NST: October Turtle Triathlon

abundant1972

Hi all...

Yes - Loveadove... my credit card now reads £0.00... My last DMP payment went out and that account is now closed... £0.00 balance... I am officially DEBT FREE... Just waiting for the letter in writing...

That said - just as one door closes - another one opens... and I am hoping to move into a new apartment with a friend next month. My parents are paying the deposit, which they will get back either when I leave or before... It does mean all my newly freed up cash (£675 p/m) now needs to go on furniture and the like for the next few months...

Still - it's a new start! In the long run I'll be happier there and have started building up my own furniture collection. Hopefully the next time I move after this one - it will be into a place of my own... Here starts the deposit saving!!!

Apologies for my absence this month - just had lots going on and my head has been all over the shop!!! I'll be starting afresh next month with new budgets and goals...

x

traveller

Hi everyone A huge well done to you Abundant :T I'm so happy for you- congratulations :j :j :j Make sure you get your DF chain symbol! I feel quite lazy today and have not spent anything I'm going out later to a friends house for our monthly rant of all things work,lol and whereas he wanted a film, I suggested Netflix I intend to spend NOT A BEAN if I can help it! Pay day is on Thursday, so if I can hold on till then, I'll be happy I too cannot believe how quickly this month has gone! I for one cannot stand the cold, but-I'm seeing this from a different angle! This will be my last winter in debt! By the time the sun comes around I will be within months of my debt freedom, so that is truly something to be joyful about,lol. Take care everyone and enjoy the weekend

speakingofart

Dolly - me too!! I hate hot weather - you can snuggle under a lovely blanket if you're cold, but when it's hot you just have to be miserable!! I have my fingers crossed for snow

Abundant - that's FANTASTIC news!!! Well done, that's an amazing achievement!

apple_muncher

:T:T:T CONGATULATIONS ABUNDANT! :T:T:T

And wow! to moving and acquiring furniture!

mothernerd, what a sensible OT you have! I do hope you are able to reschedule, and I must say I think you are v lucky as my dad had to wait months. Can't believe your house is so nearly ready for the market - you have worked so hard on it. Well done you!

I am another one who loves the winter time. My memories of winter, growing up in Bham, are of bare gardens, frost and fog. Love it!


No one has mentioned if they are wearing lycra for the running leg. Any takers?

thriftylass

Hello, just a quick check in. Spend day again today, friends coming round for dinner and had to put some on CC to have enough left for a small lidl shop. Plus OH drove the car in a lamp post, god know what that will cost. Anyway gotta dash

stewby

Being very good today.

We are spring cleaning the house (yes, I know it's October) but it needed done. The kitchen is complete. Hooray.
We have decluttered heaps of stuff so am feeling really pleased. The food cupboards look quite bare now which is a strange thing for someone like me who is used to hoarding food.
:eek:

Currently working on the living room although we took a break to walk to tescimos for cleaning stuff (ran out whilst doing the kitchen and needed some for the bathroom).
Took the time to finish off our weekly shopping budget too so will need to take off one of my SFDs as I got a bit ahead of myself.


I am most definitely not wearing lycra for the running stage and the walk was definitely not a run... but am trying hard to be more healthy. I haven't had chocolate in two days!!! Which may not sound like much but considering that I am a chocoholic, this is pretty shocking!! (breaking it tonight with chocolate digestives).


Looking forward to November's Challenge. Just like you say apple muncher, I need to put the past behind and focus on the positives and November is another chance to succeed.


Hugs to everyone.

nannygladys

Hello everyone

Hope you are all feeling well and positive cos we're nearly there.

Had a couple of sfd to add to signature but I have overshot food budget by some way.

Next month I really have to keep a type rein on things as my dd has lent me the money to pay off od and cc so I won't have to pay anymore interest and although she's not in any hurry for it back I want it paid back in full before I I finish work.

There is NO way I'm getting in my od or using a credit card again. I wont give my cc up though as its handy for paying for flights but I will make sure I have it in cash to pay it off straight away and I will give it to dd1 until then.

Anyway off to update signature and then bed as I'm at work tomorrow (6am) and feel as if I need the extra hour.

Nannyg

mothernerd

A NSD. Quite a busy day. Washing in and out and dried, bathroom cleared of alll non-bathroom items, more use-ups taken out of the freezer and remaining items moved up to the top four drawers, paid the phone bill (15% discount if paid within 24 hours of receipt - just as well as it is double normal amount due to mum being in hospital), moved all tools from stairs and swept and henried and another 23 items used, recycled, freecycled or added to the charity shop bags (must do better tomorrow).

Given up on benefits after loads of reading and many calculations. Not eligible for SSP as am self-employed, would have to apply for ESA (the thing everyone is complaining about). Two types means tested is income based (means tested) with a £16,000 capital limit. I have no money in the bank but they would count the house. Contributory ESA is based on NI contributions and I have an NI exception due to low earnings. If I revoked the exception (don't know if I can) and paid last years and 1/2 this years NI then could possibly get ESA for 13 weeks if my doctor agrees I am not fit to work for 13 weeks after my op. ESA is not paid for first 8 days so it ends up being only marginally more paid back in benefits than I have to pay in NI to qualify. If they then mess up my WTC (they usually do) or worse treat me as a new claimant and have to apply for universal credit (= get nothing at all as capital limit applies to UC as well) so going to stick with existing Working Tax Credits.

Ironically, if I had been diagnosed earlier I could have been in the daily living/ mobility bracket (forgotten the name but its what replaced Disabled Living Allowance) but as I wasn't diagnosed until August 5th and can't apply for three months from that date, I don't meet the 12 months duration requirement so can't access any of that or the PIP (Personal Independence Plan) that CAB also mentioned. Still some possibilities of grants from charities as I am not sure when I will run out of money but I will. So glad for my years as a welfare rights advisor. I was not up to date with all this new legislation but have managed to plow through it with relative ease (those two paragraphs represent two whole nights of reading). I don't just fall between two stools, I am on the floor surrounded by a whole load of stools.

Want to clean the bathroom and do under the attic stairs - have pulled out the empty boxes but quite a lot of dust and debris seems to have fallen though the gap in the backboard. May wait till tomorrow as its a tight corner to get round and don't want to go on my hands and knees at this time of day (Henry says he's frightened of the dark). Big push tomorrow before DS3 comes back.

Letter from hospital has arrived (very late, only saw it at 4pm) and it says November 13th for my op, which gives me another week and might just be doable.

speakingofart

Mothernerd, that's really tough. Hopefully though the op will be the start of much better things!!

NSD yesterday and got a walk in the park in. Didn't do much else productive, am planning to clean the flat this morning as soon as it's a decent time to do so and then do some studying. Sadly it looks like the leak under my sink is back, so the landlord will need to come back, but that can be tomorrow's problem.

NSDs: 11/16
Petrol (till 15th Nov) £40.61/£60
Groceries (till 15th Nov) £39.52/ £150
Exercise 13/ 20

dolly84

Abundant - great news and at least you are spending your money on fun stuff that you actually need now.

I will try super hard not to spend any money today. Yesterday we bought loads.