Eager Elephant's Effective Everyday Excursion ...

Eager_Elephant

Piquant wrote: »

Hello EE (waves in an embarrassed way :hello:)

And here I am, back again. Cheering you on from the sidelines.

Really glad you're still around, I have been thinking of you.

I'm back to loiter on diaries. Probably won't start one of my own again. That very long chapter in my life is over.

Love to you....

Piq!!!


Thanks for popping in - realised after I sent the card that I didn't put my MSE name on and worried that you might not remember.

Piquant_2

I remembered you, how could I not?

The card was lovely, thankyou. I have missed being on the diary board. I've been in a dark place, but life goes on. As well you know yourself.

I need to read back on your diary to see how things have been for you recently, seeing the length of it, I need to put my reading glasses on....

Howdy Lucky! Looks like your diary has grown too, I shall have an indent on my nose from those glasses....

Savvy_sewing

Keep on keeping on folks!
Snowball EE.
Pay the smallest debt first. Minimums on the others. Then when I debt is cleared use that payment plus the minimum on the next etc. That's what hubby needs to do.
Re-read Rich Dad Poor Dad, or similar.
Have a pay yourself fund. ( put money aside for future investment - buying the house costs maybe?-, then pay the rest).
If you have creditors banging on your door (metaphorically speaking), you will work harder at paying them off. Paying yourself last means that you never improve financially. It's always the same battle.
Good Luck, but what works better is rethinking finance.
Look outside of the norm. Buck the education system of work hard, get a good job, etc
Work for yourself first.

Eager_Elephant

3 weeks since I came on - sorry guys!!


Time is just flying past, I have had the last week off work and was meant to be doing my whole house through - I did manage some of it. I suffer with CHAOS and this week was the week when the boiler servicing guys wanted access to all rooms plus the boiler (in the past they just looked at the boiler which is downstairs so all the stuff from downstairs went upstairs but of course I couldn't hide anything this time).


Also have been doing committee work every day for hours - thank god I am leaving after this years event. I seem to be the only one who takes on all the jobs no one else wants to do, surely the chair should take on the jobs or delegate??


Have sorted my debt plan in my head - have changed DH s/o to £200pm as only owe him £550 so this will be paid by September and then I will throw £200pm at my interest free c/c (balance £900) and hope to have that cleared by December if I can get some extra to throw at it.


June has been a spendy month although I have had quite a few NSD's - I need to sort this out and not keep going on nights out which require fancy dress outfits - I begrudge even paying £30 for an outfit when years ago I wouldn't have even blinked.


I am saving £100 pm in to a Help2Buy ISA so once I have cleared my c/c I will start saving more into that and then at some point I will try to offer a full and final on my defaulted B/card debt.


Not sure about DH yet, I got his free credit report and some of his debts are at our old address so need to write to them and update address. I can then check balances and start working towards DH paying some of his debts off faster than £1pm.


DH does not have much saved at the moment as he has brought a new truck (which starts in winter!!) and we have his old one to sell. Now the number plate has been changed we can do that. New truck cost us £3k and we hope to get at least £2.5k for the old one (we will be advising of the problems we have had).


Hope everyone is doing ok and not getting too wet?

Eager_Elephant

Thought I would update my diary with the Ninja Saving Turtles Challenge for June (rules in black, my aim for the month in red and result in green)

• Minimum of 20 NSDs. (It’s a long month) This challenge does NOT include rent / mortgage/ DD payments/preplanned regular spending like afterschool club or medicine. – It’s going to be tough but I need to get a grip again. Managed 15 this month.

* Pay your debt first and budget with the rest. – Have my debts on minimum payments DD’s or standing order. Debt to son is finished this month so £100 more to chuck at another debt. Extra £100 will go towards DH as owe him £550 still so that will be clear by September.

• All monetary outgoings are to be accounted for prior to the start of the month. This includes anything from direct debits and standing orders to a basic amount for dinner dates that have already been planned. – Just done my YNAB and have accounted for every penny!! All good, over in some categories but took back from others.

• Utilise any random food left in cupboards / freezers etc and get creative, think twice before going out for a food shop. Only need milk and bread, stick to that. Make a list for a bigger shop and don’t go shopping hungry – Was only saying to DH last week that we need to run the cupboards and freezers down. I emptied Freezer 2 into Freezer 3 and have defrosted it as the hinges on the lid broke and the ice formed round the lid so it wouldn’t close. Need to buy hinges on next spend day and then buy bread/milk on next shopping day. I have a pack of blueberries which have been in my freezer for about 3 years – I will use them up this month!! Hinges only ordered yesterday, I have emptied the freezer in the house and defrosted everything that hadn’t been used in 2 years!!! Blueberries went to chickens (4 years in freezer!!), lamb liver went into a pate (4 years in freezer), fish cakes cooked up and given to dogs (think 2 years in freezer). Will in future inly buy things we will use and eat.

• Batch cooking is encouraged- meals that require individual or specialised ingredients are not unless you already have them. – Usually do enough for main evening meal and 1 lunch. Definitely need to make granola this month, luckily I got maple syrup when it was reduced to £1 a bottle. Granola made and eaten within a few day- should have made more!

• No foods are to be purchased at work canteens / cafes etc. If you are having a family day out take packed lunches. (this will be hard with a non-MSE DH like mine) – no canteen at work but am right in town and the temptation is huge! I think I resisted temptation except on 1 occasion which is not too bad!

• Only supermarket own brands are encouraged unless there is really sth you despise like the coffee and can’t live without the brand (like my DH). Get it delivered to prevent impulse buys… the delivery charge will outweigh impulse buys and any green-eyed monster issues you make incur. Use Aldi and LIDL, if you haven’t tried them yet you might be positively surprised. – Did have Lidl voucher to use this weekend but realised no freezer space so did not use it, should be another one in the paper before end of month and can then stock up freezer 2. Odd bits of shopping done so could use up bits and pieces from cupboards etc. My prediction was right, I have 2 Lidl vouchers to use!

• No non-essential beauty items are to be purchased. Use up everything you have in the house before ANY purchases• Beauty purchases are to remain under £5 for the month if you are truly out of resources. Challenge yourself - join www.bzzagent.co.uk and see what you can get for free. (Tesco/Lidl/Aldi sell shampoo and conditioner for 75p or less each by the way). - .- need mascara and eye liner, will go to Superdrug as they are cheapest. Got my mascara and eye liner – think it cost £8.

• Reduce smoking in this month by half. I know this is a difficult one so I can’t be too harsh as I’m stuck myself on quitting the last two a day (this is a rather personal challenge, so ignore if N/A). – luckily I don’t smoke.

• Try and eat at least one frog this month, a giant one (for the uninitiated it means dealing with sth that you have been putting of for ages for various reasons) – I need to get my bedroom sorted, it is still a dumping ground although I am clearing it slowly. One frog I did at the weekend was to sort all the coats, everything has been washed and I have found homes for unloved coats so the coat/shoe cupboard looks great. Did most of bedroom on week off and it’s looking better but still a mess. More tidying to be done.

• And last but not least: Combat overwhelmed-ness : There just aren’t enough hours in the day, right? I’m guilty myself of easily being overwhelmed. I write endless lists of things that need doing but realistically are unachievable. – I am guilty of wanting to do so much when in reality after work I just want to veg out. I am trying to get the family sorting as we go and putting things away. Hopefully it will sink in. I am going with the flow, if I am home early I try to do some bits and pieces but if I am home after 6.30pm I don’t bother doing too much and I feel a lot better for it. The rest of the household are mainly picking up behind themselves.

NoOneAround

Coats......You have inspired me EE to look at the coat cupboard, I dread to think how many there are in there that haven't seen the light of day for several years out of sight out of mind:D I shall put that high on my list

x

reality_check

I made it to the end!! Been reading your diary from the start and what a journey you've been on!!

2010-2012 you have the patience of a saint!!! The relative and your DH were driving me up the wall never mind you!! All the ebay buying and relatives ridiculous comments :mad: :rotfl: but you made it to the other side with nobody being shot :T

Can really start to see the progress you're making these days and the debt coming down. You commented on my diary once about how I was saying one thing, yet doing another and how even though I was paying XXXX amount it was still hardly coming down as kept adding to my debt. I remember reading it thinking what a cheeky #!?#?! what does she know lol truth must have hurt :rotfl: but it was that message that made me stop and realise continuing like that I was getting nowhere fast and just kidding myself that I was "debt busting" so I am forever grateful for the time you took to send me messages and the time and effort you put in to helping me.

Reading your diary it is clear you've taken time and helped others, and now reading your diary you have such a busy life but still made time! I am now naming you Saint EE.

I hate when you get to the end of a diary....I want more!!! Good luck and I just know you'll get that farm you dream of one day...good things always happen to good people xxx

Eager_Elephant

reality - you are the saint for getting through my diary!!!


Sorry if I offended with my comments - I'm the kind of person who just says what they think and am kind of blunt!! I'm the same with my clients at work but with a bit of niceness thrown in!!

Eager_Elephant

Not been on for a month - the committee work got the better of me and every spare moment was taken up with that. Thank god this was my last event, being the Treasurer I still have bits and pieces to do and then the AGM in September but after that I'm off.


It was a very tiring weekend with me and a few others running around doing everything while some others waltzed about doing not much but eating cake and drinking coffee - next year they will get a shock because the hardest workers are all leaving.
I can't worry about it though - I have my own life to lead.


Budget for July has gone out of the window - I have not been on YNAB since end of June.
Will catch up this week already to start again on 1st August.

crazy_cat_lady

My June and July have pretty much gone out of the window as well. Draw a line and make a fresh start. That's all we can do.
And please don't ever stop telling it like it is - I for one appreciate every single word.