The march to financial freedom

ragstoricheswannabe

Having a bit of a catch up with diaries.......yonks ago you asked what to do with ice cream as it doesnt get eaten......how about doing coke floats?!?!?! tall glass filled with coke and a dollop of ice cream on the top. When it melts its just like having a vanilla coke. My nan always did this as a treat for me and my brother.

Every one seems to be having turkey curry...sounds yummy! how have you made yours?? im rubbish with curries unless its out of a jar lol.

Ali-OK

mooomin wrote: »

You're a better woman than me! :rotfl:

Ha! Thought I'd get told off by the DFWers if I threw it away. It spurred me on! :rotfl:

Ali-OK

ragstoricheswannabe wrote: »

Having a bit of a catch up with diaries.......yonks ago you asked what to do with ice cream as it doesnt get eaten......how about doing coke floats?!?!?! tall glass filled with coke and a dollop of ice cream on the top. When it melts its just like having a vanilla coke. My nan always did this as a treat for me and my brother.

Every one seems to be having turkey curry...sounds yummy! how have you made yours?? im rubbish with curries unless its out of a jar lol.

Brilliant idea with the coke floats, DS will absolutely love that. Hols treat, he can have as many as he wants to use the ice cream up :rotfl:

I'm lazy with the sauce jars too these days and at 69p in Aldi it's almost as cheap as buying ingredients and doing it from scratch when I consider cost of gas etc. But that's for Indian style curry.

DS says he doesn't like onions, etc, but when I do make it from scratch it's more an 80s chinese style. It's a bit of butter in pan melted, chopped onion cooked, mix in curry powder and some flour. Chicken stock from a cube and same amount of milk goes in, stir in, cook for 10-15 mins. Throw in a few raisins if you fancy. As it's Xmas, a bit of leftover cream makes it even nicer. Throw in the cooked turkey/chicken/other meat, serve when all hot and mixed up :rotfl:

Typically I now fancy curry for tea, but I've got jacket pots in the oven :rotfl:

Ali-OK

A short end of day update - well, short for me :rotfl:

Nectar adpoints - 50 points and only Monday
Canvass - need some new ones!

Back to Plan A with the car and keeping that.

Suggested the coke floats to DS, he said he'd try it - if I go and buy more coke :eek: He's gone through the 2 litre bottle I got in the weekly shop last [STRIKE]Thursday[/STRIKE] Friday already :mad: He can wait!

Duck has been defrosting in the fridge and looking forward to that tomorrow night for dinner.

DS has finished 8 more thank you letters, just 8 more left to go. Quite funny reading them - sort of grown up with some quirky turn of phrase.

Capital mortgage payment set up for Thursday for £694 and new spreadsheet ready for tracking progress.

Must prioritise work stuff tomorrow before I start on the kitchen decluttering. Could be fun with food stuffs out and 2 doglets loitering :rotfl:

Ooh and a NSD today! Yay!

Ali-OK

So I was inadvertently up past midnight and just had to check the online credit card situation

CC 1 - Big Fat Zero :j
New CC 2 - down to £5945 :j

Seems I forgot to cross out Old CC 2 after it was paid on 16th December as well, so that is now done :rotfl:

Sig updated and now I've joined the January Grocery Challenge and the 2014 Crazy Clothes Challenge

Not enough lines to put the mortgage progress on there, unless anyone has any ideas how I can fit more in the sig bit!

Night all

ragstoricheswannabe

Put the crossed out items onto the same line???? The box it gives you looks tiny but the sig goes right across the page. Try doing a sig preview before you upload.

Ali-OK

Thanks for that Rags - job done and now I'm getting brave

End of Year Totals

Credit Card debt paid off in 2013 = £4,045 (40.49%)

Car payments paid off in 2013 = £1,731.24 (21.72%)

Total for 2013 gone = £5,776.24 (32.16%)

:beer:

Ali-OK

So a day of plans that I mostly followed, but didn't get as much done as I'd hoped.

I spent the best part of the day on work stuff - all productive and January looks quite busy and on track for an average month's income at the moment, plus Saturday's work is confirmed too.

Helped DS complete his thank you letters and posted those, though still need 3 stamps, so will get those Thursday, along with the ones needed for birthday cards that need posting in January. Have sat and written all those - just one card left to get and also need to get a gift card or pop a cheque in. No rush, it's not until the end of the month it's needed. Plus I now need to re-stock on small envelopes - will add that to my list and usually I buy the value ones in Wilkos.

Have made a decision to follow my Mum's lead in stopping buying for friend's children once they hit 21. That reduces the birthday presents by 7/£70.

A few small jobs done including moving more stuff for car booting to the garage and one more kitchen cupboard cleared out and cleaned. Only a small top box which is the medicine cupboard - amazing how many things you need when you have a child, but that never get fully used up or are no longer right for them once they reach 12. I have a good stock of in-date ibruprofen, paracetamol, congestion relief and cold/flu relief though. Perfect for winter

Completed the freezer inventories (thanks Moomin for link), printed and did a double check against contents. That is now stuck to the freezer and will be very useful for meal planning and shopping list. I cleaned the freezer drawers whilst at it so another little job done and it could do with a de-ice soon, so another job for the list.

Duck cooked beautifully in the roasting bag and was thoroughly enjoyed - but with chips and plum sauce rather than the roast trimmings I anticipated. We just fancied a change after so many roasts. More duck tomorrow, probably changing round to have it with noodles and hoi sin sauce from the store cupboard.

Financials from today:

Bank account checked
freepostcodelottery checked
Monthly SB CC has rolled over, payment set up for full amount for 13/1 and 92 points
Nectar adpoints - no advance on the 50 I've earnt this week
Nectar canvass - nothing
Nectar card value - a little increae to £21.56

I have ordered (click and collect) a couple of treats for myself today in the form of 2 candles and a double stainless steel dinner candle stick holder which was half price in Matalan. Total £9. It'll compliment the candle holder set I received from a friend in style and colour and I can return the big black gothic type one to the garage for car booting :rotfl:

Tried to reserve some more online at half price from Dunelm including a gift set, but received a phone call to say they were all sold out and the website was way behind in being updated :rotfl: That would have set me back another £8.26, 35 miles of petrol and going past an Ikea, which I would not have been able to resist, so I've saved myself a small fortune in hindsight

Tonight, I've got a candle from The White Company alight - smells divine and was one of my Christmas gifts from my lovely Aunt and Uncle. I also had a little candle with it's own shade for Christmas too - though I've used the little candle up, I am using a tea light in it. A way to enjoy the dark winter nights, though I'm looking forward to the Spring and Summer with doors wide open and fresh air coming in for hours on end.

Tomorrow, it's time to take the tree and cards down. I need to sort the old decs and lights from years ago at the same time and I've found my old Nan's pinking shears, so I'm going OS and will recycle the Christmas cards into gift labels with a pretty edge, punch a hole and use the thin gold ribbon that I have about 40 metres of still :rotfl:

I'm sure I've got enough Christmas cards left over from this year and the last few years to not need to buy any next year. Just need to remember this for next November when I start Xmas shopping!

Finally, I've snowballed my debts and estimated there is £270 available for repayment each month which means it'll take 44 months. Going to aim for 40 as a first goal and will do a new SOA to take mortgage capital payments into account.

Here's to a debt busting, frugal, happy and healthy 2014. Happy New Year everyone :beer:

Ali-OK

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 1
Number of cars owned.................... 2

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 2000
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 81.2
Other income............................ 320 Maint for DS from ex
Total monthly income.................... 2401.2

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 1060 includes £650 capital
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 121 over 12 months
Electricity............................. 37
Gas..................................... 76 refunded £100 so too high now
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 33
Telephone (land line)................... 10.5 12 months paid in advance
Mobile phone............................ 5 PAYG
TV Licence.............................. 12.12
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 22.5
Internet Services....................... 14.35 inc unlimited download/calls
Groceries etc. ......................... 100
Clothing................................ 10
Petrol/diesel........................... 35
Road tax................................ 30
Car Insurance........................... 40
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 17.5
Car parking............................. 5
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 25 DS 2 weeks summer
Other child related expenses............ 47 pocket money, clubs
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 29 inc hygienist, c/lenses
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 10
Buildings insurance..................... 8.5
Contents insurance...................... 5
Life assurance ......................... 9.72
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 70
Haircuts................................ 5
Entertainment........................... 40 £10 a week general spending
Holiday................................. 0
Emergency fund.......................... 0 £3k built up
Pension................................. 95.6 will rise twice in 2014
Total monthly expenses.................. 1973.79


Assets
Cash.................................... 3000
House value (Gross)..................... 260000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 16000
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 279000


Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 133444...(1060).....3.69
Total secured & HP debts...... 133444....-.........-

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Halifax........................5945......59.45.....0
Car............................6238.13...144.3.....0
Total unsecured debts..........12183.13..203.75....-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 2,401.2
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,973.79
Available for debt repayments........... 427.41
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 203.75
Amount left after debt repayments....... 223.66

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 279,000
Total HP & Secured debt................. -133,444
Total Unsecured debt.................... -12,183.13
Net Assets.............................. 133,372.87

Created using the SOA calculator at https://www.stoozing.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using other browser.

Ali-OK

So the new SOA is complete and am surprised and pleased with what I should have left each month. If it's possible to throw £400 a month at the debt, then that is fantastic and apart from emergencies (like washing machine break down) I am pretty sure I've catered for all the outgoings.

I feel confident around food budget and clothes spending and alot of the other costs are fairly fixed.

Bring it on!