LBM in 2003.. What have I been doing since??!

grannyx2

Just look at your signature Mrs, it's fantastic, (although I want to TT the £1.49 for you) :rotfl:

Hope you have a great weekend

Granny x

brizzledfw

Hi Granny..d'you know what..it got TT'd this morning..:rotfl: I cleaned up my current account by around £9

Today is quite a busy day decorating. The window man has come round and said it won't fall out (phew) but he will replace later this year. Only 1 though but we do need to paint them to protect them. Darn. More expense.

Have some organic drumsticks so planning to try a JO recipe for sticky Chinese style chicken and rice as DD2 has a friend over for a sleepover so can't be too radical

Enjoying putting house to rights. Looks so much fresher and cleaner. We are spending but hopefully on good things and the debt is coming down. Plan to cut grocery spending for next fortnight and see how we go..

Heating has remained off beanie it's glorious here..almost warm enough to be outside

brizzledfw

Dinner was great..thanks Jamie! Wolfed down and bones set aside for stock.

Had to get some groceries so £20 spent but lots of reduced items so that's OK. Will keep it in check I promise!

Settling down for an eve watching a film..bliss

brizzledfw

So....Sunday dinner and crumble prepped and now sitting down to ask for a little advice from you guys whilst OH is struggling with the curtain rail in the bedroom (and no he prefers getting stressed by himself rather than team working with me :rotfl: so I don't feel guilty)

I have been reading a book called Money A Love Story by Katherine Northrup which (until the final 20%) has really resonated with me.. A life lived by my values really appeals and it is making me think about next steps. I already was but it's helping some more, if you see what I mean. So £9 well spent. I think I will look at it some more, give to OH to read and see if we can work through some of the exercises together.

But in other news.. I found out last week that I will get a bonus this month that should cover my remaining debt, with some to spare.

I think I should be whooping from the chandeliers! (Not that I have any you understand ) but feel strangely quiet. But dear readers...do I put this money to pay off the remaining debt or do I stash this away and then keep on with the goal of saving all I possibly can for another couple of months and paying it off through TTs etc? I have really enjoyed the discipline of the TTs..

Where I think I am heading is paying off the debt and being DF...(and getting the dinky little symbol from MSE to say so!:D) but then staying on here, reworking the budget towards savings and OPs. I have noted how keen I have been to TT across to CCs and the discipline of that - diverting that instead to making TTs across to savings and an emergency fund and towards paying down the mortgage. I am also keen to celebrate our DFdom..so I will do something fun (and on a budget) with the family so that I can mark this auspicious moment and very importantly, so that the girls get the steer that this is a big deal for us as a family. We have already toasted the 50% reduction last week..they were very intrigued ( and I was very honest about how stressful I had found the months since June 2013 particularly) and I think it resonated. Let's hope they learn from it..debt is not a lot of fun after the event...delayed gratification has its place!

I will then save up an emergency fund..for windows, dishwashers etc.. And keep up the frugality and thinking about what we spend and when we spend it.

Planning, planning but as ever always interested in what you folks have to say..

X

satchmo1

Fab, fab, fab news, Brizzle. So pleased for you.


For what it's worth, I'd offer the view that clearing the debt would remove so much stress that it would be worthwhile just for that. Additionally, you could TT into mortgage overpayments and into savings. If your mortgage interest is calculated monthly, that is. If it's calculated annually then put everything into a savings account and then make a one-off mortgage overpayment.


Do you have a 123 account? At the moment, that's where the biggest accessible interest rates are to be found. Even with the £2/month fee, I accrue about £25/month cashback. DH accrues even more because the DD's mostly go out of his account. (We keep separate accounts because when we met I was in debt and had a CCJ. All cleared now, and mortgage free, but we've never amalgamated as we get more interest paid this way. I'm the CFO of our monetary affairs, as I've learned so much whilst I travelled the rocky road to debt-free-land)

Fortune_Smiles

Oh that's wonderful news Brizzle! I would advise loaves and lilies from here on in - naturally

Fortune x

lucielle

Personally, pay it off the debt. Carry on with everything you've learned debt busting and put into pots, mortgage etc. HTH
L

brizzledfw

Thanks guys. Think that's what I will do.

Satchmo..my really good mortgage deal is linked to my having a current account with sm.le. .99% above base (for life of mortgage and no fee payable) for most of it. Little more than that on an advance from a few years ago so can't rock the boat. I can make unlimited OPs however so I think I will do that. And maybe in time think about an ISA.

Thanks for checking in guys, really appreciate it. And yes, yes YES I WILL be debt free by the end of March. Amazing how these things happen..do good things really come to those who wait??? Maybe on this occasion. I wanted to be DF by the end of the FY..and thought I wouldn't be if we went skiing. And now I find out that I will be, after all....I feel very blessed.

Yes FS..loaves and lilies from now on...

Thank you Universe

Xx

daisystar

Yay Brizzle!!! :j :j :j :j This is amazing news!!! You were probably a little bit in shock earlier in the week, I know I would be, but I definitely agree that using it to pay off the debts once and for all is the best move, you know it makes sense Then just think about watching those balances rise, wooooohooooo!!! :T :T

grannyx2

Agree, use the money to pay off the debt and then TT to your hearts content on mortgage and savings. Checking of course that lots of small payments to mortgage don't incur a fee. If so TT into a savings account and transfer 1 OP at the end of each month.

Really pleased for you

Granny x