The 9 year plan...hold onto your hats and here we go!

taxi73

It's amazing what we realise even way past our initial LBM but what a great feeling it is when we realise how far we have come.

hellnearth

Funnily enough, was having very similar thoughts. Thank the Lord I found this forum. Maybe the recession has a little bit of a silver lining in that - though it's not been pleasant at all - it's made us really look at our spending?

mineallmine

Just think EH where you'd be if you hadn't take the bull by the horns. Am in a similar position of being SO thankful for being mortgage free. Twas very hard but our circumstances now mean it was a godsend. I think it's good that we keep pushing ourselves, I mean as long as it doesn't stop you living life and every moment, then it's all sensible stuff.
I found one of my dearly departed mum's till receipts from Sainsburys and Iceland. It showed how she bought some bits from one store and then got other bits from another, all to save money. By the products she bought I could see she was going to do a stew. I lived on these growing up! Pearl Barley could have been my user name here!

EssexHebridean

hellnearth wrote: »

Funnily enough, was having very similar thoughts. Thank the Lord I found this forum. Maybe the recession has a little bit of a silver lining in that - though it's not been pleasant at all - it's made us really look at our spending?

I suspect that there is an awful lot of people who have been forced to take a hard look at their finances over the past two years due to redundancy etc, and in the long run they will feel thankful that they were forced into that position, hard though it is at the time. It's strange how fast MSE stuff becomes a way of life too isn't it!

Swinstie73

Thankfully I found this forum too, my debts were even higher than when I had my LBM! I am so much better for being on here, no shopping at lunch-time, too busy on here, ha!

EssexHebridean

mineallmine wrote: »

Pearl Barley could have been my user name here!

LOL - I SO wish I had thought of that when I signed up! :rotfl::D

boredofbeingathome

EssexHebridean wrote: »

I suspect that there is an awful lot of people who have been forced to take a hard look at their finances over the past two years due to redundancy etc, and in the long run they will feel thankful that they were forced into that position, hard though it is at the time. It's strange how fast MSE stuff becomes a way of life too isn't it!

I agree with that, i for one am grateful for being able to turn things around. Alright i didn't maximise my bingo chances- but other than that, anything extra i have earned has gone off debt.It is a bloody hard slog- but i am determined now and better for it as well, i feel that even in wobbly moments i only have to look and see how much has been achieved and think- oh its not as bad- i am going in the right direction.:D

boredofbeingathome

EssexHebridean wrote: »

Happy New Year to you too Hellnearth - Blimey - snow with you is pretty unusual isn't it! You've got more than we have at the moment!

I've just had a quite "LBM mark 2" moment. We had lots of shredding and filing to do, so knuckled down to that this evening. We realised pretty soon that the filing cabinet was getting a bit full so thought we would go through some old bank statements etc.....it's the first time I have really, truly taken on board just how much money we have wasted over the years in overdraft payments. The really sobering thing is that it was SUCH a way of life - I found one statement where we went over our agreed OD limit which will have meant a £20 charge on the top of the standard interest payable - two of the things which pushed us over were meals out though, what on earth were we thinking?! (Honest answer - we weren't thinking at all - we were burying our heads in the sand, never going near the online banking and hoping that everything would be alright. Thankfully, it was, but that was more by luck than judgement). Anyway, just thought I'd share as it was such a valuable lesson really. Makes me realise how far I've come too!

I think i will have one more interest charge this month then that's it hopefully:o I too did something similar. I realise that although there has been a lot paid this year, i felt it has been on the wrong things and need to stick to the snowball- the overdraft would have been gone a lot sooner if that had been the case.

taxi73

MMM pear barley...I love that in stews and it makes it so filling..must get some.
I need to start thinking soon of 0% deals again.

EssexHebridean

boredofbeingathome wrote: »

I think i will have one more interest charge this month then that's it hopefully:o I too did something similar. I realise that although there has been a lot paid this year, i felt it has been on the wrong things and need to stick to the snowball- the overdraft would have been gone a lot sooner if that had been the case.

The whole lot that we sorted out as not needing to keep have now gone through the shredder - that was seriously therapeutic I can tell you!

taxi73 wrote: »

MMM pearl barley...I love that in stews and it makes it so filling..must get some.
I need to start thinking soon of 0% deals again.

Just added it to my shopping list too Taxi as I used the last of what I have when I put the stuff in the SC earlier. Lamb stew tomorrow night with yet more of the lamb from our "whole beast" purchase from last spring. I think we've had our moneys worth!

Apparently we're getting some more snow tonight - will have to see how things look in the morning. Left the car in the lane this evening too so if it snows much I won't get out. :rolleyes: Did debate about going to move it - then realised how flipping cold it was and thought "Nah!"