The end is in sight

ShirePiskie

Well, my making money when I spend money is on a temporary hold.

Call from Tesco CC last night to ask if I was in New York as a transaction had been attempted. Sadly not. Fortunately the transaction was declined, but it means by card has had to be cancelled. :mad:

Soooo, no Christmas shopping until my replacement card comes out. Bah. Was so proud of myself, paying it off after each transaction but building up points... of course I still will but I feel like my MASTER PLAN has been attacked.

Bah!

ShirePiskie

Happy new year my fellow wannabes!

So, this is it, 2015. This is the year I become debt free. Am currently on target for August (or technically July payday) but am hoping to pull that forward to July (technically June payday).

I've just changed phone contract, another sim only deal which is now £9.99 a month rather than the £20ish I was on. So £10 a month there to throw at the final debt, which, as yet I haven't allocated and won;t until the bill comes in.

Also in the process of switching phone/ broadband/ TV provider which should save £5 a month. Although, to be honest, that wasn't about the money, more about the level of service we were getting.

This is first year in my independent adult life I haven't had a financial hangover after Christmas and New Year (actual hangover is a different story).

Menu planned and shopped for the two of us yesterday with a grand total of £65 for the month (a few meals in the freezer). It would have been less if husband hadn't sneaked cookies and Davidstow in to the trolley!!

hope you are as optimistic about 2015 as me. Will try to keep my DFW diary a bit more up to date.

ShirePiskie

Blimey, twice in a week. Maybe I've got my diary mojo back!

Some sad new this week has actually highlighted one of my (when I say 'my' I mean YNAB's) new (ish) budgeting techniques working... so every cloud, and all that.

I found out yesterday one of my aunts died in the night, very sudden and very sad. The whole family is quite stunned and as it was a sudden death it seems it will be at least two weeks until the funeral as it will have to go to the coroner and there may/ may not be an autopsy.

Anyway, not wanting to turn into a DIY SOS/ X Factor sympathy seeker...

I'm in Cornwall. Auntie B was (is) in Shropshire so that's a 700 mile round trip to find money for at some point soon... in January...

BUT

I've been budgeting £20 a month for 'dos' which is just sitting in my bank account, waiting for a 'do' to come up. My thoughts on setting it up were weddings as all mine and husband's cousins seem to be going up and down the aisle at an alarming rate.

This will, obviously, not be for such a happy occasion, but I guess this counts. So, I don't have to scrabble around (too much, the 'dos' pot is only at £80) or put the fuel on a credit card with no idea when it might be paid off.

So, right here, one of You Need A Budget's rules in action. 'Save for a rainy day'. I knew a family gathering would be on the cards at some point this year, maybe next, but didn't know what or when when I started budgeting £20 a month in that pot/ envelope (even though it's all sat in my bank account with my other money for rent, bills, shopping etc) and now it's there when I need it.

It doesn't come out of an emergency fund (just as well, nothing in it right now) as it's not an unforeseeable emergency. Something was going to happen someday that fell into the wedding/ funeral/ christening/ birthday pile and the money was there waiting to be needed.

I don't think you need to use YNAB software to apply this 'philosophy' (although it helps), but how many emergencies are actually unforeseen? The car is going to need new parts at some point, the washing machine is going to sound like it's full of bricks at some point, the cat is going to need an operation at some point. You can't know the exact details of each or the timing, but you can't, in honestly, be surprised financially when it happens.

I appreciate when you're (as I've been) in a deep financial hole your priority is to get your way out of that and £10 here and there for each possible scenario is impossible, but perhaps getting into that way of thinking at least means you won't get caught out by 'emergencies' again when you're on sounder financial footing and so won't tumble back in to the hole?

t2rry

Happy New Year ShirePiskie! And Happy Year of Debt Free-ness!!


Sorry to hear about your Aunt, (who lived not far from me!!) horrible time, but ever so slightly less horrible that it didn't cause a financial crisis!


Sounds like YNAB is really working for you.


I've sadly dumped my various savings pots for future spends temporarily but I will be taking a leaf out of your book & bringing them back asap...


You're so close to that elusive debt free day!!!!

ShirePiskie

Hello T2rry! Thanks for stopping by - need to go and have ANOTHER catch up on your diary!

ShirePiskie

Right, doing a little dance - my debt has dropped below the £2k mark!!!

Woooowwwweeeeee!!!!

t2rry

Shirepiskie, <£2k!!!!!!!!!!!! That's amazing!!! :beer:


You'll be gone from here before you know it, into the debt free world...

ShirePiskie

....spotty mcspotterson.

Bearing in mind I turned *whispers* 40 a couple of months ago, I have more spots than a domino right now.

Was feeling SOOOO proud of myself stocking up on the full Lacura skincare range from Aldi for just over a tenner - serum, day cream, another lighter day cream, night cream and face wash. Wooo hoooo.

Had to give it up after three days use. Hmph.

Anyway, going to use it all up as hand and foot cream, so not a total waste, but just goes to show what a delicate flower I am!!! :rotfl:

ShirePiskie

So, what's been going on?

Well, I am not going to be debt free at the end of this month as was the original plan. It's likely going to be November now.

Mixed feelings about this, a bit peed off with myself and circumstances that have brought this about but outweighing that, pleased that I now have a much more realistic view of what I need to be putting aside each month for when things come up.

I actually have about £600 just 'sitting around', which I could throw at my one remaining debt, and if I was paying interest on that last credit card, I would.

BUT

Instead it's actually lots of other little virtual pots - there's £30 put away each month that has accumulated for 'dos' (weddings mostly now after an overload of funerals at the start of the year), £30 a month for 'shenanigans' such as going to see Motorhead on Saturday, the next trip to see my best friend in Essex (this pot had just 'paid out' for that last month, as well as a couple of days in London), £20 per month for the holiday at the end of July (only five days camping, but it shouldn't cost any thing outside of this pot). And so on and so forth.

Each time something apparently unexpected comes up, I've been creating a new pot and putting a little something in it each month ready for next time. Even daft stuff like all the Race for Life sponsorship requests doing the rounds at the moment - each month £2.50 goes is a charity category. Not loads, but that's £30 a year put aside.

So, I'm happy that the debt is steadily reducing but even more that I'm much more in control rather than suddenly having to 'find' £200 for a big occasion.

In other news, I still have an ongoing saga with AA Finance, despite paying off my loan with them a year ago, but my blood pressure can't cope with recounting it right now!!! :mad:

t2rry

ShirePiskie!!! You're back!!!

I've been away for a strangely similar time! Glad to see you!

You're still so close to debt free and having all your little pots is a great achievement & must be such a relief to know you won't find yourself stuck when the extras pop up!

Secretly and selfishly I'm kind of glad you're still in the journey, I take a lot from your diary