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

brizzledfw

Well.. what news HOK3Y but it all sounds sensible.. I am with CR on this one. I am PT and so is OH and it makes a real difference. Its not perfect..in fact I want to downsize more as I feel pretty low at the moment but I am with CR in the idea of making a break for it if you know its where your heart truly lies..

Do keep on here though... thats my only condition of allowing you to leave your beloved Yorkshire!

HOK3Y

Aw bless you both C-R and brizzle. I have to admit that my usual perkiness disappeared for a few days - and you can take that as a rather massive understatement. To be honest, I think the only reason I haven't cried in the last 2 days is because I don't have any tears left. Honestly, it has not been good for me. I am still trying to get a grip of myself properly.


Today has proved very interesting indeed.....I took the day off as I am just not up to working at the moment and went out with Mr HOK3Y for lunch in a nearby village. On the way, we spotted a pheasant that was badly injured at the side of the road. So we pulled over and Mr HOK3Y put him out of his misery.......and then brought him home, prepped him and stuck him in the oven! First time I have eaten pheasant (or roadkill for that matter!) and we didn't have to pay a penny for it! Guess it's all good practice for moving Stateside!

brizzledfw

Blimey..haven't see a pheasant plucked at home in about 25 years!! Not sure I could remember how.

Chin up lass...it'll all be fine

cottage_retreatist

haha! I used to pluck and gut grouse when I lived in the countryside!

One YouTube video and away! OH wasn't very impressed i did it on the kitchen floor! but it was cold outside

glad you're feeling a bit better Hoks - i just want to give you massive hugs and take you for a coffee and cake (not very DFW but hey-ho!!)

take care of yourself xxxx

HOK3Y

I'd be delighted to head out for a cuppa and cake so I'm not very MSE either! I don't know what it is about sitting in a nice coffee house enjoying a brew - it's just so much nicer than being at home. We have a lovely Costa here - very cosy and inviting. Sitting in there with hubby, some hot beverages and 2 lemon tarts is an absolute luxury to us but we try to do it a couple of times a month because we just love it so much!


Well, it would seem that the Stateside option is becoming more and more firm as the days go by. Hubby has already applied for 20+ jobs. His dad has agreed to loan him a car and pay his airfare. I can't help but think that if my parents were alive there would be a bit of a counter fight to get us to stay! I jest here because, to be perfect honest, if my mother was alive I wouldn't dream of leaving. I found it so incredibly difficult when I moved Stateside and left them behind in the 90s and I learned quite quickly that missing time with my mother was far too high a price to pay for anything. Unfortunately, I learned it too late. I feel a bit at odds with the whole situation now because I thought that I would slot back into my old life with my friends and my sister when I finally came home but that hasn't been the reality. While I was living abroad, I was always waiting for the day I could move home and pick up where I left off. But the truth is that my friends and my sister have very established lives now and there's not much space to squeeze into. My 2 best friends here I absolutely adore but they have lots going on and I have, well, a lot of baggage that is causing me some serious grief. So I struggle to squeeze into their schedules and then feel bad if I am talking about what is really going on. Okay, I'm moaning again even here! Urg. It's very hard to be perpetually perky when your heart is broken - and the last thing I want to do is lay that at the feet of friends who mean so much to me.


So part of me thinks that a move to the US is likely not a bad idea. Financially it makes more sense by far. Emotionally, well I don't really know. The things I need to change, are not going to change any time soon as they are outside of my control. I can miss my friends when I am an hour away or I can miss them when I am 10 hours away - it's pretty much the same either way. My children are inaccessible to me for the most part whether I am here or there. They will move to the US at some point so at least we will be in the same country. Urg. I am so very conflicted but I think it will be the way this goes.


So, in an attempt not to be such a misery guts, I have been working hard in the apartment and have cleared out a bunch of DVDs to take up to CEX. Not gonna need them Stateside and I am not paying to ship them so I'm off into town to get some cash! Lots of items to Ebay/chuck so we should have extra pennies soon. The car loan has GOT to be paid off before we move. I do not want to be funding any debt when we up sticks and leave.


On a good note, I decided not to fund a full year of car tax given the issues at hand so have saved myself £95 this month!


I hope everyone is having a good weekend and pushing forward.

HOK3Y

Oh how I love my upstairs neighbours.......whenever life gets a little rough, I just listen to them f'ing and blinding at each other and suddenly the world is okay! I've lost count of the arguments and the tears we have been the audience for. At times, we have moved rooms in our own place because it felt intrusive to remain and listen to her cry above us. Today is yet another of these days. In fact, it has been a lot worse recently and I don't really understand how or why people remain in these toxic situations. Thank heavens for Mr HOK3Y! He might be a bit moody sometimes but we just don't fight and I like it that way! Right, I was supposed to go out an hour ago.....I am definitely going now!

HOK3Y

Another Monday morning, another morning of resistance to get out of bed/get dressed/walk to the station/go to work. And yet here I am. Out of bed at least. I am absolutely shattered as I am not sleeping well (pretty much unheard of for me) and haven't had a real good nights sleep in a couple of weeks. Work should be fun as difficult colleague left in a tiz on Friday and is likely to kick up some kind of fuss/problem in the near future in retaliation. Joy.


So no. I am not feeling very positive about my week!


On the flip side, my best friend is coming to see me for a girls day out on Saturday so that is just the best news ever!


Wishing my fellow DFWs a wonderful debt busting Monday!

HOK3Y

Good morning Tuesday! The week is off to a good start in the House of HOK3Y. We have been clearing out cupboards and hiding places to find more stuff to Ebay........which I thought we had completely decimated several times over........and yet stuff just keeps on coming! Made £50 with two buy it now auctions last night and lots more listed. Even more to list tonight when I get home. I have a trolley load of books that Ziffit didn't want so I am taking those to work with me today to see if anyone wants them before I drop them at the charity shop.


Unfortunately, these pennies won't hit the debt as we need to extra money this month to fund some travel to the mainland and prevent us digging into overdrafts to complete it. So, extra cashola is staying in the joint account........and we're going to need more so hopefully Ebay will continue to be kind. Hubby might have a bonus in his pay today so I am waiting to hear on that. It will be well timed if he does.


Don't particularly feel like dragging myself into the office today but that seems to be the way I feel every day and I'm fairly sure I am not alone. At least, once I am there, I do enjoy my job and I have really lovely people around me for the most part. Salaries are being reviewed next month and I am hoping for a hike - even a small one would be better than nothing but I know I am pushing my luck for only being there 8-9 months. If they find out that there's a possibility of me leaving, I think I'll be REALLY pushing my luck!


So no debt busting for me this week unless Ebay hands me £1,000! What do we reckon the odds are?! However, I am due some money at the weekend which will hit the car loan and take it under $9k - that will be awesome. I am acutely aware that I need to have it paid off as fast as I possibly can. Oh Ebay, how I need thee........



......but on another tantalising side note, I have a bite from Sotheby's regarding the auction of a piece of jewellery I have had on consignment for almost 2 years at a rather posh jewellers here. That could prove very, very helpful indeed. Fingers crossed.


Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

HOK3Y

Good morning Wednesday and thank heavens for the middle of the week and hitting the downward slope towards the weekend as of midday. Shattered again this morning having not go to sleep for hours last night and when I finally did, and was sleeping well, my alarm clock went off and it was time to get up........wanted to throw it!


Ack. Anyway, today I have to ask for Tuesday off as Sotheby's have asked me to go down to their offices in London with my ring. So, that's what I am going to do. Fingers crossed it turns into a profitable trip. I think their next jewellery auction is at the end of March so I hope I can get my ring into that one.


Meanwhile, I may have some extra pennies coming my way today to pay off the cc....not a massive amount but still enough to drop the balance a bit. That will feel good! Then, either on Friday or at the weekend, I will be dropping it down under $9k. *HOK3Y rubs hands together with glee* Man I love paying off debt!!! Although, I am going to love increasing my savings more!!!


Hope everyone has a lovely, stress-free day.

HOK3Y

Ummmmmmm. I have some rather amazing news. Which I can barely believe myself. I was going to pick up the ring that I have on consignment as Sotheby's were interested in auctioning it for me. So I called the jewellers who have had the ring since May 2012. And they sold it at the weekend. :eek: I don't know how much I will get from the sale as yet and they are predicting about a 2 month wait for the funds as the new owners have paid a deposit but are paying the balance next month....then there is a 30 day grace period.

Basically, this means that when this money is in my account, I am not only completely debt free but I have money to finally replace my engagement ring AND put into savings. I am so shocked that I don't know whether to sit down and recover or get up and dance.

There is light at the end of the tunnel - and it's not too long a tunnel!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!! :j