Wanting to be debt free BEFORE retirement!

grandma247

Hello planning_ahead I haven't been on here for a while. it is great to see how well you are doing.
Life is busy here now that the gardening has started so will only pop in now and again.

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary - day 106

106 days!!! Wow that went fast.

Payday today so I have just paid a chunk off the debts - will update my signature over the weekend once I have updated the snowball with the payments.

Here's to hoping the next 700 days feel as easy as the first 100.

Cialilerin

You are doing so well!! Like you, I am still working on dh - occasionally I think he's finally got it - then I wake up!!:rotfl:

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary - day 111

Not much to report today except that I have applied to Yorkshire Bank for a 0% balance transfer for 16 months. Worst that can happen is they say no...best would be they say yes and transfer some of debt to 0%. Not holding my breath though as although it didn't decline the online application it said it was being referred for further consideration (probably means no then!).

Veggies doing nicely in the garden!

turfy6

Good luck on the 0% card wish I could do the same, but mine is closed so Im just paying the balance back now. Would love to bt but as mine is a uk based cc not sure if the bank here would do it. Well done with the veggies too, I have tomatoes, sweetcorn, onions and beetroot on the go, oh and some strawberries.

Cialilerin

I have also planted some broccoli, carrots, cauli, beetroot, rhubarb and onions (along with the obligatory flowers.) Want the kids to realise that food doesn't always come straight from Asda:rotfl:

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary - day 117

Morning all - just popping in to let people know I am still alive and kicking those debts into oblivion:rotfl:

I haven't heard from Yorkshire Bank yet - still....no news is good news....I hope:D If they say no then I haven't lost anything for trying (except a search of my credit record but as I don't really ever want credit again - except for 0% balance transfers whilst I pay off the debts - it doesn't really bother me anyway).

Veggies now looking really good...off to earth up my potatoes:j

Have a great day everyone.

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary - day 120

Bad news and good news today.

Bad news - didn't get the 0% Yorkshire bank card. Not surprised...not because we have ever missed CC payments or anything like that...but I knew our credit was 'high' and we were pushing our luck to ask...but hey ho...nothing ventured nothing gained.

Good news - annual mortgage statement arrived today. Balance owing is £125,101.24 - which is much better than the £133k I thought we owed in January. I did realised a few weeks later that we owed less, but it's nice to see it in print. I also got the interest rate wrong when I did the SOA back in January. I put 1.5% but apparently it's 1.6%....that difference I can live with!

Anyway, I think I have been losing the plot a bit with DFW - not that I have been having mad spends, but I am finding it hard to focus at the moment. Will have a good talk to myself later and get back on the DFW wagon!

planning_ahead_2

Debt diary - day 137

Oh dear.....getting longer and longer between posts in my diary:o

I haven't reduced the debts this month - hubby's car needed repairing this time....£450:( - but that doesn't excuse not reducing the debts. I seem to have lost the plot this last couple of weeks.

I am now firmly back on track and am starting a spending diary for June to see what is going on. Don't get me wrong - things are still heaps better than they were back in January....we cruise to the end of the month now without worry, whereas although we paid everything we were 'scraping' the last week and bit of the month. BUT...and it's a big BUT...this month I didn't log into my snowball and make the payments I was supposed to (don't even know why) and therefore the debt hasn't come down. It hasn't gone up either, but that's not the point is it:(

So, note to self - log in and post more regularly, log in to snowball obsessively, follow snowball guidance, keep spending diary:D

grandma247

Hello pa just thought I would see how you are doing. I think everyone has times when they slip back a bit.
I found an interesting thread on here where someone worked out how much an hour they were paying to their debts. I think he added it all per month up except the mortgage then divided it up into hours using 30 days in a month. He found it very motivating when he looked at what he spent on un-needed stuff like bought sandwiches or chocolate. It helped to stop him buying rubbish anyway.

Did you manage to cut down your grocery bill? Weezl has a great thread on how to spend £100 a month for a family of four and now a website with all the tested recipes and loads of other info.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2384579