Debt free in ten years-my new, more realistic challenge.

Verbatim

Hi Pooh. Waves. Also off to look for your new thread

Bubblesmum

Lovely to hear from you, subscribed to you thread, sometimes has to happen, brilliant you are tackling it.

poohbear59

Thank you folks. At least this is a kind , understanding forum group. Some others are pretty scary. I started a thread in credit cards but am going to start another in debt free diaries as here is so much more supportive.

Going to have a day for me today. I have spent too long trying to number crunch and make everything add up. When I get started on new, new diary I will post a li k.

Today I am helping my neighbour by taking g out her puppy. Just in the garden but out in nature, then going g to knit and natter with an elderly friend. I think I can call her elderly at 93.

poohbear59

Link to new thread.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/72223461#Comment_72223461

brizzledfw

- glad youre back

poohbear59

After being missing for a few years I decided to resurrect this thread. It amuses me as I wanted to be debt fee by age 61. I am not  debt free, as life has sent us a few curved balls over the last few years. But we are using debt sensibly ,and now have 0% interest credit cards. 
Life has changed for us. There are now just the two of us living here. DH is no longer working, the cottage is doing great, 85% occupied, our two cottage loans will be paid off by next spring. Just the house mortgage and credit cards to go. 
As life (financially)has become easier we have become less careful with money. As an original money saver, long before I ever found this site, I feel slightly ashamed to have become a little blasé about it: just a little, not  completely. Last night I resolved to take the bull by the horns and knuckle down to some good old fashioned money saving. 
Two years and five months ago, with my eco friendly head one on, I made the decision that I would not buy anything new for a year. This is for our own home and ourselves.  The only thing I would buy new would be underwear, food, cleaning products (eco friendly) and parts for items to repair or extend life. It has been fun. 

Once the first year was up it had become instilled in me to buy used items. During lockdown we had to go against my plan and bought a new dishwasher. The other was 20 years old and DH  had repaired it many times. 

Now I want to concentrate on living simply ,  finding out where our money is going, reduce our outgoings so that we can pay off our credit card. Today I resolve to join the grocery challenge and work through our bills to see if I can reduce any of them. Reducing our outgoings will help us pay off debt, have some much needed repair work done on our home too.
We want to be able to treat our son and daughter and grandchildren, here in UK, and go back and visit our sons in USA again.