Ultimate Challenge. 457 days / £16600!!!

Stickles

Thanks liltdiddy, I have a day off on Friday so hoping to do a big budget work out. Downfall is all of the above hahaha! DEFINATELY need to stop on magazines, especially when I'm so addicted to pinterest! As for the chocolate bar- there is no say that a big one would be split up and saved nom nom nom. Big *problem* is that oh is a chef and I don't cook really (it's for the good of mankind) which is amazing, BUT he is very particular about ingredients and uses lots of them! He is good when it comes to basics ranges actually but I'm hoping to make it a challenge to use things up and see what he can do which I think will help.

Watch this space for a siggy, hopefully I can do a Soa too for you all to play with! Quick question though- should I include both our debts as mine is likely to be paid quicker. We have separate accounts but joint money if that makes sense, we both have access to each others money but want to avoid paper linking because he had a big load of late payments.

startingtogetoutofdebt

I've been offline for a couple of days, coming to terms with xmas cash shortfall and setting up spreadsheets for budget for the next few months, long time spent agonising on how much money to allow for xmas spending along with everything else but I think i've got it sorted -maybe????!!!!!.

I'm looking forward to catching up on all the posts i've missed over the last few days while the kids are asleep later.

I've been trying the Martin Lewis downshift challenge with my shopping - sainsburys own brand beans for tea last night instead of Heniz and they were actually ok. Kids have got tesco own brand fishfingers with tesco everday value chips for tea and they seem to be going down alright. Fishfingers fell apart a bit in the pan and probably would have been better off cooked in the oven but as they were over a£1 less than birds eye I can't complain.

Did a bit of shopping in Aldi as well - little boxes of apple juice 90p for 6 instead of £1.69 at Tesco!!! Am loving the new me looking at prices instead of just chucking stuff in the trolley - shopping trips taking twice as long though but figure a bit of extra time is worth the money saved.

I'm sure I'm way behind most of you catching onto this but am new to tackling debts and I'm just beginning to wake up to the amount of money I've wasted over the 12 years since I left home. I think I could have been mortgage free before now if I'd been careful with my money instead of treading in deep water of debt!!!

A letter arrived from Mint today with lots of threatening language in it which was a bit scary on first reading but having sat down and read what it actually says its just agree to accept my DMP offer - why they can't just say that I have no idea. I'm sure its just to scare people into paying up more money - which I certainly don't have so the letter has been filed in my paperwork and will not waste any more of my day worrying about it.

Rambling as I'm tired and a little bit hungry so I'm going to get off and have some tea so that I can settle down later and catch up with everything I've missed while head has been in spreadsheet land.

StGood:D

Doodles152

Have just spent the last couple of days reading through all your diary. You are such an inspiration and so determined. Well done.
I'm one of them people that have debts but can afford them so don't do anything about getting rid of them, but you have definetly inspired me to do something about my debts so thank you.
Keep it up and I look forward to following your story further

liltdiddylilt

Aha! Hey Stickles!! Good on you for being honest. I spend my life on the daily mail site and I am not the slightest bit interested in celebrities really. Just can't stop. At least it is free!! Try and cut back a bit on each. Make a note of the times you have NOT bought something and see what you have saved at the end of the week maybe it will encourage you to not do it so much!!

LOL at your OH. I don't tend to use packet mixes etc or add to them myself from ingredients in my cupboards and I can sympathise. Individual ingredients seem to cost more but they last so much longer!!

Watching out for your sig. As for the SOA, post it into a thread of your own so that you get wider feedback on it that just us lot, though do let us know when it is up so we can comment!!

I would say the best thing you can do is treat it as you the individual and your own debts. But you need to think sensibly about what sort of money you put into bill payments etc. I.e. my OH earns a fraction of what I earn and all of our bills bar his mobile come out of my account. Really his money tends to pay one offs but if you pay half towards some, only mark down half etc etc.

UnaidedSpud

Evening all!

Quick update on our money saving!

Did out online sainsburys shop and used our £15 off if you spend over £50 voucher, also had a nectar app offer for 2400 bonus points if I spend over £60 which I opted in for which is worth £12 but this was our main shop for the month and just some fresh bits to get in the week. Hopin to reduce our shopping by at least £50 this month.

Also done our life insurance making use of the quidco offer on confused for £100 cash back when we take out our policy which will pay for the first year although not for at least 6 months but also as its confused.com we got to claim our 1000 nectar points for taking that out which all helps!

Anyway be good all

liltdiddylilt

Hey StGood & Spud!!!

StGood well done on your xmas budget and downshifting. My OH has no tastebuds so he is happy to eat value everything I am a bit more fussy but to be honest I don't mind beans and things like that. LOVE everyday value range. They have giant giant bags of rice and pasta the biscuits are lovely too!

Spud well done on the Sainsburys shop. It is worth it if you get that much money off and so many nectar points. I tend to do 1 big shop, and 2-3 smaller ones a month. Always online! Last month I did my big shop with Ocado & as it was my first shop managed to get £20 off £80 spend. Did it via moneysupermarket (SO clever!) and saved a fortune... got tonnes of food, delivered to the door & an email from moneysupermarket a couple of days ago offering to pay my next delivery charge on an online shop if I go through them again. Well recommended! (I also got my friend Ocado vouchers for signing up with her referral code - I asked for it in true MSE fashion )

Off to bed now, work in the morning followed by a mad dash home to swap the baby with OH so he can go to work.

Night all xx

Happytogetdebtfree

Good evening ladies and men its payday and its below average but still a nice surplus im hoping to carry £500 to savings so that i can chuck it at a negative wealth yippeee. Oh is definatley getting his bonus YIPPEEEEE should be 2-6 weeks but it will make a significant difference to our monthly outgoings and our negative wealth so im of course wishing time away. Catch up tomorrow good night xx

Siouxsie32

Good morning fellow DFWs :wave: I don't suppose any of you are nutty enough to be up at this ridiculous hour to keep me company? Sensible! It's payday and I was awake to check my bank account just after midnight and I'm on a roll now - spreadsheets, transfers, Oyster top ups. You name it, I've spend the last few hours doing it! I am READY for DDD-Day!!! My budget's a bit short and when I calculate everything I'm entering the month 75p short :rotfl: I'll have made that up in no time but a) that doesn't include Christmas present buying and b) I aim to pay off my Santander Loan this month, which is currently sitting at £520! So, I need to find somewhere in the region of £600 (and 75p!) in the next 33 days. Sit back and watch people, you know I can do it!

Happy, fab news about OH's bonus! You go girl with those savings - the negative wealth will be gone in no time!

Stickles, great idea to post a SOA. Make sure you give us the link on here (...and watch kat rip it apart! Only joking kat, you have some great ideas. Actually, you have lots of great ideas!) I'm sure between us we could shave a few pounds off your outgoings.

Good job Spud using the supermarket offers to your advantage. I always get offers for money off my next £20 spend - sent because the supermarket people know I never spend £20 and they're trying to get us to spend more money. In this case though you seem to have been on the receiving end of a better deal by playing their game so well done :T

I know I should go to bed but I'm wide awake just now. I'm sure I'll regret this in the morning

Happytogetdebtfree

Wow you were a late owl last night/this morning. Yay to payday I'm sure you will find your 660 & 75 p with sales cutbacks and however else. Yes it's great about oh's bonus. Now it's a case of waiting we have a rough idea of what it could be so I am happy xx

Sholly

http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/thorntons-christmas-giveaway.html

Enjoy!