Hypno's recession busting debt diary.....

Surfbabe

My dad always said if you hadn't used it, worn it or needed it in a year then you don;t need it so chuck it. Car Boot Sales are fine for some things if you have the time to devote to them - like me you haven;t !!!!!. We've had a small skip several times to de clutter - except for clothes which either go to charity shop or clothing bank. Books go to the library or childrens ward or charity shop etc.

I know what you mean about missing your dad - mine died 12 years ago and I still miss him, often at the most unlikely times - all the more so when its a birthday etc. He didn;t even see 3 of his grandchildren which allways make me feel sad.

Tomorrow is another day and things can only go upwards !!

Keeping_Motivated

I hope I don't get flamed for this but Hypno how much is your 'normal' monthly payment to HSBC? The reason I am asking is once its paid off, instead of snowballing the amount, could you get that cleaner you promised yourself when you first started that new job? I just really think that no wonder your house is a (whats the word you would use?) mess? even someone who loves housework would be hard pushed to fit it in with working full time, weekends taken up with extra clients/skiing/helping at skiing/karate trips/books/cooking for the family/moneysaving//food shopping/household budgeting and sorting etc etc etc....

Of course it would put your debt free date back slightly but you need some sanity too and the very least you deserve is to feel your home is clean/organised and maybe you would feel more relaxed in your home too?

Sorry that turned into a lecture

And hugs about missing your dad xx

Miss_Bez

I'm also wondering if once HSBC is paid off the monthly shortfall is less likely to happen. How much more debt do you think you need to clear before your regular earnings (wages rather than MSE stuff) cover all minimum payment, bills and food etc.. It sounds as though you're closer than ever to this. 2009 is going to be a fab year Hypno :j

taxi73

Happy birthday to Mr Mini Hypno.

hypno06

Once HSBC is clear, it should allow us to pay the remaining minimums, the essential bills, and allow a total of £500 for food, petrol, and other expenses - which in theory should be "doable".

It still doesn't allow for anything "extra" - skiing, karate, entertainment, holiday savings, Christmas etc, so it won't yet run to a cleaner.

There is an argument, I suppose, to say rather than use some of the "extra" money we get from MSE stuff to throw at the debt, why not use it for a cleaner, but then the cost of the cleaner becomes a "bill" we need to cover and if we have a lean month MSE wise, we will then struggle again.

I think once I get the next loan out of the way, I will feel that there is enough slack in the budget to have a cleaner again.....I just want that "safety" of knowing that even without extra shifts, bonuses, mystery shopping, etc we can get through the month without incurring bank charges.......just in case everything dries up and the income reduces again. Having made the big move to return to employment rather than self employment I HAVE to make sure that we get this right - I almost feel it is our one last chance. That might sound a bit dramatic, but it is not intended to be - with the recession just about to start its "bite" I want to be well placed to get through it and still continue the debt free journey, rather than end up back at square one.

Life gets serious at times, doesn't it!!

Yorkielass

What's the freecycle group like in your area Hypno? I was off work last week and was getting stressed with all the stuff we had that was in my 'to car boot' boxes and ended up just putting it all on freecycle, a mixture of job lots (carrier bag full of xy and z etc) or individual lots depending on what the items were. That and 2 bags of clothes to charity shops and a sack in the 'rag' bag has made a huge difference, and whilst I might have got a bit of money for it - sometimes the space/time benefits outweigh the financial benefits I think.

hypno06

Hi YL, yes we have an active freecycle group which could well benefit from a fair bit of "stuff".

I sooooo want a go at "minimalist" :rotfl:

Yorkielass

hypno06 wrote: »

Hi YL, yes we have an active freecycle group which could well benefit from a fair bit of "stuff".

I sooooo want a go at "minimalist" :rotfl:

That's how I'm feeling atm too - only OH was buying on ebay in one corner of our office as I was selling in the other last week and I keep getting tempted by the boots grabbit thread :rolleyes:.

Some of the people who collected things on freecycle were so grateful - made me all good inside knowing that my *treasured possesions* were being enjoyed by someone else!

hypno06

What about if I put a sign on the door saying "burglars, help yourself"........do you reckon the house would be tidy by the time I got home

Surfbabe

No it would be even messier as they would just throw stufff around.