Debt, get ready to kiss your @$$ goodbye!

HOK3Y

Hi hummingbird and thank you so much! I do try very hard to keep myself positive and am mostly successful! By all means do tag along for the ride! x

Well, it has been a good day so far: Today my beautiful son turns 15 and I am a bit gobsmacked by this fact because I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that it has been a decade and a half since he arrived in the world! Anyhooooooooo, he called me as soon as he woke up this morning so that we could set up Skype for him to open the present I sent him. Well, I figured I had done good but he proper wigged out when he opened it!!! He was so chuffed!!! So my chest swelled, my smile couldn't have been wider, and my eyes teared up to see him so happy and almost unbelieving that he finally had something he had wanted for so long. I am also very happy that I was able to use my tax refund to pay for it!

Truly, there is nothing better than genuinely seeing your children happy.

So what else does my Sunday hold in store for me? Well, I'm sitting here watching some Top Gear (awesome!), have some pennies to make with clixsense, a little Christmas shopping to knock out with a quick trip into town, and, of course, roadkill and w/r to find. Best of love and luck to all my fellow DFWs - not much left of November to debt bust and then there is just one more month left of 2013......let's make these last few weeks really count!

cottage_retreatist

Lovely to see you back HOK3Y!!!!!

I'm so glad your son loved your present! And so glad you have returned to the board!! Missed you!

Can't believe it's almost December already! We've been on this debt-busting malarkey for a few months now haven't we?! and you've done so well getting those totals down!!!!!

Can't wait for us to bust these debts through into the new year and debt freedom!!!

Big big hugs xxxxxx

HOK3Y

Hiya C-R! :wave: Yes, next year really will be our year, won't it!? Just think, this will be our last Christmas with debt.....I hadn't realised that before! WOW!!!! How brilliant is that! I'm ready to celebrate sometime in late spring/early summer - how about you C-R? I am soooooo looking forward to being free of this millstone!

HOK3Y

Why is it that !!!!!! happens when you think everything is going swimmingly?! Annoyingly this evening, I have broken the crown completely off one of my teeth and looking at it, I think it is better off being pulled......which is going to mean a denture later on down the line too. Ah poo. But you know what, it could be worse and I have been lucky enough to find almost £60 in vouchers this month which will offset the costs.....can we find something to offset the discomfort?!

Hubby started his second job this weekend and we have just worked out how much extra this will mean in take home pay and I can't complain....it will really help us pay down the debt if he can keep it up for a few months or more. Bless my hubby - he's wonderful.

So we are pushing for a new £100 target for wombled vouchers. We have almost hit £60 and we're only mid month so £100 should give us something to really strive for. Roadkill has been exceptional also this month considering we haven't found anything paper. The debt has not gone down as much as i would have liked but this was due to a high number of birthdays which required gifts and an evening gown but I think it was all handled as well financially as it could have been.

Already looking forward to the end of the month and kissing goodbye to another one and being better off at the end of it than the beginning. Very happy about that. I am truly looking forward to the end of 2013 and knowing I will not end another year in a financial mess. It is going to feel so good and I am going to find a suitable way of ringing in the New Year and our new life. The future is bright my DFWs!!

HOK3Y

I have noticed some very different reactions I have to some of the diaries here. Some I love to read and catch up on, others I find a bit grating. Some of the new posters I try to post something short and encouraging and then there are those newbies that I have to strongly fight an urge to give them a proper ticking off!!! I came across one of these today and I just want to tell her to come back when she was fully awake and aware of her situation. I think this is down to finding it rather irritating to have someone appear here, whine about their bad situation, ask for help, and then say "oops I've been out and bought 6 dresses, and boots, and undies, and......" REALLY??? Go away and come back when you have a grip! I know I should be more understanding but sometimes this just gets my goat!

For the most part, i am proud of myself for not writing anything when I have nothing nice to say but this one really hit a nerve so I figured I'd grumble on my own diary! What the h*ll is wrong with people?!

AlexLK

HOK3Y: Some of us listen and really quite need some encouragement, I was that newbie with the out of control spending habit not so long ago.

We are quite sad to hear your son is not with you on his birthday. However, sounds like he liked his present.

HOK3Y

Alex, if you had shown up and made a post as flippant as the one I read today, I'd likely never have even said hello to you on your diary! You had a lot of battles going on and you have made huge strides in dealing with a lot of those things. Sure you've had the odd backslide but I think you have done marvellously well from your starting point. X

Yes, I am pretty much permanently sad that my son is not with me. He has been the centre of my universe since he was born and it is very hard to navigate my days without my sunshine. It is what it is unfortunately. X

AlexLK

Thank you, I'm continually trying my best but still find things difficult and likely always will. As silly as it sounds posting up a diary has given me something of a conscience in regards to my previously out of control spending. I could not have managed to get where I am without some kind of encouragement.

Is your son still in America? There are odd days Mrs. K. and I would gladly lend you ours. :rotfl:

cottage_retreatist

I agree Hoks! There are some you spend a long time going through their SOA - giving them your and time and (dare i say) knowledge?!! - and then they respond - no, I have to keep that, no we'll do the 100 a month to a holiday, no it's not fair on the kids. I know I don't currently have children but making a sacrifice in the short term far outweighs struggling and misery in the long term and yes - I class debt as misery!! hehe! :D

but hey - people can only help themselves - like my OH! I could drag him kicking and screaming but only since he's really been on board have we been able to see a light at the end of the tunnel!!! :cool:

gosh - debt free by xmas next year HOK3Y!! Do you know - i'm not quite sure how I feel! This debt busting is a real motivator for me at the moment!!! I'll need new targets once we celebrate!!!

Aiming for june/july for debt freedom in 2014 so hopefully we'll 'graduate' together all things going well?!!:beer:

PS - my OH had two fillings/crowns fall out - he now has 2 non-teeth in his mouth (two bottom molars - one on each side!) and we haven't replaced them! hehe!!!! does mean he doesn't like eating cucumber anymore which is a shame but otherwise he's still my handsome man so don't worry - your man might like the gaptooth look? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

hugs (double hugs because you are so strong being without your children)
xxx

HOK3Y

Alex, my son is in mainland Europe but heading to the US probably in the summer.

C-R, debt is definitely misery! Totally agree with you! Which is probably why it feels so good to see it going down! And I have set my insane saving target for when I'm free.....might need to break that down into smaller chunks me thinks.....:D

Plus I already have a gap in my teeth on the other side so I really do need to consider a remedy. I'm pretty bummed and wondering how they are going to get this one out as there doesn't appear enough of it left to grab and pull. :eek: Already hate dentists so this is going to be real helpful on that score I am sure!

But, on a happy note, I remembered a savings account we have in the US!! We can't touch it without penalty until Mr HOK3Y hits retirement age as everything in it is tax free wages but it makes up part of our net worth and so I have added it to our savings total in my signature.....now that feels pretty darn good!

Not a bad kick off to a Monday.....!!! Lots of love and luck to all my fellow DFWs!