Conquering Debts Once and For All...

PinotGrigio41

Did that Piece of Lemon Drizzle I sent you never arrive ?!!!:rotfl:

Seriously though, big WOW and Congrats to you re the clearing of the credit card ! I'm so pleased for you !!:j

And hello Piq, you are popping up everywhere, lovely to see you again !!! xx

Box_of_Fluffies

Did that Piece of Lemon Drizzle I sent you never arrive ?!!!

It must have got lost in the post. :rotfl:

Seriously though, big WOW and Congrats to you re the clearing of the credit card ! I'm so pleased for you !!

Thanks. It's a great feeling.

Box_of_Fluffies

So, I've just worked out that we have paid off 1% of our total debts in three months. It doesn't sound like much, but it is actually about $4,500. :D This includes all our 'normal' payments plus any extra cash we've thrown at the debts. If we can keep this up for the rest of the year we'll pay off about $18,000!

Box_of_Fluffies

My diary is three months old today and taking a leaf out of HappyNow’s book, I’ve decided to review where I’m at.

How am I feeling being a debt free wannabe? I’m feeling much more in control of our financial position and both myself and Mr F are thinking about what we spend our money on. We haven’t used our credit card this year, other than the utility bill which has to be paid this way, if I want to pay it in full every month :mad: but I put the money on the credit card first and then pay the bill. So I don’t count this as spending on the credit card.

Progress So far we have paid off 1% of our overall debt. I’m not sure whether I thought this would be more or less than I thought we’d be able to pay off in three months but I’m happy with it.

Challenges I find living in NZ challenging from a financial view point, in that everything is so much more expensive as it has to be imported. Food is way more expensive than in the UK, wages are lower, mortgage interest rates are higher. Housing is not as good as in the UK, fewer homes are insulated (including ours… this is on our agenda to have done asap), there is no central heating and homes are only just starting to be built with double glazing. As a result it costs more to heat the home and keep it warm.

My motivation? My motivation comes from reading other peoples’ diaries and writing my own. I get lots of ideas about ways to save money but also menu and recipe ideas, gardening tips, craft ideas etc. The MSE forum in general is a mine of information. I just wish there were a few more hours in the day so I could keep up with them all. :rotfl:

Best idea. Pots, purses… call them what you like but I love my pots. :heartpuls:grinheart These are my lifeline. By using real and virtual pots I can put money away for all those big and small things that are part of everyday living but that in the past I would have used my credit card for. I’ve finally managed to start an emergency fund.

What does the future hold? More of the same, at least for the next three years. Our DFD (not including the mortgage) currently stands at May 2015. After that we need to throw as much as possible at the mortgage to pay that off as quickly as we can.

PinotGrigio41

Excellent Review Mrs F, and an amazing amount of money to have paid off in such a short space of time. Well Done !

I too wish I had more time to spend on MSE, as I know there is so much more I could learn, but unfortunately there arent enough hours in the day !

I threatened to do my review after Mrs Happys, and now you have done yours, I need to get a move on as we all started at a similar time . My Review will have to be a four month one by the time I get around to it , but I do think its a great idea, and wont it be lovely to read back on it in years to come !?

Well done and Keep up the Good Work !!:T

brizzledfw

Hey Mrs Fluffie and friends:T

You have done SO SO well... I love the idea of a stock take/review. May have to do one too..it's great,you have achieved so much and got some great cake to boot!

Brilliant Mr F is on board too..well done.:beer:

Brizzle

Box_of_Fluffies

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

Excellent Review Mrs F, and an amazing amount of money to have paid off in such a short space of time. Well Done !

I too wish I had more time to spend on MSE, as I know there is so much more I could learn, but unfortunately there arent enough hours in the day !

I threatened to do my review after Mrs Happys, and now you have done yours, I need to get a move on as we all started at a similar time . My Review will have to be a four month one by the time I get around to it , but I do think its a great idea, and wont it be lovely to read back on it in years to come !?

Well done and Keep up the Good Work !!:T

Thanks Pinot. I'm really quite pleased with what we've achieved so far. I recommend writing a review, it makes you think and you realize how far you've come.

Box_of_Fluffies

brizzledfw wrote: »

Hey Mrs Fluffie and friends:T

You have done SO SO well... I love the idea of a stock take/review. May have to do one too..it's great,you have achieved so much and got some great cake to boot!

Brilliant Mr F is on board too..well done.:beer:

Brizzle

As I told Pinot, I can recommend a review. It made me realize how far we've come in a short space of time.

Box_of_Fluffies

It's a bit of a long post today, sorry. I haven't been feeling too good this last couple of days, blocked ears, feeling dizzy and nauseous and spent part of today in bed, a very rare occurrence. Am feeling a little better tonight so fingers crossed I'm back to normal tomorrow... whatever normal is. :rotfl::rotfl:

Anyway, Mr F and I have been looking for an old dustbin to build a worm farm without much success. Yesterday we decided to visit the local dump (tip to you) but they didn't have any but what they do have is a shop. Yes, that's right a shop at the dump (affectionately known as the dump shop). :rotfl: I knew it existed but had never been before. It was like a family outing for some people and had all manner of things, from crockery, door handles, wheelbarrows, panes of glass, old furniture etc. etc. the list is endless.

As I said we didn't find a dustbin but what we did find what an office credenza (cupboard with 3 doors) in excellent condition. We decided to buy it. It cost $40. Last night I put it on trademe and this morning somebody bought it on a Buy Now for $120!!!

Now of course we could have paid the $70 profit off the credit card (the extra $10 went on trademe fees), but instead have bought our first worm farm for $90 (including worms, worm juice and delivery). So effectively we have a worm farm for $20. Bargain and very MSE, don't you think?

HappyNow

Hi Fluff, love the review . It really does help you appreciate how far you've come . And like Pinot says, it will be so good to look back on them further down the line.

I've also 'only' paid off about 1% but when you put it into perspective, for both of us that is actually a very sizeable sum of money in just three months. And our peace of mind has increased by MUCH more than 1%, don't you agree?? I'm with you on the money-pots and the emergency fund too. They take a while to build up, but before long we will be financially self-sufficient without the need for those nasty credit cards!

Congratulations, and here's to the next three months :beer:! x