Debt free the Fly lady way - anyone?

millionaire_in_training

I am on day 8 but I always open mail so will jump forward a day. I have half heartedly done a list the last few weeks but will start tomorrow to keep one seriously and keep it updated. Have had a rubbish weekend spending wise and am really ticked off at myself. Spent a fortune on fast food and junk for the kids as we were away for the weekend. Never mind it was fun and I will be more prepared next time. XX

Tondella

I've had a mixed weekend, OH went to sainsburys for me (shopping on list) but the total came to £35, which is all i allow myself for the entire week, and I expect to run short on bread and milk mid-week, plus i need to buy a bottle of wine as a thank-you to a friend who helped me with my job hunting. However I had a no spend day yesterday, and only need to buy a bread roll to go with my home-made soup today.

I've also been playing around with the snowball calculator this morning (not strictly fly lady activity for this week, but i couldn't help it) and my debts have just blipped under the £20k mark this month. I'm over the moon! And even though i will be taking a considerable pay-cut at the end of the year when i start a new career, it will only delay our debt free date by three months.

This has really given me the energy to get to grips with what i am spending my money on, and being more rigorous about packing lunches and writing shopping lists so that i can maximise the money i do have.

sashanut

Hi Tondella

Well done with the debt, what a great incentive to get on with with trying to drive down the debt even further, you must be thrilled! I have not done well over the past few days but have come to a realisation of the way I spend. I was going to fess up last Monday but typed all the post up - then pressed the wrong button & lost the lot! Didn't have time to re-do the whole thing & lost the moment. Maybe I will do it later today & see if putting it down can make me stop & get to grips with it!

Tondella

ok guys,
I've reached day 11 - pack your lunch day. I've brought in leftover split pea soup from Sat dinner, and some carrot sticks, two slices of fruit loaf, an apple and a banana to snack on. I bought a bread roll from the canteen to go with my soup - 50p. I also had to buy 2l of milk this morning as i am milk monitor for work this week - £1.10.

For the rest of the week I think it will be tuna mayo sandwiches on brown bread with either carrot sticks or sugar snaps to munch on, more lovely fruit loaf and a selection of bananas,apples or pears.

I've been quite strict on shopping lists recently because OH has started going to sainsburys for me on his afternoon off (bliss) and can only shop under strict instructions! This week I have started my list off with toothpaste, which is starting to get low. I've kept my receipt from last week too, so that I have a record of the basics i buy each week.

I've also managed to write down all my spends for one whole week, so although i am late by four days I thought I'd list my weekly spends here

bus fares £2.00
main food shop £35.86
snacks and top-up shop for food: £14.20
entertainment - £12 (my share of dinner out with friends)
misc - £3.95 on a rosemary plant for my window box
- £12 10km race entry fee (paid in advance)

total spends £80.01

eek, that is way more than i had thought it would be, I guess that shows me the value of writing everything down as you spend it. Let's hope that I can at least get the top-up food/snacks spends down this week.

bobble_hat

Day 10 - pause for thought

Hi Everyone,

Day 10 for me, I've just had a bit of a trawl through the OS Board and found a thread which is right up my street 'Green and ethical saving'.

Plus got very excited about the uses of Vinegar section.

Will defo explore more often.

Thanks Tondella :T

Tondella

Day 12 today for me, as i said in my post i already have my financial journal. I keep it separately to my spending diary and use it to keep track of where my debts are (spread across seven credit cards at one time), any emergency funds that we have spent that month, any bonsuses or extra money raised to go onto the debts, and also keep a note of any strategies i need to remember for the cards (ie plans for when a card runs out of its introductory offer - i did a lot of shuffling at the beginning), and to write my budget in. Anyways, all everyone need do when they reach day 12 is find a suitable book, we'll get to filling it in later on.

As predicted today's packed lunch is tuna sandwiches, with sugar snap peas and fruit loaf to snack on, and a pear and a banana for fruit.

As for spends, well today will be a big one
I've run out of milk and bread at home
I need to buy more milk for the office as milk monitor
I'm making sushi with my guides tomorrow and need to buy the nori, rice and wasabi, although i should get reimbursed from subs for these items
I need to buy a new baby card for my friend's brand new baby son

On a plus, all the oyster card points were broken on my bus this morning so i got a free ride into work -saving £1!

Now where is everyone else?!!!

newlywed

Should be on day 8 but I always open bills - since finding MSE anyway

So day 9. Shouldn't be too hard, as I meal plan and make shopping lists, but there always seems to be something that gets missed off the list or that OH only tells me after I've been to the supermarket!

So this morning he tells me he needs a highlighter pen and some furniture polish and I know we're almost out of kitchen foil. Right, off to find my notepad.

Maisie_M

Hi

Feel like I am in '24' as having day 7 for the 4th day in a row and still not done a spending journal although I am keeping the rest up to date. Will definately do this tomorrow:D

As its just my real day 7 today I dont feel to bad in being late with this one and Day 8 is okay as I always open bills so no probs on that one. However to recap my week:

Day 1 - spending diary - done and keep doing this
Day 2 - Confess - yep doing that - missed yesterday but NSD so thats ok
Day 3 - Found a spending diary - just not filled it in :rotfl:
Day 4 - Bad juju - done and a note kept and referred to if needed
Day 5 - Tune in and Tune out - no probs as mobile only used in emergencies
Day 6 - Cio Cards - yep all oiut of purse and one in bag for emergencies tied in a plastic baga nd wrapped with a roll of scellotape
Day 7 - still to do (naughty)

Thanks for this Tondella and look forward to the next week

bobble_hat

Day 11 – Pack up your troubles

I did take a packed lunch to work today. I had a wholemeal roll with pesto, cheese, tomato and cucumber; 2 clementines; an apple; a pack of french fries; and a 2-finger kit-kat looky likey bar. I didn't actually eat any of the fruit because I succumbed to a sausage sandwich

So I'll eat the fruit tomorrow and take another roll etc. in with me.

Tondella

yum sausage sandwich!