Our Journey from Debtdom to Freedom

hazeldreams

Morning!

Didn't quite manage any NSDs this weekend in the end...we had a low spend on Saturday setting the girls up a chores chart. We've decided to restructure their pocket money by paying them £2 per chore. They get 4 jobs to complete each week. We've pinned 4 money bags with £2 and a post it note inside each bag with the chore written on it. When they've completed the chore they can have their £2 but in an effort to get them to learn to save they can spend half but they have to save half. The girls embraced their new responsibility, didn't quibble over the save policy and the house is gleaming! Long may it last (although I'm sceptical that it will once the novelty wears off!)

We're avid walkers and do try to get out for at least a 5 mile walk every weekend and this weekend we took the decision to invest in new walking boots and take advantage of the sales as our existing boots have seen better days - so another spend there.

Our final spend this weekend was on two cheap weekends away courtesy of "that" newspaper. We've never done them before but given that it's that or nothing this year less then £200 all in for two 3 night breaks isn't something to be sniffed at so we've taken the plunge!

Today will also be a low spend day as I need to get birthday cards and post an eBay item. On the good news front we did make £50 in sales on eBay this weekend and two more items decluttered as a result. We need 11 more NSDs this month to reach our monthly goal so we'll really try to go all out and do tues-fri NSDs - 4 in a row would be lovely.

hazeldreams

So we've hit another milestone....less than 400 days to go :eek:

Managed 5/7 daily goals achieved on Monday so not too bad but all 7 hit yesterday which will (fingers crossed) be the start of 4 in a row!

This month is such a long month isn't it?! Even though we get paid within the next week, we run our month from the 1st which still feels a while away so all remaining budget categories are looking fairly poorly sick! I have consciously not shifted over the debt repayment money this month as yet as I knew things would be really tight this month but now I'm getting nervous that we will have to dip into it and reduce the balance! I think I need to keep £200 in reserve just in case and clear the remaining - I get nervous having a big balance available that my willpower not to spend it will be weakened!

Still keeping up with reading Frugalwoods as part of the ultra frugal month she's running. I've found it really useful in prompting me to review the other areas of our finances like our share saves (DDs uni fund) and pensions which I never do because my immediate focus is always on the debt. That's all done now too and I was surprised to see we had more in both funds than we thought.

Right, off now to sweep over the debt money, rest of my focus today is purely on those daily goals ...

hazeldreams

Another full house yesterday with all 7 days my goals achieved..on track for today to be 3 in a row.

Reading mrs Frugalwoods homework on the commute home last night inspired me to cook up all of the leftovers. I made a delicious veg curry using onions,carrots,celery,spinach,garlic,courgettes and baby new potatoes for tonight's tea. It tastes surprisingly good for something I just completely threw together with various spices and little thought! We don't waste a lot but some of the veg was two weeks old and only had a little life left in it so inevitably some of it would have ended up in the bin! Also found two bananas which had seen better days and made a banana and hazelnut loaf...my word it tastes awesome! So all in all I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself and my frugal ways ths week!

Also updated the grocery spreadsheet yesterday to plan for this weeks shopping. The budget for groceries is very limited with two shops to go so we're having to be super careful. Having the spreadsheet with all our items costed is really helping to keep us on track but boy is it time consuming! Shopping night tonight (planned spend so we don't count and therefore doesn't impact NSD status), will report back later and update sig with how we get on!

brizzledfw

Fantastic work with those left overs!!

hazeldreams

Thanks Brizzle! The curry was absolutely gorgeous, it just shows what a little bit of effort not to waste food can produce!


Wish I could say my frugal ways spilled over into Friday and Saturday, but unfortunately they did not. I ended up going out for lunch with a friend on Friday (she's going through a tough time and really wanted a change of scenery). I only spent £6.95 but it was unplanned and therefore screwed my NSD run. It also was not healthy in the slightest therefore another daily goal was blown! Yesterday, I just wanted sugar so munched my way through at least 3 homemade cookies (which were enormous) and had mounds of guacamole and sour cream with my veg chilli (also purchased when there was absolutely no need yesterday!).


However, today is a new day. Have started off with the end in mind and had a nice breakfast of scrambled egg on toast (using the eggs up that are best before tomorrow) and have just found a lovely 4 mile walk online which we will all enjoy this afternoon to get us out and enjoy some quality family time together whilst completing some much needed exercise to burn off the calories I've consumed this weekend!


Absolutely no reason why today can't be an NSD so I just will focus on getting through today and hitting NSD no.9. There are 10 days of the month left, 8 of which need to be NSDs to hit our monthly goal. It won't be easy particularly with only £11 shopping budget left for the week, but I do love a challenge! Ha!


My mind has started to wonder to my fortieth birthday celebrations and I've always wanted a lovely foreign holiday as my present(we don't make a big deal of birthdays and presents so I've always been determined that for this birthday we will!). I woke up this morning with the realisation that not only am I not going to achieve this by my actual birthday but to book it and save for it will be more like 10 months after my birthday (Dec 18). Oh well, that's the way it goes and it will be worth the wait to have the debt gone by then, but jeez it seems like so long away!!


Anyway, off to play vets with DD2 before throwing together some lunch, pulling on the walking boots and braving the -1 temps here.


Have a lovely Sunday all

brizzledfw

Have a wonderful day hazel. One of our NYE resolutions for OH was to do a family walk at least once a month.. usually more. OH well he's like a puppy - gets irritable if doesn't smell the fresh air at least once a day!! And.. yesterday me and OH wanted some quality time without discussing tax returns and toilets (as he charmingly put it!!:rotfl:) and we had a 6 mile route we hadn't been down before in the crisp but sunny afternoon. Lucious. He has now taken DD1 out for a walk and maybe a pub lunch too - so he's happy and we're all happy. I get to take Dd2 to her club this afternoon. Means we have binned doing cinema today but can't do everything.

X

hazeldreams

Thanks brizzle! We had a lovely time, girls did remarkably well as we usually only attempt 3 milers but they coped great with the extra mile! I think I've been underestimating them!

Your 6 miler with your OH sounds wonderful also, when girls are a bit older it'll be nice for us to be able to do the same! Looking forward to that!

We successfully achieved NSD no.9 yesterday and I hit 5/7 daily goals (could've been better food/portion wise!) We've very little on this week therefore they'll be zero spends until Friday (fingers crossed) therefore aiming for a total of 14 NSDs by Thursday and a 5 day run of NSDs!

Had a little play with YNAB last night (I love the report function) and found that our monthly outgoings have been coming down nice and steadily (average of £200pm) since September. This month has been the best yet and should come in roughly £500 under December spends which is a massive achievement and I can't quite believe it! It definitely correlates with the increase in NSDs we've achieved this month and the reigning in of those expenses like eating out. It's made me feel a whole lot better about not achieving £2700 debt repayment this month and going over on the groceries.

Train just pulling into the station so I'd better get brain into work mode! Don't you just love Mondays!

hazeldreams

Morning!

Short and sweet post today as nearly at work!

NSD no 10 yesterday :j making it two in a row and we're on track to make it 3 in a row today! Managed 6/7 daily goals (succumbed to homemade cookie yesterday :eek:) hoping to make it 7/7 daily goals today!

Now off to brace the ice and fog!

hazeldreams

Morning!

Achieved NSD no.11 yesterday and 3 NSDs in a row, so we're feeling super good about that. 6/7 daily goals again (can't wait for those hm cookies to be gone I've no willpower when it comes to them!) should achieve another NSD today and make it 4 in a row which will be awesome as it's never been done before! :rotfl:

I'm still a tad dispondent about not hitting £2700 goal of debt repayment but on looking at YNAB what we have paid off was 40% of our monthly income which is pretty enormous. I think I need to reconsider that £2700 number as whilst there are some areas we can cut back further on theres not that much more we can reduce to get to £2700. In revising the figure though, I'm accepting being debt free by my 40th birthday isn't going to happen

Back to what's been going week this week before I really get in the doldrums;

- leftovers last night for tea; a strange concoction of beef stew and fish pie but delicious nonetheless!
- mobile phone charged at work
- lunch brought in every day to work
- no visits to the vending machines which sit opposite me
- no expensive coffees
- meal planning and shopping list done for next week
- review of my and hubbys pensions underway (I've been kicked into action on this one by reading Mrs Frugalwoods daily emails)
- walked 2.5 miles to train station everyday saving bus fare and hitting the step goal/30 min exercise goal
- called home insurance provider to get a quote for covering my mobile phone under my policy as my mobile insurance renewal for year is £75 and they added it to my policy for free! Bonus!

It's a lovely feeling being so in control, it's an instant stress reliever! I'm just hoping beyond all hope that it's becoming a habit rather than a short term whim like those of the past.

hazeldreams

My word I am sooo cold today! Currently sat on platform waiting for the train and I have to say this is definitely the coldest day of the winter so far for me!

Well, we broke our record and completed 4 NSDs in a row. Let's see if we can make it 5 in a row today! Tomorrow definitely wont be an NSD as I have birthday cards and presents to buy and we're out with family tomorrow night. I'm really chuffed with our achievement but it's amazing how ingrained some of my reactions are. My thoughts have today already been encouraging me to congratulate myself on this achievement and celebrate with a lovely latte! Thank goodness I'm aware of it now and I simply have to fight the urge to splurge and undo all of our good work. After all what is the point in spending nothing for 4 days then blowing £2.50 on a latte which will last 30 minutes tops!

Managed 6/7 daily goals yesterday - the only one to slip was the work related reading simply due to the sheer volume of meetings and work on the go. Good news is all the hm cookies are now gone so back on track weight wise! :rotfl: