New year, New me (finally)

thrifty_fifty

Right, well you can't keep a thrifty down for long. So finally I get it and I should focus on one debt rather than all three at the same time. Loan is a fixed amount so that can't change, however I've been paying more off cc1 as it has the larger balance and is the one where I've kept the interest the same and the account will close as soon as this is paid off. I guess I felt that I didn't want to push my luck with them by paying twice the minimum until jan. Anywho if I focus on CC2 that will be clear all bar £166 by Christmas. I think it will be good to do that as it will be a boost for moral and especially as they have sent through the letter saying that if they increase the interest they have to write to me now, and give me 30 days notice to keep the interest the same and close the account when this is paid or for them to increase the interest. To my pessimistic side this says they are planning an interest rise in the near future, so best to get rid. Plus I just had an amazing thought, how about this for a new years present?

'Hello this is Barclaycard customer services, Happy New Year, how may I help?
me ' And a happy new year to you to. I'd like to pay off the remaining balance of £166 and then close my account'
'thank-you madam, and can I ask why you are thinking of closing the account?'
'sure. Because I'm on my way to being debt free and I'm done with paying interest'
'ok madam that account is closed for you now, you will receive a final statement on .... if you do decide to close that account you will not be able to apply again for another 6 months'

CLICK.

Phew, relief, and only two more creditors to go.

OH and I spoke last night about how we are never going to get into debt again, as nothing, nothing is worth all of what we have been through paying it back. How much do you want that item? Enough to go through all this worry? Put it back and wait till you have the money.

xx

thrifty_fifty

OK so today I'm going to try and make it all evening and all day without getting stressy chest pains and ending up in tears. I'll report back later.

xx

thrifty_fifty

I've made the conscious decision not to watch any news this weekend. I'm sick of hearing the words 'downturn', 'economic gloom', 'Browne report', and 'budget cuts', and 'credit crunch'. It just sends me into a depression. So I'll be sticking my head in the sand for now. Got a busy weekend of cleaning, job applying, blending allotment veg into soups, and not spending money, plus planning and digging the allotment for the year ahead. I'll also be writing my Christmas wish list to santa-I don't want any presents apart from to meet my target of being debt free next august.

thrifty_fifty

Morning everyone

Have been sitting here doing my pretend signature updates (you know, where you go into your signature and edit the totals until it all reads zero, sit there and dream for a bit, and then work out what you can knock off next month?)

I've decided that I'm going to direct any birthday or christmas money towards Barclaycard, if I could get that clear before Christmas that would be fab, then I can set to work to really crush that Virgin card in the new year. Last month of the loan being in the 2k mark. On novembers payday we'll start moving into the 1's £1800, so that will be a good feeling.

Other considerations are getting an additional job. Just need to work out the benefits of that, with tax and the extra petrol to get to the job, would I be any better off? Hmmm .

Have enrolled myself on a few leadership level courses at work, and have decided that if I do find myself out of work then in between applying for jobs if it comes to it, I'll go round the village and volunteer to do stuff for free, in the hope of gaining new skills-so I could offer to clear someones garden in return for IT skills, help with a CV etc.

thrifty_fifty

Have woken up with a pooey cold this morning. It has been threatening for weeks

OH and I went on a forage yesterday and came back with two bags for life, filled with crab apples and four eating apples.

Crab apples look really tempting, but should never be eaten as they are, as I discovered. Sour as hell. Not recommended. So we are going to try and make crab apple jelly for part of our Christmas hampers.

Soup making today, and also trying to convince OH that whilst it would be nice to go the christmas markets, it would be even nicer to pay that money off debts (I know I'm a real kill joy), so waiting with baited breath for the cuts announcement on wednesday. Bleak times ahead me thinks. However this is like the DFW journey for the whole of the country, and whilst it will be painful, and I'm praying that I don't lose my job. I think we need to go through it.

Maybe the government could do a DFW diary on here?

thrifty_fifty

Just off now to plant winter lettuce, dig up a patch of weeds in the garden so that we can plant spinach in march. OH is down the allotment planting garlic and onions. All the plants need cutting back though, anyone know if it is ok to cut shrubs back before the frosts? If I wait longer than that, it could be march before I do it, especially if we have snow like last year.

thrifty_fifty

Ok. Had quite a productive morning, so glad about that.

part of the border edged and de-weeded

Plants, bushes and shrubs cut back

herb planter filled with compost and herbs added-well more like saving those ones in pots that we bought from the supermarket

winter lettuce seeds planted

foraged apples and elderberries frozen

Foraged rosehips put in a cup to dry out-to make crab apple and rosehip marmalade and rosehip tea

Washing on

Pots washed

And relax..........

I'm amazed at the amount of free food you can get from mother nature, there is all this food sitting around us, and we're overlooking it most of the time. Not anymore! Apparently the rosehips are really high in vitamin C, so that should help get rid of the cold. And one of the non crab apples that we picked turned out to be really nice. Not sure what variety it is, but it looks like a braeburn and has a crisp taste. Lovely.

xx

thrifty_fifty

OH brought back a whole carrier bag of rosehips, so these are currently drying out ready to make rosehip tea. A busy, tiring but very rewarding day. Don't want to go to work tomorrow, this kind of work seems far more honest and rewarding.

thrifty_fifty

Feeling super rough today. Have decided I'm going in though as having a monday off scores you double points on the sick tally. If I go in today and sort a lot of stuff out, it means I won't feel as bad (morally) if I feel even worse tomorrow. Crazy isn't it?

And I'm not like those organised women on the boots advert-where the guy asks if anyone has painkillers and all the women turn round and offer their box. No, I'm more like the 'oh I'll get some at lunchtime. Oh it's too busy in there now, I'll survive the rest of the afternoon.

Anyway enough of sounding like a dying duck in a thunderstorm, as my mother is fond of saying. Off to work. Yay.

thrifty_fifty

Just had the chimney swept here, so the fire has gone on, and lovely it is too. Just got to finish my statement for job application, and then can send that off. I know there will be some tough times ahead across the country, as well as in this household, but I'm reaching the final leg of the debt free journey, and I'm not giving up my determination now. Going to cut down even further next month, and go for a £12.95 haircut, instead of the usual £27-lets face it, I can wash my hair at home, and all that styling product they put on at the hairdressers just makes my skin itch.

I still feel that £12.95 is a little overpriced for a dry haircut (with possibly scary results), however these are the risks I am wiling to take in order to cut back, and fight back. Reducing my outgoings, whilst increasing my debt payments has to be a good move. New work trousers bought from ebay for £5.70 including delivery which can't be bad, brand new with tags, and so the flair is a little more extreme than I would have liked, it's work trousers, not a fashion show. I've decided I'll no longer be forking out to look good at someplace that essentially only serves to provide me with money to live off.

These should last me another 3 years, along with my boots, so I'm going to try not to buy any new clothes for the next three years. I know, this is a bold gesture, but needs must. I figure that if I start living to the same means as I did when I was at college, then I can't go far wrong. I've started to wear traccy bottoms around the house when I have no visitors, to save my jeans.

Ugg boots I fear will only just make it through this winter, and with some repairs. As well as a smiley face at the front, almost bold inside and sprouting more holes than a watering can, their time is limited. They are so comfortable though, I'll sew those holes up. They just need to get me through to around next April time.