The beginning of the journey to smiles

TripsandSmiles

Total NSD today. OH was working and suggested we go out for dinner after to a lovely looking Italian restaurant we've been wanting to try, but we resisted and cooked with mum instead.

Going to go to the supermarket tomorrow after work. Need stuff for lunch (have tuna for tomorrow) as well as salad and meat for the week. Am hoping to spend no more than £20.

Lunch options for the week:
Tuna, mayo and caper sandwiches
Hunmus and ryvita (already have ryvita)
bananas
crisps
ham & tomato sandwiches

Dinner:
No idea yet. Will see what meat is on offer and go from there. Mum grows vegetables in her allotment and like most mums she has a constant stash of carbs so should only need meat.

Put a few bits on Ebay and applied for 63336 researcher. Fingers crossed for a good result of these.

Also am on the hunt for childrens gifts:
five year old nephew
two year old godson (has a brother so have to get two gifts)
new born neice (has a sister so have to get two gifts although I have this already)
Most of these aren't needed until September but want to get it sorted now so we don't end up panic buying.

cassidy0111

Keep up the good work on getting that Debt Free Date sooner. It is an amazing feeling to owe nothing to no-one.

TripsandSmiles

No matter how many times I stare at my bank account, money doesn't just appear. Oh well, one day maybe :rotfl:

I promised OH an after work drink today, but we went to a bar and we knew the manager so he got them for us. :beer: I do love a freebie.
So with the money I would have spent on that I bought 2 bottles of wine at the supermarket which will last longer than the two drinks would.

Been making small overpayments each day too and have a few bits on Eb'y, which should add up at the end of the month.

Lunch will be paid for by work tomorrow and made enough dinner today to not need to cook tomorrow so am aiming for NSD.

TripsandSmiles

NSD today.

Moments of resistance-
Being early for a training course but instead of buying tea and some sort of breakfast in a cafe, i sat in a park eating my cereal bag that i brought with from home and drinking water.

Lunch was rubbish, but ate it anyway so didn't buy anything.

Picked up OH from station this evening and would normally go to supermarket for dinner treats, but went straight home and ate food prepared by my mum, dessert of chocs already in the house and wine brought yesterday.

This MSE lifestyle is growing on me. X

TripsandSmiles

Very low spend day, with temptations coming at me from all angles!
Could have bought breakfast, lunch and dinner out as well as loads of wine (which used to be normal Friday behaviour) but didn't! Only thing I've spent money on is £10 petrol for mums car (don't pay rent so this is one of the small things i do to help) and £2.70 on parking.

So tired now! Glad its the weekend!

TripsandSmiles

Being in debt can really be isolating. Well, for me it is anyway. I think about it pretty much all the time, and find myself wishing away the days until next pay day. And I think about the small things, like choosing not to buy breakfast this morning, and realise my life isn't so bad. At least it is a choice.

Think I'm going to look into the 1% challenge I've read on other peoples diaries.

TripsandSmiles

1% challenge will commence tomorrow!x

TripsandSmiles

So i've just called for the balance of an OD I was paying off, and I thought I had two months left to pay, but I only had one! So I paid it straight away (£50.57) and I'm one debt down!

HOORAY!

Granted this was the one that had the payment plan on it so was interest free, but I'm happy nonetheless.

Now will concentrate on the CC which has balance of £2102.40 and is 21.9% APR! My credit rating is really rubbish so no chance of swapping to a 0% card.:o

But having debt in two places rather than three is always a good thing right?

KT2802

Just wanted to say well done - must be such a great feeling to have paid something off! Sounds like you are doing well.

I have subscribed - you are great motivation for me. And yes I agree, being in debt can be very isolating. I also seem to spend my time wishing that pay day would hurry up and then when it gets here, the money goes in and then straight back out again so I am back to square one. Payments made to debts but can be depressing when I realise that most of the money I pay towards them goes on interest.

Must keep going with it all though! Well done to you - you're doing so well.

TripsandSmiles

Thank you so much KT2802 for your kind message, I really appreciate it.

Today has been semi productive:

:cool: Cancelled one old credit card - has some student debt on it years ago which was cleared ages ago. I did ask if I could reinstate the card and was promptly - but very politely - told it had a permanent block on it. :rotfl:

:cool: Cancelled the 24 access on our storage unit, and gave them a date when we will be leaving. Saved £3 a week on the 24 access thing. Have about 3 more accounts to close, but all paperwork is in storage so this will have to wait until we've moved.

:cool: Emailed old LL with copies of bills etc to prove we've paid all our bills. REALLY hope this comes through soon, am sick of thinking about it!

:cool: Completed new house budget - looks okay as long as I stick to it. I have budgeted £163 in debt payments and the rest will be found through savings on my day to day budget as there should be room for movement.

:cool: Emailed 63336 to ask when my application will be considered. They responded straight away saying it will be when the demand gets higher. Fingers crossed on this one as a little extra money would be a life saver!

:cool: Did a load of washing, vacuuming and mopping.


Needed petrol in our car today, but OH fronted the bill for this. The car seems to be living on £15 a week, which is a huge saving considering the cost of public transport.

I really can't wait to move - just over a month to go. As much as saving money has been really REALLY good, it will be good to settle into our own routine again. Our new place is walking distance to town too, where we both work, so although have budgeted £20 a month on travel - this will only be for emergency taxi fares and small petrol cost to go and see mum.

Just need to keep my head down and not spend frivolously in the next few weeks as next month is looking a little expensive. :eek: