Learning to live my dreams not trample on them

*Jellie*

We joined the NT too! I also need to break out of a few ruts- just need to figure out how!

savingholmes

Hi I wrote a really long post yesterday but lost it due to internet connection

Basiclly we are doing pretty badly financially at the moment - partly due to excess spending but partly due to car bills all falling at the same time - and still the knock on effect of earning a third last year of what I earned the year before! It is going to take longer than planned to get straight.

We are making more of an effort tho to really live rather than just survive - and we need to do a review of what that means in terms of budgeting and any debt free dates. Yesterday we went to a concert which was fab. Saturday we went to a castle using our new membership of NT and ate out.... so it is looking at the impact of some of that too....

A bit concerned about the budget but I expected worse so not overly worried....

tirlittan

Hi SavingH.

It's difficult to budget, have a life and debts.
I've started the 'living bit more and not just paying debts off', cos you never know what's round the corner and you don't want to let life pass you just because you concentrate so hard on paying debts off.

I'm hoping I can keep a tight rein on this month's spends so I'll get back to zero for next pay day and then can try to budget accordingly. It's hard, but we'll get there!

savingholmes

Thanks Tirl. Yeah we have both been debt busting for quite a while now and it gets tiring doesn't it!

I still haven't made up my mind whether to do another credit transfer or what. Need to get my head round that at the weekend. I am going to pay for my car on my interest free card for now so that will help a bit... I have interest free on it until about March next year on transfers and spends so that might be the way foward. That way I can pay off the card that is going to be interest bearing from July but without having to pay a transfer fee... That could work... hmmm

*Jellie*

That sounds like a good plan.
You've done so well with the debt busting. I'm sure you can find the balance.

savingholmes

Hi Jellie

Thanks for that....

Well have just booked a cottage in Wales for around £600 for 1 week in the summer. OH wanted a week abroad somewhere but we would be looking at nearly £2k for what he wanted so this seemed a good price in comparison....

I still need to do a new budget but really wanted a holiday of some sort to look forward to.

savingholmes

Well I have just found a letter about our mortgage. Our interest rate will drop from 5.95% to 1.45% in August. They are offering us the opportunity to fix for 2 years at 2.49% with no arrangement fee.... decisions.....

£189 per month at 1.5AER or £315 at 2.5AER on interest only versus our current £753 interest only! Majorly different! If it was repayment at 2.5% aer it would be £679 a month!

Decisions decisions.

clearmydebts

savingholmes wrote: »

Well I have just found a letter about our mortgage. Our interest rate will drop from 5.95% to 1.45% in August. They are offering us the opportunity to fix for 2 years at 2.49% with no arrangement fee.... decisions.....

£189 per month at 1.5AER or £315 at 2.5AER on interest only versus our current £753 interest only! Majorly different! If it was repayment at 2.5% aer it would be £679 a month!

Decisions decisions.

Wow - that is amazing. We are stuck at a crazy rate for another 3 years so I don't think we will ever see the benefit of the low interest rates!

savingholmes

clearmydebts wrote: »

Wow - that is amazing. We are stuck at a crazy rate for another 3 years so I don't think we will ever see the benefit of the low interest rates!

That's a shame! We were worried we would miss it too... I think we are going to go with the tracker deal and not fix. That way we can shove an extra £500 a month on average at our debts and hopefully get them resolved quicker.

I have done another budget and I think over the year our spend is fine - we just didn't plan very well when it comes to certain "hits" happening all at once....

So we bought OH clothes in one go not spread over the year
We've just paid £195 in road tax in one go
We've just paid £290 car maintenance - but I've put that on a 0% card
A couple of months ago we paid car and motorbike insurance at around £500 etc
Plus its been my birthday and is about to be OH's
We've just booked a holiday....

With the mortgage cut we'll be fine tho

savingholmes

Well we've had a fairly quiet weekend after all the activity of recent weeks. I walked with the kids into town yesterday and we had a McFlurry each:j as our special treat. I cheated and got OH to pick us up tho it was soooo hot. Took DD for an eye test and it looks like she is going to need glasses. We have to go back next week where they will dilate her pupils and retest her....

OH is gutted :(as he didn't start to wear glasses until he was 15. I was her age tho 6 or 7 when I started. I am going to get DS tested next week as well just to be sure - he is 12 but tells me he has excellent vision. Better safe than sorry tho...

I went to Asda to get some fruit loaf last night and came back having spent nearly £100! Hopefully it will last a decent time....

Today -we've been to church - where I did sunday school - always slightly nerve wracking as I do the teens class...

Meatballs and pasta for dinner which was nice and I have done a bit in the garden this afternoon including watering my apple trees and putting more water in the pond. I've had the odd fresh strawberry too which is nice....

Just done a boil wash on DD's bed linen in the hope it improves her exzema....


Hope you are all having a good weekend.