A new debt free journey

lcc86

The holiday starts here!! :j :j finished work for the week officially and now just have a million and one things to do before we fly out on Monday. This will probably be my last post until I return.

Had a catch-up dinner with a close friend this evening, spent £20 but was budgeted for and really enjoyed myself. Visited my team from my old job beforehand and just felt really great seeing them all.

Tomorrow I need to get all my household chores done, drop the pets off at boarding, buy a few toiletries and do the majority of my packing.

Sunday my parents are coming to visit for the first time in a long time. Going to buy some cake (already budgeted for) and then we're off to my sister's for a bbq. All in all a lovely weekend in prospect, and an even better few days to look forward to at the end of it.:T

Really hoping to have a start date for my new job by the time I get back, I'm desperate to hand my notice in and the sooner I can do it the better for me and my sanity! Things are still very difficult at work, team morale is at an all time low and my colleagues are not in a good place. This week off has come at a great time for me. There is still some uncertainty in some areas of my life, and to some extent I think there always will be. Being a public sector worker is never good in times like these, but I think that makes it all the more important to get into a meaningful role which gives as much stability as can reasonably be expected. I'm hoping this new role will go some way towards helping with that. I feel for all of my fellow public sector colleagues not knowing what the next five years of cuts may bring....

Well that's enough negativity, we can't think about what might or might not happen, we can only deal with what is happening now and make the most of our opportunities. Paying off debt and building up a decent buffer is all the more important now, but for the next week I'm going to forget all about money worries, enjoy my time off, enjoy my holiday and hopefully come back with some amazing experiences and some change in my pocket!!! :money: happy mse' ing everyon.

lcc86

Back home from 4 days away in Berlin and had an absolutely amazing time. Didn't fritter away my spending money, bought a few things I knew I'd wanted, and came home with some change so all is well :j

Went to a gig yesterday and again had a brilliant time. I drove there and back (free parking instead of £15 on the train!) and wasn't sure it would be quite the same without a few beers but I was happy to be proved wrong! This week has proven to be one of the most enjoyable I've had in years and has come at the most appropriate time. Which makes going back to work tomorrow all the more difficult, but can't complain too much! One of my mini targets for the month was to make time for things I enjoy, and I've definitely achieved that.

No plans for next week apart from working. Just going to keep trying to maintain the balance I think I've started to achieve. Money wise I'm on track for the month so am very happy in that respect.

lcc86

Looks like I spoke too soon in my last post about being on track for the month! I made a small boo boo and overspent by £7ish this week. Yes it's not the end of the world but I messed up as my bank account takes a while to show pending transactions and I'd forgotten about something I'd spent. I do have some spare money which I'd put aside to clear some money off my debt at the end of the month, but I'm going to keep that where it is and go without for the rest of the month so I learn my lesson!

I've been paid £16 for recycling an old mobile phone, so paid that off my debt. Waiting for about £9 from recycling old CD's which will also go towards debt.

On another note, I've signed up for a 5k run for race for life at the end of June. It's for a worthy cause and will help to motivate me to keep exercising!

I've also chased up all 3 of my jobs (one full time, two zero hours) to try and get the ball rolling a bit quicker, and should have start dates soon :j

lcc86

The end of another week and a long weekend to boot :j

No news yet on a confirmed start date for my jobs yet. I just want to be able to hand my notice in, why do things always take so long!!

I'm going to review my budget this weekend just to make sure I'm on top of everything and to see if there's anywhere I can cut back. I don't think there is, but I want to make sure I keep on top of everything and don't get lax about saving wherever possible.

Plans for this weekend are a bbq tomorrow and a little jaunt into London on Monday but no real spending planned apart from traveling. Also got to get into running again with my race for life looming in just over a month's time. :eek:

I feel really positive about my financial future. For the first time in ages I feel like I will be free at the end of 2017, which has been my aim. Just need to keep at it and remain disciplined. I'm thinking about overpaying the mortgage once I'm debt free, but don't want to run before I can walk. I need to get debt free first, and more importantly, remain debt free!!! :money:

Next week I have a £50 expense claim to put in for my volunteering role, plus a small amount from work, so I'll put that straight towards my debts. I received £100 for my birthday, I think I'll put that towards a new sofa, I've seen one for £150 and am currently sitting on cushions on the floor, so think I've earned a new sofa! :rotfl:

lcc86

Forgot to add that my goals for the time being are:

Pay off new mobile phone (cost £120, still to pay £73)
Save for car insurance (quote £408, currently saved £100)
Save £50 for sofa
Save £300 for emergencies

lcc86

Made a £24 payment for my phone this morning, now I have £50 left to pay, which I will do when my expenses all come through. I also ordered my sofa through Very. £50 a month for three months interest free, I have the first two month's payments thanks to my birthday money so just need to save £50 for the final payment in three month's time.

I've looked through my monthly budget spreadsheet, and right now there's nothing I can cut, I already cut everything I could when I reviewed my finances a few months ago! Petrol is the obvious cost which will reduce once I move jobs, so there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel in that respect. I believe I'll be in profit on petrol expenses each month with my new job, so all savings will go straight to debt repayments.

I should have £20 spare this month from my pet budget, so am going to put that aside to start an emergency pet fund to help cover any vet bills, especially as this has caused me so many problems in the past. I'm hoping to do this every month where possible.

Plans for today are to buy some essential toiletries (and hayfever tablets!) and go running before getting ready for this bbq later. Better get cracking!

lcc86

Spent £9 yesterday on treats for the bbq, but all budgeted for. Bbq itself was a great evening. I'm enjoying not drinking and being the designated driver as I'm finding I'm still able to have a good time, and don't have the hassle of a hangover or the guilt of spending too much money to deal with! I initially stopped drinking because it didn't go well with my medication. I haven't been a big drinker for some time anyway, but think I'll probably keep my newfound teetotalness moving on.

Yesterday I used a £25 gift card to buy an Amazon TV stick. It was reduced from £35 and had free postage, and was something I'd been after for a while so decided to get it. I've been toying with the idea of trying to get out of paying the TV License by not watching live TV for a while, and this will give me the perfect avenue to try it. If it doesn't work out, it's no big deal.

Anyway, plans for today are to do a minimal food shop for a couple of items and just complete some household chores. Very MSE :money:

lcc86

Good and not so good news today. First the good:

I finally have a start date for my new main job, 6th July :beer: and I'm also hoping to start picking up casual shifts for either of my zero hours jobs around that time too, so it's all working out well.

I also have a £47 pay rise starting this month. It's not loads but it's definitely better than a kick in the face as they say and I will try my best to use that money to good effect.

Now onto the not so good news...

I was doing my calculations as to how much debt I will have after payday when my next payments go through. I thought I'd paid 11% to date but I've only paid 6% :mad: Shocking discrepancy!!! I think I confused myself when I made the decision to buy some much needed white goods earlier this year and didn't add this to my total debt. Yes this has slowed down my progress but I must remember that progress is progress, no matter how small. I know I'll start making bigger inroads into it soon, especially when I move jobs. I'm not going to beat myself up over it because I've still made inroads and I've managed to buy some white goods to boot AND pay them off so I've still done well.

June will see me redoubling my efforts nevertheless. I've made my budget and I will be sticking to it 110%. I've been pretty good overall but when I've had a spare bit of money after the end of the week I've generally spent it, even though it's only a few pounds, if that. So this coming month I'll be putting every spare penny into the debt regardless. No deviating this month. There are a couple of enjoyable things I've budgeted for so it's not overly draconian. The only thing that might throw a spanner in the works is an upcoming dentist appointment. It's essential as I have a little pain but it's for that exact reason that I'm unsure if it will go over budget. Time will tell!

lcc86

PAYDAY!!! Woop! :j is it sad that the main reason I'm excited about payday isn't having money to spend but money to pay off my debts??? I did the figures and here's where my finances will stand once all my payments to various places go through:

Loan £7904.60 (will start overpaying once I move jobs)
Credit card £498.59 (0% and with dd set up)
Ground rent and service charge savings £550 (essential to cover any work carried out)
Emergency vet fund £30
Car insurance £150
General savings £175 (not sure what I'm saving for but this account is fixed for 12 months, is likely to become my emergency fund at the end of the 12 months)

Yes the debt is higher than I'd thought but my savings look good. It would be nice to throw all that money at my debt but I can't, and it's being saved for the right reasons.

Finally have a start date for my new job of 6th July, so am handing my notice in today. From July I'll have extra money to throw at my debts :T

Here are my goals for June:

1. Stick to the budget meticulously! I'm taking my weekly allowance out in cash this month to see if that helps. Any spare money will go to the debts.

2. Run Race for Life. Already signed up for, training has begun!

3. Exercise 3 times a week

4. Meditate 3 times a week

5. Start one of my new zero hour jobs. All of the paperwork is sorted so hopefully a couple of gentle nudges will get the ball rolling.

6. Keep making time for things I enjoy. Last month was really good in that respect (holiday obviously helped lol) and I showed that I can do it on a budget, so want to keep this up. It's also done wonders for my mental health as well and I know how important it is to keep that balance.

Onwards and upwards For the next month. Happy MSEing everyone

lcc86

I finally handed my notice in :j:j:j I feel such a weight off my mind, and it all feels real now. My new job is going to be busy busy busy with so much to learn but now I'm excited about it. We've planned a night out at work before I leave, which will be a bit spendy but I think it's necessary to say goodbye to those I get on well with.

So far this week, I've not spent any of my £10 budget. Normally the weekend is when I would spend it, but I have no plans for today and tomorrow so hopefully it'll remain in tact!

I'm doing some batch cooking this evening so that all I need to do is microwave my dinner and chuck it with some salad when I get home from work.

Had a great volunteering session earlier this week as well which has confirmed I'm doing the right thing by taking it on. It doesn't feel like a chore or anything and is genuinely very interesting for me.

I feel like I have a busy month coming up, but for once it's for all the right reasons. I've booked a horse riding session for a few weeks time. This is something I've wanted to get back into for years but have never been able to afford it. It will cost £25, and it will be an occasional treat if I enjoy it.

I've also booked in a lunch date with my sister, another lunch date with some relatives I've not seen for many years, and a meditation session in a Buddhist temple. This is something I've been exploring alone for a few months and I want to take the next step. I just feel happy that I've got all of these things coming up and they're all paid for with no worries about credit cards etc. It's been a while since I've felt this way, so am very happy

Finally, I've had my criminal record check through for one of my zero hours jobs, that was the final hurdle so should be able to pick up the odd bit of extra work soon. Happy days :T

Plans for the rest of the day are to meditate, do some cooking and chill out and read a book. Finally feel I'm getting this balance right after feeling so out of control of my life not so long ago.