Have grasped the nettle..........now to deal with the ensuing rash

brizzlegirl

Love that last post it’s magic. So so glad you’ve written that down.


Looking forward to the next instalment

Igamogam

brizzlegirl wrote: »

Love that last post it’s magic. So so glad you’ve written that down.


Looking forward to the next instalment

I had a long post,clicked and pwff , it disappeared:mad:Too late now to put it right but will do again tomorrow!

brizzlegirl

Darn it. Don’t worry, we will wait

Have a good day Ig x

Igamogam

I have been here for many moons now....well almost 10 years:eek:
It was at a time when there were changes in my life happening. DD1 off to university, DD2 off to high school and I had just had extensive knee surgery which saved my mobility but put a question mark over how long I could work for and I had a debt that occupied my every waking hour and often came to bed with me. Then I 'found' MSE.

Here I found people in the same leaky boats. I found humour and sadness too. I was entertained late into the night but concerned about the welfare of other night owls. I found arrogance and ignorance and compassion and understanding in equal measures. I met ugly trolls and fairy god mothers. I have railed at the idiots ( I dont suffer fools lightly - my failing) and wanted to shake others who dont listen. I am convinced there are some people on here who are looking for material for a book/drama/sitcom....you know who you are:p I have met hard working people keeping it together from all walks of life, educated, professional, service providers,carers, mothers, fathers, grandparents. I found like minded souls and those whose ideas are just too"out there" to be feasible or realistic. I have met smugness and humility, kindness and harsh reality. I guess what I am saying I have found little bits of me amongst it all.....kindred spirits.... and do you what.... I have loved every minute :rotfl:

All of humanity is here in every shape, colour,mental wellness all with a common goal to rid ourselves of debt, or at least get a grip of it! I embraced it..........so why am I still in the !!!!!! now?!!

I am going to go away and think about it and click submit before this disappears in a puff of virtual smoke.:D

Igamogam

After a bit of reflection and some time in RL I am back to answer the that question….why am I still in the !!!!!!? I shall make a stab at it……………..

I joined MSE at a time when things were changing all around me – family, health, financial commitments. I came to MSE to find out, learn and educate myself about the land of debt and find the way out. What did I learn?

I learnt about PADs and NSDs. I already was a 0% BT card tart and knew all about comparison sites but I learnt about stoozing CCs and snowballing. I now always OP. I discovered TTs. Worked on an EF Found out what a DMP was and that they were not for me same as YNAB. I actually understand what an APR is and the difference between it and an AER. I never did an SOA because I saw too many people ripped apart by those who were quick to judge (although I understood what they meant ) I realised that DD OH SIL MIL where relatives and I also learnt that MSE is a place of many acronyms:D I wombled free with supermarket receipts and became an avid collector of road kill. I even learnt to fold my knickers, roll my socks and store bed linen in a way that would ‘spark joy’….who knew!!? I learnt what is really meant by being ‘frugal’. OK, I mocked those who sound so pious about it: we-are-a-family-of-6-and-can-make-a-meal-out-of-2-flabby-carrots-and-a-tin-of-OOD(AFA)-dodgy-mince-keeping-oursleves-warm-burning-6-tealights…..puhleeees, but there are people who really can be frugal and ‘live’ and I salute you and have taken on some of your ideas of course. I learnt how to reclaim PPI and thanks to:money:had the confidence to tackle banks and CCs all by myself
Biggest thing I learnt was to use cash again…. quite by accident. I looked at in in a different way, used it differently and have made it work for me differently. This was what helped me save and make OPs and build a little EF – not the 6months salary type EF but one none the less which has helped no end. I have also learnt by some mistakes. I will NEVER put car insurance or house insurance on a CC – yes, the APR might be lower but you REALLY do need to pay it off in the 12 months. I did not listen to :money: and made the mistake more than once. I also learnt the hard way bank loyalty cost ultimately – a huge OD which was just replaced by nought s every month was costing me almost £100 a month :eek: I know :eek: :eek: :eek: but I really thought I would get it under control. The charges have crippled me. I hear that this daily charging malarkey is going. Not a moment too soon but I have jumped already.

Debt busting did become a hobby and like any hobby it can sometimes become all consuming and I think I got to the point where I couldn’t see the woods for the trees. Actually, the truth is I got bored.

So I found things, learnt things and certainly felt at times I was wearing that T shirt but got bored with it ant yet at the same time never took my eye off the ultimate goal. So why am I still in the sht!t!?

Igamogam

Today is the day we pack away Christmas. The tree has served its purpose and will be slowly fed into the log burner over the next few days and all the shiny bits and childhood and family memories will be smiled at and carefully packed away for another year and if I am honest forgotten about until the next winter solstice.....yep we lean to a more pagan festival here:rotfl: I like Christmas but dont 'celebrate' it and every year it is easier to ignore the commercial hype

Anyway, Epiphany another religious theme...........a moment of sudden and great revelation or realisation..........dont think mine has been sudden;)

Aaleigha

I too celebrate solstice my family all celebrate christmas as I did too when I was brought up - all the family know my feeling and others are now leaning to the more simple celebration

when I move to Wales it will be a far more pagan celebrations but of course christmas dinner for others

we do give small gifts for solstice and a very token christmas prenet to be opened at the table dinner time

I do wish you a good year where your finances come more under control
and life treats you and yours well

brizzlegirl

Interesting you use the word bored. I know how you feel and how it all gets too consuming so one wonders off into RL to actually live a little. But no more for me. I just can’t do it. If I want to look at a reasonably content retirement then I need to ditch this debt once and for all and learn to live differently.

Have told the family this and they seem on board. We shall see. No more holiday booking and every spend needs to super mindful.

Suspect you’re back at work tomorrow ...hope it goes well x

brizzlegirl

PS We brought a living tree this year so hopefully we don’t have to buy one next But it was small Luckily we hung decorations off other plants too

Igamogam

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen shillings and six pence, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six pence, result misery." Probably misquoted but don’t you just love Mr Micawber

If you live beyond your means of course you are going to be in debt…. We are not followers of fashion or fads. We rarely eat takeaways. We don’t need the latest gizmo or gadget. Things are only replaced when they have to be – I have a food processor in almost constant use and a vacuum cleaner both bought in the 1980’s……don’t have the urge to replace until they really no longer function and when and if we do they will owe us nothing. We understand the difference between needs and wants. 10 years on we are not in any bigger debt than when I first came to MSE.That is almost a bit Mr Micawberish...no??

We do however live and don’t skimp on it.

In the last 10 years we have begun to future proof the house, once we realised this was going to be out forever home after all. We have supported one DD though university and been there on the regular basis since to pick up the pieces. Have subsidised dance and sport and music and driving lessons and travel for both DDs. Paid all our bills. Paid off our mortgage. Paid our way and never once defaulted other than a mistake or two. We have eaten well and drunk good coffee but never in a chain. Made sure we have been to some great concerts,gigs,cultural and sporting events and embraced a low impact renewable way of using energy which, when done properly comes at a price when you first start,sadly/weirdly. OH has maintained his expensive extreme sport and I have matched it by finding solace in my garden…………

I have said ‘we’ a lot but the truth is its me. I am the wage earner and this could be getting close to the problem.