Wanting to be debt free BEFORE retirement!

dentonemma

Great you and your DH are working so hard. You must be over the moon. Well done.

REDMADCURLS

Have we lost you planning-ahead, let us know how you are doing?

Cialilerin

I was just thinking the same thing. Or perhaps you're so busy moneysaving that you don't have time to write about it

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary - day 74

Hi all

I am not lost and I am definitely not going anywhere far away from MSE/DFW....just been very busy with life at the moment:rotfl:

I've been very good and planting up veggies (very money saving;)). I have been busy helping DH with the gardening, and that put me flat on my back (just totally knocked me out:o - no injuries....just K-nackered!).

I've planted up pots/trays of

Tomatoes
Runner Beans
Cos Lettuce
Mixed variety peppers
Aubergine
Oregano
Courgettes
Cabbages
Radishes
Spring Onions
Carrots
Potatoes
Strawberries
Can't remember anything else!

These are all going to be grown in pots/troughs/hanging baskets (patio veg). The garden is looking lovely. I have planted up all my hanging baskets (all plants grown from seed so again very money saving). I still have to wait till April to plant up my begonias and hopefully will have some stunning displays. I do love the spring and summer...and I especially love my garden when it is in full bloom - I could sit out there for hours with a good book and a long cool drink (very money saving cos I won't be tempted by online shopping:rotfl:

Apart from that not much money saving going on in my house at the moment. Hopefully during the summer months the shopping bills will be down as I won't be buying any veg:D

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary day 77

It's been a quiet few weeks (or so it seems) and the debt total didn't move very far down, very fast:( - but payments today changed all that and I have now reduced out debt by over 10% - I feel so happy (and smug;) - because I have achieved this - me me me me me:rotfl:)

I'm looking forward to the veggie growing (could all end in disaster and tears as I have never grown anything in my life).

Anyway- just wanted to pop in and say hi to anyone following me and update the progress with the debt reduction.

Take care and have a great debt busting day everyone:j

elsie52

Hi PA:wave:

Just popping in to see how you are doing, and have read your posts with interest.

Stop being impatient.!! You are doing absolutely brilliantly, and appear to be totally focused. You sound just like me, you want it all gone and the sooner the better. But you didn't get this debt overnight, and you are in front of your target DF date, so chill.!! We have been on our journey now for 2 years and 1 month, and I can appreciate how everyone feels. There are times when you think that you will never get to the end of it, but we will. Everyone who is determined to do it, WILL do it, :T and the ones who fall by the wayside, really have not had their LBM.

I also have targets in my head, our next target is to be sub £30k :eek: and that will be on the 3rd July, and the one after that in 3rd Jan 2011 when we will be sub £20k..:eek:.....see I'm possessed by the debt busting thing too.!!

But in all seriousness, you deserve to be proud of yourself. 10% off your total is no mean feat. Keep it going girl.:T:T

Cialilerin........well done to you to...Its nice for you and PA to have a buddy to be going along a journey with.:grouphug:

Have a good Easter.:icotbaske

Elsie x

Cialilerin

You are doing so well PA. I'm not doing as well at the moment but there are reasons for this and hope to be back on track by next month.:)
As Elsie said, having you and the others here is what is really keeping me going so thanks.:A

planning_ahead_2

Debt Diary - day 81

:j I am so happy - have just checked my seeds and the little shoots are poking through:j

Does this mean I am a real gardener:rotfl: Seriously though, the pleasure I felt seeing those little green bits poking through the mud was amazing. I did this - I am going to save us money (well, that's the plan - but there is still time for disaster and failed crops:o). I have also bought a rhubarb plant from the garden centre so that I can grow (try to grow) that for DH. He loves rhubarb crumble.

Our local pound shop has been an amazing source of goodies for a newbie/wannabe gardener. I have spent £20:eek: in there on pots, troughs, trays, seeds, and more. Not really planned expenditure, but I am hoping this will be long term value purchases that will reap rewards over the coming months/years in terms of home grown veggies. I walked round a garden centre today and added up what I would have spent on the same (well very similar) stuff from there and it came to over £120:eek: - eg four lovely large square pots cost me £4, and the same size in the garden centre were £9 each (and yes they were still plastic:rotfl:). The packs of seeds - I got six different types on veg in one pack for £1 - they were £1 each type in the garden centre (ok I would have got more seeds from the garden centre packs....but I don't need that many right now). I bought a hose attachment for watering the veggies - you guessed it £1 and in the garden centre a very similar thingymajig was over £15. The very sad thing is that in my pre DFW days I would have just bought it all from the garden centre and not thought twice about buying it and paying for it on a credit card. The difference is that this was my £20 - so it's all bought and paid for and not on credit (which I never really thought it was in the past, but do now realise that most of my belongings have been bought on credit:o)

Have helped DD with money this week (rare occasion, but it was genuinely needed and they don't smoke, drink or go out and she budgets so carefully that I know a call for help is genuine - and she always pays me back....eventually;)). I would rather take a bit longer on my DFW journey than see my grandchildren go without.

I am in awe of Cialilerin (and others) who organise themselves to keep ebaying stuff. I just don't seem to have the time (errrrr. make that the willpower) to do this. I must, must, must try to do better.....(she slopes off to write 100 lines of I must list stuff on ebay:rotfl:)

Have a great Easter Monday everyone:beer:

Cialilerin

I think that listing things on ebay is my punishment for letting myself get into debt in the beginning - it is sooo tedious and time consuming.

WEll done on the gardening. Have to admit I love pottering in the garden, it drives my dh mad (another good reason for doing it :rotfl:) He doesn't enjoy gardening but likes to get involved anyway?!? Last year, I grew spring onions, it was so easy, but have to admit I only ate a couple and the rest are still sitting outside. Need to get my finger out and start getting organised for this year. Have you seen those bags to grow upside down tomato plants - think they are from JML, saw them in Wilkinsons and wanted one as they looked so funny, but at £10, I resisted!:)

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary - day 85

Hi all

Just a quick note to say one of the Barclaycards has increased the limit and offered us a 0% balance transfer til Sept 2010 and then standard rate. So we are moving £2k from the highest card to this Barclaycard (which is only 14.9%......only!)

Veggies growing very nicely...will update more over the weekend.

Take care everyone -x-