A Thread for After Debt?

feeling-good

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Q huge welcome to Feeling-good and Savvy Money - great to have more joining our happy wee group:D

Feeling- good that's huge amount to have cleared in a relatively short time - well done!:D When I was reading through your posts, so many things struck a chord with me and I've found the support on here brilliant at putting things in perspective and the realisation that becoming DF isn't the end of the story - in many ways, it really is just the beginning.

Just wondering - have you done a new SOA and worked out your budgets etc? If so, and you've savings in place and are managing well, you need to try to relax a bit and enjoy it (I know exactly what you mean about feeling guilty / justifying spends tho').

I have not done a new SOA so that could be a help to see I actually don't have to worry anymore. It just feels very strange that when I log onto my online banking I have a full ISA and another large pot in an esaver. Not that I am complaining. I think I have to keep looking just to make sure it's there and not dissapeared.
I don't think I will ever stop being cautious though, over the past few years it has become a way of life. My partner now calls me scrooge !

Even at work people know what a bargain hunter I am now, they save me coupons etc and it's getting a bit embarassing now lol.

SOT2011

Great news BiB on the minimal spends to resolve the oil leak :T

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

But Eliza is happy now, which is all that matters

Julie - I think you are absolutely right to prioritise Eliza's development over the hit your budget will take as a result, if she is hungry all the time I doubt she will be a totally happy, healthy baby, and that really is what matters most in the grand scheme of things

JulieGeorgiana

Thank you SOT

Spoke to the HV today, I was right swapping her, she had signs of dehydration and was obviously hungry. She said I did the right thing. And because of it she gained weight nicely and is back at her birth weight at last.

And its the best money I'm ever going to spend.

Lucky I budgeted at started saving 6 months ago

backinbusiness

Evening all

Glad to hear all is well JG - perhaps a bad financial decision, but definately a good mothering one!

The fun here just goes on! My youngest daughter has chickenpox!

She feels ok - just looks awful.

Luckily (suprisingly!) my ex and I work together very well for the welfare of our children, so between us we will cover "sitting" for the rest of this week. I only get paid for one "family-related" absence. It's mid-term week the following week, so the little squirt has sourced herself a two week holiday!

Unfortunately it's put the kybosh on our half-term plans as we were going to be visiting assorted family of all ages and stages, some of whom could be vulnerable to the chickenpox virus - but we can re-arrange.

(Perhaps she could use the spare time to tidy her room!?!).

Take care all.

BiB

SOT2011

BiB - Boo to the chicken pox - hope your youngest keeps feeling ok and not too itchy with it. Rotten to have it so near to half term though.

Been spendy today - not spendy like the old days, but off budget. Split another pair of wellies at the weekend and really can't manage without them, this is the 4th pair in less than 6 months, having no luck with them at all, so have spent a bit more this time (£23!) in the hope that the quality will be better.

Also bobbed into the v big Sainsbugs whilst I was over that way and have bought 4 new cheap tops to wear for work, they were £20, but then I managed to use my £4.50 till split too, so I can throw away a few old tops that are looking really worn but still have enough to only wash clothes every other week, otherwise have to do non-MSE half washes each time unless it has been a mega muddy week!

SOT x

JulieGeorgiana

BiB I hope your daughter gets well soon. Poor thing. I know there is a cream which is supposed to be excellent and lasts for hours! You should have a Chicken Pox Party, I know they are supposed to be quite popular

I also get on well with my ex, it’s a godsend isn’t it?

SOT £23 is cheap! DH paid £30 for a pair of £70 ones from in excess! Who would pay £70???

Sounds like you got some good offers on new work tops

So I am getting myself sorted for MIL visiting next week, got my new chore lists and menu plans ready and printed as I have to be more on the ball in order to keep things running smoothly while she is here!

Eliza is doing really well, she is gaining weight before my eyes(her face just filled out and her nappies are tighter) and is a much a happier and content baby, she isn’t trying to eat the whole bottle anymore which is great news, as she isn’t feeling starved anymore! And is much more alert and is suddenly a really easy baby again. I’m getting loads of housework done, and I am doing school runs, and appointments… and the most fun is baby time and meeting other mum’s and babies while we sing nursery rhymes and gossip while drinking tea It’s so nice not to be so poorly and enjoy doing things again

My 4 weeks of shopping came to £203.67, so a little over budget, not too bad! Terrible for me actually!!

This Friday we are having a huge take-away Chinese and I have a bottle of Asti… it’s a very VERY belated anniversary meal (I was so sick in June that we never celebrated, actually I went to bed very early and forgot to even give DH a card! So we saved up and waited until Eliza was born to do this and celebrate!!!) So the wedding champagne glasses will come out… and we are going to have a nice evening at home (with Eliza in her bouncer!!) I’m sooooooooo EXCITED!!

Hope everyone is okay, it’s been a bit quiet around here recently x

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi all, just a quick visit from me ....

JG great to hear Eliza's taken to the bottle so well and is back to her happy contented self and putting on weight again.:)

Nightmare day today - had to go for an MRI scan (I'm claustrophobic:eek:). To cut a long story short, it was at a diff hosp from the last time & it was a sealed end scanner and I just couldn't stay in it (cue rather embarrassing panic attack:o) and now have to be referred back to the other hosp where I had the last scan where they have an open ended scanner (bad enough but at least you can see out the end so it's "copeable" with IYKWIM).

So £12 in fuel, parking, train and bus journeys down the drain - pretty p'd off as mentioned it to the consultant when he referred me for the 2nd scan and said I'd need to go to the open ended scanner:mad:.

On the money front ... plodding along - have managed to dig quite a few things out my "anything else" budget and given them their own ones (clothes, hair, dentist etc) so hopefully that'll make things easier to manage.

Someone on the FL thread said they did a "rounding down" in their bank account to the nearest £10 every Fri and transferred the money to a savings account. Thinking I may try this for trying to get the groceries fund into advance - really can't think how else I'm going to manage it. Only other option I can see is to keep putting the £20 I've been putting away to get the fuel one in advance (Feb & March payments to go:)) but that will take months :eek:

The trip to the garage for tyres ended up costing a bit more than expected:eek: - the total was supposed to be £112 (was making up the other £12 from my own spends account) but the tracking (or something like that) was off and cost another £25 to sort :mad: (which will also have to come out my spends money) but the car is driving much better know which is what counts & I've been especially glad I got them done with the ice that we've had this week.

Hope everyone is well & not too cold wherever you are!:)

SOT2011

Glad you have safe tyres Rising, even if they were expensive, better to be safe.

Sorry to hear about your scanner problems, you would think they would be more sensitive to things like that - surely they know you don't tell them about things like that just for the fun of it!

JG - can't believe £70 for wellies! I thought I was really pushing the boat out at £23! Got them in one of the DIY superstores though so not much choice (I know how dangerous I can be with too much choice hence I didn't look on the internet at all!). And great news that Eliza is doing so well on the formula.

I do the rounding down every Friday except usually the last of the month when it tends to be a bit tight and I'm trying to spread the ends of my petrol budget and fritter fund round to cover yet another grocery overspend.

I move it first into a instant saver linked to my bank account - easy to move back again if the budgets won't stretch that month, then if I get to the end of the month I move it again, but this time to an account with a different bank, so I can still get at it, just not as easily, and it seems to add up quite quickly in there without too much pain.

SOT x

Samantha22

feeling-good wrote: »

I have been advised to join this thread by AlyBaly so big thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Little bit of history about me, when I had my LBM i was £47000 in debt and have now been debt free for 13 months. I paid it all back over 5 years and it was a hard slog TBH. I deprived myself of everything. The thing is I have now been debt free for 13 months and I cannot relax about it. I watch every penny I spend, look for bargains, freebies etc and shop in Aldi ( which I actually like) but I cannot relax about money.
I check my onilne banking anything from 10 to 20 times a day just to make sure everything is ok and I think I am becoming increasingly obsessed with my finances.
I have managed to save a fair amount of cash since I became debt free and also managed to pay off my mortgage so I cannot understand why I am being like this. I went to buy a new winter coat at the weekend, spent over an hour trying ones on, finally decided on one, queued at the till, got to the till, cashier rung it up and I honestly felt sick at the thought of spending £50 on a new coat as I could not justify it to myself, so i just asked the cashier to cancel it and I walked away.
I constantly worry about money but I don't need to anymore. I actually feel terrified about it.
I have been thinking about trying to rebuild my credit worthiness so checked some cards out and plucked up the courage to apply. Not to go back into owing money on credit cards, but just to rebuild my credit worthiness. I got accepted which I did not think I would. Capital One BTW. This week I had a call on my mobile and it was them just to ask me a few questions etc and to tell me I was accepted and my card would be with me in approx 7 days. It bought so many memories back and not good ones that a credit card company had callled me on my phone.
I am terrified of money and wish I did not have to deal with it all.
Becoming debt free was my dream and I worked so hard over 5 years to get there and then after being debt free for 13 months, being able to save for the first time in 22 years, not having to spend the majority of my wages on debt repayments it's not what I thought it would be :-(
I cant understand why I do not feel good when I know I should. It's a very strange feeling. No post anymore, no phone calls anymore, no comtact with PayPlan anymore. After 13 months it just feels not right.

Hi feeling good,

I can understand how you are feeling. It is quite natural. It's like a bad relationship, and you're scared of being hurt again. I would suggest to buy yourself something really nice, and enjoy it without any feelings of guilt.

Well done on being debt-free. So am I, and it's a wonderful feeling.:j

Enjoy your life, and stay out of debt from now on.

Regards,

Samantha22 :j

AlyBaly

Been a bit quiet on this thread recently but I still read and still get a lot of tips from you lovely people. Happy to type this today in the debt free roll of honour ! ......

At last I can officially post I am debt free :j Letter of final discharge from the trust deed arrived today. What a relief :beer:


a. The date of your lightbulb moment May 2008
b. Debts at their highest £55000 :eek:
c. Debt-Free Date 09/02/2012
d. Your one perl of wisdom. When you are in a financial mess do not sit and wait for things to get magically better, I used to say , when we win the lottery we will be ok or If we can get through this month, year etc things will be ok, it just does not happen until you finally sit up and have your true LBM.
We wish we had tackled things earlier but I think fear comes into it, please believe me the fear of making that first phone call for help is nothing compared the the fear you feel wondering how you will pay your bills, have food on the table or wondering who will phone next chasing the debt. Make the call, it is the start of a new journey, not an easy journey by any manner of means but you start to feel that possibly there is light at the end of the tunnel.