Working to a ten year plan

Ninno820

I think thats the way to approach it "HappyNow" - there's a real pleasure in saving money or making something go further than it should.

Ninno820

Weekly report:-

I have done really well on ebay - total proceeds so far exceeds £450 and my holiday fund is growing well - worund £150 so far. The extra money has also helped with the car service, car MOT and to buy some theatre tickets for May and June (we all have to have some treats- dont we?). Mind you - its feeling like a full time job - I have just parceled up 10 packets ready for posting tomorrow!

This week also saw my first cheque from Music Magpie and a paypal transfer from "webuybooks" - another £25 for the coffers. Meanwhile the cupboards and book shelves are getting a little tidy up and I'm loving the space.

Grocery wise my tough month is somewhat leaking - I have spent £70 so far - albeit £11 on dog food. Tomorrrow Lidl have a scandanavian weekend and I can get just imagine the meatballs! Its two weeks until payday and a truer picture of everything but I am remaining hopeful.

Ninno820

Morning all - on this grey dreaery morning!! Grocerywise, last week's excursion to lidl really blew the budget. However, as you can see from my signature I am keeping it to under £100 - which used to be the amount I spent on a weekly basis last year!!

Ebaywise things have really turned a corner - even if it turns out to be on a temporary basis - I have made £319.81 in a week! I must have had items on sale that people really wanted! At the moment, for example, nothing is selling so I will still list 5 items a day and see where it gets me. The money is making a dent in my second od - I have one account which my salary goes into and one which pays the bills. I want to pay off my second od so that I can see how much spare money there is each month to start addressing the od and other debts. Next month I will be getting some backpay which will help somewhat and I am hoping to get rid of the first od by the end of the summer.

The diet is going wonderfully well but we plod on.

Today, apart from work, I want to revisit the freezer and make a new list of teh contents - then I want tosit down and meal plan for next month. My month starts next friday and I have to factor in guests for a week or so over easter so want to take full advantage of the freezer contents.

Next week will be my monthy report where we can see the full efect of my efforts - I really REALLY want to break through the 2% paid off barrier!

Ninno820

Okay - so its the end of month 3 and time to give a full update.

Debtwise things have gone REALLY well. As you can see from my signature I have broken the 2% pay off barrier and have repaid £1478.63 which equates to 2.3% - thanks, in the main, to a successful run on ebay and no spending on the cc. I am averaging around £500 pay off each month and, in my mind, am aiming for £5000 off the debt by the end of the year so I am on target to do that. I have also saved £160 towards my summer holiday (aiming for £300) and £180 towards my October trip to Oxford (again aiming for around £300). So, financially, I feel that I am doing really well. The grocery budget was kept to under £100 and this has helped. I have also changed my mindset. Yesterday I bought, for the first time in 2012, a crusty loaf - and found myself saving the crumbs to put in the freezer for when I need breadcrumbs - whats that all about??

Dietwsie, things are not going so well. Self sabotage really. When I fancy something as a treat I dont nip down to the shops but rustle up some of twinks hobnobs or some fruity tea bread - must do better!!

Ninno820

So - after a fabulous end of month three last week, nothing much has changed. My grocery budget is still low - 1 week in - but I am having guests up for two weeks so that will change. Ebay has been slow and sluggish - due mainly to me not listing much. I've even had someting returned because the bag that I posted it in (brand new from the PO) had left the garment with a "fusty" smell). So - thats my target for this coming two weeks - I am on holiday so will have time to list some items most days.

One bright spot - I am norally in my od by the end of the month - by my reckoning it could be the 4th or 5th of april before I drop into it. My bank charges £1 a day that I am in my od so the less days I can, the less charges I get.

Ninno820

So - halfway through april and my guests have been here for a week. The big news is that we are still eating from the freezer and I havenet done a big shop. However there have been a number oftrips out and I havent counted it all up. My bank balance is still in teh black - which is a minor miracle - and therefore there will be less od interest to pay next month. Guests also equal less time to sell on ebay but I aim to get back on track next week when they've gone so watch this space.

Ninno820

Okay - so its a week before payday and things are ticking along - although not perhaps as good as usual. It has been the Easter break which has meant lots of coffees and lunches out. I did a table top sale this week - but it paid for the three of us to have lunch out. Guests have also meant that there hasn't been time to list anything on e-bay so I need to get back on that train.

On a more positive front, I have unearthed the vax machine from the attic and good old dad has mended it. It has been years since I cleaned the carpets in the house so i am working my way through them - the colour of water is disgusting but they are coming up a treat and its saving me the cost of new carpets/hiring a carpet cleaner.

I have also re-joined slimming world. I simply cannot lose weight without there being a structure and someone to answer to. Three days in and things are going well. I am eating lots of fresh fruit and veg and going to bed slightly hungry rather than stuffed. Having made inroads into the debt mountain now is the time to deal with the weight mountain.

Ninno820

I am trying not to be too depressed. As you can see from my signature below there has been some progress - but not much this month. Due to easter holidays and losing sight a little of my goals, this month my debt has only been reduced by £13!!! However I am trying to hold on to the fact that it is a reduction and that I have also managed to save £431 since January 1st towards my two holidays in the summer and October - my target is £600 for the two. I am also expecting some back pay tomorrow (hoping for around £500) so will top up the holiday fund and pay the debt off with the rest.

Lessons learnt - get back on that ebay train and sell - at my peak it was 5 items per day - currently its more like 5 items a week! I also need to re-enter the grocery challenge. I have rejoined slimming world and lost 6 pounds the first week so this will be more costly with all that fruit and veg but should gain by not buying the sugary rubbish that lure you in!

So - onwards and upwards - so far the total debt has been reduced by nearly £1500 since the start of the year which I must be pleased with - had I not started this journey I would have simply increased the debt instead.;)

Ninno820

ooooh - quick update - my back pay is in and its slightly higher than I thought - £574! So I have toppped up my two holiday finds to the required £300 punds each and have left the rest in the bank towards my overdraft - so thats another £405 off the total debt - things are looking up!

HappyNow

Well done Ninno, it's coming down nicely. Thank goodness for the backpay (though even if you hadn't got it, £13 would still have been a reduction) .

Good luck with the ebaying. I finally listed my first item two weeks ago. £16 clear profit, very satisfying and not as complicated as I'd expected. Next free listing weekend I will definitely be hitting it hard.