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

DedicatedDFW

Hey all thanks for the positive thoughts

jwil - i am terrible! for lunches - half the time i've even got something with me that i could eat - i think mine is really though a means of leaving the office so i can feel i can breathe for a bit and then thinking how something delicious (rather than my super cheap slice of cheese /meat on plain bread) would perk me up a bit - it really is comfort eating in a way!

On the work note i am very much not looking forward to it today in fact i am counting down the days not only until this weekend but also until christmas when we close just for the bank holidays but at least its an extra 2 days off

I got up late this morning after hardly getting any sleep last night - i think i was fretting about today a bit i was too late for my doctors appointment considering the frozen world that greeted me outside ! Brr! i have rebooked for a later time later in the week

Got through 2 surveys today and screened out of another one. Have made my packed lunch and really need to eat it - especially with the xmas gifts i've still got to buy !! i have absolutely no spare money whatsoever

need to think about raising my income some more too...

slowlyfading

Can you bring leftovers for your lunch? For example, today for lunch I had leftover mushroom risotto, which actually tasted even better today than yesterday! and it was lovely and comforting too.

Do you do swagbucks/topcashback/pureprofile? All these things can add up I've already got £10 in @mazon vouchers, and am well on my way to another £5 one on swagbucks

brizzledfw

Hi - I agree. yes OK I am working from home today (late lunch just in case you're wondering!!) which I know is way easier but I have just had yummy use ups of knackered spinach from bottom of fridge, large slice of chicken pie and mash potato/cauli/swede concoction which was all heated in the MW. Took me 3 minutes to sort, We have a MW at work (do you?) and I would have eaten it there if had been in the office.

Very comforting as blimey it has turned nippy here.

Anyway, back to work for me!!

Brizzle

DedicatedDFW

slowlyfading wrote: »

Can you bring leftovers for your lunch? For example, today for lunch I had leftover mushroom risotto, which actually tasted even better today than yesterday! and it was lovely and comforting too.

Do you do swagbucks/topcashback/pureprofile? All these things can add up I've already got £10 in @mazon vouchers, and am well on my way to another £5 one on swagbucks

Hi SF, your lunch sounds yummy - there are no facilities for warming food up at work so that option is out. i did on the advice of the lovely PinotGrigio buy a food flask (using vouchers). I have used this in the past but to be honest we don't really have leftovers - we aren't wasteful its just how things work out so to use the food flask i'd have to cook a specific meal first for it. Hoping to get more into batch cooking again next year to help with this

I don't do swaggers any more as it was taking up too much of my time, I have used TCB - do you mean for purchases? i do use cashback sites for any purchases. I've not used pureprofile either is that a survey site?

I'm really hoping to have enough vouchers next year for something significant

How are you SF? i need to get over to your diary and see what you have been up to - i do find your posts inspirational and i may find some more ideas for goals for next year too

DedicatedDFW

brizzledfw wrote: »

Hi - I agree. yes OK I am working from home today (late lunch just in case you're wondering!!) which I know is way easier but I have just had yummy use ups of knackered spinach from bottom of fridge, large slice of chicken pie and mash potato/cauli/swede concoction which was all heated in the MW. Took me 3 minutes to sort, We have a MW at work (do you?) and I would have eaten it there if had been in the office.

Very comforting as blimey it has turned nippy here.

Anyway, back to work for me!!

Brizzle

Hi brizzle i saw on your thread that mr brizzle is now due home in what will be a matter of days :T and then you will go in your fab holiday

I'll definitely be looking to use the food flask more next year and just squirrel a portion of batch cooking to one side for me

DedicatedDFW

Oof! So much to think about for next year! Such alot i want to achieve. Did the mortgage sums today (again!) which was awful Nowhere near own enough of our home / earn enough to get a decent rate Went a bit 'decisive dedicated' and applied for 2 lots of savings :eek: I *need* to overpay the mortgage drastically - ideally at a minimum amout of £20,000 next year :eek: and want to push for £10,000 savings as well as all the work that needs doing at home. Some plotting and planning needed here... already thought of a couple of things that will push the boundaries of my comfort zone - doing some MS's which i'll find tough but will be a drastic help if i'm lucky enough to be accepted. I considered the lower value MS's but i'm weighing up the time v income scales and there has to be something more rewarding i can be spending my time doing.

i checked for a new job again today - no vacancies for me to apply for

I also *really* *really* want a new hair accessory - its loverly :smileyhea buts its £8.50 _pale_ but i was strong and now have a healthy £8.50 in my 'proper piece of jewellery pot'

Ok, next up... any input greatly appreciated I am wondering if the other 'things' i resist buying should have their own savings pot for a special treat or just to even demonstrate the money i would have frittered away ? I'm going to use the pot(s) as my own sealed pot challenge for next year - i never have any spare change but i do fritter money and today this worked as a great demotivator for me (something i have really struggled with)!

So other things i 'resist' buying fall under the various areas of food (lunch, a snack, a drink), clothing (i'm returning an item tomorrow from the bargains the other week so thats £5 back) i resisted the lure of the lottery scratchcard whilst putting the lotto on I am sure there are other areas as well...

So what should i do ? Put it all in the one jewellery pot ? Or have the jewellery pot and a separate miscellaneous pot where all the rest goes in and then this time next year crack them open and see what is really frittered away ? Anything that works as a deterrant has to help

slowlyfading

DedicatedDFW wrote: »

I don't do swaggers any more as it was taking up too much of my time, I have used TCB - do you mean for purchases? i do use cashback sites for any purchases. I've not used pureprofile either is that a survey site?

I go through stages of using swaggers then getting fed up with how long it takes! Yup, any purchaes online, go through a cashback site. Pureprofile is another survey site, which you can get paid into paypal, just another one of the same really.

I'm really hoping to have enough vouchers next year for something significant

I'm currently saving mine for a Le Creuset (sp?!) teapot

How are you SF? i need to get over to your diary and see what you have been up to - i do find your posts inspirational and i may find some more ideas for goals for next year too

Up and down to be honest hoping that 2013 is a bit less stressful! And thanks I just ramble most of the time on my diary, so it's nice someone appreciates my posts

The_Dragon

I would have a separate savings pot so you can see how much "fritterage" you do/did! and then if you decide to put that in with the jewelry one OR put it to a holiday OR do a mortgage overpayment you can do

jwil

I agree with the fritterage savings pot - but presumably you'll keep *some* fritterage money so you don't go crazy with having nothing to spend at all.

DedicatedDFW

Reading and running - thanks for the replies guys i really appreciate it but i've got to dash now to get that refund sorted out i'll reply later xx