The Final Furlong......well almost!!!

May2013

I'm having a little smile to myself now....no idea how the h3ll I'm going to wring another £400 out of my budget...it's maxed out as it is...this is really going to test my resolve.

Plan to start by putting the money I'm saving on alcohol towards it...that's about £215, beyond that I don't have a clue...but love a challenge...game on

millionaire_in_training

Just have it in your mind all the time. I pay off daft amounts sometimes like £2 if I have money left in my account at end of week. Means nothing in my account but soon adds up when paying it off of a debt. This is where internet banking is a must and really helps with debt busting.

May2013

Hi Diary...time for a quick update!

The regular payment on the M&S card (excl the snowball from the Egg card which starts next month) has gone through and I'm starting to see that I'm finally making in roads on this biggy!

Had an unexpected expense this week which has really set me back in my plans to get the 100 day challenge off to a good start. It's becoming increasingly obvious that although I have a really comprehensive budget it's absolutely stretched to the the limit so squeezing it any tighter to bring my DFD forward is going to be nearly impossible.....but hey ho Feb 2013 is still a massive improvement on where I was a few years ago

No big plans for the weekend so other that the weekly shop I'm not expecting any big hits to the budget....hmmm, lets see what happens

May2013

Ok - this weekend has been kind to me so far.

Other than the grocery shop yesterday, I've had no other expenses. Haven't been shopping for two weeks and the cupboards were really running low so I was pleased with a bill of £130 for four us, it also includes a whole load of 'multi buys' which will help further down the line.

I've added up the cost of the unexpected hit to my budget last week...a massive £64 :mad:, so bl88dy annoyed about that grrrrr!!

DS2 & 3 have decided to get SKY installed and asked if I wanted to be included in the multi room package with us all splitting the cost...so tempted (I've always wanted SKY) but I've stuck to my guns not to take on any new commitments until this debt is gone, I'll just have to make do with watching it through the cracks in their doors....what levels has my life stooped to?

millionaire_in_training

:mad:for your unexpected expense. So annoying when that happens. Well done on the £130 supermarket spend. My food shop is already at £155.90 this month so far and I reckon I am really frugal as a shopper. I have no idea how people manage to eat for family of 4 on £100 per month etc but I keep up with the grocery challenge etc so I can get hints and tips to bring mine down a bit.

May2013

Hi MIT - you're a whizz with these challenges LOL :rotfl:
I've not looked at the grocery challenge yet...maybe that's the next one for me to tackle. I've joined the weekly spend challenge today and the 100 day challenge starts tomorrow....so many threads to keep an eye on

millionaire_in_training

keeps you focused:D. I am sh*t at the grocery challenge but keep trying.

May2013

Good news!!! My annual bonus has been approved and my pay packet is going to have a nice little bit of extra in it this month….happy me!!! :j

But now to decide what to do with it…..logic tells me that I should throw it at the debt…very sensible and very MSE!!
However there’s an inner voice in my head telling me to put it away to cover a chunk of the Christmas expense. I already put a set amount of money away each month towards the Christmas kitty but every year as December gets closer panic sets in as I scrimp and save to make sure that I have enough to cover the costs. There's a big part of me that would like (for the first time in years) to not have that worry......OK that’s it, decision made….it’s going into the Christmas kitty and I’m going to have just a tiny bit less pressure in the run into Christmas…..♪♫Ding Dong Merrily On High♫♪ :xmassmile

millionaire_in_training

I agree with that decision. I am going to do similar. I have a 100 day challenge to pay £500 off my CC over and above normal payments. I also have my normal payments to make but I am going to try and save anything else I can towards Christmas. My belt is going to be tightened so much my waist will be about 4 inches wide

May2013

Just a quick update. The regular payment towards my bank loan came out today so that's another £203 off that little critter.....just two more payments and that one's a goner!

Had my DGD1 stay with us for the weekend and my whole brood here for a BBQ yesterday, had a really lovely time with them all but feel absolutely shattered today....counting the days to the weekend already

Is it just me or has August dragged by? I've done quite well vs my budget so far but with a week still to go (to include a bank holiday weekend) there's still time for it to go horribly wrong....need to get my spending diary back out to keep me on track this week.