Debt free by 40 -- 19 Months and counting

debtfreewannabe321

Well done on turning down the expensive treats :T I've booked myself a treat for next week- a massage and I can't wait Even though i'm debt-free now it's still like we're in debt as we're saving like mad to move next year so budget is just as strict as before. The massage is only £15 at the local college for an hour and I think it's great value perhaps you should see if you can find a local college to treat yourself with something you enjoy- hair/nails/massage

I hope all the banking stuff comes through very soon and you can finally get it all up and running

StressedSteph

mizmir wrote: »

Well done on turning down these offers. I think we do need to have treats to get through all this - but we need to choose them carefully so that they can be guilt free and not add to our debts.

YNAB seems to be working for you. I am so tempted to try it - maybe I should have a play with the free trial....

You are right about having to choose carefully. As much as I would love the meal out at the posh restaurant next week, I worked out it would cost around £130. I don't value posh food that highly, when I know that £130 could be used in much better ways.

I wasn't sure about YNAB in the beginning but its laid out so nicely and there are so many video tutorials and a forum to help you get the hang of it. I have figured out I can get the price down to £33, which, as a one off fee, I think it is worth it.

It is a very different way of budgeting than I have ever done before, but I am hooked now and can't wait to get started on it. Because you also have savings pots that you virtually send money to. It teaches you to check your budget amount when you want to spend rather than your bank balance, as this is more of a true reflection on what you have to spend. I think this is a lovely way to work as it ensures you never over-spend.


Definitely worth a play around, the 34 day free trial is great. you don't need to input any bank details, so you have no commitment to keep using it or a contract to try to get out of.
Have a look, although unless I am just being abit dim, it does take a while to GET IT. if you know what I mean.


Think I am at risk of becoming a YNAB bore. xxx

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

Well done on turning down the expensive treats :T I've booked myself a treat for next week- a massage and I can't wait Even though i'm debt-free now it's still like we're in debt as we're saving like mad to move next year so budget is just as strict as before. The massage is only £15 at the local college for an hour and I think it's great value perhaps you should see if you can find a local college to treat yourself with something you enjoy- hair/nails/massage

I hope all the banking stuff comes through very soon and you can finally get it all up and running

Fab that you have a cheap massage booked, in our new budget we have factored in £20 per week each for FUN money. I will definitely be saving mine up for nice things like a massage.


Think it will really help me to not feel so deprived with all the budgeting.


xxx

StressedSteph

In a bid to try to cover every eventuality I am trying to create a completely truthful budget in YNAB.


What is worrying me is I keep remembering new things that I will have to be paying out for soon .


Just got back from the school run, and had to add HMRC & National Insurance into the budget. Rubbish at setting aside money for either of these.


I am not a religious woman but the bread and fishes feeling comes to mind. I am not sure how far I expect our income to stretch

mizmir

StressedSteph wrote: »

I wasn't sure about YNAB in the beginning but its laid out so nicely and there are so many video tutorials and a forum to help you get the hang of it. I have figured out I can get the price down to £33, which, as a one off fee, I think it is worth it.

It is a very different way of budgeting than I have ever done before, but I am hooked now and can't wait to get started on it. Because you also have savings pots that you virtually send money to. It teaches you to check your budget amount when you want to spend rather than your bank balance, as this is more of a true reflection on what you have to spend. I think this is a lovely way to work as it ensures you never over-spend.


Definitely worth a play around, the 34 day free trial is great. you don't need to input any bank details, so you have no commitment to keep using it or a contract to try to get out of.
Have a look, although unless I am just being abit dim, it does take a while to GET IT. if you know what I mean.


Think I am at risk of becoming a YNAB bore. xxx

It does sound good - and I am a sucker for anything that syncs between my phone and my computer. I will give it a try and see if it really works for me. Thanks

debtfreeoneday

Hi you! Hope you are ok.. Haven't heard of YNAB so off to google that now!

Well done on turning down the meal though. Think what you could spend £130 on!

StressedSteph

debtfreeoneday wrote: »

Hi you! Hope you are ok.. Haven't heard of YNAB so off to google that now!

Well done on turning down the meal though. Think what you could spend £130 on!

Hi DFOD,

Thanks for popping in. Not sure how I found YNAB now but it's given me new enthusiasm to get this debt beaten because its quite a different way of working.
I have used my little Excel spreadsheet for a few years now, but it has never REALLY helped me totally curb my impulse buying. YNAB is so neat and organised and you promise your money into different budget pots, and I know I won't want to make that silly purchase because I know it will be messing up my budget.
I think its certainly worth a try.

£130 on a meal just seems completely outrageous at the moment. I could'nt bear to spend that on one nights food, when that is more than my whole two weeks budget for food :eek:.

Have a great weekend xx

StressedSteph

Morning all,

Not up to much this weekend, we got our Debit cards through the post yesterday, and when i rang S#ntander to ask about their online banking, it is apparently all going thorugh and I will be getting a letter with all our initial log on details early next week. I also applied for a savings account that got approved so hopefully that will be added onto the online banking as well.

So far so good....Its all going pretty smoothly. I just have three direct debits to sort out myself. I decided to cancel them out of my B#rclays account as there was'nt going to be enough money in there and did'nt want to incur more charges.

Keeping an eye on hubby this morning as his works phone contract it up and he is looking online to upgrade. He is famously good at making things like this a total complicated drama, when it can be quite simple. I basically said, upgrade as long as it does'nt cost us anymore more money. He is currently frowning at the screen, waiting and hoping for me to go over and just do it all for him.:mad:.

Not up to much this weekend, hubby has a golf post-Christmas match and meal today which is £40. Annoying but I had budgeted for it. I am just watching the weather hoping hoping that it gets cancelled because of the rain. Fingers Crossed.

We have a large 40ft polytunnel here at home, so off to spend the morning planning what veg I will be growing in it this year. MY neighbours kindly gave me £40 of garden centre vouchers for looking after their chickens over christmas and New Year, so that will easily pay for all my seeds and compost to get me started.

Hope you all have a lovely NS-Weekend planned.
Speak soon xx

MissE001

Remember to check Top Cashback if hubby's looking for a new phone contract - I love it, free money!

StressedSteph

MissE001 wrote: »

Remember to check Top Cashback if hubby's looking for a new phone contract - I love it, free money!

Thank you MissE, will check it out xx


Well just had a play with my YNAB budget for January. Knowing it is really tight, I thought I would work my way through the month seeing how it panned out.

Depressingly, we have a £43 shortfall. There isn't much movement either as I haven't added anything to saving pots this month, so that shortfall will mean an unpaid bill .

Now here is the amazing bit.....I actually chatted to hubby about it. Explaining that for bills to be paid and just basic £50 food & bare bones of fuel, we still have this shortfall.
In the past I would never have talked to him like this, I would have kept my head down and just managed or gone overdrawn.

It was great, I told him about my plan for us to review the budget at the end of every month, which would make me think twice about my impulse buys, knowing that I would have to explain myself to him during our review, and he also admitted that it would be nice to see where we were with money, because he wouldn't ask for treats if he knew we had not got the money.

I felt so light hearted after our chat, like it wasn't all my worry and fear. Guess the old adage about a problem shared is a problem halved is really true.

To top it all off, hubby said he would do a bit of overtime during January to try to get us out of the £43 shortfall :T.
Feels like such a breakthrough on my journey xx

mizmir

Wow that's brilliant - makes such a difference to have your OH on board with it all - especially when he may even be able to help balance things! Bet he feels better too knowing you are sharing it with him.