The debt free journey of an easily distracted Moog

LittleMoog

OK, I've done my financial and signature update. Moving has set us back about 2 months, but I'm not too upset about that, as we're already so much happier in our new house.

I've cleared the little balance on my barclaycard, and when that shows up tomorrow I'm going to make the balance transfer from DH's Cap one card.

I have about £185 in my account, and there's enough money left in the joint account for the remaining bills and food shopping for the month. We've got 2 weekends of visiting relatives this month, and another 2 family birthdays, so I'm keeping it in my account for the moment, but my aim is to have as much as possible left and try to save a bit from the grocery budget to make an extra payment to the snowball at the end of the month. There are still 3 weeks and 3 days to go until payday though

Edit: will definitely have to find the £2.59 to get under the £15k mark again though!

LittleMoog

Morning Diary

not much to report this morning, will do BT when DH gets to work and sends me his card details.

We have to make a decision about what to do at Christmas this year - normally we alternate between spending most of the day with my family or at his mum's, and pop in to see the other at some point. We also try to see his Dad and partner as well, so it is a bit hectic! We always spend Boxing Day at home with my family because it's my birthday so I get to choose!

Technically it's MIL's year to have us for the main part of the day, but on Monday night Grandma P rang up to tell us about a family party up in Yorkshire on Boxing Day, that she "expects" us to attend. It's very clearly a non-negotiable attendance, as when DH wouldn't commit to it on the phone, saying it was my birthday and we'd have to see what other plans we have, he got a 20 minute guilt trip about how we always do things with my family at Christmas, and she never sees us, and she might not be here next Christmas

The thing is, in order to keep my birthday separate from Christmas, my family has always had a policy of not going relative visiting, not eating leftovers etc, so I'm quite upset! It's not that I don't want to go to the party (Pickles family parties are always pretty good :cool:), but if we're at MIL for Christmas Day, I was expecting to spend Boxing Day at home with my family and if we're away on Boxing Day, I want to be at home on Christmas Day.

We can't say to MIL, we're not coming to you for christmas as we're going to a party with FIL and partner and your ex-family on Boxing day, she'll go spare! Things are tense enough on that front, so it looks like I just won't get to see my family at all

Anyone got any suggestions how to resolve this? I was really looking forward to Christmas, we were going to stay with my family for a few days, so I'd get to see plenty of them even though we were spending Christmas Day at MIL's house. Now I just feel like I won't get to do anything I want, will have to endure Chrismas with MIL (wasn't looking forward to that bit anyway:p) and will have to spend 3-4 hours in the car on my birthday. :mad: grrr! The worst bit of all is that Grandma P made DH feel sooo guilty, even though we're going to visit her next weekend! He was really upset afterwards.

jtr2803

Oh Jules that sounds like a nightmare! I am afraid I don't have any practical advice as we end up having a similar nightmare most years . My mum is so laid back and really doesnt mind what we do around Xmas but OH's mum says she doesn't mind but I think she would if OH didn't go and see her! Then we always have a to-do with what littleun wants to do, I let het choose now she is old enough so we have to factor that in too.

OH said he just wants to stay at home this Xmas, my family will probably come over in the morning but I've told him that if he is doing the whole we are at home for xmas stance then that means not going to his mums either, I expect that's bound to cause ructions :mad:. I do hate the guilt trips people come up with though, I hate emotional blackmail! Do you think there is any chance you can just put a united NO front on?

LittleMoog

After the repeated guilt tripping he got from Grandma on the phone when his reply was "I'll have to check with Jules" I think it's not optional.

Grandma seems to have the idea that we only do things with my family at Christmas, but we don't, we spread ourselves thinly and see all 3 families as much as we can. I think it's because FIL often goes up to see her between Christmas and new year, and we've never been, because he doesn't tell us he's going until the day before and we always have other plans!

Last christmas the whole extended family went skiing over new year, and we didn't go because it was too short notice for DH to get time off work (it was only planned in the last week of November) Grandma's response was to say, "it's so lovely that everyone's coming, its a shame *you* couldn't make it" as if we weren't going because we didn't want to see her! :rotfl:

I'm sure we can arrange to do something with my family after we get back from Yorkshire, but I really object the emotional blackmail! She all but told DH that he doesn't make enough effort to see her and she wasn't going to be here forever etc and then he felt really guilty!

It would be easier if MIL wasn't so touchy about FIL's partner, but the slightest thing sends her off the deep end (she's an alcoholic) and would ruin everyone else's Christmas, so I think I'm just going to give up Christmas at home this year, as the combination of us not being there on Christmas, and then everyone going up to Yorkshire on boxing day would cause ructions.

next year we get to do what I want to do! It will be my 30th too! :eek:

LittleMoog

Morning Diary

Back feeling a lot better the last 2 days, so much so that I'm going to try going for a gentle run tomorrow with my running buddy. If I don't get back into running before the winter really sets in I know I won't make myself go until the new year at least. I haven't been since August :eek: and I'm actually missing it.

The BT to my barclaycard has gone through, so now our only interest bearing debt is at 6.9% APR. :j It's hard to believe that a few months ago we had almost all of our debt on 20%+. Predicted interest for next month is now £22. When we started the snowball, interest was more like £350 a month, so our £650 snowball was only clearing £300 or so of the actual balances.

Another good thing - I'd been using my nearly empty BC as a bit of a crutch at the end of the month since July, but now there's a BT on there any spending that I do will be charged at full whack and not cleared until the BT has gone, so I'll have to get disciplined with my spending and budget again.

Kepp

Hi Jules,

Just found your diary and am now attempting to catch up!

LittleMoog

Hi Beccie, nice to see you

In the spirit of Woowoo, £6.58 sent to barclaycard to round total debt down to £14995.00!

Kepp

I love how we all think of Woo when we send small payments, the CC companies must wonder where all this started!

LittleMoog

I know! I told DH what I'd done, and he just said why have you done that, £6 isn't going to make much difference! I couldn't really explain that the 15002.58 figure in my signature was bugging me, so I had to round it down and get under 15k!:rotfl: He's not on here (as far as I know!) so he doesn't really get my obsession with the spreadsheets etc. Luckily he's fully committed to the debt busting, but he lets me sort out all the budgets and just transfers money where I tell him to!

Kepp

That's good he's fully on board.

Think you have to be on here to understand the obsession with spreadsheets!