Clawing back - the second half

Claw_back_money

I'm not sure what I've done but I just got a message to say 'I've successfully liked this thread'! I was only trying to post an update so that was a bit of a shock, I'll have to be more attentive where I click!

The money from edigital is through, so the balance on the overdraft is now down to £184.73 although in reality nearly £200 higher as it hasn't cleared yet. Roll on Friday when I get paid and the account will definitely go into credit - I'll then have to do careful sums to see if it will stay in credit through May. I'm not sure if my debt free day should be end of April when all is in credit or end of May when its stayed in credit for a month.

Not a lot else is going on. The lettuces in the raised bed are being nibbled. There is hedgehog poo on the ground around it so I don't want to put down slug pellets - but unfortunately the hedgehog can't get into the bed to get the slugs at work. I've put coffee grounds around but am not sure if they should be in a ring around the seedlings or what. The sunflowers are looking a bit sorry for themselves, and the spinach is all floppy - I'm not very good at this gardening lark!

Cbm

Lemon_Tree

i finally got courgette seeds in pots yesterday, along with a lot of other seeds. OH cleared another bed at the lottie on sunday so at least there'll be somewhere for them to go when they decide to poke their heads up

milann

I've got 3 lots of seeds on windowledge - I know 1 is tomatoes, 1 is corgettes and the other pot is a surprise as I have a complete mental block as to what I planted. Pottered when I got home from work today - my strawberries in the hanging baskets that I very nearly threw last year are coming on great guns - full of flowers.

That debt free date is sooo close - you must be well chuffed with that!!

Milann

Lemon_Tree

milann, all of mine bar two will be a surprise as OH took the label sticks up to the lottie so i had no way of labeling them. Im hoping that i'll figure it out when they get their real leaves.

Claw_back_money

:jPayday, and, debt free day!:j

It feels like a bit of an anticlimax really - I don't think it has really sunk in, but the last £184.73 of overdraft has disappeared into cyberspace. I think there will be some pennies of interest for the last week or so when the account has been overdrawn. I've checked the play.com balance and the last payment was received ok so the balance there is £0!

I really, really, really couldn't have done this with out the support, tips, recipes, freebies, grabbits and glitches dished out so generously by people on this site so generously, not to mention the odd kick up the whatsit!

I'll post more when my brain is working.

Just... thanks.....

Cbm

Sun_Addict

Cbm - you've done it!!!!:j:beer::T

Congratulations! You're the first diary I'm subscribing to to become debt free! Well done! Hope you'll be celebrating tonight.

milann

Fantastic news - I'm smiling here as if I know you personally!!!!!

Enjoy being DF and not having to pay back big chunks of your earnings - what are you going to do instead?????????????????????

Milann

Claw_back_money

Being DF still hasn't totally sunk in! I spent a couple of hours this morning researching savings though - which feels really weird. We run two separate sets of accounts, 'ours', and 'mine'. OH also has 'his'! I've talked to OH and he has agreed a plan! The plan is:

'Ours' - currently we pay £150 into a linked current account laughingly called 'savings' which quite often gets transferred back at the end of the month. For the next 12 months we're going to stick with £150 but change accounts to an 'easy-saver', the benefits of the linked joint account but a higher rate of interest. Also, although the monthly outgoings are going up because of power and mortgage, we should be able to put some money away, and I'm thinking new washing machine probably in the next year, replace car in a couple of years etc. To do that I'm going to open an ISA (which apparantly has to be in one name not joint), and start by transferring £100 a month into that. Having two kids at uni and a mortgage that ends in 5 years that might be the best we can do at the time being.

'Mine' - I've got a linked account where I put £10ish away each month, really only for presents for OH (most of my income gets transferred to joint account). Having my own money raises very interesting thoughts about the morality of doing so in a marriage, although I had £12K of 'joint' debt in my name not very long ago. I think I'm ok about transferring £25 a month into a regular savings account. Having not bought any clothes for a long time I've put £40 into a monthly budget for clothes.

One of the other things I've been thinking about is some of the activity that goes along with the struggle to become DF. Butlins scratchies is at £9.90 and I've decided to withdraw the money next week and then stop. Piggy clicks have some way to go before the next voucher but once I've got enough I'll stop. Quidco is only sensible so I'll carry on with that whenever possible. Mystery shopping I quite enjoy so I'll do that but only when I've got time. Ebay I'm not sure about. Having become debt free at the end of a month, I'm going to keep this diary for another couple of weeks so I'm sure that my calculations were right and to record these early days of learning to save (and spend!).

A whole new chapter of my life is opening!

Cbm

catspaw

aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh it lost my post

Congratulations :j:j
one day i too will be in this mythical land of the debt free

Claw_back_money

I opened the Easy Saver account yesterday, to replace the second joint current account for money that is squirrelled away but we might need really quickly - it pays a pittance more than the current account and will help to keep 'spending money' away from 'reserved money'. I must say that it is easier to get a new credit card than a joint savings account, with a bank you already bank at, to replace an account you already have (that was also joint); it took a ridiculous amount of time and OH was expected to answer all the questions about how much would go in it etc etc, and of course I do all that stuff so he just kept asking me. It felt a bit sexist actually; he was the man and therefore should decide how much goes where, when in fact I've been keeping the accounts, and had researched the accounts worked out the sums, discussed with him and then gone in to do it. Hopefully the other 2 accounts I want to open, being just my name, will be easier.

All else is ok, I've kind of got used to the idea of having no debt now; although still haven't bought anything I wouldn't have a week ago! I did promise myself a new pair of jeans (current choice is between pair with big holes - only decent at home, or pair with no zip - fine with long tshirt) but I'm waiting for another sale at M&S when my 'clothing allowance' will stre-e-tch a little further.

Cheers all
Cbm