Single and in Debt Part II

SunderlandBlackCat

Greetings Ladies & Humans

1st night off since (it feels like) before the old King died & I've wasted it on a family do but managed to get drunk anyway :beer:
Makeup - congrats on sorting the finance out on the Church :T

Yargo - welcome back from a fellow long term absentee :hello:

Sarah - I turned 40 last week & it didn't feel as bad as I expected, if you can't afford anything locallybthere's always the North East - http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-23464864.html/svr/2013;jsessionid=A31B9C358D8D9EC6B03EADE627E8C07C?locationIdentifier=REGION^8853&maxPrice=50000&minBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&radius=1.0&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&pageNumber=1&fromSummary=true&backToListURL=%2Fproperty-for-sale%2Ffind.html%3FlocationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E8853%26maxPrice%3D50000%26minBedrooms%3D3%26displayPropertyType%3Dhouses%26radius%3D1.0

Shoe_Gal

Happy Birthday SBC

I've survived 40 too :rolleyes:

sarahb123_3

Thanks SBC, I could certainly afford it but the commute might be a bit of a problem:D. I wish things were as cheap here, can't get a cupboard for that:rolleyes:

Lula-Hula

sarahb123 wrote: »

Hello all, hope everyone is okay.

I am seriously sick of being poor:rolleyes:.

I need to get a grip here because I am going to be 40 soon :eek::eek::eek: (in a few years anyway) and I can't keep living like this and seeing make up's lovely house has really made me start pining for one of my own. I have done an inventory of everything I have already got for my house but if I don't stop spotting bargains I will end up with an entire houseful of stuff and no house to put it in:rolleyes: It would be a much better idea for me to move in with nothing and start filling it when I can.

As usual I am making a plan. I need to be debt free, have at least 3 years of ISA payments saved up for emergencies and at least a 30% deposit to keep any mortgage payments fairly low.

So I am going to try to live as frugally as possible for a year, bearing in mind that tomorrow I will probably change my mind and if I do give it a go I will be surprised if I last a couple of weeks.:o But I have been quite pleased with how long I lasted on the clothes challenge and after a while I didn't really think about it. I know I could be frugal if I put my mind to it, I am always really impressed with the people on the 4k challenge and wish I had tried harder with that.

I want to start on Ocober 1st as if I wait for Jan 1st I will have gone off the idea plus I will not be able to get any new clothes in the Autumn. I will probably delete this post tomorrow but I need to do something:rolleyes:

At the risk of being thrown off the thread I am quoting this quick so you can be referred back to it if necessary - this is done in kindess not spite

I have been wondering where you had been this week & did consider that you might be in the 'retreat for contemplation before relaunch' stage . I am slightly confused though as I thought you had cleared all your debts by using up savings ?

Anyway, I am glad to see you back & posting your ideas, thoughts & plans :j I get very anxious when you go missing .

I have been rather bad at being frugal at times but generally I would say that it has now sort of permeated my sense of being . Whenever I hear someone discussing any form of purchase I automatically start to think about cheaper alternatives, Quidco & the like. I completley forget that not everyone is a money saving geek or DFW :rolleyes:.

I am veryimpressed at how you sailed throught the first 9 months of the clothes challenge but I do think if frugality is your new game plan then you need to get the shoe fetishism dealt with :eek:. There, I've said it & will now duck ....

There is a perverse pleasure to be had in being a complete & utter tightwad & I aim to become a master at this ... I'm also contemplating learning how to photgraph & sell stuff on certain sites _pale_ one step at a time though.

Good luck with your plan, I know it will be brilliant & am expecting my housewarming invite someitme after the one to makeups

Postive Mental Attitude & good karma are winning combinations :cool:

sarahb123_3

Lula-Hula wrote: »

At the risk of being thrown off the thread I am quoting this quick so you can be referred back to it if necessary - this is done in kindess not spite

Thanks Lula:A

Lula-Hula wrote: »

I have been wondering where you had been this week & did consider that you might be in the 'retreat for contemplation before relaunch' stage . I am slightly confused though as I thought you had cleared all your debts by using up savings ?

I had one loan which is not too bad which I couldn't afford to pay off at the time, it has 2 years left, I paid off the cards but I have been using one of them again as work has been terrible for the last couple of months. The cc is 0% until May 2010 but I will have cleared it by then.

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Postive Mental Attitude & good karma are winning combinations :cool:

I know, I was thinking about Lula's karmic law just this morning:D I am going to steam on ahead and just try it for one year, I am certainly not going to be depriving myself of anything as that leads to sprees, but I am going to do what I did with the clothes challenge, i.e. just not look. I am still going to have wine and chocolate, I am just going to have to think of cunning ways to get them.:D

Lula-Hula

Are we sitting comfortably with wine & nuts/crisps/chocolate ?

I'm not talking to you if not :D

Sorry I misunderstood about the loan, grim news about having to use the CC as well . It's a situation I understand well as you know I have a similar work dynamic :rolleyes:. In spite of the CCs & all advice to pay debt off first, I insist on having some savings & like yourself I intend to build them up to a very comfortable level so that once I am clear I will never have to use a CC just to 'get by' again :mad:.

What sort of frugality did you have in mind ? I might like to join you :think: ... if it's not too severe .

Back in a minute ... need a top up

sarahb123_3

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Are we sitting comfortably with wine & nuts/crisps/chocolate ?

Of course:D

Lula-Hula wrote: »

What sort of frugality did you have in mind ? I might like to join you :think: ... if it's not too severe .

Hmm, it's a bit hazy at the moment, I am thinking along the lines of

• make do and mend
• not buying a single thing for a house I don't own yet
• doing clicks
• using vouchers
• not using the car unless necessary
• not throwing food out even if it means having to eat odd combinations
• coins in piggy every day
• all £2 coins in pot
• using cashback sites for everything
• checking the freebie boards every day
• no magazines or papers, I can read everything online
• making packed lunches
• getting presents using cashback/vouchers etc
• asking for what I need for Christmas, not what I want
• not using cc, if I can't get it from my current account I can't have it
• no clothes or shoes (I have enough)

Basically it boils down to not spening anything unless strictly necessary and getting as much into my house fund and ISA as I possibly can.

skint_spice

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Are we sitting comfortably with wine & nuts/crisps/chocolate ?

Yes to the wine and will get some crisps in a bit:D.

Lula-Hula wrote: »

What sort of frugality did you have in mind ? I might like to join you :think: ... if it's not too severe .

Was just thinking that myself, I am DF now but really need to stop the silly spending and save so I can move house.

sarahb123 wrote: »

I am still going to have wine and chocolate, I am just going to have to think of cunning ways to get them.:D

OK, so if I can have wine and crisps (or maybe cheese) it won't be such terrible deprivation but no more clothes for me and only stuff DS NEEDS eg school shoes:D. I really want to have enough at the end of the year to sort the bathroom out.

Lula-Hula

Sounds like a very good plan & I think I am halfway there already although I cant be doing with daily clicking, it infuriates me. I was surprised to discover today that I have £9.50 in valued opinions & it pays out when you get to £10. I'm sure you understand how delighted I am that I can receive M & S vouchers

Wine, chocolate & clothes covered :cool:

As to the £2 coins each time I get to £20 I am banking them so that I can then use this 'free' money to buy stuff for house. It has been mentioned that I should use them to pay debt & in the past I have but ... I know I will splurge if I feel too deprived & am less likely to actually use savings to buy stuff I dont really want/need :rolleyes:. Stupid logic but I feel that savings are my money that I have saved, a CC is not mine or real money

Oh dear.

sarahb123_3

Lula-Hula wrote: »

Stupid logic but I feel that savings are my money that I have saved, a CC is not mine or real money

Oh dear.

I think like that too:o I am not too bothered about the loan, the money is taken automatically, but will the cc I just hate handing over money that I feel is mine. I love going down to the bank to put the money in my savings because it's mine and is going towards a house/ISA but paying things off feels like wated cash. I want to pay off the cc and make sure I have enough in my savings to cover emergencies and never use a card again (says she, most popular customer at the dentist and garage). I hate having to fall back onto the card. :rolleyes: