Debt Free in 2015 - Who's with me?!?!?!?

debtbustingdeb

I started my first spending diary this week. Hard not to spend more than planned when kids are home.

shopping budget £220 (two weeks) (including £60 i get to shop for my disabled cousin hard to separate as i sort most of his food and all his toiletries/cleaners) so only £160 for family of 5. £80/week there that sounds better always feel like my budget is too large.

on friday i went to:

poundland £18.00
iceland £7.50
farmfoods £13.00
Lidl £22.00

total £60.50

on sat main shop at Asda after discount £130.00

Total spend £190.50

Have £29.50:eek: left to top up on fresh fruit/veg, milk/bread and fresh stuff for packed lunch next week.
Bound to need some bread mid week but have all my meals planned for next two weeks:T

£29.50 going in my shopping purse hoping it's still above £20 by the weekend.

miss_empty_piggy

it's very quiet on here. Have just updated my signature, and although it's not much it's a start which (in the words of the advert) FEELS EPIC!

296.33 / 18,365.73

Just being in control and know exactly what's what feels good.
come on Nina, sing it with me girl...."birds flying high you know how I feel, sun in the sky you know how I feel.........."

castlelough

Hi MissEmptyPiggy!

Welcome back and it's great to see you so motivated! You CAN do this!!! :-) :-)
Everyone gets there in their own way and in their own time when they are ready - the loan sounds like it is really working for you!

Waves to everyone else xx

miss_empty_piggy

castlelough wrote: »

Hi MissEmptyPiggy!

Welcome back and it's great to see you so motivated! You CAN do this!!! :-) :-)
Everyone gets there in their own way and in their own time when they are ready - the loan sounds like it is really working for you!

Waves to everyone else xx

Thanks Castlelough, it is working. Am so motivated and it really helps having this forum to share and feel supported. Couldn't do it without you guys. :beer:

debtbustingdeb

Well weekends here and just about have £20 left for shopping.
£10 mainly went on bread milk and t/rolls (omg do they eat them in my house).
Going to Asda later and have made it up to £27(£30 to spend before discount:j) so will write a list and make sure i don't go over. Still have enough meals for the week but have mother-in-law for dinner tomorrow so need to get a joint of meat. Had planned on BBQ but weather forcast is rain so will keep my burgers/sausages for next w/end.

Will try this again next fri putting my shopping money in separate purse instead of paying by card has helped me keep track. I did deviate from my list at Asda last week so my aim for this week is to plan my meals and try and shop just for those.

Daughter is off on hol for a week next sat so have said she can have £20 back from her housekeep to spend on food to take with her so will adjust my shopping money to recoup it.

the_storm_fisherman

Hi All
apologies for posting on here but I have been a tad busy

my garden is in the process of becoming a full kitchen garden after a late start this year and with a run down veg patch. I have managed to grow strawberries, raspberries ,cucumbers and tomatoes the garden is coming along nicely.:)

The best news I have had this week ,I am to be taken on fulltime at work,with all the fringe benefits that's come from it I.e. holiday pay and sick pay .So from the 1st Oct I am to lose my contractor status :j

But best news of all, Yesterday I had a letter from LLOYDS they have finally agreed to my payment plan from step-change its only took 5 months. As it was a credit card they have gone about it a but funny like . They have incorporated their fees and raised my credit limit and returned account to normal status but I cannot use the card for 6 months then they will review it , but I will not be taking the card back, So no loss there THEN.

castlelough

Well done on your progress at work Stormfisherman! That must be a great relief!:j
I'm also LOVING the sound of your kitchen garden! Good for you! Was it hard work?
I have [STRIKE]quite unproductive [/STRIKE]strawberries and blueberries and just picked up some raspberry plants in Aldi for €2.69 each which will hopefully come into their own next year....I've also potatoes and onions down in the field where we are building our house. Nothing has happened with the house all summer and I couldn't bring myself to go down there, so my veg have been completely abandoned! Still, hopefully there will be something to harvest....I've not tried anything that needs proper minding. What would you recommend for planting coming into the Autumn?

the_storm_fisherman

castlelough wrote: »

Well done on your progress at work Stormfisherman! That must be a great relief!:j
I'm also LOVING the sound of your kitchen garden! Good for you! Was it hard work?
I have [STRIKE]quite unproductive [/STRIKE]strawberries and blueberries and just picked up some raspberry plants in Aldi for €2.69 each which will hopefully come into their own next year....I've also potatoes and onions down in the field where we are building our house. Nothing has happened with the house all summer and I couldn't bring myself to go down there, so my veg have been completely abandoned! Still, hopefully there will be something to harvest....I've not tried anything that needs proper minding. What would you recommend for planting coming into the Autumn?

Hi castlelough

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm just a beginner at all of this gardening lark so not really in a position to advise, but I can pass on what I have been told. that is to not worry to much about this year but start planning and getting the garden ready for next spring.

I have also updated my signature as I now have correct figures for all my debt accounts and hope to clear my debt by the march time of 2015:j
oh well back to tidying out my paper work files and tidy up the house it never ceases to amaze me how 3 adults can generate so much clutter and rubbish .:eek:
PS Weight has been in the doldrums this year as I have not been able to afford to go to slimming world until July but since I have been back I have lost a stone and quarter and I still doing my weekly walks (rambles) at that is cheap hobby apart from the walking boots but at least they only need replacing every 2-3 years .

Newyorkdreams

Hi everyone - sorry not been around much of late, have been getting my knee op (went very well) and now able to get around more which is great. I also hit my first £10, 000 debt paid off today so I am super happy! :T I've still got a long way to go but it's a real positive start and I can keep on the straight and narrow when I see results. I've also been sticking to my healthy eating and nearly achieved my first goal of 1 stone (just 1.5lbs to go!!!) so that's making me feel good too!

On a MS note we went to look for a new sofa because ours is not very comfortable and a bit saggy. I couldn't believe the price of them - the one we were looking at was coming in at over £3000!!!:eek: So....we stepped away, had a serious chat and put it on the back burner. Our sofa doesn't look the best but it will do a few more years! It was decisions like these and going ahead without thinking or planning that got us into this mess in the first place! So super proud that we walked away like that! We have some big financial goals in the next 2 years to reach, the first is to become debt free and the other 2 are to start a maternity fund and get the last 25% of our house on mortgage (the housebuilder is a second charge on our property - we have 10 years to take on the extra 25% and I want to do it before my OH starts college next September and we drop to one income) and of cours college will be a big drain too surviving on one income but we will do it!

It's nice to see a few more faces in here, keep up the good work folks!

NYD x

p.s. Another dream of mine will be fulfilled next week - we are off to live our New York Dream!!! and want to add that the whole trip has been paid for by CASH not CREDIT which I am also super chuffed about.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

debtsgottogo

Hi everyone,

Found this thread and as it fits in with our plans to pay off our debt by 2015, I thought I would reply.

A bit of information about me. Our debts have now reached £31413! We have had these debts for a few years now, and always make the minimum payments every month but the balances just do not decrease. My wife has just got a new job and we feel that now is the time to tackle this large amount of debt. We will be pushing it to clear our debts by December 2015 but that is the ultimate aim. I hope to have many more posts with better news over the next couple of years. Our aim is to pay off the smaller debts first regardless of interest rate, as seeing some results will hopefully spur us on.

Thanks,

C