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

poohbear59

Sorry, no spare sewing machine. I have two but one is for really heavy stuff. I used it to patch up and repair the suits that my son's caving group wear underground.

Today I have sorted out the water bill and now have it back on monthly payment plan.
My direct debit was cancelled first by me, then by the bank, in error, and now my monthly payments are less than they were. I cancelled the direct debit in April as we didn't have enough in the account to pay it and it saved me a fine from the bank.

I have also made April's council tax payment today. We are now only two months behind and I hope to catch up by the end of May.

Still no more windfalls from PPI payments but I live in hope

Last week we did two 100 mile round trips to help 82 yr old aunt to pack up to move out for builders coming in next week. It has cost a lot in fuel and she has asked me to work out what she owes us. I hate to ask for money.
Mr Pooh did two days work there too. He couldn't work on any of his current jobs as the weather has been atrocious.

We are going again tomorrow and Friday. I am hoping the weather is bad so Mr P doesn't miss any work.

Today's plan.
[STRIKE]Wrap up and post sewing patterns[/STRIKE]
List more things on e bay
Find all latest credit card bills and work out what we now owe.
An hour working on accounts

ETA Aunt has given us a Majestic Triple Crown vacuum cleaner with all the accessories except the cone filters.

HappyNow

Hi Pooh

I'm sure your aunt would hate to think of you being out of pocket after all the help you're giving her. She may have had to pay for help if you hadn't been there. Don't feel bad about it.

poohbear59

For the moment I am concentrating on family but still keeping an eye on the pennnies. When I get a quiet day I will be back to update my signature. And I miss all your stories of money saving too

brizzledfw

Just checking in Poohbear...glad you're monitoring if not posting!! ;-)

Brizzle

lillybear

Well i am pretty new to this site and just wanted to say hello. I have been reading through as much of this site, on lots of topics as much as possible.

After been in a lot of debt for many years without my hubby knowing, i felt like my world fell apart when i had to tell my hubby the amount of debit i was in 30,000 i still don't know how i got into this mess, but i did. And still feel very very ashamed about it. After a lot of tears and upsetment my hubby got me a loan for £15,000 i pay him 500 a month back, i also pay the rest of the 15,000 in a loan that i had and a couple of credit cards, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and at night i can actually sleep instead of worring myself stupid, all thanks to my fab hubby, but i know this much, i have made a promise to myself for the future, in 2 years i will be debt free, and unless i can pay by cash, i will never use a credit card again. good luck to you all, i know how hard things can be, but you will get there in the end. x

hillside777

Hi poohbear. :wave:

I love the name. Thanks for posting on my diary.
You or your OH were about 20 miles from me the other week. I believe you were in Perth picking up a van.

I hope you're getting along fine and enjoying the lovely weather.

poohbear59

I have had an odd money saving weekend.

DS1 bought himself a car on Saturday so I decided to scrap the one I have provided for the youngsters since they passed their tests. From tomorrow I no longer have responsibility for a car for the. At 21-26 it seems fair to me.

I sent them to buy some bits at the local shops 5 miles away. On their way the bonnet flew open and smashed the windscreen, bonnet and damaged the roof of the car.

They were both okay. As it is a busy road for bikers the owners of a cafe nearby let me put the car in there and leave it overnight. Yesterday I phoned a couple of scrapyards and found one who would come immediately to pick it up. On a Sunday! I got £80 for the car. Not the £150 I was expecting to get tomorrow but the guy had a 70 mile round trip to pick it up. Never mind, I thought, it is better than nothing. And I was thinking of the savings in tax, insurance, MOTs, repairs etc.

When signing the documents I leant on the back of the truck. Got my £80 and was happy.

Then I noticed my Craghoppers solar dry trousers have a massive patch of dirty engine oil on them. Looked on ebay at prices to buy some. Almost £40. So I have bid on and won som cheaper version for .99P.
A pair of trousers at £40, half the price of my car !! I can't quite believe I paid such huge prices for clothes when I had spare cash. It really shows how much I have changes since I began this journey. I am quite horrifies at the 'old' me.

HappyNow

poohbear59 wrote: »

I can't quite believe I paid such huge prices for clothes when I had spare cash. It really shows how much I have changes since I began this journey. I am quite horrifies at the 'old' me.

Ha, me too . The amount I've wasted over the years is shocking and I genuinely don't even feel deprived of anything now I've cut out the waste.

Hope the 99p trousers fit. The Craghopper ones might be better quality than the 99p ones, but I bet they're not forty times better!! And they'll still be useable for 'dirty' jobs hopefully.

You will really feel the difference having one less car to run and maintain, they are so expensive.

poohbear59

I am back again at last. hopefully things are going to settle down now and I won't be spending my time with Mr Pooh doing 100 mile round trips to my aunt's.

Happy I have worn my 99p pants for all sorts of dirty jobs and you are right it doesn't matter one bit. They are quick dry like my old ones so do the job I want from them.

We need a new 'taking stock' session of where we are as a family. Mr Pooh has no work to go to this week and possibly none at all in the pipeline so we are really going to have to look carefully at our spending if we are to be able to pay off our debts by 2019.

He has gone to the pub, not really to spend and waste money but to look for work as contacts usually meet there on a Sunday.

I have a £2.99 pork joint for today's dinner with potatoes from a neighbour and sprouting brocolli from the garden. We also have some whoopsie onions to make onion gravy and the compulsory rhubarb for pudding with ice cream we bought for our youngests's 22nd birthday last week.

I am going to slice the pork with my electric slicer to make it last longer. It will do tomorrow cold with jackets potatoes and then I will freeze the rest for another weekend treat.

Tomorrow I am going to check the credit card statements and update my signature. I think they have gone up as we have had to by fuel on credit.

My aunt knew we were looking for an outdoor storage container so has (in place of cash) bought us a Keter storage box which is being delivered on Wednesday. It is to store the straw and wood shavings nearer to the hen house. Then we are going to stock up on heat blocks ready for Winter without oil

hillside777

It's good to hear from you. I've missed your posts.

I hope you have a great week.