Learning to pretend, in a good way

in_need_of_direction

You're now within 4 years of your current Dfd. Yay!

I'm sure with your progress, that will move ever closer

mizmir

Brilliant news about the allotment Suzie! That will be great for saving money and having lots of lovely fresh produce at your fingertips (literally!). We fenced off a little corner of our garden for veg when we moved in (to keep the dogs off it!) and I have to confess that a year on we haven't even dug it over!! It is something to crack on with this year. Will be watching your progress and hopefully picking up some tips too.

Good luck getting those numbers down - I know what you mean about crossing from one "band" into another - it may only be a penny but the numbers look sooo much more manageable. I'm at the top end of the 50s so it will be a long time before I cross a big boundary - but I will be pleased even to see the second number going down! :rotfl:

shaz1963

Hi Suzie, just catching up on your diary and I see you are doing well and still motivated!!!!!! Wish I could say the same haha Im trying hard now to also get on track :-)
Have a nice week xx

Suziebabe

Thanks for your encouragement everyone - it really does help!

So, 3am posting - not quite sure what's going on, since I was blissfully asleep until 2am, when I woke wide awake and haven't managed to get back off to sleep! I've had insomnia on and off for decades, and got used to occasional bouts when I've been worried about something, or ill, but can't really think of anything that's bothering me, maybe it's just my metabolism rebelling from an extended lack of alcohol !:rotfl: Yes, am still on the wagon, and still enjoying it, although I did have a slight red wine craving early Friday night, it soon passed :T:T

Unfortunately, I seem to have lost my EBay mojo - no takers so far on last weekends listings . Think I'll have to go garage-diving to find some more cash-worthy items to sell. Trouble is, it's been about 3 years since I properly sorted out the garage, so it's in a right state, OH's version of putting things in the garage seems to be to pile stuff on any available surface - I need a whole day to empty it and re-stack! Not sure the weathers going to be fit for that tomorrow, so might have a look through my old jewellery to see if there's any odd gold earrings/broken chains I can weigh up to sell, I need to get a move on if I'm going to get extra cash in this month!

Got the key to the allotment site on Friday - unfortunately the stupid weather means it's not going to be fit to do much this weekend :mad: Am going to pick up some seed potatoes this week at Wilco, have been reading some great blogs about "lasagne" gardening that helps get veg beds going quickly, without having to do loads of digging - gotta be worth a try! Unfortunately I'm likely to be away next weekend, so won't get chance to start properly until later in the month, assuming the rain ever let's up. At least the potatoes can be chitting on a windowsill til I can go and make their bed!

Righto, back to bed for me to see if I can get some sleep, otherwise tomorrow will be a write-off!

mfmaybe

Lasagne gardening sounds interesting. What does the pasta look like as it grows :rotfl:

I have also been a bit downheartened about some things that didn't sell but am trying not to take it personally. Still, I'm about £15 better off already so need to keep at it.

Puzzcat

Hi Suzie,
Have read your diary today, you have a lovely writing style and seem determined to beat those debts. Was disappointed that you had not updated since early Feb, hope all is going well and you post again soon.
Puzz

Suziebabe

mfmaybe wrote: »

Lasagne gardening sounds interesting. What does the pasta look like as it grows :rotfl:

Hahaha Mfmaybe - I like it! Actually, we've failed to resist the urge to dig, so the closest I've got to the lasagne gardening principles is lining the bed paths with cardboard ... That way, the weeds are suppressed, the cardboard will rot down, and I can move the beds around once the whole plot's cleared!

Thank you for reading Puzzcat - glad you like my adhoc rambling style, it's just the way the voice in my head talks :rotfl:

So much for weekly updates though! The allotment has taken my regular Sunday morning slot, so I need to find another time - a weekday evening's most likely, I do need to get more organised and use the slivers of time in a day better!

On the debt busting mission, Feb was a repeat of Jan - with another appliance going pop, and the car (again!:mad:), instead of medical expenses - it feels like as fast as I piggybank money it gets spent! It just goes to show how rubbish our budget was before, all of these would have ended up on a credit card in the past, this time at least there is money to cover them, even if I have to top up the piggybank with some of the money I'd planned to go against debt repayment.

So yes the debts went down, but not as much as I'd set as a regular target. I've rolled my DFD forward a month to reflect 2 rubbish months, which made me quite grumpy. I logged on last weekend, and spotted a thread about how people are coping with long journeys to being debt-free, which made me re-assess things, and focus on what we've cleared so far - it pulled me back from a moment of wanting to throw the towel in, and I've updated my total debt countdown spreadsheet with a running total of how much we've cleared, as well as what we've got left to pay.

I'm also on tentahooks to find out what bonus I'll get after working like a maniac - I should know before the end of March, and it gets paid at the end of the month as well. If it's in line with the trends & feedback so far, it should knock a big a couple of thousand off the debts - I can't wait!! But I mustn't get ahead of myself, I'll only get disappointed if it's not a good bonus.

ani*fan

Hi Suziebabe


Just finished reading your diary and wanted to say well done on all your progress so far and thank you for sharing your thoughts. I'm a bit inspired by you! It's so hard at the start when nothing happens as quickly as you want it to, but I'm learning a thing or two myself about persevering and more importantly, having a plan.


I look forward to hearing how you get on.


a*f

Suziebabe

Hello ani*fan! :hello: Thank you so much for posting, I've gone all shy at the thought of being inspiring though - moving swiftly on before I get self-conscious!:D

Huge huge HUGE news this week - I'm getting a good bonus :j:j:j:j !! And a pay rise :j:j:j:j. !!!! I still need to confirm how big a slice the tax man will take, but it should pay a massive chunk of around £5k off the debts ! And the pay rise should give me another £50 a month to add to the debt payment totals, which means I'll comfortably be able to clear £10k off the debt totals this year!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I can't begin to explain how happy I am - it feels like a personal reward for 'keeping the faith' on our debt-busting journey since last summer, as well as feeling fantastic to have got some recognition of all the hard work I've put in at work over the year. I'm also fired up to work my little bottom off for another year, who says money doesn't motivate people I think it also supports the tip I read in someone's post in the debt-free roll of honour, that the biggest difference they made to clearing their debts was through stepping up the effort in their main job.

So! I had my 3rd little drink of the year last week, just to say well done me! And yes, I'm breaking all my rules, but today I'm taking my lovely patient family, who've put up with me moaning, nagging and being away lots, out for Sunday dinner and paying for it on my expenses CC today (yes it's unbudgeted, no I won't pay interest, and for once I'm just going to do it and not worry I'm going back to bad habits!)

Looking forward to updating my signature next week!! Ooo - and my Debt Free Date!

in_need_of_direction

Well done and this isn't about breaking rules. It's about recognising success. Go and enjoy