If it's not making you smile, it's not worthwhile

FrankieM

I've been on here for years.

I've been in differing stages of debt and I've got to the point where I've really had enough!

Once upon a time I planned to be debt and mortgage free by the time I was 40. I'm 40 next year and that's not going to happen.

I'm determined to pay our credit debt off (or as much as possible) by the end of next year.

I'm currently doing a degree that I finish in September this year and then I'll be job hunting. Until then it's minimum payments with the odd bit of something extra where I can.

So, while I'm starting today, I don't get paid until Tuesday. There is currently £7.00 in my account and I'm finishing the last bits of food from the fridge, freezer and cupboards. I'm quite enjoying it.
I do need to buy some dog food. Other than that I'm hoping to make do.

My first card to hit is T3sco. I'll update the total later.

But for now...it starts here!

FrankieM

So, tonight's store cupboard delight is chicken, chickpea and spinach curry. Served with couscous or rice.

It smells lovely, hopefully it will taste yummy too.

Tomorrow I'm hoping either make some chocolate concrete or some flapjack. I'm really hoping for both so that there will be something I can serve for pudding on Sunday 'cause there is nothing in the freezer for that!

I've also just let the husband know that we will be doing his expenses tomorrow as well. He's not too impressed but needs must.

Hopefully that will mean I will have something to pay off the credit card next week if we buckle down.

FrankieM

So, the husband bought the dog food and some eggs for breakfast and some other things. It saves me some money so that's a good thing.

Unfortunately I mentioned that I wanted to pay the debt off by the end of next year, that wasn't a good thing :eek: No argument ensued but it stressed him out so I won't be doing that again. I will just beaver on behind the scenes.

So a NSD for me. I need to get the beef in the slow cooker for tea tonight and I need to make a start on the expenses. That causes the husband stress too so it looks like I'll be going it alone :cool:

FrankieM

I've had my Tesco statement come through so I've put it in my signature because that's the credit card I'll be working on paying first. It's the one with the lowest balance *sigh* but I've got to start somewhere.

I was given some money by my Mum and Dad and I've decided to pay it off my card. I still have an emergency fund so I feel comfortable doing that.
So, I've updated my figure. It feels good to have paid something off already.

I get paid on the 1st May so minimum payments will start being paid then.

jwil

Good luck

FrankieM

I've still not spent any money out of the 'house' account. I get paid tomorrow and currently have £7.47 in the account so I think I will pay that off my cc.

I've also been given £26 'board' by my daughter and I'll pay that off too.

I've put some pork and veggies in the slowcooker to have with pasta for tea.
Tomorrow's tea and other meals will be stuff put together with what there is left before I go shopping.
I quite like the challenge. It's a bit like ready steady cook.

I made a bit of flapjack yesterday with a small amount of porridge oats that I had and I also made some chocolate concrete so I can fill the children up with that. DH is going to work so he'll be on expenses so I won't have any complaints from him.

FrankieM

I have pretty much got nothing done today, which is a nightmare because I've got exams and assignments to be getting on with.

I have just written out a daily plan which will also fit in housework, exercise and paperwork etc. It will start tomorrow..so still a day gone. Motivation for Uni is slowly creeping out of my life!

Once I've got through the next couple of weeks I will be working out serious ways to make some extra money.

I've got fatclub tonight, it's going to be bad, but another fresh start tomorrow. I love the beginning of a month.

FrankieM

DH has finally headed off to work. I thought he would never leave. Not that he was annoying me or anything but just that I'd expected him to go this morning and I for whatever reason I then struggled to get on with my plans for the day because he didn't go.
I recognise how crazy that sounds, but I can't seem to change it.

I head off to fatclub in an hour. Dinner is in the slowcooker. I've read the blogs that I like to read and my daily plan is set up and organised. Not much to do now except to come up with some money making/saving ideas, so here goes:

• matched betting
• sellbooks
• sell cds
• sell computer games
• sell cassette tapes?

That's all I can think of so far, though I'm wondering about house insurance. I can't decide whether I should just wait till the year finishes as I currently pay by DD. I don't want to lose a years no-claim discount.

So, other things that need to be done that aren't really money focused:

• no-claims proof for car insurance
• copy licence for insurer
• dentist for DD3
• washing
• bedlinen
• take borrowed bedlinen back

There will be more but I can't face too long a list so I'll just get on with those things and add things to my list as I go.

FrankieM

Thought I would just explain how our finances/accounts work at the moment.

We currently have a 'house' account and then personal accounts. A lump sum goes into the 'house' account to cover all household bills. we then each get a sum of personal spends. From that comes all our personal spending on ourselves and our cars etc.
The children get their child benefit to cover there expenses.

Things like holidays etc which haven't been budgeted for are paid with our personal spends. Usually halves, though I often have the money and DH doesn't :cool:

So, debt payments come out of the 'house' account. I did, for a while at the beginning of the year, overpay from my personal account but my personal situation became unstable and so I decided to save the money instead. Unfortunately I'd already put some of the money onto a credit card so I balance transferred it back. Not the wisest move but I felt I needed to at the time.

Things are more stable but now I think, why should I use my personal money? It's not all my debt and no one else is....so I will continue to save my money if I don't spend it.
Who knows, if I manage to save a huge lump sum I may have a change of heart but for now this seems the way to go.

FrankieM

So, part of my moneysaving is probably more aimed at my personal spending than the house spending. I seem to be much better at keeping a close eye on that and I'm currently putting everything into ms money to help keep on track.

As for my personal spending amount, alot of that has gone on food, junk food and so this month I'm going to not spend any money on that. The things I do need to buy from my personal spends are:

• birthday present for my Dad
• flowers for mother's day
• mobile phone
• car insurance DD
• fatclub

That's all I can think of at the moment. Hopefully that won't clear my account and we can also go out and I can save some. That will be more likely if I don't spend money on junk food and I also cut down on the cost of personal toiletries. I'm currently looking at Aldi and their products to be able to do this.

I will write on here daily how I manage.

FrankieM

It's the 1st of the month..yay! I've been busy spending money, but only where I'm supposed to!

I've paid minimum payments on 2 of my cc and I've updated my signature below. I would love to get this card under £4k by the end of the month, so I'm going to have to do some money making to do it.

I've also done my online shop to get delivered tomorrow. I've spent more than my weekly budget but I'm hoping that it will even out by the end of the month.

Apart from that it should be a NSD :j:j