Debt free by 40 -- 19 Months and counting

StressedSteph

maddiemay wrote: »

Tilly MFW in 6 YRS has a diary on Mortgage Free Wanabee, she started tidying the odd amounts in her bank account to her mortgage overpayment fund (I think) and the idea spread and people started calling them Tilly Tidies. It is amazing how quickly even the odd couple of pounds or even pennies add up over a period of time. I have spells of doing it then sometimes forget for a while:( Might be worth you thinking about when have things up and running in a few months time. It is rather addictive and I have to be careful towards the end of the month that I don't tidy too much away, although I guess that your YNAB system wouldn't let that happen?

Will have to check that out MM, it sounds good. Like you said, I will have to get into abit more of a pattern with my money, because its hard to tell if I have anything spare at the moment. Just getting every bill paid is a BIG achievement.
Sooo pleased to have every bill paid this month. Takes a bill weight off my mind. I also have £430 to carry over the February so that will help. xxx

debtfreeoneday wrote: »

Oh whoop if that's true with child benefit and tax credits - I never realised it was.


You sound like you are doing great at the minute Steph and pah to Littlewoods, evil catalogue companies.

Thanks DFOD,


Catalogue is evil but Will chip away at it and make a BIG promise to myself that I will be in a better position Christmas 2014 that I won't need to rely on it again.

Ali-OK wrote: »

Certainly true for Child Benefit - I had 2 in December (2nd and 30th) and January's was last Monday on 27th. February will be on 24th.

So it gets earlier by a few days each month, hence 2 in December.

Check Tax Credits award - it will probably say payment of x every 4 weeks from x date - you can work forward with a calendar to get the date for each payment then.

Hi Ali,


You are right. I just dug out my award paperwork and it is every 4 weeks. Not sure if and when I will get the two payments in 1 month. Think I would die of excitement :T.
Will definitely work out the rest of the Spring till April when we get the new award.


Thank for your help xxx

StressedSteph

Morning


Not much happening here today. DD went back to school today, she has a bad cough still but otherwise fine.

Been invited up to a friends house for coffee this morning, so will slope off there for an hour or so. .

Hubby is finishing the job he has been doing this week, he has taken the bill with him so fingers crossed she's a prompt payer. couldn't decide if a cheque or bank transfer was better. but decided bank transfer is best and just to hope that she does it quickly. Hate living pay check to pay check. Its too stressful when you are self-employed.

The friend still hasn't paid for the items she bought yet. I spoke to her at the beginning of the week and said that I would really have to have the money by Friday (today) otherwise I will send the items for stock in the shop. Not perfect because I have bunting in her order and the shop doesn't want bunting, but thought it might chivvy her up. She promised to pay it through bank transfer asap. Still no sign of it in the bank this morning, will give her over the weekend, but I'm not going to mention it again. I will just try to sell it elsewhere. Such a time waster!.

Children both have a friend over for dinner tonight, doing cottage pie because I thought it would be easy to stretch that over a couple of extra mouths.

Not much else to report really, Nothing much planned for the weekend, except tagging up the animals ears ready for Monday morning. Can't wait for them to go, my morning work load will be so much easier with less animals on the smallholding.

Take care all and enjoy your Friday xx

FinanciallyUnsavvy

Morning Steph

Glad to hear your daughter is better and back to school today. Hope you both enjoyed your lunch yesterday and you managed to stick within budget!

How annoying your friend still hasn't paid. Fingers crossed it materialises over the weekend - if not get what you can in the shop and put the bunting up on your Facebook page! I'm sure someone else will buy it in no time.

Hope you have a great Friday xx

mizmir

Boo to non/slow payers! I know how you feel - I have an invoice outstanding that I could really do with - but I suspect they are waiting the full 30 days to pay I think you are right about the goods - you can't hold them indefinitely and she has had ample warning. I know everyone is strapped for cash but you have to make ends meet.

Enjoy your coffee break - hope it is a lovely, relaxing time. You deserve it. You are working very hard on this and should be proud of yourself. Have a wonderful weekend.

maddiemay

Hi
Hope hubby gets paid quickly, your friend is a pain, hopefully you might sell the bunting from FB or Etsy.

Another tip for the Cottage Pie, as well as adding the oats after the onions have softened, if you have them grate or shred a couple of carrots and add them about the same time, they will cook down and absorb the flavours, extra veg, no-one notices and makes the meat go further. If they question it, tell them you are trying a new recipe from Jamie or Hugh or someone:rotfl:

Off the check bank account, car needs diesel, another week until "payday", should be OK as long as I haven't forgotten anything.

MM x

StressedSteph

Hi all


Well, surprisingly. While I was at my friends having a coffee, I got a message to say she has paid the money into my account :T.
Fantastic news.


I also remembered that I forgot to update on how my spending went in town yesterday. I had £20 fun money. The lunch came to £14, because DD had a bowl of chips and I caved and let her have the apple juice she always wants. Then I treated myself to a ball of wool, which I think was a bit expensive £4.85 :eek:. It was from abit of a fancy shop that also sells expensive china and housewares so not the cheapest place.. Don't think I will buy wool from that shop again. There is a cheap haberdashery old fashioned shop at the top of town, but DD was already complaining that she wanted to go home so didn't have the will to drag her all the way up there. Next time...


I did buy something out of budget. Two large watch batteries to power my Step on scales and my kitchen scales. Very important purchase because I make my own bread and if the battery dies I have no clue on my weights of flour etc.


That cost £3. I added it to my Sundries category on YNAB which already had £2.50 in it, so just had to move 50p around to make it balance again. Think that was definitely a need not want.


Good luck with your non payer Mizmir, Hope they pay up soon.


Thanks for the Cottage pie tip MM, will definitely do that. xxx


Right off to do some housework. Speak laters xxx

maddiemay

Great news on the friend paying up, it sounds that you stretched your fun money for maximum benefit for you and DD:j

I did a Tilly Tidy and moved £4.90 over to CC and then OH came back with my bank card (I pay for the fuel) having put diesel in the car and it came to £41.11:( I must resist going back to the account for a few days until the early month DD's are out:eek:, I told you it can make me OCD:rotfl:

mizmir

Great news about your friend paying up - phew! And sounds like you had a successful day yesterday too so well done there.

I think I might switch to payments up front by bank transfer for one to one clients. I already do this for workshops and it would make it so much easier. Might trial it and see if anyone objects! It wouldn't help with the current one but it might reduce the problem in general.

Any chance you could do this for special orders? Seems reasonable - I would expect to pay up front if I ordered something to be made.

debtfreeoneday

Well I downloaded YNAb and tried it for 24 hours and really struggled with it - I don't think it helps how I manage our budgets. That said, it looks really good.


Tracked back through my child benefit and tax credits, so whoop to getting extra payments twice this year!

StressedSteph

Morning all,

Had a quiet day yesterday, i potted up some spring bulbs and did some more crocheting and that was about it . (Feel like I need to clarify after this sentence that I am 38 not 68 years old :-)

We have to get the animals tagged today and paperwork set up ready for the trip to the abbattoir tomorrow morning.

the man that usually takes our animals to slaughter was already booked for tomorrow, we were going to ask a friend to take them in his cattle lorry but he wants £50 :eek:. So hubby has arranged to borrow a cattle trailer from a friend up the road, so its more hassle for us, but it will save us £50. Well worth the extra effort.

Hubby got paid a £300 cheque yesterday for some jobs he had done for a local farmer. Great news because I did'nt realise that he was due that much so I had'nt added it to the budget. I was going to put it in the bank to go towards a bank buffer (our bid to get a months pay sat in the bank), but we are in dire need of another oil delivery before the spring, so think I will use it for that. At least it will solve that looming problem that I did'nt have a solution for. Fingers crossed another 500 litres of oil will get us to the spring when the heating isn't relied on so much. I am also starting this month to put away £100 pm for heating oil, so fingers crossed this will be the last time we have to find over £300 out of nowhere.

No much else to report. Desperately need to buy some butchery items to process the pigs when they come back (sausage skins, etc) but it comes to £45 that I don't have at the moment. Just got to hope that hubbys previous employer pays up soon ;)

Have a great day xxx