A Budgeteers Quest to be Debt Free & Mortgage Free By 40

DedicatedDFW

I'm trying to have a quiet minute before my Mr gets home but i can't switch off - probably as i know i've so much to do I've had breakfast now which is good - especially as it was over 10 hours after i'd got up - oops!

All the shopping has been put away - except for some things i got reduced and need to freeze - most of its in there but the rest can wait for freezer battles later I've checked out my happy new flask and its just so me! :T Hoping to make enough for tea to have leftovers in it tomorrow And next friday i'll get on with some batch cooking - friday or saturday actually as i'll need to go to the supermarket if i've not got all the ingredients :cool:

Pots have been moved. Pots have been washed. Banking has been checked and a PAD has been made.

Replied to someone on the bay of e.

*toes are still sore*

I've put some hugely reduced priced meat in the oven so that it'll be a change for sandwiches during the week. And now i'll look over the small selection of goodies i picked up at the carbooty earlier. I didn't get much this week - alot of things seemed very expensive on there that i liked so i left those but managed to get a couple of crafting things so was pleased with that

DedicatedDFW

JUNE TARGETS

Pay off £1550 £1785.29 / £1550 Done!

Sort cardigans Done! Keeping 7 of 9 and 2 to be listed for sale

Sort jumpers Done! Keeping 13 of 15 so 2 to be listed for sale

Sort leggins Done! Keeping 10 pairs and 1 pair to be listed

Sort shorts Done! Keeping 4 pairs and 2 pairs to be listed

Sort skirts Done!

Sort outfits Done!

Sort long tops Done!

Sort long sleeve tops Done!

Sort t-shirts Done!

Sort vests Done!

Sort going out tops Done!

Sort jackets Done!




Sort dresses going out Done!

Sort dresses work Done!

Sort day dresses Done!

Sort coats Done!

Sort trousers Done!

Sort jeans Done!

Sort long skirts Done!

Sort boots Done!

Sort shoes Done!

Sort casual shoes Done!

Sort make-up Done! couple of items chucked and will only need to replace foundation when it runs out. Need to top up on cleansers etc with vouchers

List 150 new items 70/150


2 dresses to try on - and list if they do not fit Done! 1 to keep 1 to the selling pile

sunglasses to tidy away (in accessories storage) Done!

bags to sort out Done!

Hats Done!

Scarves Done!

Gloves Done!

Belts Done!

Jewellery

Hair Accessories Done! Very easy to do as i had a very thorough purge on these last time so all are in order and being kept

3 other things to sort 1 still to do - a dress - i found a few more things so its been alot more than 3

Copy all photo's and writing to external drive

Sort drawer of gardening stuff Done!

Actually do the underwear drawers - no reason why not

DedicatedDFW

So i am very tired and i still have lots to do to prepare for the working week - 1 day off is just not enough! *stamps foot*

As i bought very little from the carbooty today its all been moved away quite quickly which is good

Although once the house is a bit more in order then i'll need to have a tidy up of all my crafting goodies - i don't have loads and am keeping it all but it just needs to be better organised so its easier to get to and similar things are grouped together such as threads etc.

I am tired but my head is buzzing with lots of things i'm thinking about at the mo. - hoping i can switch off later and get some sleep x

DedicatedDFW

Meant to say earlier - the food shopping this week was very expensive :eek: i even checked my receipt to make sure the offers had gone through (they had) AND i checked my list against it too. There wasn't much on the receipt that wasn't on the list and all those things were brilliant offers at less than half price so moneysaving for the next couple of weeks when these items aren't on offer and are needed *shh in fact i was thinking of nipping back to stock up on a couple of the things as the offers are so good*

Nowhere near ready for the working week so best get a wriggle on and get some things organised.

Hope everyone else has had a good weekend

InaPickle

*Lies down in a quiet corner of the thread*

Blimey, Dedicated, you certainly live up to your name...I am literally exhausted reading everything you have been up to! I can't believe you have managed to pay off over £1550 off your debt in a month....if I could pay off that much, I would have barely anything left. Your mad. In a good way - a very good way - and I think you are marvelous, but I've still no idea how you have done so much in a month.

*Goes back to having a lie down*

InaPickle

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

Sometimes when i think of all the money i've paid back i think 'urgh! what i could have used that for ' I'm only now beginning to really accept that i did basically live off credit cards and overdrafts in order to allow me to pay my mortgage each month after being made redundant and having very minimal income. And now i wouldn't actually get a mortgage given that my income is so much less than the job i was made redundant from several years ago. So i should feel lucky - most of the time though i just dream about wanting to move somewhere bigger Don't get me wrong, i'm not after a huge house - though of course that would be nice - but this was the house i could afford and i had initally planned to move in, do the house up in year 1, live here years 2-5 meanwhile overpaying the mortgage significantly and also having annual pay rises and then look to move. How times change eh? After several years most of the work still needs doing The owners had hidden alot of work that needed to be done too :mad: considering we know them i am doubly :mad::mad:

The title of my diary suggests a plan - to be debt free and mortgage free by the time i'm 40 - to be honest i thought i'd been held back on my original plan for so long that i had alot to catch up on! So i set out on this thread with a plan but nothing hugely concrete just a vague idea of what i wanted. I am almost a year behind schedule on my plan to be debt free, which means i'm almost a year behind schedule on my plans to be mortgage free on this house too. I say on this house as i have no pension - had one when i was alot younger paid alot into it(alot given ehat my wages were in the days before minimum wage - think it was about £2 odd an hour - i made £400 a month working full time in a very responsible job :eek:), couldn't transfer it when i left the company and then it all just got eaten up be fees and whatnot. It totally put me off, especially as i've not seen any of my jobs as 'career choices' as such and it was only the job i was made redundant from that i was likely to stay in.

So i need a plan.

I am thinking about taking control of my life again rather than the *need* for things dictating to me - as in i *needed* to pay the mortgage and without a regular income *needed* to use cards. Got to the stage where i accepted the debt was escalating hugely so i *needed* a regular income so *needed* a job that would fullfil that and, heck, as quickly as possible.

So now i want to work on some wants.

What do i want - yep to be debt free, to be mortgage free - if i am mortgage free will living here be enough - NO - so i want to move somewhere bigger - how much bigger ? what will i not compromise on ? How many bedrooms, is there a garden etc.

I also want to work on what is my passion, what i had vague hopes of doing as a career when i was a child and lost my way quite alot with due to alot of things - lack of confidence - terrible choices in men (didn't help with the confidence), some difficult family situations, some difficult life events - i guess alot of stuff alot of us cope with but somewhere along the way i stopped picking myself up and focusing on what was important to me - again now i have some catching up to do! (the huge clearout currently is to help bring in funds and to make clearing up alot easier so i get more time).

I also want to work on my creative skills and interests - again this used to be a passion of mine and my day is always that bit nicer if there's been some knitting, crochet or embroidery thrown in

So any suggestions welcome If i am writing a 1 year, 5 year and 10 year plan what do i need to include on this or is there any layout that works well? Do i just pop down debt free and then write stream of consciousness style about this or do i set a goal for it ? And how does this work on things like keeping up / doing more craft stuff ?

I am getting more to the stage where i am thinking 'this is me living my life and i want to start living it!' not just bumble along from one thing to another.

*Raises head from lying down*

Blimey, that's a lot of thinking. Have you ever considered joining the Matrix? They deal with a lot of stuff like that.

*Puts head back down for another little rest*

DedicatedDFW

InaPickle wrote: »

*Lies down in a quiet corner of the thread*

Blimey, Dedicated, you certainly live up to your name...I am literally exhausted reading everything you have been up to! I can't believe you have managed to pay off over £1550 off your debt in a month....if I could pay off that much, I would have barely anything left. Your mad. In a good way - a very good way - and I think you are marvelous, but I've still no idea how you have done so much in a month.

*Goes back to having a lie down*

Pickle!!! :j:j:j Lovely to see you again hon I don't do alot to be honest - i just make it sound like alot by talking so much Plus i have lots of times when i am too exhausted to do anything so when i have the energy i have to catch up on lots of things

Yep the amount i've paid this month has been huge - more than i earn. And yep if i could pay that every month i'd soon have my debts sorted out So how have i done it? - I've paid the profits from bay of e sales straight off debt. I've done my usual monthly payment from my wages (the amount left after all essentials are paid) i also used some of my savings that i got - no savings left now so something i'll need to address once the debts gone. If i;ve not spent some money i was going to - such as today i resisted a £1 splurge on lunch so i've added that £1 onto todays little pad.

Part of the reason i'm pushing at this so hard now is because now i'm over 80% paid it feels like i'm *nearly* there - one of those so near yet so far things And yes - i have £0 budget for spending money / fun stuff etc.

How are you anyway - i remember you always used to do loads - more than me i think too!! Are you doing any courses at the mo.? x

Pippilongstocking

Joins pickle to lie down in a quiet corner with t towel over brow.

Blinking heck missus, well done!

Lots of further planning needing thought out eh? You'll get there!

Really chuffed by your motivation, really inspiring!

Xx

jwil

You've done loads, well done

You are getting so close now, that's fantastic :T

DedicatedDFW

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Joins pickle to lie down in a quiet corner with t towel over brow.

Blinking heck missus, well done!

Lots of further planning needing thought out eh? You'll get there!

Really chuffed by your motivation, really inspiring!

Xx

Pippi lovely to see you I don't know about motivation though i just think i was never a planning type - with my whole life really - i have friends who wanted to have their first serious boyfriend by x age, married by x age, 1st child by x age, 2nd child by x age etc. - for some they have stuck very rigidly to that plan and then others have been really upset that they had planned to be married by x age and aren't dating and are so upset that their whole life plan is off kilter.

Anyways it was only for this year that i sat down and planned how i would clear the remaining debt in 1 year. And probably unsurprisingly, this focus and goal and writing out the specifics has really helped me And then i started pondering how i'm not really living life as i want to, if that makes sense? So i'm actually thinking to the future where i want to be and what are the stepping stones to getting there.

I must admit i do enjoy sitting down with my trusty notepad and colourful pens plotting and planning away But yes, lots of decisions that need making some easy - get rid of alot! of clothes others not too easy - as you say though - we will all get there xx