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

AlexLK

Orange_Ena wrote: »

I think the cashback websites are fairly straightforward. I prefer Topcashback now but that one and Quidco offer similiar cashback. You just basically register and search for a company (or merchant) then you see how much cashback they are offering and click through and order as though you had gone direct to the companies website. Sometimes you can get a flat rate cashback or sometimes its just on first orders or on a particular element.

You can get cashback on all sorts of things, like white goods and insurances, or betting shops. I had a horse racing tip not long ago so I went through Topcashback and registered with Paddy Power and they offered £20 cashback on placing a bet of £10. I couldn't lose really. The horse came 2nd but I was £10 up anyway thanks to the cashback. :T Its worth having a look although do remember that you might be able to get something cheaper elsewhere. You just have to weigh up whether getting the cashback makes it a good deal as cashback is not guaranteed. I've been quite lucky personally but I just see it as a bonus.

With the Tilly Tidies, you can just "sweep" the odd few pence (to round it down to the nearest £1) or however much into a separate account. Say for example you currently buy a daily newspaper, if you stopped buying it and read news online, you could "sweep" what you would have spent into a separate account. I personally pay mine off my CC but you could sweep into a savings account and let it mount up and then use it for an extra debt repayment or a family day out or whatever! Just no pens!! :rotfl::D

I wouldn't know what to suggest about your CC's or your sons money. Just do your research and have a good think!




Haha yes, you're quite right gallygirl

The cashback sounds rather complicated, though it's usually Mrs. K. that buys things online so she'd probably know more about it. I do buy things too but it tends to be old stuff on eBay and I don't believe I'm getting cashback for buying people's old pens, car parts, Chesterfield suites and watches, am I?

Tilly Tidies sounds easy enough though.

Really can't face doing the research at the moment. I've got a boring day in today. Wednesday is the mid-week day off work which usually means I'm out doing something that costs money, not today though.

AlexLK

bess1234 wrote: »

I think there will be lots of choices, and financial tricks to learn, which is all good, but also overwhelming.
what is your target for this month? Something simple. Probably sticking to the budget you have set, and being answerable for anything that involved failing to stick to the budget. have you a way of keeping track of the money? From jam jars to spreadsheets there is a way to suit you. My first budget didn't work cos I didn't really know what I spent, so maybe a thorough analysis this month, might help you adjust next budget.

And do you have an income target? Is that what the first pen pictures are for? Write down your target and what it's going to be used for. Make it a fairly easy stretch from where you are now. You need some successes before your money saving muscles get strong enough to take the bad months.


It might take a few months of tinkering to get it running smoothly, and that is ok, and that is normal.Don't give up when you realise you've forgotten to budget something . It's all a learning curve. It's took me a couple of years of reading everything on this site and constantly changing my ways and my budget schemes, to get to the point where I don't need to constantly check myself, because I know where my money is. But this is a new thing, and I might just go and check in case I'm wrong lol:rotfl: but it is a weird feeling having money left at the end of the month. And knowing everything is paid and budgeted for including the next holiday. I actually couldn't spend it. It was that weird, just stood there with my mouth open staring at it. Then put it under the mattress just in case:rotfl::rotfl: I bet you could of spent it for me.

Ps last bit cos I know this is too long, your diary is a bit addictive, emptying your sons pot of gold could be your last option- when the roof literally or metaphorically caves in. Your a long way off that, because you are starting to deal with it early enough

It is very overwhelming, I have never tried to live to a budget before and it's much more difficult than I first thought.

We are keeping a track of the money through this diary and on an excel workbook.

My income target is £1300 this month. I've got a chair with a definite £100 profit and two children of friends coming for trial music lessons - one this evening! I'm not overly worried about that. We will also keep track by doing a beginning of the month predicted SOA and an end of the month actual SOA. I cannot even imagine having money left over at the end of the month . Fingers crossed that will happen for the first time this month!

Yes, my diary is becoming a bit of an addiction. Better than spending money that I don't have on luxury goods I don't need though, eh? I also hope my readers enjoy it too.

wegle

AlexLK wrote: »

Thank you, we are trying, though I don't know how people managed these spend free days? I've not been buying things for me but already spent £26.18 today.

I find the easiest way to have no spend days is to just leave my wallet at home. And also to remember everything I need is allocated in my SOA so anything extra I'm likely to spend on is a WANT and not a NEED. I should probably clarify that my definition of a spend free day may be slightly different from others, it refers only to my personal money, our joint expenses for bills/rent/groceries/petrol do not count as they are all paid for from our joint account. It refers to just my money. I've just done 2 no spend days in a row, and today would be one as well if I didn't have to go to the hospital and pay for parking. :mad:

heartbreak_star

AlexLK wrote: »

To be honest Mrs. K. is at work when most of these things happen now, she will definitely be at work come 1st October when she goes back full time.

Thank you, we are trying, though I don't know how people managed these spend free days? I've not been buying things for me but already spent £26.18 today.

What did you spend the money on? Can you use that shiny new diary mentioned earlier to keep a spend diary - a track of where EVERY PENNY goes, even 50p for some crisps?

EDIT - you bought the new diary for you :P

It really helped me realise where I was haemorrhaging money a year or so ago

HBS x

AlexLK

wegle wrote: »

I find the easiest way to have no spend days is to just leave my wallet at home. And also to remember everything I need is allocated in my SOA so anything extra I'm likely to spend on is a WANT and not a NEED. I should probably clarify that my definition of a spend free day may be slightly different from others, it refers only to my personal money, our joint expenses for bills/rent/groceries/petrol do not count as they are all paid for from our joint account. It refers to just my money. I've just done 2 no spend days in a row, and today would be one as well if I didn't have to go to the hospital and pay for parking. :mad:

Mrs. K. and I don't have any "my" money and "her" money. The only "my" money I had was the aforementioned credit cards and that wasn't exactly "my" money to begin with.

AlexLK

heartbreak_star wrote: »

What did you spend the money on? Can you use that shiny new diary mentioned earlier to keep a spend diary - a track of where EVERY PENNY goes, even 50p for some crisps?

EDIT - you bought the new diary for you :P

It really helped me realise where I was haemorrhaging money a year or so ago

HBS x

Today money has been spent on:
£20.00 Petrol
£6.18 Bakers / Butchers

No diaries have been bought today, thus far. However, I am about to head out to the post office - yes I'm walking again, not spending any money as it's for business.

heartbreak_star

Have a go with the spending diary, it's a useful tool...if nothing else I wouldn't buy stuff because I couldn't be bothered to write it down

HBS x

bess1234_2

Lol no I meant I'm getting addicted, in order to avoid e baying ! Damn, going now

gallygirl

AlexLK wrote: »

BTW: I see you are into BTLs? My parents are into those (though they are all paid for now), they've got 12 which are funding them through retirement. It was something I hoped to eventually get into but probably not going to happen now I've wrecked my credit score.

Don't give up on the idea, your credit score will be repaired one day .

12 - wow. Would they like to adopt me :rotfl:. We live where houseprices (and rent!) are very low and we will be retiring in 3 years on the income from 4, all being well. I'm cheap to run . Mr GG will also have a v good pension but until it's in his hands he won't believe it, I'll have to wait longer for my smaller sums. Lived frugally for so long and save/pay off a lot every month so I'll actually have more disposable income when we retire!

Iwillsucceed_2

Hello Alex!

I think there is a lot of money to be made out of what you are passionate about, music?
I bet, most of the people in your circle and the village people desire their kids to be skilful at least in one musical instrument and at least another foreign language :-)

Regards,