Ultimate Challenge. 457 days / £16600!!!

NinjaSavingKat

Hello Kbarty.. how old are your kids? That's amazing that they want to go again - did you find it hard with them knowing what to do all day..? How long would you do it for the second time around..?

This is what I am afraid of - getting addicted and never coming home.... I too want to find something that can be done online whereby I can work at my own pace although it would still be a hard slog... blogging would be great and I have ideas for that but it would never pay out anything substantial to live on nor would it pay out any time soon. I am working on it though...

Also working on getting rid of all my belongings... the only one I would love to take with me is my cat...but I can't...

How much is your debt? It's not in your signature.. thats the motivation... seeing the amount every time you log in... I can't wait to get this done and start saving.. There will be a new blog for the travel money-savings though...

Welcome along for the ride!!

HOK3Y

NinjaSavingKat wrote: »

Hello HOK3Y.. welcome on board and thank you for the well wishes. I cannot wait to display my "I'm debt free" post on the forum.... although I intend to start another to save straight afterwards...but yes like the bodybuilders in my brothers gym used to say "hit it hard or go home"...:rotfl:

Either £8000 in 8 months, or £10000 in 8 months... I am not sure yet. Depends on how game I am ...:o

Your saving goal is STUPENDOUSLY amazing.. are you seriously aiming for £538,001...? Or am I being totally stupid here...?

Hi! :wave: Yes, I TOTALLY agree with you. You have to aim high which means you have to play hard ball - otherwise you won't get where you really want to be. Which is kinda the story with the savings goal.......and yes you read it right! I was having a crazy moment at work one afternoon doing a bank rec and decided to look up the balance in the main account and set a goal to have more in my own account in ten years time.......so yes, that is the goal but it comes down to the same principle as we apply to the debt: Aim high and play hard ball! We might not quite hit the target but if we're aiming for it and truly focused on it, we will come darn close at the least. If we don't aim for it, we will never have it.

Am I making sense or do I sound like a mad woman?! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

kbarty

Hi NSK,

Thanks for the reply :beer: We travelled in a camper van with my kids who were 11 and 12 (home educated, so no need to worry about school). We just enjoyed as many free options as we could, going for walks, looking round villages. We all loved it really, but we were on a super tight budget (too tight really), would have been nice to had a bit more frivilous spending! We really thought this was our only chance to do it with kids, so we were prepared to have a tight budget rather than never give it a go. We did 2 months in europe and the rest in the UK. Next time we want to go much further afield to central america, learn spanish and maybe even volunteer a little.

Maybe look into doing some house sitting? We did a fab sit at the beginning of our time in France with a swimming pool and a hot tub Maybe you could get something in Australia which will help settle you back in the country (with added fuzzy friends to love)

One of the best things I did was to set a date and work toward that, once I'd told people (even though I had gone on about travelling all my life and had never done it) it was easier and all seemed to fall in to place. You seem to be quite good with that idea anyway though

Oh and cull, cull, cull your belongings. One of the best things since we came back was the fact that all the things we kept were special and made me smile. Unpacking them has been nice

Signature hasn't been updated in ages, not really been a regular poster on here for quite a while! But I do know what you mean, I should get it changed. Our CC debt is just a smidge over £9k, all on 0% for now excpet one which has just finished. Can't decide if we should pay a fee to transfer it somewhere or if I should just try and get it gone. I really want it all gone in 6 months, by my 35th birthday, but I think it might be a bit too much unless I get work again. DH has his old job back which is good, well paid and gets overtime, but we can't rely on it, so we'll see how it goes! We're just settling into a new house and all the upheaval and bills that brings, but determined to hit the ground running with it all and get it gone so we can get back to saving. We hope to be off again in 18 mths - 2 years, which feels ages away, but I know we can do it because we did it before!:T:T:T:T:T:T

Right off to update my sig....

NinjaSavingKat

HOK3Y and Kbarty you have both just made me smile!!! :j:j:j

Firstly HOK3Y - tell me how on earth you are going to do this? By my calculations in order to get this amount of money in £540,000 in ten years you are looking at savings of £54,000 a year...? Is this possible? I see you are in $ so does that mean USA / Canada / Australia or "Other"... I think you are right though - that's why I am going hard ball now. I will regret not-travelling if I don't do it now but as Kbarty pointed out you are best to do it with no other commitments..

I am being nosey with my questions so if this is not something you want to answer then that's perfectly ok.. I am just dumbfounded by such an amazing amount but if you don't try in life whats the point - no one else is going to give you what you want - you HAVE to go out and get it!

I am eventually (once debt free) going to label all my £ coins... "lunch in Thailand".... "Visa pennies" .. this will keep me extra focused...:rotfl:

Kbarty your trip sounds amazing. I spoke about travel years ago to an old colleague - her parents retired, sold their house, bought a massive SUV and took off around the world. At that time they had been gone for 3 years and were in Columbia. Apparently it was their favourite place... You idea sounds amazing... if this is something your kids want then they need to help you and realise "Mummy needs to work"....seriously you MUST get a job...

Imagine if you live off OH's work, or exist, whatever you want to call it.... you put all your wage towards the debt - scary I know but you have to hit this hard and like you said- get it gone in 6 months..?

Set your date again... and stick to it!! Are you looking for work now?

I am so excited for you.. really and truly... I read a few blogs by people travelling with kids and am trying to tempt my girlfriend and her OH trying it as well... so far my attempts have proven futile...

I have looked at homestays / working on farms for accomodation etc / house-sitting and such like so I think that would be the way forward expecially seeing how expensive Australia is... In keeping with overland travel I was wondering how hard it would be to get to Thailand by railway... But it's all down to how much money I can obtain between then and now....

I am at work as we speak.. I work silly hours hence the debt is disappearing into oblivion... I have made enough to clear the last remaining amount in two payday's....

The TRAVEL PLANNING takes FULL swing.... WHOOP WHOOP!!! :rotfl:

kbarty

yes I'm looking for work again. We've always managed to live on one wage so when we started saving for our travels last year I got a job and that meant all my earnings were just for travelling! That would be the ideal plan again. I did Lionbridge (on the Up your income forum) for 11 months till that ran out, there are other similar roles that I'm going to apply for once we get proper internet installed on Tuesday. A real life job would be handy too, maybe I should make a goal to apply for at least 2 jobs a day next week.

I've set a date already - 15/5/15! It just looked pretty! Might not be doable as my son needs a brace so his health comes first, he has his fitting next week so we'll see how long that might be on for. But I have a date to aim for! And I want to be debt free by the 3rd April 2014, I want to wake up on my birthday knowing I owe no-one and can get started on saving for travelling. That will be the best birthday present! Probably only doable with a job, so yes, I MUST get looking

Totally with you on the aim high front Hok3y. It's amazing how setting a specific goal works, be it a date or an amount. Otherwise you just bumble along. I always said I wanted to travel 'in a few years' but eventually it arrives and you've done nothing cos you were so vague. No more

NinjaSavingKat

Oooh another Aries. I wasn't sure. I am the 5th April!... I want to up my income as well. As much as I can do OT at work, when it's not available I am "scr*wed"... A real time job with good money to cover travel etc as well can be hard - is there good money to be had working online..?

I need to find a niche product that people cannot live without and sell it on Fleabay...

NinjaSavingKat

Oh no!

That familiar itch that took over my life in November 2012 when I intended to embark upon the deft free journey has manifested again. I can feel it building and building within my being desperate to get moving, to do something, to create something new. A challenge that can be expressed and envisioned throughout the next few months of debt-slaying, onwards through Christmas and into the New Year of prosperity and what else but minimalism.

I want rid of my stuff. The stuff I don't need. The birthday cards from friends and family that do not build on their love for me if I keep them nor dissipate if I discard them. But they do clutter my space, and me.

You know how they say you think bigger in a room with very high ceilings, or when you are outdoors. It's the same with clutter. How many of you have though to clear the rooms / cupboards / sheds within your home when you embarked on money-saving, possibly just to find some pennies but realised you liked seeing things leave and never come back and were ashamed at the tat you have accumulated over the years..?

I am just itching to go home. I don't have to work late tomorrow. I will be clearing / shredding / stacking and making some monumentous decisions.

• I put clothes in bags for the charity shop ages ago. I haven't missed any of them. They will go.
• I have a very large chest, like an old skool travellers chest with cushions piled on top that I don't use or need - pillows as well. They will go.
• I have a beautiful pair of Loblan cowboy boots that I never wear. They will go.
• I have a vintage suit that is WAY too tight. That will go.
• I have shoes I never wear. They will go.
• Drawers of "papers and stationary" that need cleaing out.
• Handbags that aren't used. They will go.

I just want to go home now and clear the lot out...

Anyone else want rid of the tat in their house...?

I want to do this before the New Year...

his_missus

Kat,

It seems no matter how ruthless I am, within months there is more junk in my house. I have no idea where it comes from or how it gets there!

I think part of my problem is I need to find a home for everything. The only thing I'm organised with is the paperwork.

Tonight, I intend to tackle the room we call The Retreat. It's supposed to be a spare bedroom come second lounge...really it's just where all the homeless junk retreats

NinjaSavingKat

HM - Are you gonna try and sell some or charity shop the lot of it?

his_missus

NinjaSavingKat wrote: »

HM - Are you gonna try and sell some or charity shop the lot of it?

Probably just charity shop what we don't need/want/use. There'll be nothing of great value to make it worth the effort/cost it takes to sell online and the weather's getting a bit chilly for early Sunday mornings carbooting

A lot of the junk is my crafting stuff which is currently living in carrier bags. I need to invest in some sort of storage for it all.