Saving for a new Horse!

Baldybear

Morning!

Ok a very strange title for a debt free diary, but I will explain better!

I lost my very beloved pony on New Years Eve 2011 He was suffering from liver failure and made that hard decision before he got too ill and suffered to much. I am at peace knowing that was the right thing to do, he had been ill for 18 months. He was 24 and I had had him for 17 years but known him since he was 2 so a huge part of my life. I love you Baldrick, you were the pony of a lifetime for me!

So this diary is dedicated to Baldrick and my mission to save for another horse as now have a huge hole in my life!

Bit about me, had diaries in the past but never kept them up. I live with my OH, we are engaged hope to get married some time. We bought a house in June 2011 and needs a lot of work done to it.

We are both employed, I am going back to work on 4th but with a 20% paycut but am going to see if I can get that decreased as I only earn a low salary. My OH is going back to work tomorrow but is on a threat of redundancy so not a great start financially to the year!

We also are thinking about starting a family, so although it is very sad the horse has gone maybe its a good thing if I end up with a small baby. But the ultimate dream is to get a new horse!

Financially we owe faaaaaaaaar to much money. Signature shows the full debt if I exclude the mortgage its over £20K! :eek:

Parents loan is interest free and if there is job cuts we can stop this, but want to keep paying this if I can.

Sofas are also interest free and a small amount so not worrying too much about these.

The credit cards is my mission, I really want these cleared NOW! By losing the horse it is freeing up £250 a month in my budget, but with my paycut coming in I probably wont see a difference in my budget.

So to pay the cards of is to scrape those extra pennies of the budget and any extra money I can come in.

I have £123 due in from expenses, £12 in from Quidco and £50 in from a late xmas present, these will all go straight to the cards.

I have loooooads to ebay so will crack on with this next week and keep doing the surveys, daily clicks etc. Unfortunately dont get overtime so will need to think of some other ideas too!

Sorry for the long post, cookies and carrots for you (carrots in honour of the horsey )

Chocolatedrinker

Happy New Diary!

Sorry to hear about Baldrick, did you name him or was that the name he had when you got him?

Out of interest how much would you need to save to get a horse? You sound very determined so I am sure you will get to your target.
*subscribes*

Cd

Baldybear

Thanks for your reply

Baldrick was bought as a 2 year old and was destined for the meat market, but the riding school owners took pity on him! He had a skin infection and no hair hence the name

Not sure of the cost of a horsey yet! £250 a month to keep him and then thinking of probably about £2k.

Thanks you have got me thinking, I have savings targets for insurance, general expenses, I think I am going to start one for the new horse fund too :j

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi Baldybear ... wishing you all the best in your quest.

So sorry to hear of the loss of Baldrick .... I know how hard it is - I had two donkeys who I sadly lost within a couple of months of each other in Nov '10 and Jan '11: One was 25 and the other 27 and they'd been together for 20+ years so we always had an incling that when one went, the other would follow soon afterwards.:(

They do leave such a big hole when they're not here anymore ..... I've also had a couple of horses but sadly had to give them up several years ago due to work commitments etc ... my dream is to have another too some day!:)

Once I get myself sorted out, I'm going to start a "horse fund" - even if I only manage to stick £10/month into it, it will add up and hopefully the dream will come true.:)

Wishing you all the best on your debt tackling mission .... keep thinking of your dream of another horse and you'll get there.

Baldybear

Thank you so much for you reply, I hope you can find your dream too

LAM2011

hi and good luck in your mission. Sorry to hear about Baldrick (RIP). My OH and myself have 3 between us - we lost the fourth one in August last year and it was horrible. I go without all the extras to be able to keep my horses - they are my life but I too have debt which finally I am getting on top of.

HappyNow

Sorry to hear about your loss. Our daughter's outgrown riding pony was put to sleep a couple of months ago. Like you, we kept her going (despite the cost of her medication!) until we felt she was at risk of suffering, and it sounds like you let her go at just the right time. It's a very hard decision to make, especially when they've been with us for so long, but we owe it to them to do the right thing.

If there is any positive, it is that you will now have extra money and extra time to devote to reducing your debts, and you seem very committed to that.

Once you've got yourself a bit straight, why not look at loaning a horse rather than buying one? It cuts out that capital outlay and, when you do decide to start a family, there is always the option to return the horse if you find the time/money too much of a commitment. It's not for everyone, but worth a thought.

Anyway, good luck and I will keep popping in to see how things are going. x

supasick

I'm so sorry about Baldrick. I too am sorting myself out to get a horse. I'm hoping it will be this year, although i'll be loaning one before i take the plunge and actually buy. I'll be subscribing and wishing you all the best of luck!

immoral_angeluk

I love the name Baldrick for a horse, I can imagine him being a right cheeky chappy. I've always wanted a horse but wouldn't be able to afford it, but I know how it feels to lose a much loved animal. All the best in your quest and I hope you manage to get another horse soon

oopalah

So sorry to hear about Baldrick. I wish you luck with your horse fund.

Baldybear

Thank you all so much for the replies, they are much appreciated.

Applied for a job on reed last night, a big step up a real one to one PA, I think I have lots of the right experience, although no formal degree, employer has responded and wants an informal chat, so going to call later, I have nothing to lose, It will be more full on with some travel to shows etc but maybe again this is coming at the right time , more money, less pressure on me as not so many home committments, keeping everything crossed

Not a NSD today as got to have a small grocery shop, but this will last me a while, not much else planned.

Tidied up bits yesterday, put away the xmas decorations, will do a bit more today, ready or back to work tomorrow.