Get rid of as much debt as we can before we take out the giant mortgage

banwa

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

Ahh thank you :happyhear you've been missed on the dfw diaries my debt stands at just under £9k now :T we've lowered payments a few times since you were last on here. But DH & myself were under so much pressure to give the creditors every single spare penny (and then some) it was horrible. We're back on track and so is the debt repayments, albeit at a slower rate

p.s my bank account is the exact same as yours! Thanks to a non paying tenant and pay day being 2 weeks away :eek: at least yours is tomorrow :rotfl:

xx

I have read some of your diary but I have missed quite a lot but I read about your decision to loosen the purse strings slightly and carry on living your life. I wholeheartedly agree with this. I don't want to feel like I wasted my 30's not doing anything because I wouldn't spend any money. Hence the decision to move house. We will still meet our obligations and we are all in control more and it will be paid back, but we won't be unhappy doing it.

There are some people on here who have cut out so much and kudos to those who can do it but for me it is sustainable only for so long before I feel there is no joy left.

There should always be joy:D

Knitting_Nora

I don't know, I turn my back for a teenie bit of time and when I turn back you're off buying houses! Fab new diary and all power to your elbow on reducing those debts even more.

Nora.x

banwa

Gosh, haven't posted for a few days and I have quite a lot to say. Nothing particularly interesting, I hasten to add, but I do want to have it all down in black and white




Good Things

• We have been paid
• Account in credit (won't last long)
• Packing going well
• Some progress made on to do list
• Both cats healthy*
• All washing and ironing done**
• Have cleared the high interest balance on the Virgin credit card (it was about £300)
• Have been extremely good in being the 'Frugal Banwas'. No takeaways, no ready meals and no alcohol (yes, that's right, no alcohol)***
• Decluttering/packing progress
• Best of all, we did our full application for the mortgage and got accepted. :j

Bad Things:exclamati

• *Big Cat had a bite on his bottom this week. £43 for vets and antibiotics. Was quite tempted to put this on the good list because when I first saw his sorry face, I thought it was going to be very expensive.
• ** I am sure you all by now how much I hate washing and ironing and it is always an achievement to get on top of it.
• ***£7 McD breakfast yesterday was our only slip up in 6 weeks and that was as a reward for going to see mortgage advisor straight after night shift.
• Have quite a lot to pay out this month, so lower debt payments. This includes van hire, replacement lights and cat flap so I can take my expensive ones when we move. We have paid for the survey on new house too. So I think about £600 will be all we can pay. Still, it all counts

To do

• Paint under guttering outside - done
• Clear out rest of loft
• Paint behind wardrobe in spare room
• Store more stuff/furniture around the county in various friends and family's garages.
• Brace myself for moving in with the parents
• [STRIKE]Take stuff to charity shop [/STRIKE]done
• Post[STRIKE] 2[/STRIKE] 1 gifts 1 done
• [STRIKE]Clean oven[/STRIKE] done
• Paint behind fridge.

banwa

Knitting_Nora wrote: »

I don't know, I turn my back for a teenie bit of time and when I turn back you're off buying houses! Fab new diary and all power to your elbow on reducing those debts even more.

Nora.x

Waaaah, you're back. Where have you been?

I have never heard all power to your elbow before. I am going to use that twice this week:D

banwa

I've just been browsing the debt free diaries. There is a thread there for giving up/cutting down alcohol. I have never really looked at it before, I think because in the past I didn't want to give up or cut down.


But I realised today how far I have come

• At my worst (in horrible stressful job) I was drinking 3 - 4 bottles per week, (I discussed this with one of my ultra fit friends who looked completely dumfounded, so I cut that down.)
• At LBM I was drinking 2.5 bottles of wine per week. (£60 per month - no wonder we were skint)
• During our bad money woes last year I cut that down to 2 bottles of wine per week (one on Fri night, one on Saturday night)
• In January this year I asked myself why I was doing it, and cut down to a bottle, stretched over Friday and Saturday night. I felt so much better.
• And since we decided to move, and have a big push, we have hardly drunk anything at all. I had a drink on May Day, and I had a drink on Eurovision night this month and that's it

And do you know what? I don't even miss it. I don't miss falling asleep early on my weekend nights. Or having a hangover at worst and a dodgy tummy at best. I like that my supermarket shop is 30% cheaper, and I am not bothered if there is no drink in the house. And mysteriously, my IBS has completely disappeared. Funny, that.

Anyway good morning to you lovely readers. It's a beautiful day out there, and I am full of la joie de vivre!:D

banwa

Having a well earned rest after working on the loft for an hour and a half. Had to stop before I melted away to a greasy spot. I wailed to Husband 'do we never throw ANYTHING away?' to which I heard he mutter 'you don't'...

Well, never again. I am going to be Ruthless and Clutter Free in future, oh yes.

Made great progress again though, not a lot left to sort and pack.

Knitting_Nora

banwa wrote: »

Waaaah, you're back. Where have you been?

I have never heard all power to your elbow before. I am going to use that twice this week:D

Hello! I've been doing 'stuff' *maintains air of mystery so no-one realises she'd just been lazy*

It's a great phrase, isn't it? I find it's applicable in so many situations that it's one of my favs.

In other news, congrats on your mortgage application - that's just fab! :T

debtfreewannabe321

evening banwa i'm also being ruthless and selling lots of clutter -i.e my wardrobe which I believe is vintage as i've held onto so much stuff since my teens wonder if I can fetch a higher price cos it's so old lol I've not even made a dent mind you and i've listed over 30 things to sell so far :eek:!!

banwa

Well well it's been over three weeks since I last posted. And so much has happened. It really feels like our luck has started to change.

Good Things since I last posted:)

• To do list all got done
• House sale all went through
• Packing and storing was very stressful but it is done
• Storing all our stuff in friends' and relatives' houses/garages - so free
• Now living with parents
• Mortgage all been accepted post evaluation etc so all looking good
• Structural survey came back with the all clear.
• Did the Great North Swim last friday. 2 miles, 1 hr 23 mins. Now want to do more!
• Equity from house sale covers all fees and deposit for new house
• Mr B has done some sterling work with the financial ombudsmen so has a PPI refund of £5400.
• So have finally cleared the overdraft and my virgin card.
• Current debt is £9766 -plus we have another £1k to decide what to do with, and still the tax rebate to come.
• So all set to have debt at £7k before house sale goes through - yay!

Bad news:exclamati

• We are living with my parents:eek::rotfl:

What a difference a year makes!


Hope everyone else is having good luck too, take care

chevalier

banwa wrote: »

banwa wrote: »

• Mr B has done some sterling work with the financial ombudsmen so has a PPI refund of £5400.
• So have finally cleared the overdraft and my virgin card.
• Current debt is £9766 -plus we have another £1k to decide what to do with, and still the tax rebate to come.
• So all set to have debt at £7k before house sale goes through - yay!

Bad news:exclamati

• We are living with my parents:eek::rotfl:

What a difference a year makes!


Hope everyone else is having good luck too, take care

Hi Banwa well done on getting your debt down so well, and well done to Mr for getting the PPI back.

I can so relate to the bad news being living with your parents. It would drive me nuts too. In fact the last time we were in your position (ie waiting for a house purchase to go through), we stayed with my inlaws :rotfl::rotfl:
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