Debt free by 40 -- 19 Months and counting

mfmaybe

Hi Steph, just popping in to offer moral support. You do sound down - we all get those times sometimes, and usually they just pass by themselves. If you are anything like me the Goose situation will be playing on your mind a lot (cursed foxes have so much to answer for). It's horrible when they are unwell. And the Glad game is good, yes; but you don't have to be upbeat all the time. A little wallowing once in a while is allowed So long as it doesn't go on too long, I suspect it's just a bit of the January blues.

You have done so amazingly with the debt so far, and set yourself a fairly ambitious target to pay it off so quickly. Please don't underestimate what a great job you are doing. It won't be long before you are debt free and the stress will lift right off those shoulders. Keep your eye on the prize. It's all going to be all right

baglady1

Hi Steph, just wanted to say "Hang in there". January must be cold and dark for you. Our July is here in Oz and it can get you down sometimes. I agree with all the kind advice the posters upthread are giving you. Spring will soon be here! Love BL1 xx

Eager_Elephant

((Steph))


Hope you are more like this today


I think SAD has a lot to answer for - my DH has depression anyway and in the winter he is


How is your goose?
I got the update through on email the other day and meant to post but didn't get a chance - up until this morning we had 21 geese but when I just went up there one of my girls has been killed by a fox. I am


She was a gorgeous American Buff who had her own family group and early last year hatched 3 goslings - they are all big and strong now but still need their mother. The rest of the group were a bit aimless this morning.


In all the 6 years of having geese never has one been killed by a fox, I wonder if she was injured yesterday and was easy pickings.
My geese are wonderful guard dogs and would have put up a fight.

cdm

Morning Steph! Long-time reader and follower. Have posted only a few times. You're doing really fabulously with all this. It's not easy when partners and family don't see things the same, so you're doing particularly well there -- keep going!
I was at home with my 3 when they were young. When they went to school, I didn't seem to click with too many other mums. Indeed, there were quite a lot who had the 'Playground M@fia' mindset...and I avoided those at all costs. Result? I usually came home, alone, to an empty house, treating myself to a big cream cake from the baker's on the way, to have with my cuppa. I guess the cake became my 'company', lol! (I'd only really stopped at the newsagent's next door for a paper, I kept telling myself, but passing the baker's window. well....!) Once cuppa and cake digested, I seemed to have a lot of 'solitary' time, IYKWIM! I think I read way back some time ago that you were considering a TA course? (think it might have been in an earlier diary?). Did you follow that up at all? I was just thinking that a TA job is child-friendly/family-friendly hours, and out of the house!

Please don't take this as criticism, Steph, it isn't meant that way at all. Just wanted to share some thoughts and support, as I recognise some of your feelings as very similar to mine at that time in my life. You're walking a tough path, and doing it well. Think how far you've come in such a short time... :-)

tootallulah

Hi Steph I hope that you are enjoying a few days break from MSE and that you are feeling OK. You are missed, sending all good wishes.

wantabetterlife

I hope you are ok too Steph....we miss you

StressedSteph

Evening

Thanks for all your amazing replies. Too many to reply individually.

Been waking up every morning with my mind full of negative thoughts. I managed to get out into the garden in the sunshine Saturday afternoon and it felt really good to get out in the fresh air.

Weird how if you can just give yourself a kick and get out, you actually do end up feeling so much better.

Hubby despatched the injured goose Saturday afternoon, and weirdly, I felt abit better once it was all over and done with. i think I have been more upset about what happened than i liked to admit. Once I accepted that she wasn't going to recover and she was gone, the weight seemed to lift abit.

My mind is still racing with negative thoughts, but I need to come up with a plan for next week. I can feel myself slipping back down to where i was Spring 2014 when I ended up on Anti-depressants. I have now learnt that they cause more problems than they solve, so I need to try to sort this brain funk out myself.

I am hoping to get organised that me and the kiddies can go for a little walk round the block before school every morning (except when raining). Hoping this might give me the kick start that my days need. We will see if I can actually get out there.

This inadvertently will also solve another problem. I decided to text the friend who drops her son at ours every day and asked if I can go back to picking him up instead, as we may still be out on the walk at her drop off time. This avoids the boy we have issues with being at our home for 20 minutes every morning. Sometimes I like to give Ds a pep talk in the morning to get him in the right frame of mind for school and its impossible when this boy arrives so early in the morning. It will also just be nice to have the house to ourselves again in the morning, especially with me struggling at the moment.

I need to work out a super cheap grocery budget this week as I haven't really got much money left, also tricky as it is week 5 and my YNAB is set up for a 4 week month .

Sorry I have been abit AWOL. Going to try to set myself some small achievable goals for next week to hopefully make me feel like I can achieve something.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. xxx

kelpie35

I hope it is not too long till you feel much better.

You are a very strong young lady, who has achieved so much in the last year.

Often when things get on top of us we tend to give up but you are a much better person than that.

Keep taking one step at a time.

Take care (((((((((((((((hugs xxx )))))))))))))

wantabetterlife

Hang in there Steph....this too will pass. Xoxo

Buffythedebtslayer

Steph


You are amazing. It is January that sucks BIG ONES.


and I am sorry about the goose, you are right tho sometimes the anguish with animals is the waiting and knowing what is coming.


It will be February soon.


big hugs lovely XXX