Debt free by 40 -- 19 Months and counting

StressedSteph

mfmaybe wrote: »

Ah Steph don't be so hard on yourself. Look at your signature. It's amazing. You are still doing really well and the odd slip up here and there is par for the course. Remember, you put extra money into the holiday fund.

You've caught it, you've realised you need to take action. That's a very long way from January!

Thanks mfmaybe,


It just feels like I am running the gauntlet lately, with tonnes of temptation and what feels like un-avoidable little "needs" costs hitting me and I just allowed them to happen during September and I feel I now need to start being more ruthless and actually feeling some pain by saying no to certain things.


Like you said, at least with the help of YNAB I have caught it early.


Hubby slightly annoyed me. He earnt £585 for three days pay, but instead of thinking great and working the rest of the week for extra money, he has taken today and tomorrow off work :mad:. Admittedly he is doing a lot of fab work that is needed around the house, but I would have been really grateful for the large wage packet this week. Instead it is lower than usual.


Oh well.....onwards and upwards xx

dawnybabes

One of my friends doesn't buy the school photos - they dress them in their uniform on a Saturday and get them took elsewhere. Normally the ones that pop up in boots/mothercare.

You are doing great, just think if all this had happened at the beginning of the year it might have been enought to sink you.

lhead123

Steph don't beat yourself up. Ynab has told you whats going on, at least you didn't realise halfway through the month when you'd already spent some money...

I always WAM at the end of each month so I finish on a 0 otherwise it gets complicated.

Just look at your signature, you've nearly halved your debt in 9 months! That is amazing!

xx

StressedSteph

lhead123 wrote: »

Steph don't beat yourself up. Ynab has told you whats going on, at least you didn't realise halfway through the month when you'd already spent some money...

I always WAM at the end of each month so I finish on a 0 otherwise it gets complicated.

Just look at your signature, you've nearly halved your debt in 9 months! That is amazing!

xx

Thanks lhead, I will read your pm in a minute, been dashing on and off the PC and not had quality time to have a look.


Grrrrrr I am so annoyed with my son :mad:.


I took him and Dd for a swim assessment on Tuesday after school. Ds didn't have any goggles and got upset because he hates swimming without them. So I relented (another bad decision) and paid £11 :eek: for a pair from the Sports Centre. As he is 10 yrs old he had to go into the mens changing rooms on his own to get changed.
Because I was super busy driving to Poole & back yesterday I didn't have time to empty his swim bag. I just did it to get some washing on, to find he didn't pick up his goggles and left them in the changing room :eek::mad::eek:. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhh.


I am so annoyed with him right now. I couldn't afford the blinking goggles in the first place and then to leave them behind after the first swim with them is just downright disgusting.


I have told him that he needs to do chores to buy himself a new pair of Goggles, and if he gets to another swim session and hasn't bought them, then its tough luck.


KIDS!!!!!

maddiemay

Hi Steph
Try not to beat yourself up too much, at least you have found out early in the month. I plucked up courage to look at my bank account yesterday and it is healthier than I had thought, thank goodness.

We don't have a Lidl in sensible distance, so have got used to Aldi and now do the majority of our shopping there:D: At the begining I read through the threads on here, noting what got thumbs up and made some lists, there have been very few things that I did not like.

Here are some recent discussions on Aldi/Lidl that might give you some tips.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3743609

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5071245

Keep your chin up, you will sort it, and fingers crossed for the Spa bookings.
MM
xx

debtfreewannabe321

Ahh steph don't be hard on yourself! I have had a rubbish few days since payday. I got talked into breakfast yesterday which wasn't in my budget. I grabbed a sandwich out today (once you add the drink and pay to eat in it was the same as breakfast yesterday :wall: ) and i've bought my son an 1phone for his birthday. NONE of which was budgeted for However after having a small paddy at my stupidness I thought, s0d it, it's done just move on! My budget was also minus at the beginning of the month, not hugely but all the same....!

Look forward to the trip! Your spa treatments will pay for that. You deserve a treat. Goggles- we got ours from sainsbug for around £7? (the same brand as was sold in the swim school my kids go to) did you call the swimming pool up to see if any were handed in?

Perhaps it's just that time of year huh as everyone I talk to seems to be having a drama of some kind or another (which made me feel better about my stresses ) I hope tomorrow is a better day!

P.s please do try Ald1 I always use it but cannot get everything I need so depending on which end of town I am in (we have two either side of town) I go to sainsbug or te$co afterwards to get what I couldn't get from ald1. I took my friend today but she refused to buy anything in a1di. Not even flowers that she needed for her mum's birthday I felt very judged as she was walking around with me, picking things up and then putting them back down with disgust! However I got a huge trolley full for £74 (maybe over a dozen bags full of food) and then we went to sainsbug and she spent £66 on 4/5 small bags of food for 4 days :rotfl: I realised that I had nothing to be ashamed of :rotfl: and I called her a snob to her face I also said, let's see who's flowers die first....her £5 bunch of carnation type flowers or my £2 bunch of beautiful roses

xxx

abba1772

Ah googles are the Bain of my life without fail I'm sure I buy about 3/4 lairs a month between the two older kids you've done the right thing by making him work the next pair off xx

Stop putting yes elf down just think if you didn't have your lightbulb moment in January what kind of financial mess would you be in now......... You're doing really well xx

Verbatim

Would a monthly meal plan work for you? Then you could do a monthly shop? I prefer monthly plans as there's more flexibility with swapping meals Another idea to prevent inplanned trips to the shops is freezing milks and/ or having an emergency UHT carton in. I always thought uht would be gross but on holiday we couldn't find fresh so used it and I couldn't tell the difference. I also buy seasonal veg while they're cheap or grow them and freeze for later.
I also think you're doing really well and having some savings to cope with slip ups/unexpected expense is a whole heap better than not having them!

lhead123

StressedSteph wrote: »

Thanks lhead, I will read your pm in a minute, been dashing on and off the PC and not had quality time to have a look.

No Worries

StressedSteph wrote: »

Grrrrrr I am so annoyed with my son :mad:.


I took him and Dd for a swim assessment on Tuesday after school. Ds didn't have any goggles and got upset because he hates swimming without them. So I relented (another bad decision) and paid £11 :eek: for a pair from the Sports Centre. As he is 10 yrs old he had to go into the mens changing rooms on his own to get changed.
Because I was super busy driving to Poole & back yesterday I didn't have time to empty his swim bag. I just did it to get some washing on, to find he didn't pick up his goggles and left them in the changing room :eek::mad::eek:. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhh.


I am so annoyed with him right now. I couldn't afford the blinking goggles in the first place and then to leave them behind after the first swim with them is just downright disgusting.


I have told him that he needs to do chores to buy himself a new pair of Goggles, and if he gets to another swim session and hasn't bought them, then its tough luck.


KIDS!!!!!

Don't forget I live in Poole Steph - If you phone the swimming centre and they have been handed in, I can go and collect them for you and post them to you.

Just let me know which swimming pool, and I'll steal the car from OH

L xx

StressedSteph

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support. I still have no clue how I would emotionally get through this debt busting without your amazing help.


I feel slightly better today. I called the pool and unsurprisingly there were no goggles handed in. Cheapest I could find on Amazon was around £8, so told Ds that his pocket money from chores will be going towards the goggles. He was adamant he packed them, but I have searched through his bag and the utility room where the bag went to and no sign of them. He has apologised so will leave it there.


I think I just got stressed about that because I am trying to stop the leakage of money and there is nothing worse than buying something and then two days later having to buy it again :mad:.


I have Sorted out YNAB again and I think as long as there are NO MORE unplanned spends and I keep my food & fuel budgets under control then I can scrap through this month, JUST!!.


I can only hope that lots of treatments get booked in, which will then allow either abit of breathing space or can go into the savings pot. In reality, every month should be like this, I should be stretching it as tightly as I can, I think I have just gotten abit lazy the last month or so.


Ok I had better get changed and help hubby painting the outside of the house, otherwise he will start moaning at me .


Have a great day all, and thanks lhead for offering to collect the goggles. No luck unfortunately xxx