Tales from a country cottage

ani*fan

The snowball calculator said to pay the minimum amount to the new card for maximum reduction in interest paid overall.

I'm a bit scared that it would get to the point where I had to increase payments and just wouldn't have the money to do it. Hmmn.

I have also knocked 2 months off my dfd and now have a date of
June 2014 ! Progress again as I started at October 2014.

I think I expected a much more dramatic improvement in dfd, like maybe knocking a year off! :rotfl:It's a long slow business this, isn't it?

Knitting_Nora

Take heart - remember how you felt when you first starting looking at the MSE website, and see how far you've come...snowballing and everything!

Igamogam

Good news on the card! That snowball calculator thingy probably makes sense.

I do know that the advice on here is that if you have a card for 0% purchases and you use it for that make sure you have cleared it by the end of the promo period otherwise you are hit for huge interest payment. Does M&S card have transfer offer? Not tempted to transfer those Capt cards over? Work out the fee against the interest you are paying Capt.

Anyway you are at the helm. You know what suits you best.

Hope you feeling better soon

Ayeshalush

ani*fan wrote: »

What kind of dog do you have? We have 3 furry purrball cats.

:mad:Just typed a huge reply and lost it!!!

She's a lab cross called Cara, about 4yo (rescue dog so not 100% sure) and she's a wee sweetheart. I don't know how anyone could not want her. She's my first dog but I've always had cats in the past and hope to again at some point, just don't want to rush into it at the moment as I'm not sure how Cara will take it!!

Well done on the 0% card. It will give you some options and help bring that DFD closer!:D I know it seems like a slow process, but you're already doing really well and I'm sure when you look back at this diary in a years time, you'll be amazed at how much you have achieved!!

I was lucky (although didn't feel like that at the time) in that, about 10 years ago my job wasn't very secure which motivated me to get all my credit cards paid off and to live within my means. Thankfully the job was ok, and I'm still in the same job, but I didn't ever want to feel that insecure again so have made a conscious effort never to run up any further debt. However, I have always spent most of my income each month, lived fairly comfortably and enjoyed some expensive hobbies(horses!) and it is only the last couple of years that I have considered make overpayments on my mortgage. They are not huge overpayments but every little helps and they are funded from hints and tips picked up from this forum and all the fantastic diaries i.e. surveys, ebay, batch cooking, meal planning etc as I still like to indulge my hobby but just not to the same extent.

Would love to see some pictures of your cats if you get chance. I really miss having a cat around.

A
xx

greenanne

hi there.
sorry your feeling a bit pants at the moment.it happens to us all i suppose.in the bad old days we would have gone out and spent money to make it better,but it wouldn't have helpped in the long run.at least you are not going to do that now,thats progress.
i saw your recipie for tiffin and thought i'd give it a go,i didn't reolise at the time though how many of the ingredients i didn't have.my tiffin have sugar,syrup,butter,chai tea powder[a spicypowder for making indian tea]raisins and crunchy nut cornflakes.lets just say they are different:D

ani*fan

Hey everyone :wave: Good morning.

It's still pitch dark here and I don't know why I'm awake so early. I napped a lot yesterday which could have something to do with it. Still feeling rough, ears and throat sore now though my nose has stopped running, so have made a decision to not go to work.

Oh the guilt.

We managed to go and do the shopping yesterday as I timed the trip well given my cocktail of sinutab-type tablets, ibuprofen and paracetamol. (All own brand and bought for pennies. I'm an MSE poorly person.)

So, I filled the car with petrol - £57 - ish and used 5p off a litre voucher from mil. I seem to have lost the receipt though so don't know how much the total was exactly.

L**l for cheap veg - loads for £7.50

Mr T - £43 including a different posh face cream for mil (£11.99 reduced to £5.15) I hope she likes it. It's not her usual one but OH said they'd talked about it and she was up for a change. Also got a quorn and stuffing roast in for my christmas dinner. Its in the freezer.

Then got £20 electricity on the way home.

So, after saying I didn't feel the need to rush out and spend all the money, that's pretty much exactly what happened. And it was miserable 'cos I felt so ill and OH wasn't much better.

Pay day proper tomorrow. Can't wait.

ani*fan

greenanne...your take on tiffin sounds lovely, think I might try that one next time!

ayeshalush...so you're debt free already? Wow...how did you do it? You're an inspiration! I'm looking forward to getting rid of that vulnerable feeling when the debt is gone and developing some good habits to keep for life. Your dog sounds fabby, I had a bearded collie when I was a kid. I'd love to have a dog again but the cats can hardly tolerate each other never mind another animal in the house.

Igamogam and knitting nora...thanks for all advice, suggestions and comments. I'm away to look over my diary and think about how far I've come, and where to try and go next.

Ayeshalush

Sorry, you're not feeling great. Hope you're on the mend soon.

The only debt I have at the moment is my mortgage, so I don't technically consider myself debt free. As it was a while a go now that I cleared my loans, cards, etc it is hard to remember the specifics of how I went about it but it was mainly down to setting a realistic budget and sticking to it. I paid as much to my debts as I could each month, although my budget did have a little leeway for the odd treat to help me stick with it long term. Once each card was paid it was then cancelled, except one which I kept to use online and to give me some extra insurance on larger purchases, travel etc but I set up a Direct Debit to clear the balance on it each month so that I knew if I used it, I had to have the money available to pay it when the bill came in.

As I said in my previous post, although I didn't think so at the time, I was lucky that I felt so insecure in my job as it made me sort out my finances before they got too out of control. I am probably too obsessed with being in control of them now, as I know, to the penny, how much is in each account and I note on my spreadsheets when ever I spend anything. I am a little spreadsheet obsessed, lol!:o

You seem to have a good idea what you are doing i.e. finding the cheapest way to purchase what you need etc, so it's just a matter of keeping on keeping on:)! That's why I read yours and other people's diaries, to keep me focused on not overspending as it is so easy to think oh, I deserve a little treat, and a wee night out, oh and I haven't had a holiday for ages - so it just keeps you focused on your goals.

You'll be debt free before you know it, I'm sure:D.

A
xx

wot-a-mess

Very inspiring post indeed.

ani*fan

You're living proof that this can be done, Ayeshalush! How long did it take you? I'm trying to get my head round the long-term nature of this. It's a complete change in habits for life, not just while I clear the debt. And you seem to have cracked it.

Well, OH has been out making lovely wooden things in the shed for the last few days and has a few friends interested in buying them. So we may have a bit of extra income this month and next. I'm so pleased for the help, but I think it happened cos I had a meltdown the other morning and was pretty stressed about it all the debt. But every little bit of income will make a difference and it finally feels like we're on the same page.

I'm feeling a wee bit better today. I have some energy and my sore bits are not so sore. Still going to take it easy though then back to work on monday. I hate winter for bugs. I'm saving a fortune in petrol though. (There's always a bright side!)