It's so simple in theory!

Debtphobic_Dinah

Hi Trishiapp

How wonderfully well you are doing! You are approaching the DFW way of life with a positive attitude, looking forward to making inroads on those debts!:T:money:
The DFW way of life can be fun if you approach it as a game/challenge. Putting those CC debts on a 0% card is a good plan so that they are temporarily out of the way whilst you deal with the other debts first.
Why not use this bit of time off work to investigate meal planning and how to minimise food spending. I know some people use "click and collect" as a way of avoiding temptation; and using freezer batch cooking to avoid those tired nights when a takeaway or expensive ready meal can be tempting. A great blog to look at is "A Girl called Jack" and the mse inspired "cheap-family-meals.org.uk" is also brilliant.
All the best to you, it is so worth it.

Trishiapp

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Does that mean you use your car to travel to visit patients?

If so, are you getting a fuel allowance?

If not, how about a tax allowance?

Also, are you claiming a tax allowance, for uniforms/clothing and cleaning of same?



You are tempting fate, making a statement like that.

Good morning Bedsit Bob.


Yes, I do get fuel allowance, but since I have a lease car, I obviously don't get as much as I would using my own car. However, I am ok with that, since I like the hassle-free motoring. Also, as a essential car user the cost of it is very reasonable.


I don't wear a uniform so no extra claim there.


One of the biggest errors I have made in the past was the thinking of 'just in case.' So for example, I would go out and buy extra food ( just in case) that I didn't need. Obviously, it's different when one is saving money 'just in case'of emergencies, which is why, I am looking to save a healthy emergency fund as soon as possible


I am very lucky that I am able to lean on my family if things went wrong, but hopefully this won't happen any time soon.


Warmly,


Trishia

Trishiapp

Debtphobic_Dinah wrote: »

Hi Trishiapp

How wonderfully well you are doing! You are approaching the DFW way of life with a positive attitude, looking forward to making inroads on those debts!:T:money:
The DFW way of life can be fun if you approach it as a game/challenge. Putting those CC debts on a 0% card is a good plan so that they are temporarily out of the way whilst you deal with the other debts first.
Why not use this bit of time off work to investigate meal planning and how to minimise food spending. I know some people use "click and collect" as a way of avoiding temptation; and using freezer batch cooking to avoid those tired nights when a takeaway or expensive ready meal can be tempting. A great blog to look at is "A Girl called Jack" and the mse inspired "cheap-family-meals.org.uk" is also brilliant.
All the best to you, it is so worth it.

Good morning Debtphobic Dinah.


Thank you so much for your kind comment


I completely agree with you that, DFW way of life can be a lot of fun! When I've made the decision to change my financial ways, I've decided to make it as light hearted as possible. There's plenty of misery out there already and adding more to my personal life would weigh me down further.


I have 'forgiven' myself for mis-managing my finances and know that, whilst I'm naturally not great with money, I am a worthwhile human being with many other positive attributes. This of course, applies to everyone else! Whilst financial institutions treat people in debt with contempt, we are not criminals! There's no-thing to be ashamed of!


The truth is, as long as I'm healthy and happy, I can cope with trials and tribulations of everyday life, including debt


Well, as promised, my friend done my shopping yesterday. I felt a little guilty about it, but was grateful for such a lovely gesture. He said that it was the least he could do after me feeding him all week- win-win situation ( he got fed and I got free shopping.) This of course means, I've spent no money yesterday!


Talking of which, I have no desire to spend any money this weekend either( I have a few things planned, but non of them require me to dive into my purse.)Today, I shall go for a country-side walk ( I might need a boat and windbreaker), followed by watching a free movie on Sky and more cooking this evening. I absolutely LOVE quiet weekends ( very restorative.)


I wish you all a wonderful weekend

Debtphobic_Dinah

Hi Trishiapp
Hope all is well with you. I have to confess I have had a bit of a spend today ready for Valentines Day- but only from the pound shop.
Have you looked on the main site about reducing motring bills? One thing I learned recently was not filling up too much at one time will reduce the weight in the car (think how much a 2l bottle of lemonade weighs and imagine that x20 or x30).

[Deleted User]

Trishiapp wrote: »

So for example, I would go out and buy extra food (just in case) that I didn't need.

I do that all the time.

It has a number of benefits:-

If there was extreme weather (or I was ill), and I was unable to get to the shops, I have enough food and other supplies, to see me through a month or two.

Likewise, if the shops were running low on stock (due perhaps to the aforementioned extreme weather, or maybe industrial action), I would again have enough food and other supplies, to see me through a month or two.

Also, by buying in bulk, I'm eating, drinking, etc., at last month's (and indeed, the previous month's) prices.

Trishiapp

It sounds like you are more organised than I am!

I found that, if I buy extra food ( just in case) I pile it up and don't use up everything in my cupboards from the previous months, consequently I am paying supermarkets for storing their food in my house


Also (most probably like yourself) I hate waste, so I would rather wait until I'm running low on things before stepping into the temple of consumerism. For me, this has the added advantage of needing to be creative with my meals.


Having said all of that, there's no right or wrong way of living- we all do our best with what we have

Trishiapp

Debtphobic_Dinah wrote: »

Hi Trishiapp
Hope all is well with you. I have to confess I have had a bit of a spend today ready for Valentines Day- but only from the pound shop.
Have you looked on the main site about reducing motring bills? One thing I learned recently was not filling up too much at one time will reduce the weight in the car (think how much a 2l bottle of lemonade weighs and imagine that x20 or x30).

I've been on my own for the past ten years, and only very recently met someone suitable, consequently I'm rather excited about the prospect of Valentines Day! I'm not sure I should be getting him a present, but no doubt your significant other will appreciate your lovely gesture. I hope the two of you will enjoy celebrating your love for each other


Thank you for the tip re: not filling up my car to the full-it makes perfect sense! I've done a little research into reducing my motoring costs and am hell- bent on being as frugal with it as I possibly can ( I even got myself Morrison's fuel card.)


I'm really looking forward to tomorrow as I've been invited to a ( free) lunch, which of course means NO SPENDING! In fact, in case I should get some silly ideas ( like buying drinks) I will leave my purse at home.


Gosh, the above makes me sound so tight with money, but I must stick to it otherwise, I might fall off the DFW wagon. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is worth the sinking feeling I get when I know that I shouldn't be spending money that I don't have ( as long as I'm in debt, I really don't have any free money.)


At this stage, I feel that, I've done enough of spending- I'm done with it. I want to be able to derive happiness from other sources which don't require me to dig out my cards! Onwards and upwards...

Trishiapp

I am very lucky in that, my two children are not materialistic( especially my son) and rarely ask for anything. This of course, is a good thing, as I really don't want them to fall into the trap ( like I did in the past) of buying stuff just to feel alive.

Anyway, last night I was telling them about my plans of growing my own produce this year ( mainly vegetables) and they got very excited! Our conversation steered towards living for free...


According to my son, if we really wanted to, we could literally live almost for free. Whilst some of his ideas are difficult to achieve, others are more viable.


So, with that in mind, I thought I will share some of his ideas on here:


Water- we could filter water from the river at the bottom of our garden. Hmmm, first I need a filtration system!


Heat- we could collect wood for the fire-place. Also used for cooking on the stove.

Electricity- a wind turbine ( hmmm, I wonder how much those cost??)


Food- at the end of the day we could approach bakery, butchers and other shops for any leftovers ( free or almost free.) Growing our own( foraging is also an option.) Working for food.


Clothes- Salvation Army, asking family and friends to donate unwanted items. Swapping existing clothes for needed garments.

Household appliances ( if broken) Free-cycle and similar.


Personal hygiene- using natural resources: salt and sugar for washing and exfoliation; bicarbonate of soda to refresh hair and brush teeth with; olive oil to moisturise and talcum powder to absorb, ahem, unwanted perspiration. We are yet to come up with a feasible solution to getting rid of unwanted hair!


House cleaning- vinegar, lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda.


Now, I know some of the ideas are rather difficult to achieve, especially harnessing and filtering the water, but our discussion made me think about how little we really need to survive! Also, it begs the question of 'Would we survive if we had no money and no choice?'


Ah yes, we are still to figure out the issue of loo rolls!

Scritti

Trishiapp wrote: »

One of the biggest errors I have made in the past was the thinking of 'just in case.'

I actually think "just in case" is a good way to think in regards to becoming debt-free or saving.

As BSB said, an emergency fund is vital!! You never have any emergencies?? So what if your car breaks down or is written off? The fridge freezer or washing machine breaks? Your roof needs replacing (heaven forbid)?? Anything could happen. And the last thing you want to do is have the need to use your OD again or need to get a loan or use a credit card. If you're to avoid getting back into debt, having some sort of fund for emergencies is so important.

I wouldn't feel comfortable without my emergency fund and it's what I'm concentrating on at the moment, now that the OD and the loan are paid off. Most of it will be gone again come September when I pay off and close my 0% credit card but - pending any disasters before then - I'll still have at least 1k left, thank Goodness. It's still not enough though. Personally, I would like at least 3 to 5k in this fund. Then, God willing, I will start saving for a mortgage deposit. Most people would probably feel comfortable with a lot less in an emergency fund but I've had such terrible luck in the past, I want to cover most possible disasters. I would certainly advise having SOMETHING though.

Also, like BSB, I have a supply of goods in the house. My main reason for this is I'm a real geek for saving money on grocery shopping. Using MySupermarket and shopping a lot at Aldi was one of the main things that helped me pay off my OD and loan (after the main thing of overtime, overtime and more overtime).

So I do stock up on things that I know I'm going to buy anyway when they are on half-price or BOGOF special offer. And not Tesco's magical (ie bullsh*t) "half price" offers either, genuine "Savvy Buy" offers (check MySupermarket for more info if you don't already - fantastic site!!).

So I've got a stock cupboard full of loo roll, canned baked beans, spaghetti, soups, rice pudding, custard etc, tea bags, orange squash, washing up liquid, handwash, breakfast cereal, cleaning products, shower gel, toothpaste, mouthwash, razors & shaving gel and much more, all bought in bulk when they were at a very low price.

These are all things with a shelf life of months or years. I always put replacements at the back and move the older stuff to the front. I check the use by dates monthly (which only takes a few minutes) so nothing gets wasted.

It's really simple. And I now only ever buy these things when they're a bargain. Almost everything I buy now (including clothing and electrical items - I have backups of many of these these too, toaster, kettle etc) is ONLY bought when as cheap as possible.

I've saved so much money and it's honestly so easy to do. I still treat myself occasionally on things that generally don't ever (or very rarely) go on sale but I see no reason to spend double what I need to on stuff that's regularly on sale for half-price. You wouldn't spend 10k on a car if you knew that the same car was going to be selling for 5k in a sale three months down the line, you'd wait - so why do the same thing for cheaper items??

Anyways, congrats on getting your 0% card - fantastic news - and keep posting, this is a great thread!

[Deleted User]

I don't concern myself with dates on cans, jars etc.

Cans and jars will keep for a great many years.

In my younger days, I used army surplus Ration Packs, which had been packed 25 and more years, prior to my using them.

Even the bars of chocolate were OK to eat. All they showed, for their extended storage, was a bit of marbling.