The end is in sight

t2rry · 8 September 2015 at 2:11PM

ShirePiskie wrote: »

Busiest time at work is nearing the end! Phew!

Right, with August's pay packet I am down to £475 of debt. Woooooohooooo!

£200 to pay at the end of this month.

£275 at the end of October and then... THAT'S IT (coincidentally when husband's DMP finishes as well).

The bubbly is already on ice!

Did someone say.......WOOOOHOOOOO! :T :T

SO CLOSE!!!! I am so envious and but mostly pleased and inspired to carry on busting - you've had some good windfalls to help along the way and your fair share of set backs, but you've stuck with it and the end literally is in sight!!!

You will mightily deserve that bubbly!!

Next question is - what will you do with your disposable income once there is no debt left to pay off with it!? What is your plan!? Savings? Holiday? Tell me tell me tell me!!!

ShirePiskie · 8 September 2015 at 4:07PM

Hello T2rry!!

Funnily enough my DFD isn't that different to the planned one without the PPI payment... but I do have wonderful comfy new bed, which I wouldn't have otherwise!

But what plans with that money per month?

1. Building up a YNAB buffer to live off last month's income
2. Emergency fund (I'll probably do 1&2 at the same time)
3. Holidayibobs!!!! After much discussion with the husband, and while we want to do it 'one day', we've shelved the idea of a first class all inclusive trip to the Maldives in three years time (fifth wedding anniversary)... instead we're looking at Milan at Easter 2016 and New York 2018/19... so a bit of travelling, city break style.

ShirePiskie · 23 September 2015 at 3:21PM

Holy Moly, this last £475 is driving me nuts!!! I just want to get it gone. Must be patient and stick to the plan.

I *could* clear it on payday (this time next week), but that would means not having money for other 'pots', for example the C word, which I want to make a start on next month and the car fund.

Rushing head first for instant gratification (ooer) and without thinking about the knock on effects is all apart of what got me in the debt hole to begin with.

Repeat after me. Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan.

t2rry · 24 September 2015 at 1:53PM

Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan.

Does that help!?

This won't help at all but I think I'd definitely pay it off if I could! So I admire your willpower to ensure the other pots aren't neglected!

What's the plan then? Pay off some this payday & the rest next? Or something else completely?

ShirePiskie · 29 September 2015 at 11:02AM

It does help, thank you.

Had actually got the wrong figures down - I only have £425 left!!!

So the plan is £200 tomorrow (payday) and £225 on 30 October!

We are off to a family wedding in Windsor towards the end of October, with petrol and spending money to pay out for (hotel already paid for well in advance for a good deal and dress bought in sale back in May) plus a few days away to family and friends during half term, otherwise, I probably could stretch to clearing it all tomorrow, but the 'trips, dos and shenanigans' pot is budgeted to have a good top up!

ShirePiskie · 30 September 2015 at 2:58PM

Signature updated...... I feel like it's Christmas Eve!!!

ShirePiskie · 8 October 2015 at 4:30PM

Hmmmm, after a digestive rollercoaster 2015 so far and much trial and error, we think husband has developed a lactose intolerance out of nowhere.

He isn't a man-flu type of man and is rarely ill - in fact when I forced him to go and get some tests back in March, the doctors had taken him off their books as he hadn't been for 19 years - so being double up with cramps, confined to the 'throne room' and wiped out of energy for days at a time after an attack has really got him down.

The upshot is, I'm having to completely redesign our menu plan as our favourites that we have a couple of times a month, at least - spinach and ricotta lasagna

fish pie

There are always portions of these in the freezer as well as standbys - good for evenings when I;m home alone but no good for husband.

I don't want to spend a fortune on lactose/ dairy free substitutes and our local supermarkets are diddy with quite small 'free from' ranges. Still want to be frugally menu planning.

So, having a think - I was surprised how much of our from scratch cooking contains cheese and milk and butter (why am I not a size 10 again?). Is also incredible how many products contain milk in some form or another... sweet chilli crisps. for example.

Is good to shake things up though. I need to do something as I will go mad if I have to have a portion of chicken with a jacket potato again!

Also, for Christmas (yes, I said it), in his stocking, husband wil be getting a box of Lactaid and Ferrero Rocher.

ShirePiskie · 2 November 2015 at 12:32PM

:j

So, it's FINALLY happened. As of Friday just gone, I owe nobody nuffink!

I've cried a fair bit, I hit Primarni pretty hard (to the tune of £24), actually felt a bit sick about 'what now?' and was, with terrible planning, 315 miles away from the bubbly that is in the fridge.

In other news, husband has made the last payment of his DMP as well so we're both elated/ shell shocked.

The plan is to enjoy ourselves over Christmas - obviously and definitely not spending anything we don't have, or that is already allocated for other use - then I'm building up a YNAB buffer, decent emergency fund, then saving.

I imagine when animals are released back in to the wild, they are scared of leaving the cage that they know - it's secure even though it's small and restricted - that's the best way I can describe how I feel right now.

Off to post on the Debt Free board - I put it on Twitter on Friday and got a virtual Mexican wave from loads of people thanks to a shout out my @MSEForum - that didn't help with the crying!