Mr and Mrs K's New Journey to a Debt Free Life.

heartbreak_star

£18.50 on ink and paper? Where did the days of Bic biros and good old Basildon Bond go?

Seriously, Alex - every time you buy something stupidly overpriced to "cheer yourself up" you get the guilties later and feel worse. You need to stop this.

I do hope you get well soon, illness is demoralising and besides, you're too busy to be ill! I'm a big fan of Berocca (well, its cheapy generic supermarket clone), it really helps when I'm under the weather.

Hurrah on the new pupil though!

HBS x

Mara_uk7

Grrrr @ the ink and paper ! Alex, your light bulb is on the dimmer switch.
Altho ..... and I may let you off just because youre feeling poorly, Sometimes you just need something to cheer you up, Mine would be a 60p bar of chocolate, yours is 18 quids worth of stationery !

Great news on the new pupil, Going rates I hope ?

So glad wee K is enjoying his nursery experience, Its great how bairns are able to make friends so easily, I suppose its unconditional with them.

Have a good day, Its calm, frosty and beautiful up here today, real feel good weather

gallygirl

AlexLK wrote: »

In fact, I too wasted money on a lunch out and bought some green ink and paper that in truth I didn't really need.

Green ink? What are you - an auditor :rotfl:

AlexLK

heartbreak_star wrote: »

£18.50 on ink and paper? Where did the days of Bic biros and good old Basildon Bond go?

Seriously, Alex - every time you buy something stupidly overpriced to "cheer yourself up" you get the guilties later and feel worse. You need to stop this.

I do hope you get well soon, illness is demoralising and besides, you're too busy to be ill! I'm a big fan of Berocca (well, its cheapy generic supermarket clone), it really helps when I'm under the weather.

Hurrah on the new pupil though!

HBS x

:rotfl:

To be honest I didn't feel particularly guilty about this one as it was to write a short report to a couple of pupils parents regarding progress, as they cannot always sit in on the lesson.

Still ill though I do think (hope, more like...) that I will get well soon.

Mara_uk7 wrote: »

Grrrr @ the ink and paper ! Alex, your light bulb is on the dimmer switch.
Altho ..... and I may let you off just because youre feeling poorly, Sometimes you just need something to cheer you up, Mine would be a 60p bar of chocolate, yours is 18 quids worth of stationery !

Great news on the new pupil, Going rates I hope ?

So glad wee K is enjoying his nursery experience, Its great how bairns are able to make friends so easily, I suppose its unconditional with them.

Have a good day, Its calm, frosty and beautiful up here today, real feel good weather

Mara: As said above the stationery is for a purpose.

Yes, going rates indeed, wasn't going to get away with letting him pay any less.

Certainly is interesting, nor do they hold grudges.

It's windy, raining and generally horrible here.

gallygirl wrote: »

Green ink? What are you - an auditor :rotfl:

An eccentric, actually.

heartbreak_star

*harsh hat on*

Get a template and print them off the PC. The stationery may be for a purpose but you're trying to justify buying the extra expensive stuff when you didn't need it.

What's next..."my students wear designer labels so I should do it again"?

Don't start on this slippery slope. I have some parchment I use for certificates for my squad - 100 sheets cost me £4.49.

Behave yourself!

*removes harsh hat*

HBS x

AlexLK

Not having a great day so far today and once again feeling philosophical. (Must be getting better, eh?) I'm meant to be getting a load of paperwork done but can't help wondering what is the point of any of this. After all, we spend our lives striving for bigger and better things only for them to come just as we greedily want more.

Money seems to be such a struggle for my wife and I, yet through being on here, we've seen there are so many people worse off than us that seem to cope a whole lot better. In fact, I have began to review my thoughts on our income being (very) low, perhaps it is not so bad in the grand scheme of things and the problem lies with us.

I am starting to feel at a loss as to how we are going to raise anymore money to pay the debts as once the spare bedroom is cleared, everything else I am rather attached to. As much as I promised Mrs. K. I'd get rid of the pens / watches and just keep three of each, I don't think I can bare to get rid of anymore at this moment in time.

AlexLK

heartbreak_star wrote: »

*harsh hat on*

Get a template and print them off the PC. The stationery may be for a purpose but you're trying to justify buying the extra expensive stuff when you didn't need it.

Yes, you are right.

heartbreak_star wrote: »

next..."my students wear designer labels so I should do it again"?

Never stopped, .

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Don't start on this slippery slope. I have some parchment I use for certificates for my squad - 100 sheets cost me £4.49.

Behave yourself!

*removes harsh hat*

HBS x

Are you a teacher?

This most likely sounds ridiculous but I can tell the difference.

gallygirl

AlexLK wrote: »

I am starting to feel at a loss as to how we are going to raise anymore money to pay the debts as once the spare bedroom is cleared, everything else I am rather attached to. As much as I promised Mrs. K. I'd get rid of the pens / watches and just keep three of each, I don't think I can bare to get rid of anymore at this moment in time.

The question is - what are you more attached to? Pens and watches or Mrs K and Little K?

Is your middle name Gollum? Do you sit and stroke your 'Precious'? Can pens go on exploring walks? Do watches cuddle back?

Goldiegirl

I know a lot of the advice on here for Alex is a 'tough love' kind of thing, but I think you are still doing well.

If you don't mind me saying, Alex, it's apparant you are from a monied background and are used to the finer things in life.

Therefore, it's almost impossible to go almost overnight ( bearing in mind you only started your quest a few weeks ago) to a mentality where everything is cheap and cheerful. And maybe, you'll never get to the point where everything you get is the cheapest - maybe you'll reach a compromise and get middle of the range things, rather than the very finest quality. You'd still be saving money on that strategy, so it's something to think about.

Regarding the pens and things - maybe little and often is the answer, rather than wholesale selling - to me it'd be very tough to get rid of a cherished collection almost overnight. you might not achieve your aims as quickly, but you'd be working towards it by selling maybe one a week.

Re your wifes lunches. When I worked full time, coffee out with the girls at lunchtime was vital for my sanity. However, I only bought coffee - I brought a packed lunch to eat at my desk before I went out. If she only had coffee, that would cut the expenditure a bit.

Just a few thoughts, after all, Rome wasn't built in a day, and if you are in it for the long haul, you need to find a lifestyle that is right for you to maintain a debt free life.

I'd struggle on a very basic life as I like treats, but I live moderately (not basically) most of the time, so I can splash out when I want to.

AlexLK

gallygirl wrote: »

The question is - what are you more attached to? Pens and watches or Mrs K and Little K?

Is your middle name Gollum? Do you sit and stroke your 'Precious'? Can pens go on exploring walks? Do watches cuddle back?

Um, no. :rotfl:. Of course I am more attached to my wife and son, I'm just finding it very difficult to come to terms with having less (in terms of material possessions) than I once had despite getting older in years.

I have in recent years justified my financial situation on the basis that my wife and I have a "very low income", which I'm not sure is truly the case or whether the financial situation has come from my spending habits in relation to the income rather than the income being so low we are in (relative) poverty.