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

PinotGrigio41

Mrs P , just dropping by to wish you and Mr P a Belated but Very HAppy New Year !

Sorry things are so tough at the moment, I re read my diary also and we were having a tough January last year and this year looks to be the same. We will all be fine though I am sure ,and muddle through as we have in the past and we can definitely do again.

You will soon hit your new in the 50K target target and I cant wait to celebrate with you !

poohbear59

Thank you. I realised, yesterday, that I need to think more positively. reading all of your threads has encouraged me to be more positive and has given me the boost I need to keep things moving.

I told Mr P that we were close to being under £60k and it did cheer him up.
We are all currently sitting with the lightbox on (for SAD). I bought it for Mr P about three years ago when he had his last major bout of depression. he wouldn't use it so I told him I needed it and he is sitting with me. I have to admit the laptop screen is blocking it from me but I am catching some rays round the edges. It is like having sunshine in the living room.:D

DS3 is supposed to be studying for his final exam this month. He didn't emerge from his bedroom yesterday so I put my mobile in his room with alarms set every 15 minutes. Got him up !!:D

I am waiting to hear from DS1 who I am hoping has some exciting news.....can't wait.

poohbear59

Barclays remortgage is down to £26703 so still under £27k with interest added on

Mr P has seen his counsellor who has suggested he starts to walk the dogs again. It is something he always loved to do but when I became less mobile he gave up and stayed home with me. I have suggested that he walks somewhere and I could drive to meet him and have a short walk at the other end. We live in the most amazing area and have fantastic walks on our doorstep.

I have managed 3NSds but we really need some tea (to drink) and some cat food so will have to spend today. This morning I managed to upgrade my mobile phone and have a slightly lower monthly payment, just £2 but every little helps.
I also cancelled my Slimming World membership which was being added monthly onto an old credit card at £20 a time. I had been paying off £50 a month and wondered why it wasn't going down. I found my log in info and spotted my error.

We haven't bought anything for DS1 yet for Christmas as he has been away. He wants work trousers as he doesn't like to wear the boiler suits provided at work. I am going to do a bit of research later. I am quite busy helping DS3 revise for his final exam in about ten days. It is an oral exam so he is worried.

My biggest problem is that I just can't get warm in the house and have loads of layers on. I think I might have to bite the bullet and buy a bag of coal.........more research methinks.

beanielou

Oh I dident realise that you could pay for SW on a card.

I hate being cold so hope you can get some coal.

poohbear59

beanielou wrote: »

Oh I dident realise that you could pay for SW on a card.

I hate being cold so hope you can get some coal.

I must have paid for it on a card then they continued collecting, maybe I said they could. It is an online membership not a group, may be why it is different.

We spent £7.03 on tea, carrots, potatoes, 6 large sausage rolls and twp cheese rolls. Sausage rolls were 28p each so in the freezer for the mens lunches. Cat food was cheaper at pet food store than the c0op. But minimum payment was £10 on a card. We were 30p short of the £10 for 12 tins and a huge bag of dried catfood. As a result the dogs got a small treat each. Finally spent £10.30 on the animals.

Then we checked out the two shops that sell coal and found it was £3.95 a bag. Again it was a £10 minimum spend so we bought 3. The house was a bit warmer last night. We will just have to wait and see how it affects my asthma. It is a multi fuel stove so I shouldn't get too much of the dust/smike in my lungs.

Yesterdays spend was £17.03 from grocery fund. I am not going to add coal to groceries.

We have had another two bookings for the cottage later this year so bookings are still trickling in. I think we now have 16 weeks booked.

beanielou

Dont know if you have an Iceland near you?
If so have a wee look at their Greggs range.
They have things like sausage rolls, sausage and bean melts & similar.
SR's are 4 for £1.50 & some of the other dearer,maybe 2 for £1.50.
My DS likes them & they cook quickly in the halogen.
Glad that you got some coal.
I think the coop are expensive, we have just got one here.

poohbear59

I managed to get the sausage rolls as whoopsies or I wouldn't have bought them. Interesting about Greggs sausage rolls in 1celand. I wonder if ours will sell them as Greggs is just three shops away? Our nearest Iceland is 25 miles or so.

We have to be extremely well organised with shopping or expect to pay over the odds. Five miles away we have the c00p and Sp4r. the other thing to take into consideration is whether it is worth the cost of the petrol to go to the bigger shops. 4sda and Mr S now deliver here. We tend to get together with another family to order. It saves on fuel costs but is still more expensive than A1di which we have 22 miles away in the opposite direction.

I managed another 2 NSDs by not going out anywhere and yesterday we had HM chicken curry with rice and chips!! DS3 and Mr P decided they wanted chips. Someone a few weeks ago left an unopened bag of MR A smart price chips. I think every time either of them opened the freezer they saw them and yesterday couldn't contain themselves any longer. They said it is over a month since they had chips, poor things.

Today I received a £60 bill for the plumbing work we had done. I know he usually charges a lot more than that so I was relieved the bill is so low.

I will add it to my list of debts to be paid I have to smile, keep optimistic.

Mr P is still recovering, a little bit each day. Just trying to make sure he doesn't go back down again. He has the TV on all day which is driving me potty and also using electricity watching it but it is obviously necessary for him to try to lose himself a bit. The TV is an old one and I have checked that it isn't using too much power.

Today I am continuing filing in my new (Freegled) filing cabinet and looking for anything I can claim back as I do it. I am thinking of insurance on old loans and insurance on credit cards. I wish they were all as easy as L1oydstsb.

DA has an appointment for the age related memory loss clinic in two weeks time and has asked me to go with her. I am pleased as I really want to know how we can help her.

PinotGrigio41

I am glad you bit the bullet and bought the coal Pooh, nothing worse than being cold.

Great news re the cottage bookings though, lets hope they keep coming in.

Thought it sounded a great idea for Mr Pooh to get out and walking, I know it really helped me last ear when I was struggling with the enormity of the debts, working from home and not having the time or money to get out of the house. When I finally got my head around it, dragged myself out for a nice walk by the river it really blew the cobwebs away and did wonders for my state of mind. I really hope he feels well enough to take himself out and that you can join him.

Take Care x x

poohbear59

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

I am glad you bit the bullet and bought the coal Pooh, nothing worse than being cold.

Great news re the cottage bookings though, lets hope they keep coming in.

Thought it sounded a great idea for Mr Pooh to get out and walking, I know it really helped me last ear when I was struggling with the enormity of the debts, working from home and not having the time or money to get out of the house. When I finally got my head around it, dragged myself out for a nice walk by the river it really blew the cobwebs away and did wonders for my state of mind. I really hope he feels well enough to take himself out and that you can join him.

Take Care x x

I still haven't managed to get Mr P out walking but he has gone out:j:j:j. It sounds bad me celebrating but I feel it is another move in the right direction.

Bad news is we have discovered DB1 has not left the house since New Year's Eve and is also suffering with depression. He should have been at work on 2nd and as we haven't been out didn't notice until today that his car was there. I sent him an email this morning and he says he is in a dark place.

Mr P got straight in the car and has gone to see him. DB has been very ill in the past so we just need to make sure he is okay.

This morning DS3 and I went to the station to collect DS1 who is newly engaged and is home from his GF's in USA.

We put £20 petrol in the car. Had to use the credit card which now has just £20 left available. That will be spent on £20 Diesel this afternoon.

And this afternoon DS3 and I are going to collect a bed base for DS3 from a fellow Freegler and some foam and fabric to make raised seat cushions for DA as she is so tiny she disappears into her seats.
It will cost us in diesel but save on costs of a bed fabric etc. DS3's bed collapsed and isn't repairable. he and DS1 were sitting on the end of it together playing on the X box :rotfl::rotfl:when it collapsed. Two 20 somethings should have known better. 20 odd stone is too much for a cheap 4rgos bed.

A plus from the broken bed is that we can saw it up and use in the fire

No NSD today but I did manage another one yesterday. That is now 6 this month.


ETA DS3 has said he will pay for diesel to collect the bed as it is for him.

beanielou

Hope your DB is as ok as he can be.