One frugal year = freedom and choices

lobbyludd

Thanks Kellbobs:
I would dearly love to be able to "graduate" from this board to the Mortgage-free-wannabe one. I really admire you having not got yourself into debt in the first place.

no more books is another one, I have read all the books on my shelves (over 500 there at last count, I can't bear to part with them though - even the ones I didn't like! that will be a challenge ahead - no point in trying to fight too many demons at once). AND no more crafting purchases of any kind is my mantra now. I must have thousands of pounds of fabric alone just waiting for the "right" project" I could probably sew a three story patchwork house with all the stuff I have, and knit a few sofas I don't really have the patience for cross stitch, that said I still have 3 kits (from a long time ago, I never throw anything away, I'm hoping this will come in handy with ebay!) but it's utter madness really.

e.g. I have 500 pounds worth of lovely material sitting waiting to be made up into winter curtains - there's (hopefully) not much of winter left, and I havn't even measured them up yet. and yes making them costs much less than buying ready made ones, and will only take a day or two at most, and I found the material at half RRP, but still it's just sitting there, not even saving me heat loss through the windows. Complete lunacy.

Credit cards are out of my purse and stored in the safe, and purse has been left at home today. here's to a NSD!

kellbobs

Hi
I've been there with the credit cards and loans but I guess i'm proof there's light at the end of the tunnel. Now if I want something I do my best to save for it and will only put it on my card to get the Tesco points! (sad but true)
Happy NSD x

lobbyludd

NSD number 1
got 2 items with bids on ebay (1 with 19 watchers is up to £32! been on for 24 hrs) and three questions asked. Obviously these were my most "obvious" and most likely to shift items, but all of it was just cluttering up the loft, so not going to be able to do this every week but a great start.

Quidco has got £8 to pay me.

Have signed up for swag bucks, Imutual and Quids corner to do daily clicks which is very dull but better than surveys and will take ages to build up, but might start to come through as I run out of things to sell!

need to dig out the cloth nappies this weekend, run through the washing machine to freshen up and list on mumsnet.

lobbyludd

very little sleep, gave up and got up at 4.20am, as by that point I figured if I did sleep i would go straight thropugh my alarm. still a least have had breakfast prepared packed lunches for all, will get the kids up in 15mins after a shower.
can't get swag bucks to win anything for searching. Have a big planning day today at work.

weighed and am 163.8lbs. I need to lose a third of my body-weight. UGGH.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi LobbyLudd, your new diary is very inspiring and although you have a lot to achieve, you have an excellent opportunity in 2012. Giving up smoking is hard, my DH did it and can I recommend acing acing a box of treats - facepack, nail file and hand cream. Anything really that when you want a cigarette, you can do something else for yourself.

Good luck on your journey and I am subscribing too.

Tilly x

lobbyludd

NSD, and yesterday too.

didn't park in johnn lewis and window shop whilst waiting for the kids to have tea at their dad's. instead parked up around the corner for free and knitted, cancelled my old house insurance (have new cheaper policy, double paid for one month but hey ho have realised and cancelled now) and terminated the add-on bundle on my ornage contract.

bids on 5 of 7 ebay items.
Off to see if can get a lower water bill.

clicks done and swag points.

lobbyludd

good start to the day - great in fact!
1) opened a birthday card from my aunt which had been put in a safe place and lost (birthday was two weeks ago) and it had £10 in it (I was 40, so very much beyond "expecting" presents from relatives) which was a Lovely, Lovely surprise.

My mum must have known, as she was hinting heavily that I must spend any birthday money I get on myself and not on the children. Feel a bit dishonest doing this but it's going to be used as an additional debt repayment. Which is something nice for me, but I'll tell her it was used on a top that I bought in the sales before christmas from M&S, essentially I'm just reinbursing the credit card for that top, so it's not really a lie.:A

2) mum transfered £25 into my account for her christmas present to DS (which I bought and had forgotten about).

3) found the extra copy of harry potter and deathly hallows part 2 that can go back to sainsbury's unopened for refund/money off shopping.

4) NSD yesterday

5) soup from stash at work for lunch

6) still not smoking.

7) have not bought any fabric, not even the lovely light blue/mink shot velvet that I saw yesterday that would be perfect for something I want to make. I really need a sulking icon more than a crying one.

I've budgetted every known spend until the end of december 2012 in my spread-sheet of wonder.

• My should-be-achievable target should see me debt-free at the beginning of december if no major incidents occur (redundancy, roof collapses etc),
• my slightly more stretching target should see me debt-free in September (if no major incidents occur and ex pays his child maintenance contributions - can be erratic)
• my shoot-for-the-moon-miss-by-a-mile-competely-over-ambitious target would see me debt-free in July. This would require me to reduce debts by an average of 1K per month. For this I'd have to not just cut back drastically, get regular child maintenance payments and have no emergencies, I'd also have to generate significant extra income and get a 0% deal on my credit cards. :rotfl:

so, right now, because it's new and I'm hopelessly enthusiastic, I'm aiming for the third one, in much the same way as I'd rather scrabble up a hill the steep way for a short time than trudge up a slow incline for longer, this is my preferred way of doing things. I know that soon enough my enthusiasm will wain and I'll default back to being fed-up and trudging slowly. but I may as well use the enthusiam whilst it's still there!


have looked at water supply and changing to a meter, but not convinced I really would save anything, and I don't want to be in a position where I start to have to ration using water in order to pay off debts. If things were really tough, then yes, I'd look into it, but it's a step too far for me right now.


that's all for today I think. clicks and surveys later (have signed up for a toothpaste trial with toluna, needed the children to test-drive it now, I can guarantee my kids will hate it as they are v.fussy about toothpaste, but i'll have it!)

lobbyludd

bad news yesterday, my grnadpa has died, he was 91, went for a cup of tea in the night, chatted and then sat down in his chair to watch some football and died, hopefully peacefully. he was frail and confused, and we knew it would probably come this year but thought he would deteriorate more first. I guess that he didn't is a blessing. I saw him on christmas day. he had a good long life, but my dad is distraught having argued with him that day.

ho hum.

on the mse front, my ebay selling is nearly at £100, I've done the nectar searches, and the swag-bucks stuff. and put my parking expenses in at work (which I never usually do). I'm on track with my groceries for this month (I get paid on the 21st).

I've spent £10 on a present from the kids for their dad (DVDs of their christmas concerts) which I resent to be honest, even though it's such a small amount, beause he wither rings me to shout obscenities or doesn't speak to me at all, putting the phone down when I call saying I'm at his to pick up the kids, not even acknowledging that he's heard me. But the kids are excited to give him something that's personal. so it's worth it.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Hi LL, so sorry to hear about your Grandpa, but what a lovely way to go, hope you understand.

Good luck until payday and sounds like you are doing brilliantly. Hope you manage to stay off the ciggies.

Best wishes Tilly

lobbyludd

thanks for your lovely comment tilly, and yes I understand, it is what I would hope for , a cu of tea and a chat, watching my favorite thing on TV in a comfy chair and drifting off the mortal coil. Dad is less distraught now, brother has gone to stay with him and step-mum, family and friends all lovely and rallying round.

this months grocery budget all spent now, but should have no problem stretching food til friday, have plenty of food.

need to buy worming drops for cats tomorrow, and pick up a prescription for me.

ebay stff has all sold, nearly £180 in total! Understand a fair whack of that will go on fees etc, but that very nearly covers what I paid for the items originally and most of them I've used for years/were left over unwanted bits from bundles containing things I did want. travel to funeral will cost £70 ish, so this will moere than cover that.

today I have taken down christmas tree (finally), repainted the wall behind where the tree was and tuched up where some red wine was knocked onto the WHITE wall staining it blue!, planted my allium bulbs and anenomes (late but hey ho), cleared the cat-poo from the garden (UGGHH!) finished DS's hot water bottle cover (he's 8 and is ridiculously pleased with it - bless). Chicken soup for lunch tomorrow is cooking, children are in the bath, andwashing their hair, washing is done. I am going to start making the kitchen curtain this evening and measure for the lounge curtains before back to the grind-stone tomorrow.

swag bucks and some daily clicks done and 2 VO surveys this weekend

2 days holiday left until the end of the year, goal is definitely to cut down hours next year