Spend Nowt, Buy Nowt, Owe Nowt

joedenise wrote: »

Don't even think about overpaying the mortgage while you still have debt; it is likely to be a low interest debt. Even with debt on 0% you need to clear it before the 0% runs out if possible. Not always easy to keep on moving the debt, which of course always costs!

Denise

I agree that the debt is my main focus now. I was looking at what I would do with the £1000/month I am using to clear debt once it has been cleared off.

We have managed to get £17k of 0% balance transfers for June with out any fees for 28 months but that will run out 5 months before our planned DFD.

I moved the £25 from the savings to ensure there was enough to cover the phone DDs this morning as I had taken a tenner out to buy DH and I a takeaway last night as he had a tough day at work. We ended up having words as he damaged our living room door in a fit of temper. I am so annoyed I let him get up on his own this morning and we haven’t spoken since last night when I took myself off to bed early. I had put some uniform on to wash and didnt take it out before I went to bed so it needed half an hour in the dryer this morning, first time I've used it in 3 weeks.

I haven’t done anything with the new CC paperwork yet as when reading it I discovered that the minimum payment is 2.25% of the balance not 1% as I currently pay. This will increase our monthly payments from £160 to £360 and while this is great from a debt pay off point of view it means there is just enough to cover bills, fill the savings pots e.g. Christmas and allow a £100 for house and garden but no lee way for anything extra that crops up. I would also need to use some of my £300 savings pot to pay off the Argos BNPL along with this month’s CC payments as I can’t cover this £50/month as well if paying 2.25%.

I may look for another CC deal with a smaller % per month payment but I am concerned about too many CC searches and will have to pay a balance transfer fee of about £500 which I don’t with these 2 new cards.

I really need to speak to DH about the budget as he is keen to clear the debt by his 50th but I want him to understand and agree the budget and what it means we will and won’t be able to spend on for the next 12 months at least as there will be a little more leeway after that as one of the big payment loans is paid off. At the moment he is just too stressed with work and the garden work that must be done this weekend to really take it in. We have agreed to cancel a planned event with friends on Monday to allow him 2 days off to relax and get the garden work finished.

Stuff I need to get done this weekend

Help DH complete the garden work that needs doing
Buy planting stuff, leaky hose, sand and weekiller for garden
Weeding, lots and lots and lots of weeding
Clear the bl00dy ironing pile once and for all
Get suitcase and holiday clothes out of loft and put other boxes in loft
Wash holiday clothes I am taking with me
Book spray tan and gel nails for next week and see if still do offer on a Thursday for 3 treatments for £10 (comes out of my spends)
Small top up shop
Cancel NY trip (still havent done this)
Book a dentist appointment for DS in half term or week after if full
Clean the house, expecially upstairs
Vac and re hang bedroom curtains
Put DS picture and planets up
Batch cook 2 meals fro DS when I am away
Bake a cake (carrot?), cheese scones x 2 and an apple crumble to use up stuff in fridge
Pop in to see friends with DS
Jet wash paths, steps and patio area
2nd coat of paint on arbour

The garden work in my list is in addition to the big job DH has on this weekend.

Stuff I need to get done this weekend

Help DH complete the garden work that needs doing
Buy planting stuff, leaky hose, sand and weekiller for garden
Weeding, lots and lots and lots of weeding
Clear the bl00dy ironing pile once and for all
Get suitcase and holiday clothes out of loft and put other boxes in loft
Wash holiday clothes I am taking with me
Book spray tan and gel nails for next week and see if still do offer on a Thursday for 3 treatments for £10 (comes out of my spends)
Small top up shop
[STRIKE]Cancel NY trip (still havent done this)[/STRIKE] DONE
Book a dentist appointment for DS in half term or week after if full
Clean the house, expecially upstairs
Vac and re hang bedroom curtains
Put DS picture and planets up
Batch cook 2 meals fro DS when I am away
Bake a cake (carrot?), cheese scones x 2 and an apple crumble to use up stuff in fridge
Pop in to see friends with DS
Jet wash paths, steps and patio area
2nd coat of paint on arbour

My to do list is still looking massive :eek: The garden items have been delivered, look gorgeous and are great quality.

I joined a couple of survey sites and have earned £5 vouchers and £1 in cash so far. I don't remember these sites been so lucrative when I tried to earn some extra income after we went pop.

There is about £6 left in the food budget and I need to do a top up shop for next week and get a couple of bits for a BBQ. I'm not that keen on BBQ food so may rustle up some enchiladas for me and the boys can have steak and sausages off the Barbie.

You are right SHS so this morning I have invested in a £2 bottle of nail polish, fished out my old eyebrow pencil and wont be booking the appointment. I will be getting the £15 spray tan though as I am useless at applying the stuff from a bottle;) This is the first girls holiday I will have been on in 20+ years where I have not bought a single new item of clothing to go in.

I would rather have waited for the bench to be done TBH but it is DH project and will be worth around £800 when it is finished. We haven't paid for this yet but are going to the reclamation yard this afternoon to take back the box that was sold to us in error so will get a better idea of when it will be ready.

The loft insulation desperately needs to be done before winter this year. There is hardly any up there at the moment and where there is some it is wafer thin. DH suffers from Asthma and eczema and I am concerned that doing it himself will cause him problems but I am more than happy to give it a go myself. We really need a new boiler but quotes last year were £5500 which we just cant afford at the moment. It is old and terribly inefficient and part of the system is obsolete and cant be covered for breakdowns!

Our bedroom is really cold in the big bay window, more as if it seeps through the brick or the floor rather than the windows, and we will probably move to the guest room in the winter which is a much smaller room and in the newer part of the back of the house so is warmer.

I went to aldeee to look at the camping stuff and either I got the date wrong or they have sold out of everything! I did our top up shop there and I forgot how much I like shopping there and how cheap it is. Plus it was quiet at 9am and I was on my own so it was even quicker than usual.