When life sends you Lemons, just bake a cake

Lemon_Tree

Hi, some of you will already know me, some new folk may get to know me and other's won't really care

I started my journey back in March 2006 and this is my first diary. When i started out my debts were at £48k :eek: now they are at £10.5k but as i'm about to head on a little detour i thought i would try this diary thing on for size and use it to get me working harder again. I feel that i've rested on my laurels of late and that needs to change.

I hope some friends will come and keep my company whilst i'm finishing off this journey.

PS the cake in question is Lemon Drizzle cake which is the newest cake in my repertoire, and it's yummy!

clippy_girl

hello :hello:

wow you have done very well to clear that much! hope i can be as sucessful! good luck with the rest! x

Lemon_Tree

hi clippy girl, i think we can all be this sucessful, it's just takes time and patience, not things i'm good with. I've made some really good friends on these threads who have helped me and who i hope i've helped. I just thought i'd start my own diary to give them some space and because i've had to rethink some things this weekend and thought my own diary would help me.

Lemon_Tree

my OH arrived home tonight at 9, after finishing work and gave me some beautiful flowers and some yummy chocolate. He's such a lovely fella and know's me so well.

Herewego

Congratualtions on the new diary perfect timing for the New year, looking forward to hearing your plans on the final part of the journey.

Lemon_Tree

i'm thinking of things as we speak , not sure my poor little brain is upto it.

Herewego

I have found its the small things that add up, are you aiming for a particular date ?

Lemon_Tree

here's for the financial stuff :
Current debts:
Norty Norbert the NR loan: £3323
Bank of M&D: £7000
CC (gets cleared each month) £700 (has chrissy pressies etc on it at the moment)

OH and i have just decided that we are going to replace our windows and patio doors to try and get this place warmer, and they need doing desperately, this means £2500 that i've saved against Norbert will be heading in this direction, therefore Norbert will be going back up. It's not been an easy decision but it's better than taking further credit out when it's just going to mean i don't pay back Norbert for a further year, which will still be earlier than the contract.

Recently i had a DF date of Sept 2011, which i was planning on moving back 12 months so that we could start overpaying the mortgage, as the bank of M&D didn't want all their money back so quickly. Due to our decision to get new glazing we will hold off on overpaying the mortgage and will aim for Dec 2012 as an absolute latest debt free date. I will NOT let it hang round my neck for longer than that.

i'm hoping that starting this thread will help me achieve this date if not before.

Herewego

We have just had a new front door fitted and it makes such a difference just in time for the snow.
Good luck im sure you will beat that date, im just getting my list of things ready so I can attempt to clear my debt in another year of debt busting.

Lemon_Tree

i shall have a look and see what ideas i can borrow

last year i 'saved' the bits on receipts which said 'you have saved....', in that year i put aside over £300 which is money i would have spend otherwise. I think i'll try that again.
I've also just applied for a new current account and if accepted will put aside the money they pay you to change to them.
I've also signed up for the CC that pays you £5 if you spend £300 each month. As my petrol is about £200 each month, i just have to put some usual groceries on it and will get the fiver. I always pay it off in full each month so i know this won't be an issue which grows. It's only high at the moment as i've put some christmas stuff on it, and i've already got that money saved up so will transfer it across when the bill comes in.

EssexHebridean

Ooh - how exciting - a new diary to play in!

Glad you've finally taken the plunge with a diary LT (about time too!) and a diary with cake too, which is of course even better!

We've had this conversation elsewhere already but you are doing absolutely the right thing with the windows - they needs doing both for the health of you, the health of your OH, and the health of the home you live in. All the time it's feeling cold to you, the fabric of the building is also cold, which means damp. You in turn are ploughing money into trying to heat the place, but the heat is leaching straight out through the current windows, so once the windows are done it will enable you to save money on the heating, and that saved money can then be paid back against the debt.

Anyway - you've inspired me, OH and I have decided we are definately going to get that other storage heater replaced.