5 year plan for debt and mortgage freedom

debtfreewannabe321

Hi DB, I was wondering where you had gone! I hope you're ok and still out there lurking somewhere in cyber land...

I know how you feel on the 2 kids thing. Up to 3 years ago it was just me & DS1...and I struggled plenty then tbh! DD was accident/planned....we were planning on having no.2 after I had done my degree, but she decided to come along a year into it lol. It was pretty easy with 2 to be honest because I had such a huge age gap (9 yrs) and DS1 could help out. However, 3 months after having her, i had another accident (definite accident here) and 12 months and 2 weeks after DD arrived, DS2 came along!!

WOW the last 2 years have been a blur, and that is putting it mildly. My kids (all of them) are THE worst sleepers ever. . DS2 still wakes in the night, DD still does occasionally so I haven't actually had a decent night sleep since 2008!! BUT (sorry this wasn't meant to put you off) believe me if i can do it you can!

I always thought I would be the worst mother, again like you thought of myself as not very maternal...turns out you end up having to be lol.:rotfl:..AND two kid are better than one, fact! They play together, they fight together and they leave you to get on with stuff...DS1 followed me like a little lap dog until he started school and drove me mad haha :rotfl:

SO don't worry hun you can do it! I hope you haven't got any sickness yet also, as being pregnant and feeling sick and looking after a toddler is not fun

DFW xx

Deeperblue

June 13

Well, well over a month on from my last post I figured I should show my face again

With the inevitable pregnancy symptoms over the past few months I've been focusing mainly on trying to get through the day with the extreme tiredness rather than money saving unfortunately, which means I've slipped back into a few old habits

I don't batch cook any more. I haven't meal planned in ages. I don't make a shopping list. I go shopping when I'm hungry (though I don't think I could avoid this one since it's a 24 hours a day feeling at the mo). I buy pre-made meals (even stooped as low as a pot noodle a few weeks ago but was reminded how utterly disgusting they are once I'd actually made one :rotfl:).

My food budget isn't -completely- out of the window, but I'd guess it's in the region of £170 a week now. Plus, since I don't have the energy to make OH his pack lunches he's just buying stuff :mad: I look at his online account every now and again and the amount of money he's racking up at Gregs, Pizza Hut etc is ridiculous!

The thing is I feel bad about telling him to get his act together because he's working so very hard at the moment with the second job he's doing. He's working late into the evenings and usually a day each weekend. It's great when we see the extra £400-£600 coming in each month but really hard when it's just me and the kid at home on the weekend. And like I say, when he's working so hard I feel I can't say 'no, we don't have any budget for beer this month... no you can't buy a pasty when your out'.

And don't even talk to me about house work Jeeze... I half expect environmental health to come knocking on the door. Can you believe I have two years worth of christmas trees at the bottom of the garden patiently waiting to be taken to the tip? It's like 'Nightmare before christmas' back there.

The horrid state the house is in isn't helping my over whelming desire to move home. I've actually been on new-build websites today looking at their part ex. deals and contemplating how much of a mortgage we could afford. It's ridiculous and I don't know why I bother since I'm sure we're in negative equity in this place still and we don't have a deposit anyway! :rotfl: It's just a combination of nesting instinct and pregnancy brain I think.

Was looking on DFW's diary and saw her goals list that she's made I think it's a really good idea, so I'm giving it a go:

My 5 year goals:
1) Move house.
2) Have only things it our house that we LOVE or NEED.
3) Pay off £150,000 of debt (including mortgage).
4) Have a £6k emergency fund.
5) Have a job I am happy doing.

I wish so many of my goals didn't revolve around money as it does make things tricky! At least I'm getting there with number 3... slowly. Overpayments weren't so high this month since we booked our summer holiday :T Very exotic it is too..... CAMPING IN NORFOLK. Rock and roll. :cool:

Financial state as of........01-01-11...05-02-11...23-02-11...06-03-11...27-03-11...30-04-11.........31-05-11:
HSBC OD..................................1650.......... .705. 69......942.25........300.00.........0...............0....................0
Santandar OD............................2000...........1796. 96......1823.33......1925.33.......1900........... .400................0
Natwest Loan.............................7900...........76 61.88.. ...7661.88......7309.30.......7133.01........7133. 01..........6985.88
Santandar CC.............................4020...........3988 .00......3988.00......3948.00.......3908.00....... 3868.00...........3843.00
Virgin CC..................................4230.......... ..4210. 11.....4210.11......4210.11.......4185.11........4 143.26.........4101.80
Parents Loan.............................4000............4 000.00. ....4000.00......4000.00.......4000.00........4000 .00.........4000.00
HSBC CC..................................140........... ..0...............0..............0...............0 ................0...................0
Natwest OD...............................0................ 1432.50......1540.02......900.00........0................0....................0

Totals.............................£23,940.00.. .£23,7 95.14...£24,165.59...£22,592.74...£21,126.12...£19,544.27......£18,930.68

Onwards and upwards.
Hope your all well and hanging on in there better than I'm managing!

~D.B.~

debtfreewannabe321

yey! :T welcome back (even if temporarily)

I don't blame you for slipping on things, when i was pregnant all I could do for the WHOLE 9 months is eat, sleep & eat some more!

Your DH could be a bit of a better support though, give him a kick up the backside and tell him to take control of the shopping (and only give him cash he won't over spend then :rotfl:)

Do you have a wholesalers near you that you can go to to stock up on things that you might be craving?! I know I stocked up on walkers salt & vinegar squares -a whole 48 box full :rotfl:and wouldn't let anyone touch them haha. It was only £5 something for all of them though, so you might be able to save in places like that?

As for the pot noodle...i also gave into one the other week as DS1 bought me one for a present (aww...couldnt say no) and i have to say it was quite nice

I don't batch cook everything either (never did really) yet my shopping is averaging out at around £70 tops every week...how bout you try online shopping instead? That's what i'm doing , as i'm on a diet and everytime i go to a supermarket i get enticed by chocolate and fizzy pop ....if you go through ocado (thruogh quidco 1st) you get £20 off and £7.50 cash back an £80 shop! Bargain!

I hope you are feeling more 'blooming' soon and have some energy back, i really wouldn't wish that exhaustion on anyone!!!

DFW xx

Deeperblue

Hey DFW,

You can not possibly have had the Donna Kebab flavour that I did.... if you did... respect for finishing it :rotfl:

Dear god, I wouldn't dare send my OH shopping! Have you ever seen that cooking program where someone brings in a random bag of ingredients and the chefs have to make something out of it? I think it could be Ready Steady Cook.... 'Today you have: a turnip, a bag of raisins, 4 chilli's and a bottle of white wine vinegar' THAT's what it would be like!

Really good idea about online shopping though :T and strangely enough I had a voucher in my bounty pack from the midwife for £15 off a £75 shop and if I get money from Quidco too that'd be awesome :money: On the voucher it also says they price match with Tescos, which is pretty good.

X

P.S. On a random note, the other day when I was in hospital getting my scan I decided I'd treat myself to a chocolate bar from the cafe. I couldn't believe that just a normal, average size bar of mars/twix/twirl what-ever was 75p! Bloody hell! I could have made a meal for 2 with 75p a few months ago :rotfl:

mummychicken

Hi DB, do not worry about having a lapse in the money saving, there cannot be a single person who is good all of the time, you will get back on the wagon. It is also normal to worry about how you will cope having 2 DC, i had 3 children under the age of 4 (not how i expected my life to turn out!!) loads of it is a complete blur but i kind of got through albeit with the help of my best mate..Chardonay :rotfl: