* Breaking The Habit.... Hopefully.

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  • Habibiboo
    Habibiboo Posts: 1,582 Forumite
    edited 7 August 2014 at 11:08AM
    stewby wrote: »
    Oh... forgot...

    The bongo is a completely adorable campervan.

    Don't know if this will work but this is a link to one of my photo albums for the bongo (it's the basic one with pics inside and out) -

    http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/stewby8/library/bongo%20pics

    It is one of my most favourite things in the world (obviously people and animals aren't things). It is just so brilliant for camping in.
    :D

    :wave:

    Ooooh Stewby, I now have campervan-envy! This is the road (geddit) Mr. Hbbb and I want to go down once we have a bit of "spare" cash (:rotfl:) as it would just be so easy to throw the dogs into the van and take off for weekends, without the expense of actual holidays.

    Hoping to tie this into the MF endeavors in the next 12 - 18 months as a way of getting little breaks whilst paying down the mortgage. I have a small insurance payout due next summer, I think which I'd like to put by and use to get us a pre-loved camper but this will depend on the mortgage progress. I'd really love to hear more about the cost-effectiveness of getting about in the van.

    Your bongo is lovely and that's great of your parents, a really good way of getting value from the van and sharing the joy of the open road. I'd love to go shares on a van with my family but Mr. Hbbb's not so sure! So, happy to hear all about campervanning pursuits please (your pot's an excellent idea BTW ... may have to get a little van pot of my own, in lieu of actual van at the moment)!

    Keep up the positive vibe, you're doing brilliantly.

    :p Totally understand your horror about the photo ... my mum has something similar, an appalling one of me but it's on display because my sister looks good in it! x
    Stash busting 2014 45 / 60 (balls of yarn)!
    2014 Sealed Pot #2136 ?/£500
    House: Decluttering 322 / 365
    Original mortgage [STRIKE]£149,000[/STRIKE][STRIKE]£117,750[/STRIKE];[STRIKE]£112,500[/STRIKE] MFW 2014#69 GOAL 1: [STRIKE]£109 K April[/STRIKE] ;) GOAL 2: [STRIKE]£103 K by Sept[/STRIKE] ;) GOAL 3: < £100k by end of 2014 MF goal: Nov 2020 - 4 years early
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    Hello everyone!!

    Sorry about the delay in writing anything but work has been a bit challenging which isn't always a bad thing as I tend to enjoy problem solving. Have since spoken to my boss and we have come up with a plan... hopefully this will solve the issue at work.
    :)

    So... I am now on holiday and having some thoughts regarding my debt.
    Time to stop talking about the debt and start acting on the debt full bore!!
    Credit Card = £3754.64

    It has gone up since last month but I have been buying xmas pressies with it (the poppies mainly).
    :(

    So.... September...
    I receive £400 each month as a budget fund. This pays for fuel, food and fun.
    So... OH is now contributing to the food budget so as a result I now only have to pay £60 a month to this.

    Food: £60.
    Fuel: £30.
    Fun: £30.
    Xmas fund: £30.
    Holiday pot: £80.

    Grand Total: £230.
    Spare Money: £170.


    So, basically this £170 is heading into my secret stash in September.
    :j

    In other news... my dad had saved me £200 for my holiday this month (I shouldn't need that much). So I spoke to him honestly about having saved some money and handed it over.
    Ended up being £280... so I have this money as my holiday spends and the £200 that Dad had saved is going towards my credit card.
    Total to credit card this month - £400.
    :D

    Habibiboo, the bongo has a forum dedicated to it: if you google bongofury then you will find it. (I hope this isn't classed as advertising or anything). There are heaps of information on there about the campervan. If you have any specific questions about the bongo then just let me know and I will ask my dad who knows a lot more than me.
    :happyhear

    Hope everyone is doing well. I will be back soon with an update.
    Hugs.
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • Habibiboo
    Habibiboo Posts: 1,582 Forumite
    :wave:

    Thanks Stewby, will have a nose around!

    Well done on positive pro-activity with sorting work issues ... hope you have a good break from work though and enjoy your hols! x
    Stash busting 2014 45 / 60 (balls of yarn)!
    2014 Sealed Pot #2136 ?/£500
    House: Decluttering 322 / 365
    Original mortgage [STRIKE]£149,000[/STRIKE][STRIKE]£117,750[/STRIKE];[STRIKE]£112,500[/STRIKE] MFW 2014#69 GOAL 1: [STRIKE]£109 K April[/STRIKE] ;) GOAL 2: [STRIKE]£103 K by Sept[/STRIKE] ;) GOAL 3: < £100k by end of 2014 MF goal: Nov 2020 - 4 years early
  • Hi Stewby! Loving your diary thread, tales of Le Bongo stir up a lot of wanderlust for ,e - I think it sounds like a great way of traveling! We are off to the big city in October half term to see the poppies too, and have also booked to do this for free:
    http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/bigben/
    A bit of free tourist fun and a bit of exercise climbing those steps! You might remember I raved a bit about the other free tour you can book through your MP (of the houses of parliament themselves) the guide was absolutely brilliant and there was so much to see!

    Good luck with the work issue, the CC and the being positive. I know you can do it! You've prompted me to have a look at xmas presents...you might be horrified to hear it hadn't crossed my mind until recently, and usually doesn't translate to action until early December! As a strategy this doesn't work too well so I'll try to plan a little more ahead this year!
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    Honestly crazy_lady, I am normally a November Xmas shopper. Waiting not quite until the last minute but struggling to find things I think people will like.
    The pot is one of the greatest ideas I have ever stolen. (I got it from a thread on here, £365 in 365 days).
    :D

    I am normally quite bad for stock-piling so I should still have a supply of wrapping paper and cards in the loft.
    :o

    Congratulations on becoming debt-free. I hope to be like you soon and have cleared my debts.
    What is your next plan?? Are you going to save or do you have a mortgage to pay off??
    :)

    Today has been a fun day. A nice relaxing start to the holiday with some exercise built in.
    :j
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • Glad you had a great day Stewby...hope rest of the hols is as good! I am not totally debt free yet...just formal (cc/loans) debt free! I still owe my folks 4888 and am really motivated now to be clearing that. You've inspired me to launch my own diary to keep track of it :) I've worked out it is £611 a pay packet, if I want to clear it by Aprils pay date ( a goal I set at the start of this year).

    Scarily, if I keep the CC clear (and please get the turtles to line up and ninja kick me if I don't :mad:) then I should be able to make that kind of payment just by keeping living frugally (its about what I have been paying off the cc monthly this past year:eek:!). If I can keep a little extra coming in from the paying guests, them maybe it could be done a few months sooner.

    After that..yes, I have a mortgage (which is LOTS:eek:) but I started it in my mid 20's so it should clear by the start of my 50's. Gulp. That is a whole other thing isn't it. I really admire your savings pots but have not been organised enough to do that before. I got out of cc debt just by throwing every penny at it and occasionally, yes things like car repairs had to go back on the cc as there was no extra money stashed anywhere for it. In my calculations about how much I can pay my folk back I've allowed for properly putting the amount aside I'll need to save between now and dates my house and car insurance/tax are due in order to not have to borrow for these. I'm getting there! An emergency fund is probably second on my list after the informal debt.

    And thirdly...my house really needs some structural work doing to it, so at some point I'm going to have to either borrow from the mortgage, from my folk, or a formal loan to do it. I am trying to work out how long I can put off before doing the work, so that I can have saved towards it from April 2015in order to minimise the loan. That is the plan anyway...basically, I'm going to be haunting these boards for a long, long time and eating lentils forever!

    How about you? What are your post-debt plans?
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    I had a bad day today in terms of spending which is going to dent the credit card repayments... however... it will help us spend less in the future.
    :undecided

    We have bought an annual pass for the National Trust for Scotland. We visited a castle today and paid £21 for both of us. The woman there was talking about the annual pass for £67.
    We have two castles within 10 miles of our house so even if we only visited those two, we would make our money back.
    :D

    So, whilst we have been bad... it will make exploring more affordable in the future.
    :o

    Starting the money saving full bore in September and I think I am going to have to accept that I will not be making my December deadline without some sort of lottery win or magical windfall.
    :think:

    The credit card is getting frozen in a block of ice after this holiday. I need to sort myself out and get rid of this debt so we can start saving for the wedding/honeymoon.
    :p

    Yep... crazy_lady, that is the plan. I want to do things without getting into debt ever again. So the plan is to start saving for the wedding.
    It shouldn't cost heaps of money to be honest (well, the wedding anyways). My parents are paying for the venue and the dress (my dad has also mentioned maybe paying for the bridesmaid dress as well) so that is all covered. One of my neighbours has offered to make us a cake. The woman who is manager of the place we are holding the wedding in is also a caterer and is doing the food for £30 a head. Works out as £600 for a three course meal - two choices of each course.
    Obviously, we have rings to deal with and the reception (party at a relative's house but will need to supply food and drink).
    :)

    Anyways... that is the plan once we are debt free. However, the main expense is the honeymoon which is three weeks touring america.
    :j

    I don't want to be in debt for any of it so need to get rid of this debt so we can start saving.
    Only £3754.67 to go!!
    :eek:
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    So... I have decided that I will let NSK know about my little expense yesterday as I have just made up for it!!!!
    :p

    Today, I went into my savings account (which was sitting at £150), removed £100 and handed it to my dad.
    Grand total to pay off credit card this month is now £500!! And this is despite having £200 holiday money saved up as well.
    :j

    My dad is thrilled with me giving him the extra wee bit. I am a wee bit disappointed (not in a bad way, but in an impatient way) as I can't just delete £500 off the total due to interest so I have to wait for the bill to come in which isn't until next month. Boo hiss.
    :wall:

    I wonder if there is a way to get the credit card online so that I can nosey. Will have to check with my Dad.
    :think:

    Anyways... I think I will need to rethink the deadline but will try my hardest anyways. Somehow, I don't think I can pay off £1000 a month to make my deadline.
    :undecided

    Still... positivity reigns in this diary and even if it takes a few months longer, the goal will still be achieved.
    :D
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    Well i promised that this diary was going to be positive so how to word this positively... hmmmm...

    ... our holiday next week has been thrown into a wee bit of chaos and I am not sure what we are going to do about it. However, I enjoy a challenge which this most certainly is.
    Also... we are probably going to end up in the bongo (campervan) for 9 days which is always a good thing.
    :D

    Does that sound positive?? I am trying to ignore the fact that our free holiday has just become quite expensive. OH has mentioned that he will pay for it but considering the past, I won't hold my breath.
    :undecided

    On the plus side... I do love the bongo. It is one of my most favourite things in the world.
    And I splurged on a dvd today (captain america 2) which is proving to be a great purchase.
    :j

    Don't know how well I will sleep whilst trying to solve this puzzle but I feel I have at least been successful in keeping this post positive. Which has given me a wee sense of achievement. Hooray.
    :p
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
  • stewby
    stewby Posts: 1,206
    Combo Breaker First Post Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    good evening.
    :)

    so... am still on holiday. it isn't as active and explore-y as my normal holidays but still been nice.

    it is coming up for September which means assessing and making a plan of attack for the NST (formerly known as the NSK) challenge.

    * Food Budget = £60 (OH will also be paying £60).
    * Petrol Budget = £40.
    * Illegal Spends = £40 ( I want a computer game).
    * Pound A Day = £30.

    Total Budget = £170.
    Money leftover = £230 (this is out of my own budget account and will go towards debt).
    :D
    Mortgage: £0/£80,329.91
    Savings: £0/£6400
    :love:
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