggle to give up on plants even when I've got too many of them. Had forgotten about trying to sell any on though. Like you say, it all helps so I'll pot up some iris, the giant scabious and the echinops that I need to remove from the veggie bed where they've been overwintering, pot them up and stick them outside this afternoon.

Thank you for the inspiration.

MM

Honeysucklelou2 · 27 April 2017 at 2:12AM

:hello:Thank you for dropping by MoneyMission :hello: Glad you have felt inspired. I expect the irises in particular will be popular.

Busy at work but will be home today (Thurs) as the toddler has picked up a stomach bug. Hoping it doesn't spread to the rest of us. I spent Wed washing lots of bedding as the poor little lad was sick a few times through the night:(. While he was sleeping I did get the garden path swept and cleared up which made everything look better. Just mainly leaves that had been missed or fallen after the great Autumn leaf sweep and clearing weeds that have poked up through the edges of the paving slabs.

My pay slip arrived today and I'll be paid an extra £21 a month:j. Just wondering whether to up the S/o to my EF or whether to pay an extra £21 off a debt...

BettyBones · 27 April 2017 at 7:44PM

Each time I get a pay rise I up my pension contributions rather than throw it at my debt. I'm hoping my future self thanks me for it

Cherryfudge · 27 April 2017 at 11:04PM

BettyBones wrote: »

Each time I get a pay rise I up my pension contributions rather than throw it at my debt. I'm hoping my future self thanks me for it

Wow - what a great idea! Thanks for that BettyBones, I'm going to give it serious thought.

Honeysucklelou2 · 4 May 2017 at 12:54AM

That's food for thought, thank you. I must contact my pension provider as I haven't had any contact from them for some time.

Been awol for a few days as my internet router thing ceased to work so have been waiting for the new one to come. I've had a spendy few days in one way or another. On Saturday the ex was looking at my car and announced that the tread was gone on one of my front tyres, so took the car to a local garage who said it was looking dodgy. £184 later the car was fixed. I am going to have to dip into the postal EF to get through as I hadn't planned on the cost of tyres. I have had the annual car insurance be paid on Tuesday, so was already a fairly tight month, especially with the extra shoes and trousers needed last week. Have been agonising over whether to touch the EF as it takes so long to save it in the first place but the alternative is more debt. Definitely don't want more debt so will take out the cost of the tyres to replace and so keep what's left of this month's budget on track.

Unfortunately the toddler's sickness bug did indeed pass to most of the others. We are now on the mend, but hard work for a few days with the constant washing that accompanies such bugs.

From debt to freedom...

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