Ultimate Challenge. 457 days / £16600!!!

duesouthtwin2

Hello everyone. hope you are all well? Not so good with computers so I may not post that much by pure imcompetence lol . Spent some lovely time with Kat this week watching her cook -and then I scoffed the tasty results. Lovely! Inspired to really improve my skills in cooking so will get planning, budgeting etc. Purchased food today -all yellow stickers which was good. Have saved all money reclaimed from bills etc I overpaid too. Exhausted from work but pleased to be working the double time over bank holiday. I turn 30 on tuesday. Argh! Pay day after that though so I can concentrate on squirelling away that first £400. One step at a time. I need to figure out the best current accounts/Isa's etc in June as well as budgeting etc. Steep learning curve at a time of change! I agree with Kat definately ; sooo looking forward to not worrying about pay day, feeling in control, know where the £ went and what I am doing with future £. Really grateful to have a job in these times too. A friend just got made redundant -and has a lot of debt, Mortgage, car loan etc. Eeeek! Have a lovely bank holiday everyone. Enjoy the little sunshine that we have! DST

NinjaSavingKat

Well now... don't you just love it when you lose a post! GRR!! So I shall start again...

DST super impressed with your yellow sticker purchases. Might make my way to your tesco tonight and see what I can see..

Am currently at work and will be until 1500 but the day has started all bright and breezy with me losing my make-up bag only to find it in my actual rucksack when I got to work - thrillings that was..

Made a list of my left over food.... (stop laughing)

2 eggs
3 veggie sausages
4 frozen pitta
3 portions of red lentil soup
1/2 white onion
1 red onion
A lot of red lentils
5 slices of granary bread
and a partridge in a pear tree
4 wilting spring onions
Wilting salad leaves
300g quinoa
Sultanas
A lot of flour
100g tesco Everyday Value Milk Chocolate
A lot of sugar...

So it works out something like this..

Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday Breakfast = Rice Pudding with Sultanas
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday Lunch = Soup and pitta.
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday Dinner = Quinoa ith lemon and onions / Wilted salad / 1 egg on two days / bread and butter
Snack = left over muffins / and easybake butter biscuits dipped in chocolate padded with a little butter and milk to stretch it..


I might make a stop at the local 24 Hour mr T's for veggie bits later this evening around 2200... not sure about anyone else but do you get anxious approaching the yellow sticker area. I can barely wait for the stupid train doors to open... getting in there is worse. I want to elbow the grannies outta my way... trample kiddies underfoot and rugby tackle anyone approaching that mushy reduced broccoli before me....anyone else..? Just me then... :rotfl::rotfl:..seriously wish I was kidding but I feel I am missing out otherwise..

So I am heading home straight after work - I need to put washing on, cook and bake...

Whats everyone else up too..??

Siouxsie32

Gosh lilt, what a painful story. I'm quite close to my sister (although our lives couldn't be more different) and couldn't imagine her not being there. Well done for accepting what has happened and still wanting to involve her in your and jellytot's lives.

Kat, I found a recipe for Cajun Black Bean and Sweet Potato burgers last night and can't tell you how excited I was. I have two sweet potatoes in my fridge (been there about a month for soup making purposes that I never got round to) so my ambitious plan for today is to make some and try a recipe for muffins (I don't actually think I've ever baked before...should be fun!). I also have quite a decent stockpile of things in my kitchen cupboards but, with £9.92 left in the shopping budget and a need for washing powder, I'm waiting patiently for the supermarket to open (stupid Sunday trading hours) so I can stock up on what I need. Cajun Black Bean and Sweet potato burgers with broccoli and a little rice for dinner - can't wait til dinner time

I was overcharged by 25p for red peppers in the supermarket last week so went to Customer Service and got back double the difference. Then, I dropped an email to the head office and got an email offering me 100 Clubcard points for my inconvenience - hurrah, almost free peppers!!

So, Kat style, here's what's in my kitchen...
2 sweet potatoes
500g soya yoghurt
2 litres Almond milk
3 tins of kidney beans
2 tins of chickpeas
2 tins of baked beans
6 tins of tomatoes
2 tins coconut milk
Brown rice
Porridge
200g dried brown lentils
400ish g dried red lentils
Flaxseeds
Dried dates
Sultanas
Marmite
Peanut butter
Cocoa powder
Teriyaki sauce
Wholewheat spaghetti
Wholewheat penne
800g Wholewheat flour
and a huge tin of pumpkin puree I bought at Halloween and haven't had time or energy or ideas of what to do with it!

Lots of fun to be had with recipe swapping I think

NinjaSavingKat

Siousxie on a good day this is what I would have in my cupboards! It all looks YUMMY! I have just made myself a herbal tea ( have millions of herbal tea bags desperate to be made ) and saving on the milk. Just had lentil soup and pitta for lunch - surprisingly filling. Can't wait to see what the burgers taste like! I think I might stock up on them again of some sort cause they did good when I was starving!!

My muffins are turning into rock cakes.. good luck! I am going to have a look on MySupermarket for bits to add in case the yellow sticker aisle is empty ..

liltdiddylilt

Oooh Siouxsie your cupboards sound appealing! I wish I could be a veggie.vegan sometimes. My friend cooks the most fantastic food. Unfortunately I just don't have the love for cooking that it seems to require in order to create a fantastic meal! I like banging things into the oven, like a joint of meat/chicken & adding veg & roasties to it. I am actually great at cooking, but incredibly lazy!

To both Kat & Siouxsie... my little sister is a pain in my heart & I think about her every day. My jellytot has a terrible habit of looking like her quite often & that is even more of a hurt. I am incredibly lucky that I have an amazing older sister - I may not see her all of the time as we live quite far apart, but she is very special to me. She has a son, who is 10 & I adore him. My mum always said I would know the difference of loving your own child versus that of my sister, but I can now honestly say, hand on heart, there is nothing in it. Nothing I wouldn't do for both of them. I love them equally.

I am in my bed. I feel horrible. I woke up this morning to a ballooned face again. My eye is barely open, the eyebrow raised in a somewhat quizzical expression whilst the rest of my face gives a good impression of eeyore. NOT a happy bunny. I definitely did not have any artichoke! The pollen count has skyrocketed over the last few days though & my usual reaction to tree pollen is an itchy face & a bit of the snuffles... I think my body is still on high alert & going bonkers at every little thing

Siouxsie... Soup mmmmmmmm!! I'm sure you could make your own version of this...

killerpeaty

Aww Lilt, I'm sorry about your sister. But lil-lilt will never turn out like that, sometimes these things happen, but not to lil-lilt. I'm not sure what else to say.. ._.

My eating habits are pretty bad to be honest, I've been eating too much recently. : /

I err... bought a rug today >.> Sorry guys, this is not very MSE.

Yay for free peppers Siouxsie! If I notice that I've been overcharged after the time, I am not confident enough to bring it up, well done you!

SOrry about your face Lilt! Has your doctor said anything about what he could do?

Kat, are you feeling less tired now?

Shelbi

Hi everyone, I stumbled on this thread over the weekend & wanted to say a massive Thank You guys! You have really inspired me to deal with my debt. I would really like to join the challenge. As it stands I currently have £7827.55 of negative wealth...which was originally around 25k (3years back) racked up on car finance, loan, holidays & frivolous spending *hangs head in shame*

The £7827.55 now consists of : natwest cc £3550.00 barclaycard:£3834.85 bank loan remaining:£392.70 & £50 IOU. I was planning on paying off the natwest cc by the end of this year but you lovely ladies have inspired me that its possible to clear the lot by the end of the year.

It's safe to say I was one of those people who learnt to be comfortable with living in my overdraft, & ignore my debt hoping for a lottery win or something to fix it...not anymore though. I'm proud to say last month I cleared my overdraft. No more sticking my head in the sand, I would really love to my own home & this is my overall goal. I love the fact you guys support each other & hold each other accountable, also you understand his challenge. It certainly makes this journey more fun. sorry about the long message I ramble but I'm done now so if you don't mind I'd really like to join.

NinjaSavingKat

AFTERNOON!

Well hello to Shelbi.. we are indeed a lovely set of ladies! :rotfl:However my self imposed challenge is one for general everyday witterings, finance chatty chat and virtual hugs. I am ruthless and determined and very hard on myself... not everyone here has the 31/12/13 as an end date - BUT if you want to get in here, join with us and aim for the end of the year with me then please do.

Well done for annoucing the debt and making a stand to rid yourself of it.. you will get addicted though! Your debt amounts to about £979 a month..( I am including the end of Decembers pay packet and will allow you to do also...:rotfl:).. can you handle this amount of re-pay? How.. are you an ebayer or an overtimer like me..?

However you wish to tackle this you are more than welcome to join the club!

For you other chickadees.. I would like to send a big HUG to Lilt you poor girl! Does the reaction usually last long..? I can appreciate the lazy cook in you.. there was a time in my life that melted cheese on dorritos with jalapenos and salsa were a staple part of a very easy dinner (addiction)... and I thought nothing to having it 5 nights in a row! :eek:

Peaty - where did you get the rug from? I am contemplating a lovely superking size blanket from Zara Home with my birthday money which would cost me £80.. but then I consider that I really need new bike clothing and need to save save save for that which will be next year and a blanket just doesn't cut the mustard although I might invest in new pyjama's since thats the only place I spend my time outside of work...£3 from Primarni...:)

Speaking of work I am here now until around 2000. Above and beyond my 8 hour days I will be doing another 4 on top for the rest of the week - this amounts to about 38 hours OT for the month although doubled at 76.. suits me fine. Although I did originally panic...

So this month whereby there is no overtime coming in I shall be putting away £400 towards THE LAND LOAN in June.... I am looking at £750 in July and to balance the fact that it HAS to be £620 a month on top of what I am saving from Mumsy and what is taken automatically the month after will have to be £820 in August....

I think if I sit down for too long I may fall asleep. I have another two overtime shifts this weekend so in effect will be working a solid 19 days before a break HOWEVER I have applied for every weekend on OT in June so effectively may end up getting them all...#fingerscrossed

All I can think of is the fire place at home on Christmas day knowing that come New Years Day I will be debt free.. I don't think I will be a happy bunny come December time knowing that I can't go home for a good 10 days because I need one more weekend on double time. I MSUT DO IT ALL NOW...

The problem.. my Dad's birthday in August coincides with a girlfriend heading to Canada for a year - both need equal attention and prices dictate this is over two weeknds at the beginning of August - but if I am not around for the beginning I could miss any OT allocation for the entire rest of the month and beginning of September.. decisions decisions.. oh and I need £80 for the flight!

Need to pray more - it's worked so far..:o

killerpeaty

Hey Shelbi! Massive congrats on your debt busting. I'm loving your ambition!

Kat; I got this rug, nice quality and not too much money. We were in wales for the weekend due to it being my dad's birthday yesterday and mum didn't want to be in the house. Ended up spending £90 on every's food as well...I just won't buy these jeans or this dress which I really want.
Anyway, that dunelm mill and the range are both pretty good for cheap but decent quality homeware, or (sorry for this) go to charity shops in middle-upper class areas, you'd be surprised with what you can get. I found a two bed sofa which is identical to a £500 one in one of the big shops (I forget sorry) which was 175 in BHF f&e.

As for your decision, I would prioritise your friend. Your dad will understand that there's trade offs in life and your friend is probably very nervous and really needs to have some time being needy.

Unicorns

Hey guys,

I have been a little naughty recently as in I have been living for a change spending some of my wages on fun things/clothing, well I have gone without for a few years so was very nice, but I am not debt free yet and this habit needs to change again until I am debt free!

Before I didn't say that I was paying debt that's still joint with the ex which I am now sick of and he is not paying towards, won't go into too much detail. I have seen you guys talking about bank accounts a few pages back, seemed like a good idea, only I get instantly rejected and I officially want my life back!

So I owe (this includes EVERYTHING) approx. £9,170.
My dmp payment as of next month is going from £289pm to £459pm arrghh!! But it is for the greater good

This month alone I have paid off approx. £328 from the joint debts so feel like I am making progress and getting rid of this part alone will make me happy and once its gone have more money to put into my own debts .

Anywho its good to be back... I have been lurking and I'm going to quickly send this before I manage to delete it again! x