Debt free by 40 -- 19 Months and counting

StressedSteph

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

hey Steph

We watched Gravity last night, have you seen it? I thought it was awful! DH loved it! lol, I rarely say that about a film but really got bored with it pretty quickly. We haven't been to the cinema this half term yet but it's on the cards before Monday so I best start looking up prices and times. I have a free ticket in points on my 0deon card as I checked last night and that was as far as I got so if I go alone with just the two smaller kids it might be pretty cheap will see who wants to go first

Do your kids help out around the land? That could be a way to break up the day, I know when my kids go to their nans who has veg patches and chickens/rabbits etc they will spend all day outside even in the rain helping out with things

Fab news on the iphone sale too and saved fleabay fees so double yay! :T I'd find DH's phone and let it accidentally go missing if it's an old one I bet he doesn't even notice. P.s if you have a game called flappy birds I believe people are paying ridiculous prices for them on eb@y! :eek:

Hi DFW


I haven't seen Gravity, I did fancy seeing it, but must admit that sci-fi stuff isn't really my favourite genre. Will watch it when it comes on SKY for free


Dallas Buyers Club last night was very good, abit traumatic, especially when I really I needed a hankie and didn't have any .


The children help out sometimes in the better weather, but we are all abit reluctant to go out in it lately. We are on heavy clay so any mucking around just makes a mud bath. Best kept off it until we dry up abit.


Ds does have plans to have his own chicken this year, be in complete charge of them and then he can sell the eggs and keep the profit. Thought that was sweet.


Chatted to hubby about his Iphone be he wants to keep it "Just in case"


Hope all is well with you xxx

dawnybabes wrote: »

Ifyou find another one let me know !!

Hi Dawn


Will be sure to let you know if hubby changes his mind xxxx

StressedSteph

Morning Diary,


Well Iphone is all packaged up and ready to go. Think the RM could play football with it and it will still be fine. Will get that posted in abit.


Off to a friends house today, then on the way home I need to collect our bacon that has been curing at the butchers for two weeks. Just called them to find out how much it is, got to wait for a call back. I have £30 put aside for the bacon. Hope it doesn't come to more than that.


Not much else to report really, Bank balance all reconciled with YNAB. My FUN money is all gone until next week, but guess I knew that would happen with it being half term .


Made a mental decision last night that no matter what happens with unexpected costs & emergencies this year, I will NOT break into my Birthdays and Christmas savings funds.
I am quite soft on the children and I have learnt over the last couple of years that no matter how broke we are I will still try to find money for their presents in any way possible. I just don't like them to suffer for our mistakes.


I have an emergencies and vehicles savings pots so those will have to pay for unexpected things that come our way.
I firmly believe that if I can save up enough money to cover birthdays and Christmas then that will REALLY help turn our situation around. All the birthdays fall at the end of the year, so September - December are extremely expensive months, then because I have nothing saved, I put it all on cards, catalogue etc spending a fortune and then spend the rest of the next year trying to pay it all off.


I am determined to break the cycle and I am putting away enough each week to cover plenty of money for both expenses, I just have to resist having to touch them.


Now I have said this out loud, just watch something happen to make me need them now :eek:


Right, must go and get ready to visit my friend. Both children are still in pj's and unless I stand over them they won't EVER get dressed.


Have a great day xxx

debtfreewannabe321

Aww at ds wanting to keep chickens , I want to keep some too but haven't the space atm

Any plans for today? We've got rain and a sick child so another film day is on the cards (i'll be pulling my hair out by the end of the week lol) xx

Edit: X-posted! Have a good day at your friends!

mizmir

Love the chickens plan - an entrepreneur in the making! Wish we could have some but the lurcher would just think we had got her extra dinner! Plus am not sure about the covenants here - think we are probably not allowed pigs but don't know about chickens. Am loving learning about small holding life from your diary. Keep it coming.

Good plan not to break into present funds. I feel like that about our Easter fund. Might still have to but if I can help it not. I am encouraged that even in this first month we have managed a couple of unexpected expenses and to put some away into pots. If I can keep it up then we will be solvent in no time (apart from the small matter of £58K debts! ). But in control of the current and future - so then able to reduce the impact of past mistakes.

mfmaybe

I sympathise on the heavy clay - ours is too, and the mud and waterlogging are spectacularly bad. It just needs a tiny bit of mud and my horses field turns to a bog.

Gravity - well I have to say OH and I both thought it was one of the best films we've seen in years, possibly ever. It was spellbinding, the cinematography was visually stunning and the acting underdone to perfection. IMHO But wouldn't life be dull if we all liked the same things?

It's great that you are keeping focussed on the savings pots. You are doing so well, and like you I am trying to keep looking into the future to see what I need to anticipate. The unforseeable will always happen but it sounds like you are getting yourself in a great place to deal with it. :T

PlymouthDad

stressedsteph? reading your posts you seem anything but stressed to me.I read your diary posts and get the image of a really energetic enthusiastic person who can achieve anything she puts her mind to. I read back my posts and its like Eeyore narrating! haha

You are an inspiration and doing great.

StressedSteph

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

Aww at ds wanting to keep chickens , I want to keep some too but haven't the space atm

Any plans for today? We've got rain and a sick child so another film day is on the cards (i'll be pulling my hair out by the end of the week lol) xx

Edit: X-posted! Have a good day at your friends!

mizmir wrote: »

Love the chickens plan - an entrepreneur in the making! Wish we could have some but the lurcher would just think we had got her extra dinner! Plus am not sure about the covenants here - think we are probably not allowed pigs but don't know about chickens. Am loving learning about small holding life from your diary. Keep it coming.

Good plan not to break into present funds. I feel like that about our Easter fund. Might still have to but if I can help it not. I am encouraged that even in this first month we have managed a couple of unexpected expenses and to put some away into pots. If I can keep it up then we will be solvent in no time (apart from the small matter of £58K debts! ). But in control of the current and future - so then able to reduce the impact of past mistakes.

Hi DFW & Miz,

Yes it is sweet that Ds wants a role on the smallholding. He is being abit impatient though as I have tried to explain to him that we can't really get going until the ground dries up. It remains to be seen if he see's the project through. Will report back on that later in the year

Miz - you are doing great, having your first unexpected expense and keeping yourself on track deserves a big :T. This is a true challenge of our LBM's when things don't go quite to plan. I have yet to cope with that challenge and will need loads of help when it does, because that is usually when I throw in the towel

StressedSteph

mfmaybe wrote: »

I sympathise on the heavy clay - ours is too, and the mud and waterlogging are spectacularly bad. It just needs a tiny bit of mud and my horses field turns to a bog.

Gravity - well I have to say OH and I both thought it was one of the best films we've seen in years, possibly ever. It was spellbinding, the cinematography was visually stunning and the acting underdone to perfection. IMHO But wouldn't life be dull if we all liked the same things?

It's great that you are keeping focussed on the savings pots. You are doing so well, and like you I am trying to keep looking into the future to see what I need to anticipate. The unforseeable will always happen but it sounds like you are getting yourself in a great place to deal with it. :T

Hiya mfmaybe

In the past I have been a bit half hearted with trying to anticipate forthcoming bills and expenses. This LBM I am trying to play it very differently. I have already made MAJOR changes. Serious budgeting through YNAB is one of them and it encourages you to regularily put savings money into different pots.
I only started in February but so far I have £183 put away, its hard to get over the feeling that I really ought to putting that against debts, but hopefully doing it this way I am preventing more money having to go into debt when things go wrong. We will see

PlymouthDad wrote: »

stressedsteph? reading your posts you seem anything but stressed to me.I read your diary posts and get the image of a really energetic enthusiastic person who can achieve anything she puts her mind to. I read back my posts and its like Eeyore narrating! haha

You are an inspiration and doing great.

Aaaaaw Thanks PD, that was so nice to read. I kind of have fits and spurts (IYKWIM). I could always do more, but then I guess its human nature to think that.

I read your posts on I think Financiallyunsavvys or Puzzcats diary, hope everything is sorting itself out for you. Have you started a diary yet?. Let me know if you have and I will track you down xxxx

StressedSteph

Grrrr had a frustrating morning today.

On the 15th February I made my first payment against my B#rclays Overdraft of £100. (Only needed to pay £50 but was trying my best to get it paid off).

Anyway it turns out that I accidentally put 1 digit wrong in the reference box and now it has disappeared :eek:.

It has left my bank account, but B#rclays can't find it:mad:

After hours on the phone, I have had to get S#ntander to put a "Trace" out for the missing transaction which can take 7-10 days to get a result. This means that I am going to have to find another £50 to pay B#rclays. i have to have paid by the 24th of every month otherwise they will demand the whole sum back :eek::eek:

What a pain, and how stupid am I ??

Oh well teach me to be more careful I suppose.

Buffythedebtslayer

that is extremely frustrating!


Can you ring Barclays again and highlight the problem? As in it will take San£ender ten days to find the transaction.


Easy mistake to make.


it will work out xx