Aprils Fool No More!!!

thriftylass

Today should be another SFD, number 12, woohoo. Even cycled to work in the pouring rain in my water proofs looking like a muppet, but I wanted to avoid taking my wallet and having to go to the bank and then spend to get change for the bus. Mind set getting there finally. Running low on milk though (must have a hole in the bottle) and might nip to the shops tomorrow, plus the nursery requested nappies. Started taking my meter reading weekly and the gas is right down after we managed to keep the heating off after the outside temperatures finally reached the plus but leccy is quiet high. Might be the oven as I now always crank it up to the max to get the temperature needed and I cooked a fair bit in the oven last week.

NinjaSavingKat

Good Morning / Afternoon All!

I am raring to go. Been reading more of my book "Make More Money" - it has such good common sense advise in there and fantastic examples of determination paying off, success breeding success. I have decided that I would like to be working for myself in 2014. This year is imperative for debt repayment - next year for work reshuffling. How I intend to do this I don't know - that's what the insuing months are for!

It drums home just how much I need like minded people around me so the revelations of said "friend" over the course of my birthday are a relief more than anything.

I need to start living for me. I need to get what I want (within reason) and I intend to work extremely hard to get it.

Which begs the question - with worry about money encompassing our every thought have any of you thought about where you want to be in 5 years? Made plans to get there etc?

I have been reading some other threads and there is a general assumption that people think they aren't doing enough to pay back debts faster - or it's not happening fast enough. I LOVE that people are thinking like this - it's time to screw over the banks and their interest charges and get rid of any debt but I fear people are being to hard on themselves.

My mum used to say that she was miffed when people went to the Dr for pills to take for an ailment. Then wonder after 2 weeks why the ailment still persists. She said "if they have had an ailment for 7 years why do they assume two weeks of pills will fix it"...

Same goes for debts. You take years creating it - it won't disappear overnight. The way we live now will affect our thinking about money - 6 months of remembering packed lunches will manifest as a daily habit soon. Habits take 6 weeks to change - 6 weeks of conscious thought and it will be ingrained. We are chaning our spending habits now. Soon you won't have to think about it and your mental thoughts will turn to something bigger - saving!

So the little things we do now are so important despite what you may thinkg - cycling to work, packing lunches that are more nutritious, investing in new suits for better jobs, interviews and using Approved Foods...

It will add up. It WILL change your life. YOU WILL SUCCEED!!! You just need to be persistant!

Onwards and Upwards!!

Everhopeful09

Sneaking in to declare that I spent £3.90 on lunch, I'm seeing it as damage limitation as I was in a bad mood and needed cheering up, was either treat myself to lunch or retail therapy which would have proved an expensive option!

EH xx

karmachilovething

Not posted in a few days as not much to report. A few more SFDs, Monday was spendy, but tried to pack everything into that day, so shouldn't need to much for the rest of this week.

And that's about it from me.

Good luck to everybody preparing for interviews, starting new jobs, embarking on sewing projects and "declutering" their friend circles!

Speaking of decluttering I think that might be my task for the coming week. I'm in that "I have nothing to wear" thing in the mornings, which usually means I need to get rid of stuff to allow me to see the wood for the trees.

KC

his_missus

Hello all!

£10.80 top up shop to declare - needed cat food and got some bits for lunches for our weekend away so we don't feel the need to waste money on take-out/cafe food. Need to buy cat litter on the way home, the only thing I prefer from Mr T's.

Seven weeks tomorrow I'll turn 40. This is my debt free date. £1500+ to pay off in 7 weeks sounds a bit daunting but I have 2 pay days before then and my finances are looking optimistic.

As for where I want to be in 5 yrs, Kat, well...once my debt is cleared and we've enjoyed our big holiday in September, we're going to start using the money I would usually spend paying off my debts to get the house how we want it, rather than our original plan of moving. First thing is a new gas fire and to block off the upstairs from downstairs (currently it's openplan and wastes so much heating) Then new windows, doors, a conservatory, bathroom, kitchen and finally a loft conversion. Should be possible over 5 years.

stoplurking

Hi all i think i missed reporting in yesterday. Signature figures updated re SFDs and balances. Thanks for the rousing words Kat, I really need to acknowledge how far I have come even if figures not moving quickly enough!

Re the 5 years, not sure yet exactly where I want to be but if i thought about it before LBM I was looking at paying off CCs using the pension lump sum I will get in 5 years! now, i am still on course to clear them by 31/12/13, and am helping my son along the way as well. Always intended to do that once I had cleared my debts but he needs the help now so I am happy to postpone my DFD slightly ( could have done it by October) in order to do that.

There is one confession - I have had a cheeky look at the mortgage-free boards as I think I will head that way once the CCs are gone, but not deserting the wonderful people on DFW, you are an inspiration, every one of you. I won't be quite so frugal, but will be doing all I can to be MF in 5 years. I quietly hope to move house before then, but resigned to the fact it may not be possible. Credit score will probably never recover in time to get another mortgage, as I am an old bird.

I do hope to have some savings and to have been able to help my sons with house deposits/weddings/babies, should their lives take those paths.
Kat, sorry about your friend, it hurts a lot to realise that people don't care as much as you do. It's a hard lesson, but you seem to have the right perspective on it so well done you. Good luck everyone for more SFDs and debt busting in April. x

Shady2307

Paid off the remainder of my credit card balance today! What an amazing feeling it was to click on the "pay the entire balance" button and all money made on eBay in the last month (that was before the increase in postage charges of course...)

Next challenge is to stay out of the overdraft, this is going to be a really hard one as my wage is just swallowed up into it every month.

stoplurking

Well done Shady, that must be a great feeling. good luck with the overdraft, you can do it.

thriftylass

stoplurking wrote: »

Re the 5 years, not sure yet exactly where I want to be but if i thought about it before LBM I was looking at paying off CCs using the pension lump sum I will get in 5 years! now, i am still on course to clear them by 31/12/13, and am helping my son along the way as well. Always intended to do that once I had cleared my debts but he needs the help now so I am happy to postpone my DFD slightly ( could have done it by October) in order to do that.

I take it your signature is wrong then or do I read it wrong, do you still have about 15k to clear till December this year or a few hundred and the 15k are cleared?


Good luck with your 5 year plan. Would love to be MF. At least with this mortgage we're actually paying it off rather then just interest. I guess my (our) plan is with in the next five years get married (hopefully next year, although still waiting for an engagement ring ), have another child, bring both through nursery and still have money to eat and pay the bills, save for a new kitchen, do the garden up, pay off his car and then start overpaying the mortgage.

NinjaSavingKat

I would expect every person here (only if you wanted to), once debt free (if you want), to leave and head to whatever boards they want contribute to next (althought I would prefer if you didn't)! If you want to clear that Mortgage get to that board (please don't) - if you want to save £2014 in 2014 then head to that board (but stay here too).... there are no qualms about it, when you have met your DFD you have to move on to like minded people...(although I might cry)

EDITED = cause I wanna keep you all to myself!!

Shady - a massive well done to you! It must be a great feeling!! Does this mean you are debt free??