12 months to turn things around

System · 9 November 2016 at 9:54PM

Good luck with your new job and your plan!
We have found a local veg box scheme works out fairly well - but not always good on the waste front.

Do you eat meat?

[Deleted User] · 10 November 2016 at 12:08AM

Thanks everyone for your comments

I have a few options in mind for purchasing things - a wholesale cooperative for most items (I'll make my own bread with organic &/or fair trade ingredients as nothing high on the ethical scale commercially) and I have joined a local organic farm share for fresh, seasonal vegetable & fruit boxes - I am vegan so doubt there will be any waste with that.

I make many of my own condiments- mint sauces, apple sauce, redcurrant jelly, cranberry sauce/jelly, flavoured balsamics, jams, marmalades, chutneys etc so with ethically sourced vinegars, sugar and produce I can eliminate most of the problems I encounter in supermarkets.

The major expenses are laundry, household products and toiletries - especially the toiletries - but I'll just have to minimise expense elsewhere to accommodate that

Right, I've changed electricity supplier now too...most ethical I could find

-taff · 10 November 2016 at 3:46AM

OK, forgive me if I've got this wrong, but since you had your lightbulb moment, what you will be doing is increasing your debt from 10k, with the overdraft, CC and family loan, by another 10k on cars and carpet and sofa to circa 20k.
Will your new wages cover that in a year?

Just to say really, when I started trying to budget or get control over my finances, I would be chuffed to bits to be saving 20p in a supermarket on reduced price food at the end of the day, thinking I was doing really well with the cutting down spending, but would think nothing of spending say £100 or more on something I though I needed. So I'd had the LBM but I hadn't actually thought it completely through.

But congratulations on what you've achieved so far.

[Deleted User] · 10 November 2016 at 7:54AM

Hi taff,

Yep, you've got it right...sounds crazy I know but the cars are a total necessity unfortunately - dh & I have shared a car for the past four years but the new job will add a ridiculous amount of time onto our day if we continue to do so. We have had our current car for about 6 years now and its close to 180k on the clock so I just don't think that it will make it through another mot

The sofa we have is quite literally falling to bits - its 15+ years old and has served us well; five resident dogs, several visiting dogs and a few sofa surfing friends have seen plenty of sleep on the poor thing and the floor needs replacing for similar reasons!

Thankfully the new salary will cover everything I've planned so 12 months should do it!!

-taff · 10 November 2016 at 11:59AM

Freecycle or facebook selling groups for sofas

they're not new, but they're a lot cheaper or even free....Look for a local scrapstore, they may have carpet.

[Deleted User] · 4 December 2016 at 6:01PM

Oops, I've let this slide over the past few weeks as I've been settling in to the new job...things are a mess financially- well, not a mess but it's been a bit out of control over this period due to needing a few expensive items and wasting a lot on social activities:o however, I'm starting a spending freeze as of today; other than petrol and £10pw for additionals I am not buying anything before the solstice shop. That gives me three weeks to live out of the cupboards and freezer- I pay for my veg boxes monthly so I will only need a few quid a week extra anxiety then it's just soya milk and bread flour which I ran out of today :mad:

Solstice is always my new year and it will be the start of my new financial habits along with lifestyle habits. When I began this, I thought I was at a new point in my journey- not knowing that I would be employed again within a matter of months and completely overhauling my life in many ways!

My first paypacket coincides with solstice so it feels like the perfect point to put all the plans in action - up till now I feel it's been more in the development stages skills I'm keen to really move it all forward

I have £30, a cupboard full of stuff and 3 weeks ahead of me to finalise the details and hit the ground running - it's going to be fun!!

:D

[Deleted User] · 17 December 2016 at 11:01AM

It's been hectic!!:eek:

All sorted now though, I am stocked up for solstice, I've spent a minimal amount this month on other shopping and next Wednesday, the first of the debts will be paid off :j:j:j

I have a weekend ahead of food preparation and decoration sorting and while I'm at it, I'll do a menu plan for the rest of the week - the solstice leftovers should cover Thurs & Fri but I need to think of the rest

I've decided to put off my big shopping order until the new year - there really is a ridiculous amount of dried foods in my house already that I should be able to pretty much live out of them for some time and the weekly veg/fruit box. My intention is buying nothing food related other than fruit & veg top ups for at least a few weeks- I will need some more bread flour though...I shall get that from the local farm shop as they sell stuff from the local mill.

I think I will try to get though all of January that way...I can only meal plan weekly because of the veg box but that will keep it interesting!

I'm sure I can reduce my shopping bill and with the way I buy, I am going to set myself an annual budget - I've never done that before so I'm interested to see if I spend less that way.:cool:

Anyhow, off to get another latte...have a great weekend :beer:

[Deleted User] · 30 December 2016 at 12:40PM

The overdraft is no more!! :j:j:j

I'm really pleased that it's finally gone and I am pretty optimistic that the cc will be cleared 3 weeks from today too - if not it will be reduced to within an inch of it's life!!

I have spent the last hour or so with dh finalizing the various budgets and moving money around - dh is totally on board so this should all go according to plan (famous last words!! :rotfl:)

I'm having a lazy day today - tomorrow I've got lots of stuff to do including a bit of decorating, cleaning and cooking so that I can spend the rest of the holiday being a total slob

I've joined the Grocery Challenge and the 'everything you spend in 2017' challenge to try to keep me focused on the prize....I am totally determined to account for every penny so that I can be where I want to be by the end of October 2017 - I know that originally I wanted to be sorted by august but that was before the job, cars and family debt repayment plans etc so I am happy to increase the term slightly

Anyhoo, off to read some diaries - hope you all have a fab rest of holiday and heres to a happy and moneysaving 2017 :beer:

[Deleted User] · 8 January 2017 at 9:58AM

All is still going well

I'm not sure why, but this week has seemed extremely long! Spending wise, its all been good but the end of the month is when the car insurance, house insurance and breakdown cover is all due so I'm really going to have to spend some time finding the best deals!

It's going to be a bit of a nightmare with the car stuff - I'm buying the new car in March/April so will need to change whatever insurance I get to the new one - for which I will inevitably be charged an admin fee; the current car is due it's MOT in March and if it goes through, dh will take that car and need insurance on it after just being a named driver on mine for years. The current car is going in the garage tomorrow for a new belt to be fitted and they are going to have a mooch for me to see if they think it will get through the MOT without too much work so hopefully, that will give me some idea of what to do about the insurances!

I'm still hopeful that I can get rid of the cc at the end of this month - if nothing else, I should be pretty close to touching distance

:D:D

Bobarella · 8 January 2017 at 10:28AM

I have found this week an odd one too. I think it's because it was still the Christmas break up to Tuesday then trying to get into back to work is always weird.

12 months to turn things around

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