Debt free in 23 (months)

pinkgiraffe2014

Hmm, I'm not quite sure how I managed to get that very unhappy face at the top of my previous post. Oops!

I still need to attack my ironing pile. I've been ironing as I've needed just lately and could really do without that before work in the morning.

Broke_Kitty

Just spent a little while lurking your thread, well done on your progress and changed mentality so far!

I'm 9 months into my journey and looking back at how I used to live is crazy, you'll be at that point in no time.

I am healthier and wealthier since I stopped eating processed food, as well as doing most of my shop at Aldi (and the rest at Morrisons who often have great deals on veg). It's amazing how much of a saving you make when you're not buying a £1 packet of this there, and a £1 packet of that there, it all adds up so fast! I do tend to mostly buy the same things, and eat the same things, but it works for me.

The slow cooker is my friend as well, especially since I work long hours. You can rustle up a cheap meal which will last you for 5-6 portions if you freeze the leftovers and saves time if you need something quick too.

I downloaded the spreadsheet from this site to use as my SOA and it's so useful for putting in all your budgets and if you make a conscious effort to avoid shops you can really see a difference in the amount of money you have left at the end of the month - this was always my biggest problem! All it takes is a trip to the shop to buy food at work, or because it's on your way home, and you've frittered away like a tenner! Now I bring my lunch to work every day, or go home for it (because I live super close), go straight to and from work/home without going to a shop unless it's for my weekly/a top up for things I actually need.

I also put on my SOA spreadsheet a budget for treats, so say I want a takeaway or a subway or a trip to the pub with my friends, I have that budgetted for so I don't feel guilty or mess up my other budgets by not factoring it in. Took a few months to get used to but I rarely stray from this now, and it stops me getting bored and feeling deprived!

That turned into a bit of an essay haha, sorry.

Tl;dr: congrats on your progress, and good luck with your debt busting!

pinkgiraffe2014

Thank you for the reply BK. And well done on your progress so far! You have made quite a dent in your debt!

I really do need to sort myself out with regards to shopping and food. I cook well for my daughter but tend to just stick to the same things for myself. Pasta, pizza, curry, chips etc. I don't like many meats and I also don't like many veg so I'm very much stuck in a rut. I do like lots of fruit though and will eat melon, strawberries and grapes until they come out of my ears!

I've continued to round down my bank account and have been paying this off my nxt account. This months statement is now available and my balance currently stands at 257. If I hadn't of had a wobble earlier in the month then I would have had a balance of only 130 ish. I am hoping that the feeling of disappointment in myself will prevent any future 'wobbles'

I'm not quite sure how many extra payments I will be able to make for the rest of this month as I'd really like to put a little bit away for Xmas. Will see how I go though.

I think for the rest of the month I will concentrate on NSD and trying to sell a few bits of old toys/clothes.

pinkgiraffe2014

Not a great deal to report other than two more NSD. I think if I become a bit of recluse then I may just do this! Also saves a small fortune in petrol! Seriously though, if I can limit going out then there won't be the temptation to spend. No more couple of quid in this shop, and the same in that shop, until I've managed to put myself in the red a week after getting paid!

Which reminds me, I must be doing something right as I don't remember the last time I had this much money left half way the month.

Made another extra payment to nxt today and transferred £50 into the Xmas fund which means I now have £260 in actual cash, £50 tsco gift card, £20 boo ts points and £15 amzon voucher from swag bucks. It is such a relief to know that Xmas is just about paid for. All I need now is some put aside for the food shop.

I am going to center parcs just before Xmas for the winter wonderland (all already paid for and spending money put away in a separate account). This was booked before I had my lbm, I haven't had a holiday or even a small break in years so I'm really looking forward to it and I know my daughter will absolutely love it. Anyway, the reason why I mention it is that I think I've put more than we will need away for spending money so any that is left over will be put towards Xmas when we get back.

Not planning on going anywhere tomorrow so fingers crossed for another NSD .

pinkgiraffe2014

Pay day tomorrow so my debt busting fun starts all over again! I am ending this month in the black which is a first!

I've been going through my banking and adding up all the unnecessary spend this month. I thought I had done so well but there's still room for improvement.

29.17 on clothes for my daughter - I could try and justify this all day long but the fact is she has so many clothes already that she really did not need these. 5 (!!) Tops and a coat in the next size up for winter, all from eBay but not essential this month.

24.49 for an elf on the shelf soft toy. I know, I know, I'm a total softie when it comes to my daughter

35.50 for tickets for a day out with daughter... Definitely a running theme here!

0.99 on a song download

that's a grand total of 90.15!!! I honestly thought I'd done better than that. I realise my main weakness is spending unnecessarily on my daughter.

On a more positive note I have only put 44.96 worth of fuel in my car this month (although I did roll home on fumes tonight!)

My aim for October is to clear the Nxet account by rounding down my bank account again and finally getting some clutter sold!

pinkgiraffe2014

I think the debt busting may need to go on hold this month. I think my washing machine is about to die. It's making an awful banging noise when its spinning. I bought it off eBay nearly 3 years for 50 quid so it's lasted me well. I'm currently watching 2 others nearby but that's all that's about at the moment. If I have to bite the bullet and buy new then unfortunately it will just be minimum payments for everyone this month. Typically the damn thing dies on me when we're potty training and as a result have plenty of washing to do!

Also got the dog back at the vets today so that's another tenner!

pinkgiraffe2014

I've figured out that if I put smaller loads in the washing machine then it doesn't bang and make so much noise. Will continue doing this until it totally dies on me.

I really need to get my !!!!! into gear and get some stuff put on eBay and gumtree. I just know how tedious it is listing everything. Will have to get round to it as this month I really need all the extra help I can get.

I have applied for a couple of temp weekend jobs in shops lately. Not ideal as it means less time with my daughter but it will be temp. Had an email yesterday to say I'd been shortlisted so just waiting to see if I get offered an interview now. That in itself makes me nervous. I've been in my current job nearly 9 years now so it's a long time since I've been in an interview situation. Also I know my job inside out, it's all very nice and familiar! The thought of going into a totally different field and meeting new people is a little daunting. Needs must and all that I suppose!

pinkgiraffe2014

A mixture of good and not so good news in this update...

Good

- Have had extra hours confirmed at work. Only temp but better than nothing.
- been rounding down my bank account and throwing this at my Nxt account
- spent most of yesterday listing things on eBay. Have got a couple of bids already and lots of watchers. Plenty of Autumn/winter stuff and Next and Clarks which always goes down well.
- Have listed some toys on gumtree, had a couple of enquiries so far

Not so Good
- washing machine has started stopping mid cycle and there's no way to get it going again apart from reset and starting cycle from beginning. I think I'm going to have to buy a new one sooner than I wanted.
- still more to list on eBay... I hate this!
- due to confirmed extra hours at work I've had to buy some more work clothes. I only had enough for the couple of days I currently work.

Funds are running pretty low already this month, but I am owed some money which I should have by the end of the week. Some of this will go towards a new washing machine and some to nxt account.

misstara

Hi Pink :hello:

Just had a wee read through your diary and you're making great progress so far. Great news about the extra hours at work just look at the new work clothes as an investment in your career.

Good luck with getting rid of Nxt this month!

pinkgiraffe2014

Hi misstara, thanks for your comments. I must admit I'm struggling with motivation at the moment. I started off with so much enthusiasm but now that life has brought me back down to earth with a bump, it's hard to muster up those feelings when I'm only over paying a couple of quid here and there... New washing machine, little one needs some winter boots and a couple of jumpers. I'm also struggling to get food shop down... Etc etc..

Blah. End of moan!

Positives for tonight: Listed another 5 items on ebay. Managed to take advantage of price scan error at Mr T's. Disney Ariel doll meant to be £9 but scanning through at 0.04. That's another Xmas present bought! Little one not really into little mermaid yet but knows who she is from one of her jigsaw puzzles. And for 4p I wouldn't care if it was an Action Man! (Actually neither would she, she's quite into Spiderman at the moment!)