Champagne Lifestyle Lemonade Budget (My attempts to get debt free by April 2010)

Sun_Addict

Small update today. I've paid £234 off holiday to cover payment for extra legroom, taxi fares to and from airport and airport spending money. Now I just need to save for the spending money and intend to do this before Christmas even though the holiday's not until March. I'm trying to get as much paid off as possible by Christmas as January is not usually a very busy month for OH and we really need to be paying out as little as possible at that time of the year.

I've also totted up what we've spent over the last 4 week period and we've gone £131.63 over budget. This is due to buying the Wii and a few other bits and bobs that shouldn't have been purchased. However, I'm hoping we'll have enough left over at the end of the month to cover this otherwise I'll have to do a bit of shuffling about with the finances. What must come first is to pay £400 off the debt.

Looking forward to payday next week when I will be able to pay off another chunk of debt. Can't wait to finally get it paid off and start saving again.

Swinstie73

Hi Sun Addict,

A Wii eh, very nice. Unfortunately I'd love one but don't have the room. Maybe when I get my big house, ha!

Well done on the weight loss, think the extra weight has winged it's way to me.

Sun_Addict

Good to hear from you again Swinstie. I'm afraid the weight I lost went back on the following week so am now back to square one!!

Sun_Addict

Hi everyone!

Managed to get through the weekend without spending too much. Bought 3 jumpers from Primark (only £3.91 each) for work yesterday. Hope they last more than one wash!!

As I'm not doing so well on the weight loss front, I have decided to bribe myself by saying I will pay myself £1 for every day I stick to my WW points. At the end of each month I should have a half decent sum to treat myself with. The better I am the more I'll have. Just got to find an extra £1 a day from somewhere.

I've also started being very strict with my food budget again so I can do PAD. I'm giving myself a daily target amount and am doing my best to underspend. Since last Thursday I've accumulated £5.66. I won't actually send the money through every day but might do it once a week.

Sun_Addict

According to Wii Fit last night I have put on 3lbs since last week :eek: How I don't know as I thought I'd been quite good. I wish I'd been bad now as at least it would have been worth it! I'm blaming it on ToTM as I always temporarily put on a couple of pounds then which disappears the following week.

Fitness trainer Wii game arrived from Amazon yesterday so had a go on that. Took ages to register on - it was asking for weight in pounds, measurements, pulse, etc and then it took me through a fitness test. Finally got around to doing a workout on it and it was very good. A bit on the slow side for me though as it kept telling me to rest in between exercise reps and I prefer just to steam through them like a bulldozer. At the end of the workout it promised me that the next one would be more challenging so looking forward to that. Hopefully combined with the walking to work, running on the treadmill and diet bribe (a whole £1 in the pot so far!) I should actually start losing weight instead of putting it on!

Sun_Addict

Payday today and sent £375 off to my Virgin card. They will be taking their minimum payment of £25 out on Monday so this means I now owe just £799!! :j

Only 2 more payments to go!! :j

As long as nothing dire happens with OH's job over the next few weeks I will be debt free in just 2 months time! I can't wait, it's taken so long! I am truly on the final countdown and will do everything I can to achieve my goal!

Swinstie73

Fabulous Sun Addict! That will be such a great feeling to not have to pay a credit card! Well done you.

I'm the opposite, mines has all gone to pot recently and it's now going to take me longer, but I'd rather it took longer than live the next year skint.

Have a wee vino tonight to celebrate x

beanielou

Great news for you

Sun_Addict

Thanks Swinstie and beanielou for your encouraging comments!

I just can't wait for the debt payment to become savings. It's starting to bug me every month to send £400 for something I've already had if you know what I mean. Still I accumulated it and it has to be paid back. Will never do it again!

Bought myself a new winter coat on Friday. I'd seen a gorgeous purple coat in M&S for £79 but you know me I never pay full price for anything if I can help it. I found a £10 off £50 spend M&S voucher in the Mail on Sunday the other Sunday and together with my £40 M&S vouchers I earned from doing surveys and the VAT reduction I got my coat for just £27.32! So very pleased about that. Now need a new pair of winter boots so am working on this at the moment.

Good news on the Wii Fit front - it told me I'd lost 3lbs since the last time I went on it so mysterious 3lbs has now gone thank goodness. I actually weighed myself on my WW scales on Saturday and I've lost 2lbs in the last 2 weeks so happy with that as it means I'm only ½lb over WW goal weight now.

Have to go to Sainsburys at lunchtime to stock up yet again. DD is on another eating spurt and has seriously depleted my food stocks over the weekend.

beanielou

Just twigged you should be debt free by the end of the year