We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The 44 List and Beyond.........
Options

Cranny44
Posts: 607 Forumite
Well no newbie here but a struggling Debt Free Wannabe 
We were doing ok and the debt was going down slowly but surely until March this year when we lost my Mother in Law after a short illness - was such a shock as she was only 71 and the life and soul of everything and such a kind and generous person.
So much so the church was standing room only and my FIL had over 200 condolence cards, so she has left a huge hole. Since then the spending and weight issues have spiralled out of control, we are now ready to rein things back in big style.
I recently read a book by Mike Gayle called the To Do List - some funny moments in this book and it was obviously about him getting things done and taking control again of things in his life. This has been my inspiration for my list of 44 things, I turned 44 last week and as my username also states 44 - as we live at number 44 I feel the planets are now aligned
and we can get this journey back on track.
I only have OH and DS2 whos 16 at home now and DGD to stay every couple of weeks or so and a big chocolate lab who is 9. We both work full time in relatively safe jobs but not alot of scope for overtime, and DS2 is currently looking for a job for summer but this seems impossible to find and the dog sleeps all day. :rotfl:
I need to do updated spreadsheets - I love to have a few spreadsheets on the go a bit like a comfort blanket for me
for my debts, I have as much as I can on 0% but cant get new credit cards to shuffle as we have so much already open to us - bit of a catch 22 at the moment.
I am half way through paving my garden and so this is going to up the debt abit more but a job that had to be done just now - put it off for 5 years - we put alot of things off here at number 44
So my list i am working on is detailed below some quick jobs some not so quick jobs and plenty of jobs to procrastinate over..

We were doing ok and the debt was going down slowly but surely until March this year when we lost my Mother in Law after a short illness - was such a shock as she was only 71 and the life and soul of everything and such a kind and generous person.

I recently read a book by Mike Gayle called the To Do List - some funny moments in this book and it was obviously about him getting things done and taking control again of things in his life. This has been my inspiration for my list of 44 things, I turned 44 last week and as my username also states 44 - as we live at number 44 I feel the planets are now aligned

I only have OH and DS2 whos 16 at home now and DGD to stay every couple of weeks or so and a big chocolate lab who is 9. We both work full time in relatively safe jobs but not alot of scope for overtime, and DS2 is currently looking for a job for summer but this seems impossible to find and the dog sleeps all day. :rotfl:
I need to do updated spreadsheets - I love to have a few spreadsheets on the go a bit like a comfort blanket for me

I am half way through paving my garden and so this is going to up the debt abit more but a job that had to be done just now - put it off for 5 years - we put alot of things off here at number 44

So my list i am working on is detailed below some quick jobs some not so quick jobs and plenty of jobs to procrastinate over..
The 44 List and Beyond – Thanks to Mike Gayle..
- Over the next year lose 4.4lbs every 44 days
- Make overpayments of £44 per week towards debt mountain
- Try to complete food shopping with average of £44 per week
- Attempt to walk/jog 44 miles every 4 weeks
- Save extra £4.40 per week in xmas / pressie saver
- Watch 44% less TV per week – not sure how to measure this yet or just watch less carp.
- Do an extra 4 cleaning jobs at home a week ie skirting boards, door tops
- Get 44 DIY jobs done in the next 44 weeks – I have tons I can do!!!!
- Read 44 books – I buy tons of books but don’t get round to reading half of them.
- Throw out 44 items of clothing
- Ebay 44 things
- Donate 44 things
- Spend less time online – 44 hours every 4 weeks or less.
- Complete the 4 PS3 games I have almost done but given up on
- Try to spend 44 minutes less a day sitting down.
- Pay off all debt within the next 4 years
- Make a big effort and pay first £4K off over 4 months
- Cut up my 4 credit cards
- and Hubbys 4 credit cards.
- Update diary at least 4 times a week
- Buy the next 44 paving slabs to get garden sorted.
- Eat at least 44 things after I have grown them – I grow things all the time and often don’t eat it.
- Sort out 44 albums to go on ipod for motivation when walking/jogging.
- Eat up 44 things from freezer
- And 44 things from the cupboards before food shopping again
- Do 44 food shops online to cut down temptation to spend more.
- Respond to the last 4 emails from my dad - its complicated and i dont email him back as a rule.
- Walk to or from work 4 times a month or more – I have to use car a lot so could struggle here.
- Canx the insurance I pay on some white goods for £4 per month - its actually £3.75 but near enough.
- Throw out 44 things from my work desk to declutter it - i hoard at work.
- Clear 44 things from the loft – I have no idea whats up there.
- Spend an extra 44 mins a week on finances to keep ontop.
- Throw out/ donate 4 pairs of shoes
- Spend 4 hours a week in the garden in summer months
- Over the next 44 weeks watch 44 DVDS I have never seen that we have in the house already.
- Finish decorating at least 4 rooms in the house (5 need doing)
- Book opticians appointment and get new glasses and donate 4 old pairs.
- Make a start on the first 4 pots of gold for xmas pressies
- Try to enter 44 competitions a day
- Learn to wait 44 days before buying things as I doubt I will want them then.
- Visit family and friends 4 times a month – I rarely do visit anyone.
- Put up the 4 pictures I have sat around.
- Drink an extra 44 litres a month of water.
- Do 44 things from the 44 list.:eek:
Updating .................................................
0
Comments
-
item no 45 ? ....... create 44-hour days so I can do the other 44 things !
Great list and great sense of humour, i'm sure you'll win. I'd give it a go myself but I'm 57 and just cannot face a "To Do" list that long !
I confess to running my life with spreadsheets though.
Linda xx0 -
love your list and attitude! I'm a lurker on here, but just wanted to wish you well, will be subscribing and cheering you on if that's ok and doesn't sound stalkerish?Credit card €7892.36/€ 0
Catalogues €767.52/€ 0
hospital costs €550
wtshtf fund 0/ €2000
#13 1% challenge - 00 -
Thanks for the comments guys.
I am glad my list is only 44 items long as thats long enough but I put a few quickies on so I can cross some off a bit easier i hope.
Well today I didn't get anything off my desk even though I was in the office more than out of it today. But on the plus side I didnt eat as much rubbish as usual and also spent an hour and half outside tonight helping OH in a small way lay some slabs.
It also managed to be a no spend day, and I have also deleted loads of rubbish shows from my sky planner I don't need to waste my life watching!! :T.
So I feel some progress has been made todayUpdating .................................................
0 -
Well today i have just paid another £15.37 off a debt and just found another balance transfer offer for 6.9% for life which i can put up to £3k on i also have a 12 month 0% on another card so guess if i swop this around it will be good for the next 12 months
and still got another 2 cards which may offer me a balance transfer soon i hope.
Managed 1/2 litre of water and have clear several items off my desk and used some old turkey from the freezer on a homemade pizza - so small things going on here.
I have charity bag sorted just waiting on right sort of charity bag through the door - i dont like how some are people just weighing stuff in a claiming to send a % to charity so i read the small print til the right one comes along... we gets loads so hopefully wont be sat at my front door too long.
OH happy today as he managed to acquire some wire to strip - this gives him his pocket money for the effort of stripping the wire and weighing it in.:D. Hes put down loads of paving so hopefully will order another 25 before the weekend.
Also spent an hour in the garden last night planting more veg i will hopefully get round to using.:rotfl:
Friend at work got some inheritance today - lucky begger was more than she thought so she spent the day smiling like a cheshire catthink i would if i was about to bank a £30k cheque...
Just watching a recorded CSI is that trash tv or not.............:o:o
Been reading in bed too so 1/3 of the way through a Maureen Lee novel - bit of a guilty secret these ones but i do like Maureen Lee book:o I tend to read crime books - love Stuart Mcbrides Logan Mcrae series and then usually anything set in the war.
Well more finances to sort.....Updating .................................................
0 -
Well plodding along here not making as much progress in some areas as I would have liked but some things are always going to be slow going round here..
Well managed to read a book so only 43 to go
Have done some painting and glossing in 2 rooms so progress there and bought 50 paving slabs and some gravel today so the garden is making some more progress would have been sooner but can't do much in the pouring rain we had at the weekend.
My older 2 children and granddaughter came on Saturday and my sister came with her grandson so had a nice unexpected family afternoon and my nephews wife also called so had more family time than normal :T
Also streamlined my sky planner a bit more so hopefully I am watching less trash than normal :eek: and most of the things I do watch are coming to the end of their season so trying not to replace them with more :rotfl: easier said than done, as I am now watching reruns of Dr Who, The Tudors and The Likely Lads
The emptying of the freezer is nearly done and most of the cupboards are thinned out so this has been good for eating things up.
I just need to be more proactive with the finances and I will feel better and feel I am getting somewhere.:Updating .................................................
0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 350.8K Banking & Borrowing
- 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.5K Spending & Discounts
- 243.7K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.8K Life & Family
- 257K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards