Learning to Live on Less!

White_Iris

Thank you for your comments viv0147 but getting rid of the dogs is not an option. They were both rescue dogs and when we took them on our finances were much the same as they are now - we knew how much they would cost us but we have made space for them in our budget and we made a commitment to care for them. Things would have to be really bad before I would even consider re-homing them, far, far worse than our current situation. They provide us with hours of free entertainment, free exercise and buckets of love, affection and companionship - this far outweighs the cost of their upkeep.

Iris

Swampmonster

Hello white iris.

You mentioned you were keeping your ebay stuff in your spare room. Could you perhaps rent it out?

It doesn't have to be long term.

What my brother and his wife do is when they are short of money they rent out the room to people from the theatre, language students and people who have just got a job in the area and need a base for house hunting.

He says this way he knows its only for a few months and the end is always in sight and he chooses how long the gap is till they have someone again.

This has got them out of a few tough times.

Good Luck!

White_Iris

Swampmonster wrote: »

You mentioned you were keeping your ebay stuff in your spare room. Could you perhaps rent it out?

Hi Swampmonster, thank you for the idea but our spare room is a tiny box room with space for a single bed and very little else. Someone would have to be really desperate to rent it! Also, with two babies in the house I'm not keen on the idea of letting strangers stay - if we were young, childless and carefree then lodgers would probably be something we'd consider but I'm a paranoid mum now (LOL). On the flip side I don't think a lodger would be happy to woken at 6am (or earlier :eek:) every morning as we are currently - how do you explain to a one year old that just because the sun is up doesn't mean we have to be!

Iris

White_Iris

Well we've had quite a nice few days but as usual they were more expensive than they should have been :-( I have spotted that it's free listing weekend on ebay this week so I need to get a move on and start photographing the pile of stuff I've got to sell and get that listed. I've also (hopefully) managed to get rid of a few more bits of clutter through freecycle, still plenty more to go though! Oh and we finally had some rain - not much but things are looking greener in the garden :-)

lilac_lady

Keep going - you're doing well.

skysky69

viv0147 wrote: »

Hi, I admire your efforts to get back onto the right track, but to speed things along although I am sure this wont be painless, I would say having the upkeep of 2 large dogs is something you could do without at the moment.
The money saved I think would be better channelled towards your family. Good Luck to you, and your family.

I know that people who don't have animals would maybe not understand but if someone who had 3 children was in debt, if someone suggested getting rid of one of the kids, or maybe all of them to ease financial pressures, this would be seen as wholly unacceptable.

My dogs are my family, I have had one of my dogs longer than my daughter. Nobody in this world loves me as much as my dog loves me and nobody listens to me and repays me with 110% of loyalty and love and affection than my dog.

I don't mean to sound like I am ranting but there are members of my family and friends who would be first for the chop over my dogs any day!

Anyway, I digress, I think you are doing really well. What dogs do you have. I did smile about the dog eating the sausages - it probably was not funny at the time, but when you look back on it. I had a foster dog at mine the other week who actually stole half a dozen eggs off the worktop and ate the whole contents shells and all - the only reason I knew he had eaten them was that he brought me the empty box when I came back as a present - he was very pleased with himself

avstar

Hi WhiteIris - didn't want to read and run, I just wanted to say you're doing great!
Breaking the cycle of credit cards and debt is a huge achievement :j
So even if it feels like your just treading water, remind yourself you're not racking up anymore debt, and you're also paying off old debt :T

I've always used the CB for buying food, paying bills etc, that's what its original purpose was, to help keep children out of true poverty.

Keep up the good work.

White_Iris

skysky69 wrote: »

What dogs do you have. I did smile about the dog eating the sausages - it probably was not funny at the time, but when you look back on it. I had a foster dog at mine the other week who actually stole half a dozen eggs off the worktop and ate the whole contents shells and all - the only reason I knew he had eaten them was that he brought me the empty box when I came back as a present - he was very pleased with himself

LOL - sounds like something mine would do, especially bringing the box to show you! I have a lurcher and a boxer/labrador cross. In fact a few years ago the lurcher did something similar - I had made some hot-cross buns and although I'd put them at the back of the counter to cool he's so tall he can still reach, so he helped himself to one but instead of eating it he brought it in to the living room and spat it out at our feet, also looking very pleased with himself! Then there was the time he managed to eat almost a whole chicken, fresh out of the oven and piping hot, in the space of a minute or two...the list goes on!

Wobblydeb

White_Iris wrote: »

I understand your comment about planning for a rainy day - DH often asks why we need to save so much each month but we've relied on credit cards for a long time and I think we need to break the cycle.

Absolutely right, and you are going through the toughest bit at the moment - switching from debt to savings. In the future you'll be able to live on your income easily, but to get there you're having to exist on far less while you get rid of those debts. If you don't do it, you'll forever be paying out more than you should and giving money every month to the banks. You are living the experience that the only person you are borrowing from is your future self.... Each month you put off saying "no" to treats like takeaway just adds another month to giving that borrowed money back again.

White_Iris wrote: »

I've been thinking about an idea I spotted lurking on another diary - a vision board. Every so often I'll see a picture of a kitchen for example, or a particular outfit or hairstyle or even a coffee mug, that represents what I would like my life to be, how I'd like my family to live, what I want for my children and the kind of person I'd like to be. Keeping those pictures on a small pin-board would be a strong visual reminder of what we could have if we weren't paying our loans and credit cards.

Hmmmm I'm not sure pictures of things that are about consumer spending are necessarily a good idea. You would be doing the advertiser's job for them! Would it not tempt you to splurge on something the second you have any spare cash? I think the idea of a vision board is a great one, but how about pictures that show fun stuff you can do for free, or yummy recipes you'd like to try making?

Last thought I had when reading your diary was whether you would consider taking other dogs in to earn extra money? If your existing two are friendly, people would happily pay to leave their woofer(s) in someone's house rather than kennels. Having provable experience with large dogs is a big plus.

Wobblydeb

White_Iris wrote: »

LOL - sounds like something mine would do, especially bringing the box to show you! I have a lurcher and a boxer/labrador cross. In fact a few years ago the lurcher did something similar - I had made some hot-cross buns and although I'd put them at the back of the counter to cool he's so tall he can still reach, so he helped himself to one but instead of eating it he brought it in to the living room and spat it out at our feet, also looking very pleased with himself! Then there was the time he managed to eat almost a whole chicken, fresh out of the oven and piping hot, in the space of a minute or two...the list goes on!

:rotfl: That reminds me of the year ours helped himself to the remaining half of the turkey on Christmas Day. No leftovers for us that year....

I wonder if your lurcher had been a worker? Neither of ours would return anything edible to us!