the maccas Debt Free Diary - 20K to pay in 18 months

themaccas

Well I am going to try and get done loads of jobs around the house. OH has gone away til Wednesday helping out with DS1 DofE Gold expedition trip up north. SO I have the 2 little ones and a pile of washing and I MUST do some work on my dissertation that needs to be handed in in 9 weeks time. MoneySaving wise I need to list a few things on ebay. I badly want a new handbag when we go to NY in March. I bought a gorgeous one in Florida last year (preLBM) and I never use it it's too big really though cost nearly £200. SO I have decided to reluctantly sell it and raise some money to buy another (cheaper) one in NY, I can find a few other things to sell too and it all helps to raise our spending money total. Otherwise I did my Tesco shop yesterday and I still need toothpaste. Have decided to ration out the reminants in the tube over the weekend as I don't want to buy anything more until Monday. See I can be cheap!

chevalier

Just goes to show what you can do with a little motivation! I am well impressed by what you have paid of so far. Well done!

themaccas

Well I get paid tomorrow, thank goodness! We are completely skint in our current account, we have £3400 in savings (can not believe that!!) But is earmarked for upcoming things we need to pay for so don't want to touch that, and it's half term so not really been able to do much with the kids this week, I mean most things need some sort of payment, even if it is petrol to go out, money for parking etc. Anyway we have been adamant we do not want to use our o/d and so far we have not.

OH is starting his course and is going to London on Friday for a day's tuition to bring him up to speed as he missed the first 2 days. They are able to do the tuition in a day and he has been told the cost will be £500 - half what he was originally told!! His work will pay £175 towards it on completion so he won't get that back until May but that's ok and they will pay for all his travel costs and give him time off for his lessons that will take place twice a month. So all in all an excellent deal, we're over the moon!!!

Moneywise this month has been a hard slog not helped by our (rash) decision to book a holiday to New York in the spring, but it's done now, our ebaying is going well and our spending money total is going up nicely.From mid december, I will start doing a lot more shifts and overtime at work, I can't right now as I'm trying to complete my dissertation though I'm on here wasting time.............

beverleyhills

Congratulations on your magnificent progress.

Really good news about the course. Look upon the 1k and the payment for the land as 'good debt'. It is an investment for your future.

Good luck.

themaccas

Well its end of the month time and I've just updated my debt figure, I try to eek it out to the end of the month but once our last monthly payment is made on the 28th I start working it out. I am pleased to report that we have now paid of 48.6% of our total debt in 9 months and I am staggered we have managed to achieve that. Our debt is still hefty though and I am looking forward to see it go completely eventually, I do find myself getting impatient though and I find myself frequently looking at online shops and thinking 'it's only £20, I could always put it on my credit card and pay it back next month' then I have a reality check because NEXT MONTH never comes hence our debt today! I got paid a week ago and already feel I have spent way too much already and it is this frittering that always lets me/us down, OH is just as bad at times. This month we are doing the spending diary as things are going pearshaped (not used cc's) but xmas and sales are a big downfall - I'm as magpie really - all those sparkly lights and things and I've been invited to a works xmas dinner - £25 but that's a tank of petrol for my car! However the thought of all my friends out having a great time without me hurts like hell so if I go something's got to give.

So spending diary and daily declarations on Moozies daily spend thread is what I need to do for the rest of the month and that should get us back on track.

Verbatim

My goodness, 48.6% / nearly £18k in 9 months is amazing! Congratulations. Enjoy NY and don't think it's rash. It looks like you're pulling the stops out to find the "extra" spending money without slowing your progress at all. Fantastically well done.

themaccas

Thanks V we have no regrets really about NY and DH has heard he will be getting his backpay at the end of November - £1690 which will pay for our accomodation so this holiday has been pretty much painfree to pay for:j . At the moment I am trying to build up my tesco points for airport carparking, I have just noticed that if you shop with tesco online you get masses more points so I've changed to that. Last week I got 1070 :T as opposed to the measily 60 ish I normally get if I shop myself and only spent my normal budget (£65 for 5 of us).

Today for halloween I've controlled the spending and have only bought 1 pumpkin, some sweets and the children are wearing costumes they got last year:o . I've also ordered 2 of the kids xmas pressies - DD a princess dress and DS2 a superman costume. DS1 just wants some DVD's. That is all they are having from us plus a stocking with some little bits and pieces. We have also contacted aunts, uncles and cousins to say that we are not buying them anything this year. This was met with a mixed reception :rolleyes: but on the whole most of them were VERY relieved at a reduction in the cost of their present buying. I wish I had done this years ago. So we are just buying for grandparents and, DH and I are having £30 each to buy each other a present. Our total xmas budget will be £200 for ALL the presents we are buying :A .

Verbatim

Yes we do something similar. have only one dd, 17, and she has a reasonable amount, plus stocking as no other relatives to buy for her. OH and I will have a stocking each plus a CD or book. We have a couple for whom we buy pressies. But they met and married due to our good offices and always buy us presents so we reciprocate as one does....Anyway no other relatives except a greatniece to buy for.

climbgirl

Not sure if you've booked your accomodation for NYC yet, but I went there last Feb with a group of people and we rented an apartment which is literally around the corner from Times Square and Radio City Music Hall. The price was very good, they were brilliantly equipped and it might work quite nicely if you're travelling with kids. Here's the web address anyway!

http://www.radiocityapts.com/

Mum_on_a_mission_2

New York incentive - designer handbags can be found at very good prices - I'm a handbag fan too.

Very good lookalikes to be found in the Garment District, fakes on every steet corner, and try the outlet malls like Premium Outlets (Westchester) or the Millenium Mall. Have a surf - look around and that'll get you incentivised!!

Good luck - your story is truly inspirational.