A Thread for After Debt?

JulieGeorgiana

I find the better known charity shops are soooooo expensive. These are two in my village and I visit regularly. One gives me things cheaper because we donate a lot (especially when DH grandad passed away). Adult clothing is about £3 - £5!

I am going to another villiage Friday as I am reliably informed there are 5 charity shops and a ton of baby clothes!

QueenB I tell everyone about that movie... and they all love it! Even dh enjoys it

LianneH

Well I've only gone and done it!! I am actually debt free, I can't believe it!

I thought by this moment I would be doing cartwheels around the house but I'm not, partly because I am 16weeks pregnant, but mainly I think its just not properly sunk in?

We always got so near yet so far, like about to make the final payment and something would happen to the car or something and it would be another month to go.

But now its gone AND thats with the TV breaking the other day (had a wee emergency pot so it paid for it!).

I've been reading the thread for a while and I think its the best idea ever. I also share all your OCDs about spreadsheets - love them (maybe more than DH!) :rotfl:

All my budgets / spreadsheets are uptodate and everything is black - no nasty red negatives hanging around!

I will be around most nights and for the first wee while will no doubt be bugging you all for your opinions!

Li x

JulieGeorgiana

Li welcome congratulations on being debt free, and on the baby, is it your first?

LianneH

thanks very much! this is my 2nd baby and tbh if this was my first pregnacy it probably would have been my one and only! lol

backinbusiness

Lianne - many congrats on becoming debt-free. Like us you may find it takes a wee while to sink in, and even longer to loosen those purse strings (maybe no bad thing!).

Queen B - really looking forward to the trip now; all packed up. Will miss my children of course, but we will have 16 of someone else's children instead!

Rising - I got gadget envy reading your posts about your phone, and so it is your fault that I went out this afternoon and bought a new sat nav!! (I don't need a new 'phone!). My old one was about 10 yrs old so I am using this trip to justify a new one. I sold DD2's bike at lunchtime, so the sat nav only really (kind of!) cost me £10 - bargain! Once again I know this off-setting is lying to myself really, but it makes me feel better!

Won't be checking in for a few days - not taking the lappy as I don't really think there will be much time. How will I survive without my beloved spreadsheet??

Take care all.

BiB

JulieGeorgiana

Li no fair... I can't offer MS advice to a 2nd time mum!!! Although my pregnancy with Eliza was horrific, I was on bed rest for most of it but too poorly to do anything while there!! Yet there are discussions of a possible 3rd... maybe another 9.5 year gap though

Rising I used to do that... put the cashback into savings, figured it was easy cash

samtoby

If I judged whether I was going to have another on my first then I would only want one the one DS I have......but I am desperate for another.

Have to wait until I have a home though. :(x

LianneH

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Li no fair... I can't offer MS advice to a 2nd time mum!!! Although my pregnancy with Eliza was horrific, I was on bed rest for most of it but too poorly to do anything while there!! Yet there are discussions of a possible 3rd... maybe another 9.5 year gap though

Of course you can offer advice, anything is helpful. as long as its not advice to consider a 3rd - offt! you are super woman!!

so first thing to ask you all about....

my debts are all paid off (and I think like many of you), whilst consentrating on the debts things like house decoration and upgrading cars just didn't happen.

I'm having an urge to do both but depressing myself because we just can't afford it, and getting into debt to do them just aint an option!

I have re-jigged my spreadsheets so i am saving £100 a month towards "house stuff", so I think I have satisfied that urge as I can wait til that builds up.

what about the car? I've never had a car on finance - ever, even when I was young a stupid! but i think if I were to wait until I could afford it outright then I might be in my 80's by then! Everyone I speak to has a car on finance, is this just the way people do it now? Is it a debt like the mortgage and therefore just a bill or is it a no no?? help?!

Li x

JulieGeorgiana

Haha! my husband calls me that... doesnt understand how I get so much done with a baby around

Unless a car is a NEED then I would say its bad debt. and if you NEED a car HP is not the way to go.

If you NEED a car consider a newiah car. 6 years ago i got a 10 month old car 30% cheaper then new. 2 years warrentee left and no MoT for 2 years either. I bought a car which suited my requirements but didn't superceed them. I bought what i couldnt afford with a low interest loan (not secured on the car).

I also researched that the car I got depreciated at the same rate as i paid my loan in case I got into hardship. or the car got written off so insurance would pay the loan off.

Just got £2k for it when i sold it last month, yet the loan was paid off years ago.

LianneH

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

Unless a car is a NEED then I would say its bad debt. and if you NEED a car HP is not the way to go.

If you NEED a car consider a newiah car. 6 years ago i got a 10 month old car 30% cheaper then new. 2 years warrentee left and no MoT for 2 years either. I bought a car which suited my requirements but didn't superceed them. I bought what i couldnt afford with a low interest loan (not secured on the car).

mmm is it a NEED or a WANT...

well we have never had new or even newish cars! We have 2 cars atm, one is 10 years old and the other probably about 12 years old! both we need to get us to work and deal with our lives in general.

Its not an immediate NEED as both cars are working, but I suppose I'm aware of their ages and so WANT to replace one of them before it goes (((bang))) and we then impulse buy!! Since baby number 2 is on the way, the car I drive (12 year old one) really needs to be updated to be able to cart around 2 kids, one buggy and potentially our 6 year old Labrador!! so is it a NEED or a WANT?!

JG - when you got your loan to pay for your car - you didn't see that as a "bad" debt then??