My diary... becoming debt free whilst still having a life!!!

milliemonster

Hey Rubes!!!!!!!! was wondering the other day how you were, lol at the menu planning on the fridge, we have a white board in our kitchen that I write the meals on what we are having for the week!!

really glad you're back hun, glad db is doing ok xx

rubydoiwannabee

Thanks Millie, I intend to be back more regularly to keep me focused.

milliemonster

Well, I'll keep checking into see how you are doin hun, I need to keep myself focussed too, keep falling off the wagon big time and no further on than we were this time last year

sistercas

hey you two, its good to hear from you

Ruby glad DB is keeping on top of things, its sounds like he has had quite a rough ride so far though (( hugs)) to all of you

Millie how are you doing ? its ages since I have seen you on the boards, mind you I tend to stick to th OS boards

I meal plan too , though I am not very good at it I tend to go astray lol. there is a thread on the OS boards which is just for meal plans and I often get ideas from there. I have just bought the cookbook economy gastronomy and thats really good it has 'bedrock' recipes which you can do 'tumbledown' recipes from to reduce waste and save money. TBH its something I do anyway having been on the OS boards for a while I am converted to old style and cook from scratch , stretch meals, make my own bread etc. I think overtime I have almost halved my shopping budget. I also do the grocery challenge and most of the time I fail it does keep me more focussed with my spending

well we are off to wales for a few days today really looking forward to it as we have not had a hol for 2 years in fact i need to go and get ready.
will post when I get back

keep in touch xx

milliemonster

Hi Sistercas, yes I'm still here!, I do go over to OS sometimes without the advice on there don't think I would have managed to get my grocery spends down as far as I have, I tend to have a few weeks off from MSE every now and again though when the debt busting just gets a bit much and then have a bit of a blast again

rubydoiwannabee

Hi Cas, have a great holiday in Wales, I hope this weather stays lovely for you. Thanks for your kind words.

Millie, I hope you and your holiday have a fab holiday too in France.

I am pleased to be back on the boards and I'm about to sit down and have a good nose about to see what I have been missing!!

Although I have been away I feel we are doing okay with our debt busting, as well as could have been expected anyway. The big thing looming is my car is getting old and tired it is W reg and has started needing one or two things putting right, so at some point we may well have to add a significant chunk to our debt and get a newer car. I am so very dependant on it for work.... hey ho, I will tackle that challenge when it arises and not worry about it before.

Of to have a nose around now.....

xxxx

savingholmes

Hi Ruby, Millie and SC nice to see you all posting again. I am glad your brother is doing so well Ruby that is fab news!

We've just been to Cornwall for the week so only just catching up.... We are doing okay. I am at the 5th!!!! stage of a perm job interview so really hope I get this one!!!

sistercas

hi everyone

back from Wales , had a great time the weather was fab and so we were out and about, its a beautiful country

on the down side I have just looked at OH's account and we have overspent this month by at least £500:eek: which has pushed his overdraft to the limit. as you may remember OH will not look at his bank account or any bills that come in , he just cant face it so I try and sort everything out and its hard especially as he keeps buying things onllne ( when I grumble he says 'oh its only a few pounds' - but this numerous times a month is adding up!)
we have also had to 2 cars to mot and service plus shoes and clothes for kids going ack to school. it really stresses me out and hes no help at all :mad: rant over

so now I have told everybody that it is essential buying only and see how we go ( mind you with 2 teenage girls they think lipgloss and the most expensive shampoo is 'essential' lol
I am doing the grocery challenge in september to help keep me on track .

sorry to be so dismal, how is everybody else doing with their finances?

SH good luck with the final stage of the interview ( 5th part!!!!!!- crikey think I would have curled up and hidden)

savingholmes

hi SC glad that you had a good time!

Finances are not doing great as we had to buy another car when our other 2 died on us! :eek: Borrowed a further £4K (from MIL 0% no rush to take back). Have recently cleared a credit card - £3K with my savings after getting a temp job. :jUnfortunately lost temp job - after 5 days - :mad: (for being too task focused!!!!:o) but they are paying me a good day rate for a full month! Have been emergency taxed tho I think so didn't get as much as I should have done.... Will get a tax refund some day just could do with it now!

Most of our debt is at 0% apart from one card at 3.45% so that is not too bad..... Just really, really need a job!

Still awaiting a pension refund - will need to ring them up and see where it is - I think that is worth £1.5K ish so may need to live on that yet.... Am really fed up at being unemployed! Really hope this perm job interview is the one!

rubydoiwannabee

Hi Cas and SH, thanks for your posts.

Cas, I'm really glad to hear that you and your family had a lovely time in Wales. I seem to remember you saying to me last year that the summer holidays are always more expensive and you were so right!!! We have managed to get through a lot of spending this August. So much so I am a little worried that we may be slipping back into our old ways.... so I am hoping that the new school term (which means back to work for me) will remedy that. OH has a CC that has just come to the end of 0% so he has switched to a life of balance card instead. Trouble is they have given him twice the credit limit, so I have taken the card away!!! I think it would just be too tempting for him otherwise, only yesterday he had me in currys looking at flat screen tv's. I know what you feel like regarding your OH we have been there in the past. But I can't just say it is my OH because it is me as well!!!! I am due a backdated pay increase because I have moved to five days a week now, and I have spent it before it has been paid to me.... I have vowed though that when it comes it will pay off what I have spent on the CC and the rest can be put away as a christmas fund, because as yet we don't have one.

Good luck with the grocery challenge, how much do you find you spend on a family of four a week? We can go from £60 (on a VERY good week) to £100 on a bad week. So I would say £75 is probably average.

I am expecting the have to spend on the heating system over the next couple of months because I tried to turn the heating on last night for a short while because I was cold and it didn't work....aaaargghhhh I am going to sit it out as long as I can though because have a feeling it will be a mighty amount of money.

SH, I hope the next stage of your interview process goes well. Do come and let us know how you get along.

I'm going to have a scout around the site and ebay now, but will be back later.

xxxxx