My Olympic Challenge

retrocircles

She's alive!

Congratulations on passing your college course! I'd say your spending is a 'treat' for doing that. Hope you have a good couple of weeks!

Lewby

Cheers Retro .... Nice to be back and have some time to loiter and post! March was such an expensive month and April isn't looking much better so roll on May! I did treat myself to a new pair of trainers for passing my course - I needed some so justified it that way

Hope you're on track - just popping over to you thread to check!

Lewby xx

Olderbutnotwiser

:wave: Hows it going? Are you enjoying the hols?
I'm so excited I'm having 4 whole days off woo hoo!!!!
This debt busting does get tedious but we will get there one way or another.
Well done on your college course pass and your scrooginess:p
I have treated myself to a Tesco value jacket for £8 funny I've been looking for a jacket like that for ages and would have spent more:rolleyes:
I hope to be on here a little more often now so good luck and I'll be keeping a very close eye on you kiddo!!!

Lewby

Welcome back OBNW! So good to hear from you. This weekend has flown by - I can't believe it's Monday already. At least I still have a week off but it will soon go by so muxt get motivated!!

Had a brilliant day yesterday at my parents. Mum cooked a fab lunch and we spent the day splitting and chopping logs with my Dad. They had been given a load of trees by some local workmen who were tree felling in the park and didn't want the wood. Mum asked if they could have it and the men delivered it up to their place. There is an immense pile of wood which is brilliant for my wood burner - and I ususally pay £60 a load. Managed to chop and bring home at least £200 worth! How DFW. I ache today though! Lol.

OH has gone off walking (part of training for Everest) and I have the house to myself for once. Must get off here and do some tidying up otherwise the day will be gone. Need to do a meal plan from storecupboard and freezer as we've had such an expensive 2 months.

Sun is shining here and feeling really smug about the fact I've not eaten any choc. So want to shift these lbs ..... pound saving all round.

Enjoy the rest of the BH all.

Lewby xx

Olderbutnotwiser

Daa naaa daa naa daa naaa..... s'getting spooky sis, last week I was given some huge branches to log for my wood burning stove!!!!
I had a good weekend and now am going to be very good indeed.
I'm glad you had a good weekend, no one cooks quite like your mum do they?
I hope your meal planing went well:p you organised thing you and good luck with losing the lard.
Take care
xx

Lewby

That really is so spooky! It is amazing to have such a lovely pile of wood sitting outside ready for the winter. We must have lugged about £200 worth. A much better present than an Easter Egg!

Managed to get my meal planning done for the next 3 weeks and most of it is already in the cupboards and freezer. Just going to need to get milk, veg, fruit and salad. Have been going to Aldi recently to get my veg - 49p for salad potatoes and green beans is great. Their semi skimmed milk is only 48p per litre too so I haven't been buying milk from anywhere else.

The BOGOF's still get me though. Went to Mr M's the other day and they had Napolina Tomatoes on BOGOF so I got another 8 tins ..... and I have 8 in the cupboard! They also have Cathedral City at £2 and that's our favourite so got 4 packs. Must try to break the stockpiling habit but Martin does say that if it's on things you use then it's ok

Have been enjoying my days off but the holidays are going so quickly! Only a few days left and off to Glasgow on Friday to see the Cirqu de Soleil (friends Christmas present and we are going too). Will try to be as DFW as we can all weekend as our budget is so stretched this month. I even considered dusting off a credit card but quickly talked myself out of it .... I don't want the debt to go up!!

Raining hard here this morning so won't be getting the washing dry. Nevermind - will get some indoors stuff done. Bit of ironing calling to me and some bill filing. The excitement never ends!

Off to Ikea tomorrow - risky given the finances at the moment but want to get a stainless steel splashback for the cooker. Have decided it's more cost effective than tiling. The splashbacks are only £34 at Ikea. Still trying to get the kitchen finished - it's only been since Nov!!!!

Hope everyone has a good day - sorry for the ramble.

Lewby xx

retrocircles

I didn't realise Aldi milk was so cheap! I think I'll be getting mine from there too! I love shopping there but ours isn't in a very nice part of town so we hardly ever go, as the next one is a little far.

I didn't realise the splashbacks were so cheap at Ikea! We're trying to update our kitchen with little things, so that would help!

Lewby

I really don't know what happened in April this year but I just fell off the wagon spectacularly and didn't get back on!!!!! Needless to say my DFW ways went by the by and I haven't managed to make the inroads into the debt that I wanted!

What is spooky is that yesterday (29th Dec) I got back on here and that is the date last year that I started this diary ..... I must get through Christmas, decide that I want to be out of debt and start with my good intentions again! (Along with my others I expect ).

Well here goes. I'm as determined as ever to not spend needlessly, pay off the debt and plan! I've read some really inspirational diaries and so wish I'd stuck with it earlier this year. Nevermind, what's done is done and I'M BACK!!!!!

I know how much is in my purse, have started a new spending diary, will do my meal plan this afternoon and have updated my spreadsheets ..... and I feel better already!!!!

I know how to do it ..... I just need the motivation to stick with it. Please help if you can.

OBNW - Come back toooooooo!
Retro - Feel I let you down before but will try harder in 2010 I promise .

Lewby xx

Lewby

Well it's NYE and I've spent this morning opening CC bills and recording what the actual level of debt is @01.01.10. It's not different than it was this time last year - which given all of the monthly payments we have made is really disheartening!!

The only way it's going to shift is to over pay them so I am joining the 1 debt vs 100 days challenge and will tackle one at a time. I have most of the debt on LOB transfers now, only a few still at 15% so they must be first on the list. Feel better just knowing what's what and where the worst debts are (although it's all bad ).

My debt denial (like many others) is characterised by not opening the statements when they arrive so I've set up a new 'post box' for the kitchen and will be disciplined to open it all once a week to enter it onto the spreadsheets. I hate looking at the interest vs the monthly payment so that will be my focus to spur me on.

Have had 3 NSD's this week as have been trying not to go out of the house!

Off to do store cupboard and freezer list now to plan meals for next few weeks. I'm happy back on my wagon.

Lewby

Well it's Happy New Year and the sun is shining so optomism is high! I have joined the 'Olympic Challenge' today to clear our debt by July 2012 - which mirrors this diary that I started last year!

Having gone off course in the second half of 2009 I have a bit further to go than I had originally (with a bit more debt added) but I am now determined that the debt is only coming down!!! I am so sick of seeing our income being wasted on interest!!!!

I have also put the level of my debt into my signature for the first time - I'm ashamed that it is that high but I need to see it to keep my motivation up. Dragon's challenge will allow me to see what I pay off as a percentage of the total debt and that is great to see!

Well, with all of our debt now updated on the spreadsheet, spending diary started and a determined head on all that is left is to do the meal plan! Off to the cupboards I go ...... hope everyone has a great New Years Day and enjoy The Doctor and Gavlaaaaaaar later!