Debt free by 40 -- 19 Months and counting

debtfreewannabe321

I found the best way to get back into it is to just start it I hope you get your mojo back soon, I'm always losing mine some place or another

Wind was awful here too luckily no lost trampolines this time- unlike last time! :eek:

FinanciallyUnsavvy

Hi Steph

Hope you're having a good day! You sound quite positive about everything which is great! It's a shame that your DFD isn't quite as soon as you hoped - but it's not too far behind, and you never know what'll happen in the meantime to speed things up!

How much are you saving each month toward's the YNAB recommended bank buffer? I have the pots for birthday/xmas/dentist etc. but I've decided I'm not going to bother trying to get this buffer in place until after I'm out of debt. It'll take too long for me otherwise I think, esp. since a buffer will be about the size of my overdraft so it just makes sense to get this paid off first.

Hope you get your "sewing mojo" back again soon - good luck finishing those draught excluders x

mizmir

Another who is always finding it hard to keep that mojo home!

Something my sister said to me once really helps me. I'm a bit of a perfectionist which tends to have a paralysing effect - I don[t start things in case they don't work out! She is the same and she told me she got round it by just reminding herself every time she did something that the result was better than if she had done nothing.

I find this really helps me. If I do one bowl of washing up it is better than nothing. If I write one paragraph it is better than nothing. If I pay a few pounds off a debt it is better than nothing. Better than nothing is now my mantra!

FinanciallyUnsavvy

mizmir wrote: »

I'm a bit of a perfectionist which tends to have a paralysing effect - I don[t start things in case they don't work out! She is the same and she told me she got round it by just reminding herself every time she did something that the result was better than if she had done nothing.

Thanks for that mizmir. I'm exactly the same - but your sister was completely right, anything is better than nothing, even if it's not perfect! Thanks for the motivation

StressedSteph

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

I found the best way to get back into it is to just start it I hope you get your mojo back soon, I'm always losing mine some place or another

Wind was awful here too luckily no lost trampolines this time- unlike last time! :eek:

Glad your trampoline is ok, ours is wedged in the hedge. Its safe hwere it is and not going to tackle it until the winds die down. I can remember hubby and I trying to rescue it last time and it felt quit scary. Its like a massive kite when it catches the wind :eek:

FinanciallyUnsavvy wrote: »

Hi Steph

Hope you're having a good day! You sound quite positive about everything which is great! It's a shame that your DFD isn't quite as soon as you hoped - but it's not too far behind, and you never know what'll happen in the meantime to speed things up!

How much are you saving each month toward's the YNAB recommended bank buffer? I have the pots for birthday/xmas/dentist etc. but I've decided I'm not going to bother trying to get this buffer in place until after I'm out of debt. It'll take too long for me otherwise I think, esp. since a buffer will be about the size of my overdraft so it just makes sense to get this paid off first.

Hope you get your "sewing mojo" back again soon - good luck finishing those draught excluders x

Hi Kim,

That is a good question about the buffer. When I do a sneaky month ahead forecast, which even though I LOVE YNAB, I still can't help wanting to see a month into the future. It is also sometimes just a quick checker to make sure we can meet all the coming bills. Its tricky being paid weekly, you can sometimes think you have more to play with than you actually have.

Looking forward, I seem to have about £300-£400 spare at the end of February and also March, did'nt look any further forward as it takes too long and also it is pointless as we don't know what life is going to throw at us.
I am not sure I will get a whole months buffer anytime soon, but hubby does have a small hernia that will need to be operated on in the Spring sometime. It's the payment for being a builder I think, lifting too many heavy objects . He had it fixed about three years ago, and bless him, he only had 1 week off work and it was a struggle for him. I would love to get about £1500 in the bank buffer asap, then he can relax during his recovery time and not have me panicking in the background as I try to pay the bills.

Although you know what life is like, things will probably crop up each month and I will have nowhere near £300 spare. But got to have a vague plan I suppose .

mizmir wrote: »

Another who is always finding it hard to keep that mojo home!

Something my sister said to me once really helps me. I'm a bit of a perfectionist which tends to have a paralysing effect - I don[t start things in case they don't work out! She is the same and she told me she got round it by just reminding herself every time she did something that the result was better than if she had done nothing.

I find this really helps me. If I do one bowl of washing up it is better than nothing. If I write one paragraph it is better than nothing. If I pay a few pounds off a debt it is better than nothing. Better than nothing is now my mantra!

I hate to say it, but i love to hear everyone saying they have the same problems when at home. When I used to work full-time before I had the children, I was a REALLY hard worker. I just struggle with the lack of a boss hehe. I need to be boss'ed around I think to actually get me to do something.:p

DD's Brownie outfit arrived in the post today, I can't wait to show it to her when she comes home. she will be so happy. :T

I have to say, I can't beleive what I am hearing in the news today about a 14 year old boy raping his 8 year old sister because of pornography he had seen on his XBOX.

My children have got all the gadgets (from my pre-LBM life:o). Ipod, tablet, xbox and access to my laptop.
BUT.....the minute these items arrive in our house, I get straight into them and put the family security on them to make sure they cannot access any adult sites at all. I even block Youtube, much to my children disgust because there is alot of un-suitable thing on there too. WHY do some parents just not bother to do this?? Using the excuse that they don't know how is totally pathetic. I had no clue either, but with each item, I plug away with it until I find away to secure it.
It sounds like the government are bringing in a new law about on your internet access as it comes into the property, you have an immediate ban on graphic web pages etc and you have to purposely opt out of that if you want to see it. This sounds like a fab thing and I really hope it happens soon.

Ok off my soap box now

FinanciallyUnsavvy

StressedSteph wrote: »

I have to say, I can't beleive what I am hearing in the news today about a 14 year old boy raping his 8 year old sister because of pornography he had seen on his XBOX.

My children have got all the gadgets (from my pre-LBM life:o). Ipod, tablet, xbox and access to my laptop.
BUT.....the minute these items arrive in our house, I get straight into them and put the family security on them to make sure they cannot access any adult sites at all. I even block Youtube, much to my children disgust because there is alot of un-suitable thing on there too. WHY do some parents just not bother to do this?? Using the excuse that they don't know how is totally pathetic. I had no clue either, but with each item, I plug away with it until I find away to secure it.
It sounds like the government are bringing in a new law about on your internet access as it comes into the property, you have an immediate ban on graphic web pages etc and you have to purposely opt out of that if you want to see it. This sounds like a fab thing and I really hope it happens soon.

Ok off my soap box now

I'm out of the loop with the news so I haven't heard about that - how disgusting.

I agree with you that it is the responsibility of parents to make sure that their children do not have access to inappropriate material onlie, and you're right - far too many parents don't bother/don't care/are very ignorant to what their children are very easily accessing (I've had many an 'discussion' with a friend at work whose 12 year old nephew plays GTA5 and she and his parents are quite happy for him to do so... don't get me started!)

I do however disagree with how the media will instantly blame his xbox for 'making' him do the disgusting thing he did. No matter what age you are, no media, no matter how depraved, cannot solely cause you do carry out an action, unless you are already predisposed/not of sound mind. Granted, he may not have done it if he hadn't have seen the pornographic material - but not every 14 year old who watches 'adult' material is not then going to go out and commit rape. Either way.. it's a horrible, horrible thing to happen. The poor girl The boy obviously needs serious help.

Anyhoo... I'll get off my soapbox too.. we're way off topic of MSing here! x

StressedSteph

Hi Kim


You are right about parents and ages limits. My son is 9 and moans constantly at me why he can't have GTA5 when lots of his classmate play it :eek:.
Was so shocked with what I read, I just couldn't help typing it. But back to MSE'ing now:).

Abit nervous braving the weather to go to the cinema tonight, but it will have to be more than abit of wind to stop me having my cinema fix.

There was three of us going and we were going to split the Orange Wednesday discount between us, meaning we would pay £6.40 each. One friend has cancelled, and all I could think of was brilliant it will only cost me £4.80 now.
What am I like

FinanciallyUnsavvy

StressedSteph wrote: »

Hi Kim


You are right about parents and ages limits. My son is 9 and moans constantly at me why he can't have GTA5 when lots of his classmate play it :eek:.
Was so shocked with what I read, I just couldn't help typing it. But back to MSE'ing now:).

Abit nervous braving the weather to go to the cinema tonight, but it will have to be more than abit of wind to stop me having my cinema fix.

There was three of us going and we were going to split the Orange Wednesday discount between us, meaning we would pay £6.40 each. One friend has cancelled, and all I could think of was brilliant it will only cost me £4.80 now.
What am I like

Haha, I'd have thought the same- don't worry! Hope you have a lovely time and the weather isn't too unbearable. Enjoy the film! x

maddiemay

Hope DD totally loves her Brownie uniform:D

I am another one who has the problem starting things in case I don't do them well enough:(

In the large Lost Property Office in the sky there must be a door marked "Lost Mojos" leading to a cavernous room jam packed with the dammed things, one of them will have my name on it:o

Have a great time at the cinema:D

StressedSteph

Morning all,


Didn't get the chance to surprise DD with her Brownie uniform last night, because when we got in from school, Ds went straight to his beloved Xbox and found that after the power cut we had in the night, he had lost all his saved games :eek:.
So it was mum to the rescue for about 10 minutes, finding a way to download them back down from his Microsoft account. While I was saving the day DD discovered the uniform and came in all dressed up and pleased as punch.

Never works out quite how you imagine it does it, but after a 5 minute panic, peace and harmony was restored

Had a lovely trip to the cinema last night to watch "That Awkward Moment". Very funny film. Planning on being really naughty and maybe seeing "Texas Buyers Club" next Wednesday.
I am wondering if my £20 per week is too much FUN money. I seem to be going out more often that I did before we budgeted. Or maybe it is just me spending the money on what REALLY matters to me, rather than lots of little bits of rubbish that catch my eye???? Will have to think about that.

All budgeted fine this morning. Have about £120 spare to roll over to next week, so I have added it to my "Vehicles" fund.
Both my car and hubbys work van are due BIG MOT's this July. We know that all our tyres might need replacing so that could be £1000 before we even start on anything else. :eek:.
Hoping I can manage to get as much money as possible into that pot to lessen the set back we will have when we get to paying out for it.

I am sooo loving this new way of budgeting. Trying to pre-empt disasters rather than just reacting to them after they happen. Its a first for me.

Not much else going on today. Friend over for coffee this morning, then I must get on with a job on my list.

Got Art Club with the children straight after school till 5.30pm. Hoping it will be a lovely mother/children exercise. We all love crafts so should be good fun hopefully.

Have a good day xxxx