We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Thistlewhistle 2014 - A Fresh Start

13468928

Comments

  • Oh my, what a wobblesome day!! Feeling calmer now it's done and dusted.
    And had a lovely bit of friendly advice from Tilly which has helped me see things a bit clearer. Thanks Tilly xx

    Too tired to post much now - tomorrow is a brand new MS day!!

    Night all

    T;)
    Mortgage at end 05/2007: £90200
    Mortgage at end 08/2018: £71646 paid £18354 (20.5%)
    MFD: :eek:Original:05/2042:eek:
    Car Finance: £8225 : £6392 (22.2% paid off)
    CC Debt (0% until 06/2020): £5640 : £4400 (21.7% paid off)

    Age of Money at 31/08/2018 = 23 days

    YNAB is changing the way I live my life....and spend my money!!
  • gallygirl
    gallygirl Posts: 17,240 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Hope you're feeling better after a good night's sleep. Not sure I can add anything further to Mother Tilly's advice :D, however I find a good list with deadlines and priorities always helps to clarify things. You can always have supplementary lists to give more detail :T. For example, the car. You've been tying yourself in knots over this, but it breaks down as:
    • Get it fixed
    • Speak to garage about potential issues on the way (timing belt, tyres, how long since work done on brakes etc). How much would all this cost?
    • What is the trade in value?
    • WITHOUT LEAVING THE HOUSE AND LOOKING AT SHINY NEW THINGS :cool:, how much would a new car cost?
    • How much would that be a month?
    • How would that affect your debt free and mortgage free plans?
    • Now you have all the facts, set aside time to have a long hard think - is this a knee jerk? Do you NEED or WANT a new car? Do you want it more than paying off credit card? Do you want it more than say a year off your mortgage?
    You don't have to decide NOW, THIS MINUTE. The car is getting fixed anyway so you have breathing space. Take your time and breathe :).
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort
    :) Mortgage Balance = £0 :)
    "Do what others won't early in life so you can do what others can't later in life"
  • That's for the advice GG. Both you and Tilly have really helped me to just stop and think. Sort of like a slap across the face but in a nice way!!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    You're both absolutely right of course. I have asked myself a few of the questions you've posed and had some of the answers given from the garage.

    The whole debacle yesterday just cost me £78 plus vat. The new key that I need (it was a malfunctioning key all along) will be £143 so I'm using the spare key and that new key can do one!!!!

    The car needed on other work so the service prepayment plan covered the service (although it was about £300) so no extra funds to find.

    I'll document the "new car" line of thinking on here when I get home so you can see my thoughts, although I think I've already made up my mind. No point in not getting options though, as you said GG.

    I'm so lucky to have you both on my side! I'm wobbling much less today!!:rotfl:
    Mortgage at end 05/2007: £90200
    Mortgage at end 08/2018: £71646 paid £18354 (20.5%)
    MFD: :eek:Original:05/2042:eek:
    Car Finance: £8225 : £6392 (22.2% paid off)
    CC Debt (0% until 06/2020): £5640 : £4400 (21.7% paid off)

    Age of Money at 31/08/2018 = 23 days

    YNAB is changing the way I live my life....and spend my money!!
  • glitterjunkie
    glitterjunkie Posts: 425 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    edited 5 February 2014 at 3:45PM
    Hi thistlewhistle, glad you're feeling better today! If you do end up needing a new key then I saw an advert outside our local Timpson shoe repair place saying they do car keys alot cheaper than the main dealers, so could be worth a try :) its very disheartening when you feel like it's 1 step forward and 1 step back but you're still doing fab :)

    Right - plan of action to right this capsized Thistle Ship!!

    I'm committed now to creating a spreadsheet to help me sort out where my money goes each month. I know that I'm so wasteful in so many areas and if I'm ever going to get rid of the shackles of Credit Cards and Mortgages, then I need to be a lot more on the ball.

    Gosh is this really me speaking?!

    I can't recommend doing this enough, I did it for the first time this month and it's been a big eye opener and definitely helped me identify areas to cut down in :)

    PS good luck with the operation!

    Attempting to pay off our debts! Balances Jan 2018 -
    Family member £3,700 - Virgin CC £1,000 - MBNA £1,700 - Barclaycard £2,500 (was £2,700) - Halifax CC £1,280
    13
  • Thanks Glitter. Good advice.

    Decided against buying a new car - knee jerk reaction and all that. Also, I'm currently setting my sights on a new job - still working for Sl*mm*ng W*rld but in a salaried position with a company car. I don't want to be shackled to a finance deal so the new car is off!!!

    Feeling calmer today and no doubt will be calmer still tomorrow. I hate uncertainty, and when cars go in for services, I panic about the outcome. Guess I'm not alone in that though.

    Glad I came back to the site - been helped so much already. You're all such brilliant support. Xxx
    Mortgage at end 05/2007: £90200
    Mortgage at end 08/2018: £71646 paid £18354 (20.5%)
    MFD: :eek:Original:05/2042:eek:
    Car Finance: £8225 : £6392 (22.2% paid off)
    CC Debt (0% until 06/2020): £5640 : £4400 (21.7% paid off)

    Age of Money at 31/08/2018 = 23 days

    YNAB is changing the way I live my life....and spend my money!!
  • gallygirl
    gallygirl Posts: 17,240 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Glad you've calmed down :)

    Good luck with going for the job when the time comes :T.
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort
    :) Mortgage Balance = £0 :)
    "Do what others won't early in life so you can do what others can't later in life"
  • gallygirl wrote: »
    Glad you've calmed down :)

    Good luck with going for the job when the time comes :T.

    Thanks GG.
    What were you doing up at 04:58 pray?
    Mortgage at end 05/2007: £90200
    Mortgage at end 08/2018: £71646 paid £18354 (20.5%)
    MFD: :eek:Original:05/2042:eek:
    Car Finance: £8225 : £6392 (22.2% paid off)
    CC Debt (0% until 06/2020): £5640 : £4400 (21.7% paid off)

    Age of Money at 31/08/2018 = 23 days

    YNAB is changing the way I live my life....and spend my money!!
  • Right! Action Plan February!

    1. Eat all stuff in the freezer before buying more. It's bursting at the seams! Could last til Easter....almost!
    2. Move onto paying cash for everyday stuff to keep better tabs on my spends.
    3. Keep a spending diary for a month to see where it all goes.
    4. Try downsizing a brand on everyday stuff. Do your kitchen wipes REALLY have to be Domestos ones?
    5. Don't worry too much - you have enough to live on so any payments you make to CCs etc are a bonus.

    So:
    Spends today:

    Groceries:
    £0.29 Blue Dragon Chow Mein Stir Fry Sauce
    £0.29 Blue Dragon Sweet & Sour Stir Fry Sauce
    £2.94 6 x Batchelors Savoury Rice
    £1.00 Robinsons No Added Sugar Squash
    ====
    £4.52
    £2.00 Slotted Spoon (Plastic - to not scratch the Actifry)
    ====
    £6.52

    Also spent £12 on second class stamps but that's a business purchase so I'm not counting that.

    Well under my £10/day threshold - pleased:T:T
    Mortgage at end 05/2007: £90200
    Mortgage at end 08/2018: £71646 paid £18354 (20.5%)
    MFD: :eek:Original:05/2042:eek:
    Car Finance: £8225 : £6392 (22.2% paid off)
    CC Debt (0% until 06/2020): £5640 : £4400 (21.7% paid off)

    Age of Money at 31/08/2018 = 23 days

    YNAB is changing the way I live my life....and spend my money!!
  • Thistlewhistle
    Thistlewhistle Posts: 1,091 Forumite
    edited 6 February 2014 at 4:13PM
    I've taken on board Tilly and GG's fine advice and so you'll notice my signature has disappeared. I'm going to revamp it to focus on one goal at a time so that I CAN see the wood for the trees!!

    Objective #1: Clear Credit Card debt......and when that's done.....
    Objective #2: Build up a buffer (aiming for £2,000)...and when that's done.....
    Objective #3: Concentrate on overpaying the mortgage

    I shall be resurrecting the "Fun Fund" too. A little money put aside every week for days out with OH. It worked so well last time and I work really hard (about 70 hours/week, sometimes 7 days) and need to recharge or I'm no good to anybody, least of all myself. This fund will be important in helping me to get good chillax time. Being mortgage free will be no good if I'm not able to enjoy it!

    One step at a time, one day at a time.

    And breathe!
    Mortgage at end 05/2007: £90200
    Mortgage at end 08/2018: £71646 paid £18354 (20.5%)
    MFD: :eek:Original:05/2042:eek:
    Car Finance: £8225 : £6392 (22.2% paid off)
    CC Debt (0% until 06/2020): £5640 : £4400 (21.7% paid off)

    Age of Money at 31/08/2018 = 23 days

    YNAB is changing the way I live my life....and spend my money!!
  • gallygirl
    gallygirl Posts: 17,240 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Thanks GG.
    What were you doing up at 04:58 pray?
    No, not praying :rotfl:.

    Wide awake at 3.30 :eek:, gave up at 4.15 and got up :eek:.
    A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort
    :) Mortgage Balance = £0 :)
    "Do what others won't early in life so you can do what others can't later in life"
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 245K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.4K Life & Family
  • 258.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.