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

AlexLK

7roland8 wrote: »

Cashback sites like TOPCASHBACK or QUIDCO have no real drawbacks - you click through them to get to the site you want - then just purchase in the normal way. Only drawback could be that some sites do not honour what they promise - but most do.

Sunday lunch at mum's sounds lovely - but you are entitled to a Sunday off occasionally surely?

Buying food daily sounds great - would like to do that myself of shops closer - though watch the prices you are paying locally - might be worth comparing prices with Tesco sometimes just to get an idea.

You have come a long way in a short time - try to think of this as a challenge to rise to - rather than a negative scrimping exercise. Its amazing how inventive you will get.

Do topcashback and quidco end up sending lots and lots of spam to your email? I'm still interested but if so I'll set up a separate email address.

We get Sundays off when they go on holiday (which is rather often). Whilst we are very close now, there was a period when we didn't get along well due to ... erm, how I spent the money they gave me. So, yes we all try to make an effort now.

I'll do a comparison when we go to the supermarket next.

That is definitely what we are trying to do and one of the reasons I'm trying out all your tips on here! After all, if you've done it and enjoyed it, you never know we may too.

AlexLK

7roland8 wrote: »

Don't look back and worry about what you did when younger. We have all done things we would like to have done differently - but that is with hindsight and you cannot change it - so now look forward. As someone said - if we had all been careful with our money we'd none of us be posting on here!

I think the reason for SO and not DD is that you have to alter a SO amount - while they can alter the DD - but someone may correct me.

Thank you for that advice. I do need to try and start looking forward.

LOL! I don't suppose we would, I still feel like the "spendaholic" around here.

OK, that makes sense as a Standing Order has to be set up by both parties and amended by both parties, right?

boo2410

AlexLK wrote: »

Thank you for that advice. I do need to try and start looking forward.

LOL! I don't suppose we would, I still feel like the "spendaholic" around here.

OK, that makes sense as a Standing Order has to be set up by both parties and amended by both parties, right?

If you set up a standing order you have full control of the amount you wish to pay and the other party can't change it in any way, with a direct debit they can change everything!!!

gallygirl

AlexLK wrote: »

elvinotintopete: I see what you've done with your username, haha . (If you don't understand this, read this thread ... I like my wine, LOL).

Thanks for that. I only worked out Orange Ena yesterday :rotfl:.

AlexLK wrote: »

It has taken me getting to this age to realise just what a privileged background I came from. Every last penny my parents gave me, I wasted and they then refused to buy me a house / help with a deposit due to my previous carelessness. To say they were angry at the time would be an understatement, neither of them had a particularly wealthy upbringing.

Alex, another task to add to your list:
Read The Millionaire Next Door. About how rich people are living next door to you, driving ordinary cars and wearing dept store clothes whereas those with flash cars and posh pens (;)) are probably in debt . Really interesting on why parents shouldn't give their children money other than for eduction (not living it up while they're there :cool:) and starting a business. Very good on giving your children money to pay for their children's education - the fees are paid for but then they feel ashamed of car/house etc so get further into debt, plus the school trips etc.

LannieDuck

Am I right that your son is 2yo? My daughter has her second birthday this month, so they're pretty close in age. Stop worrying about what you're going to do for his education - it's still 3 years away. And in no way have you messed him up so much that you 'need' to home educate him! From all you've posted, he sounds like a lovely lad.

My DD goes to nursery two afternoons a week, just for socialisation, and loves it. When you have your new SOA up and running, I would see if you can find space in the budget for a small bit of weekly childcare. Perhaps you can find enough from music lessons to make up the cost? Also, would Mrs K be able to claim childcare vouchers from her work? (Mine save me £70/mth on tax.)

Do you or Mrs K have any hobbies locally, and does anyone you know through there have children your son could meet up with sometimes? Alternatively, does Mrs K have any work colleagues she gets along with who have kids? Do you have any friends with children your son's age? (I'm trying to think where else (outside traditional child's activities) you could meet people for your son to play with once a week or so.)

wegle

Alex, don't feel guilty because of my experience. I certainly don't blame those children who at the time made my life hard, they were after all only children. It's their parents that really upset me, they should have known better. I don't really have any contact with those I went to school with but I did a few years ago receive a really nice email from one girl who was awful at school, apologising for her behaviour, so that was nice.

I'm with both Topcashback and Quidco and don't get any emails from either. You can set your email preference in the myaccount section of each. I probably use topcashback more and made about £300 last year, Quidco I only made about £20 from, but I don't use it that often. Best things that I make money from on there are:

*Gas & Electric Switch time
*Broadband renewal/switch time
*Car/Home/Pet Insurance renewal/switch time
*Mobile phone renew time

I also made little bits from the following:

*Airport car parking
*Free insurance comparison searches
*Car Tyres
*Online Grocery Shopping
*Booking an eyetest

All the things are stuff I would be doing online and paying for anyway, so its all bonus money!! Just make sure you don't get swayed by the highest cashback amount for certain things. E.g when I switched my mobile o2 were offering £120 cashback and phones4u £80, but the tariff I could get with phones4u was loads cheaper, so when factored in with the cashback this was the better deal, even though the cashback amount was lower.

Hope you have a great Debt Free day, and maybe a no spend day!! xx

AlexLK

boo2410 wrote: »

If you set up a standing order you have full control of the amount you wish to pay and the other party can't change it in any way, with a direct debit they can change everything!!!

I thought something along those lines may be the case.

AlexLK

gallygirl wrote: »

Thanks for that. I only worked out Orange Ena yesterday :rotfl:.

:rotfl: UR02SLO . (best car registration I've ever seen but equally applies to this.)

gallygirl wrote: »

Alex, another task to add to your list:
Read The Millionaire Next Door. About how rich people are living next door to you, driving ordinary cars and wearing dept store clothes whereas those with flash cars and posh pens (;)) are probably in debt . Really interesting on why parents shouldn't give their children money other than for eduction (not living it up while they're there :cool:) and starting a business. Very good on giving your children money to pay for their children's education - the fees are paid for but then they feel ashamed of car/house etc so get further into debt, plus the school trips etc.

I tried to download that but it didn't work. Honestly, I'm useless with computers.

The thing I can't get my head around are the millionaires that don't spend their money on nice things. Surely, if you've got the cash, you may as well enjoy it?

100% guilty as charged re. the parents. I suppose had their circumstances been different, I wouldn't have been spoiled the way I was. Mind, they were not to know I'd be foolish with their money.

heartbreak_star

Do you think millionaires get to have that title by haemorrhaging money? Look at Michael Carroll, the chav Lotto winner. He enjoyed it...and is back on benefits with nothing now.

Re the private school thing again...to re-iterate it is NOT needed. My parents weren't quite on the breadline but we were never quite comfortably off either - Mum would say "we got by alright". I went to a normal first school, a nearby middle, and a high school that was as rough as a bear's bum. In my year group, we had 2 kids pregnant in year 10, 6 more pregnant in year 11, and 4 in prison - 3 for drug dealing and 1 for GBH.

I liked my schoolwork, ignored all the monkeys in the classes, knuckled down and got good grades. I am now a scientific engineer. Not amazing wages, but a steady job that I enjoy.

If you help your son with his education at home, encourage him with his homework, make him curious and questioning with subjects but respectful to teachers, he will do just as well as he would at private school.

HBS x

AlexLK

LannieDuck wrote: »

Am I right that your son is 2yo? My daughter has her second birthday this month, so they're pretty close in age. Stop worrying about what you're going to do for his education - it's still 3 years away. And in no way have you messed him up so much that you 'need' to home educate him! From all you've posted, he sounds like a lovely lad.

My DD goes to nursery two afternoons a week, just for socialisation, and loves it. When you have your new SOA up and running, I would see if you can find space in the budget for a small bit of weekly childcare. Perhaps you can find enough from music lessons to make up the cost? Also, would Mrs K be able to claim childcare vouchers from her work? (Mine save me £70/mth on tax.)

Do you or Mrs K have any hobbies locally, and does anyone you know through there have children your son could meet up with sometimes? Alternatively, does Mrs K have any work colleagues she gets along with who have kids? Do you have any friends with children your son's age? (I'm trying to think where else (outside traditional child's activities) you could meet people for your son to play with once a week or so.)

Son is 2, has his third birthday in November, so almost a year older than your little girl. Thank you and he is (biased, much?). I just don't want him turning into me, that is all.

The nursery, I think could be a good idea. Will get Mrs. K. to have a word with work.

As for hobbies, apart from a monthly classic car meet we attend; no, not really. I used to have quite a lot of things going on but not anymore. There are a few at work, not something we've thought about before but thank you for the suggestion.