Keeping up appearances.......

HappyNow

poohbear59 wrote: »

Happy DS3 didn't manage to fix the car but his own car passed it's MOT today which has delighted him.

I gave up on my diary soon after starting it a couple of years ago as there was no change and it was becoming boring. Yours is really interesting and I love to read how you are doing.

Great news about DS3's MOT . Mine is due 13th April, please cross your fingers! Perfect timing of course - two days before payday.

Are you finding keeping your diary more interesting second time around? I'd never even seen this board until December and I don't really know what made me start a diary as I'm usually very secretive about money and debt and stuff. Now, three months on, all my debts and my soa are emblazened across the internet for all to see :D! I'm pretty sure that if I stopped my diary I would lose momentum with my debt-busting. So keep writing Mrs Pooh - we're both in it for the full seven years !!

This evening I had to do an emergency trip to Tesco because we had nothing for Mr Happy's packed lunch tomorrow. Managed to grab five loaves of bread reduced to 17p each, so that more than covered the petrol costs and gave me a warm feeling inside. Unfortunately I also bought a frozen pizza (£1.37) and 2 x 200g of Galaxy chocolate on bogof (£2.09) so that kind of undid the good work . But I DO enjoy pizza and chocolate and I am looking forward to getting stuck into both tomorrow!

chevalier

Have you looked at turbolister for listing. that is on the ebay site.
chev

HappyNow

chevalier wrote: »

Have you looked at turbolister for listing. that is on the ebay site.
chev

I haven't heard of that but I will tell my DD about it. I'll mention it to Poohbear too on her diary, in case she doesn't see this. Thanks Chev

HappyNow

Today my diary (and therefore my LBM) is three months old. I have decided to review where I'm at now, and I will repeat this each quarter to chart my progress and talk to myself honestly about where I'm heading and what changes are needed. I know this is a bit 'blah' - please feel free to ignore!

Three months in from the LBM, how does it feel? Much better. I feel to have taken back control of my life, although we're still in a very vulnerable financial position and it wouldn't take much to bring everything crashing down. But I sleep better, I don't feel panicky, and money-management has become my hobby rather than spending. My mindset towards money has 100% altered and I'm pretty confident that's permanent.

Satisfied with progress? Partially. I had expected to have a bigger impact on the debt, and to start building some 'future-proofing' pots, but actually the unsecured debt has only reduced by 1.21% and we have literally nothing in reserve. Realistically though, if I hadn't had my LBM those debts would still be rising. So for now I'm satisfied, but over the coming months I need progress to be more dramatic.

What have been the best bits? Definitely this diary and other peoples diaries. I need the discipline of writing things down, and it's so motivating reading other people's storiess. I don't feel alone, I don't feel stupid, and it's great having people who I can 'talk to' openly about debt for the first time.
Also, having a budget, which I work out afresh each payday. I think I must be a visual person because having physical pots of labelled cash keeps my perspective. Unfortunately, every month so far I have had to use all the money (plus some on credit cards) on unexpected emergencies. Still, each month has seen an overall debt reduction so I'm not complaining.

Biggest worry? That the oldest car will have to be replaced soon. That will mean borrowing again, though in a structured, planned way. Before I can confidently do that, I have to prove to myself that we can put aside £200 each month towards it. That will reduce the loan amount, but also show that we can afford £200 repayments on it. Secondly, our house needs a bit of work done and some shabby furniture needs replacing. I will only do this using savings, but so far I can't save, meaning I feel dissatisfied with the house. Hopefully I will make some money through Ebay over the next month, and that will be split between the car and house funds rather than put towards debt, which makes emotional if not financial sense.

Still hoping to clear all unsecured debt by Feb 2019? If my progress continues at this rate it won't happen. But seven years is a long time and I'm going to keep that goal in my sig.

How are the family coping? Being away at Uni, the kids aren't aware of any of this. Mr Happy knows I am cutting back on everything to clear debt, but he still has no idea of the figures. I think he prefers it that way and so do I. We talk about everything else, just not this. Maybe one day we will have that conversation but there's no rush. I will try and get the debt down first because him panicking about it would only add to my own stress.

Still Keeping Up Appearances? Yes, I'm trying. No-one knows about our financial problems. I think people might start to suspect things aren't great if we don't spend money on the house or a new car, but I will deal with that if it happens. For now, I'm just ignoring that particular elephant!

What do the next three months hold? Financially, more of the same. Budgeting should be easier during summer because animal and coal costs are lower, and that will help us prepare for next winter. Non-financially, I have got sloppy with our food. I am keeping within budget, but I am wasting money on biscuits, chocolate and wine at the expense of healthy food. I will stop that, and I will also exercise more, tone up a bit and walk the dog more.

Box_of_Fluffies

Have you looked at turbolister for listing. that is on the ebay site.

I used to use turbolister when I rang my Ebay shop. I found it really easy to use. One thing I find that helps when listing items for sale is to try and list similar items at the same time.

Box_of_Fluffies

Great three month post Happy. A great way to review your progress to date and set down your goals for the next 3 months.

A 1.21% reduction in debt is not to be sniffed at. It's a big step in the right direction. I still haven't worked out what percentage I've paid off. I promise to work it out when I next update my signature (probably in about a week).

turfy6

Great idea to review the goals etc happy, as you say the debt would have only been added to had you not started on your plan. It will get more like the norm as you go on and you will still be debtbusting too, well done.

PinotGrigio41

I have only skim read your review, I will settle down this evening and read it properly, but I think its a really great idea !! You may find one popping up on my diary soon, but I will give you all the credit !

You are doing great Mrs Happy and you have been so focused, as Ive said before you put me to shame. I have lots of goals in my head but I dont always get around to writing them down .
I will be back later xx

HappyNow

Box_of_Fluffies wrote: »

A great way to review your progress to date and set down your goals for the next 3 months.

turfy6 wrote: »

Great idea to review the goals etc happy, as you say the debt would have only been added to had you not started on your plan. It will get more like the norm as you go on and you will still be debtbusting too, well done.

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

I have only skim read your review, I will settle down this evening and read it properly, but I think its a really great idea !! You may find one popping up on my diary soon, but I will give you all the credit !

Thanks for the comments ladies . I hope a round up will help me take stock every few months. Everything that's in there is scattered elsewhere on my diary I'm sure, but these diaries move so quickly that things get lost. Pinot - go for it (and certainly no credit required!!), it will be interesting to compare our thoughts!

I've also revamped and simplified my signature - even I was getting mixed up with all the numbers in it!

FlacosFloozie

I think its good to take stock every now and again Happy. I know you feel like its a long way to go but just think how much it would be without your LMB... all those emergencies would have been added to the cards and your debt would have gone up not down.
I also wouln't worry about people noticing you're not doing up the house or changing the car. I think they'll assume you're being careful with the economy. Everyone's costs are rising... its not just those of us with debts being careful at the moment