Five years till I'm 50 - 60 months to get debt free!

newpennypincher

Hi sellurgranny! Thank you for subscribing

I've been awol for a couple of days. Had a little blip but no permanent damage done. BF and I went for a curry last night which was lovely and not too expensive.

Still under budget with the grocery spends and just had a lovely jacket potato with red thai chicken curry.

Three items sold today so far amounting to about £34 and I've just made my PAD of £2.65 to the Al*i card.

Not a lot else to report really - just plodding along and waiting for payday!

Hope everyone had a lovely day x

newpennypincher

I hope everyone else is having a lovely Sunday. The weather here is absolutely beautiful today and feels really springlike - won't be long before we have to start weeding and cutting the grass again!

I'm determined not to be sucked into buying things to grow this year. Every year, the urge to grow my own vegetables kicks in and every year I spend money on plants, seeds, compost etc. Inevitably every year I fail miserably. The only plant I've managed not to kill is my cactus which I almost killed but which perked up after I replanted it in a larger pot

No sales as yet today, but I've just added £38 to my total, so I can't complain. I have to make about £60 before the 23rd to reach my target

One thing about all this sunshine is that it shows me how badly my windows need cleaning. They haven't been cleaned for a few weeks and all that snow has taken its toll. They won't be cleaned today either, that can be a job for next weekend. Today I have:-

1. Hoovered the whole house.
2. Done the washing.
3. Emptied the dishwasher.
4. Ironed.
5. Done the dusting.
6. Packaged up 4 sold items.

The rest of the day will be spent chilling out once BF comes home and getting myself back into the right mindset for Monday morning.

I have one item to be listed on E*ay and if I get my act together, I can get that done before BF comes home.

Only 15 sleeps till BF's payday and 17 sleeps till mine then we can pay off some more pennies :T:T:T:T

newpennypincher

Its been a funny few days. I've lost my moneysaving mojo this week and am finding it very hard going. I'm really tired of having no money and feeling like a failure.

Yes, I have a nice house and a nice car (eco car nothing flash!) but I haven't a penny in my pocket and I'm living on my nerves hoping nothing breaks.

Work's been quite stressful this week. I fell up stairs today, I was walking up stairs, carrying some papers and wasn't looking where I was going - I really thought I'd broken my wrist but thankfully its just bruised. That'll teach me not to read and walk at the same time because its obviously beyond me!

I restarted my diet on Monday. I have a fruit/veg smoothie for breakfast, healthy lunch (usually salad) and for dinner eat the same as everyone else just less of it. I haven't had any alcohol since Sunday either which has been a struggle. I would like to lose about 3-4 stone - I haven't been feeling like me lately. I look in the mirror and the person staring back at me looks like a complete stranger. Not just that - a complete stranger with no energy for whom mustering the will to get out of bed in the morning is a struggle at the moment.

I sold 4 items on Eb*y today making a total of £32.50 to add to the coffers and I've received an offer on a larger item which I'm hoping will also sell.

I haven't made any PADs this week because I'm running low on funds but will start again after payday which is now 13 days away (BF's payday is 11 days away).

We've decided not to buy each other Valentines gifts this year, but we've decided to go out for a meal instead - probably Indian and I can't wait.

Tonight's dinner was a lovely sausage omelette made from ingredients we had in the fridge.

Not a lot else to report really, we just have to keep plodding on I spose!

beanielou

Plodding is ok.
Enjoy your meal

LESLAMP

We all have bad times Hun its human nature. At least you don't appear to have gone mad spending wise. As for the PAD's you can pick up with them anytime no one is judging.

As for not feeling like you I think most of us can relate to that. I to need to lose about 3 stone and my husband 8 or 9 but it feels like an impossible task when money is short.

I'm hoping we have finally started to creep out of our debt lowest but I also know that it is a fine line we walk trying to stay on top of things and that taking my eye off the ball even for a few days could see us sliding down that slippery slope quicker than I can blink.
I do get fed up of telling my Husband no as he really doesn't grasp how close we came to losing everything.

The fact you are still here proves you are strong enough to do this and you can do this.

Chin up, a big hug and enjoy your night out. :-)

newpennypincher

Good Morning :j

You're right Beanielou, absolutely nothing wrong with plodding. I'm going to be just like that tortoise who beat the hare except my hare is the debt (cheesy I know - but I like it!) :rotfl::rotfl:

Thanks Leslamp, I needed a reminder that we'll get there in the end. The weightloss has to be slow and steady too, I know from experience that if you lose it too quickly it just comes back - my way of life needs a complete overhaul!

To be fair, I am noticing small changes in the way I think. For example, this morning I was making myself a coffee and instead of opening the nice coffee, I used up the last of the not so nice coffee first. The old me would have just thrown the not so nice stuff in the bin and opened the nice one. I've also started to notice how much toilet roll we use every week - that's what you call dedication

BF is also starting to see the light, we've got his boys coming round for a few days over half term and he's said they have to eat what we eat. I can imagine anyone reading this thinking "they should be eating what you eat" - its what I'd be thinking if I was reading someone else's diary but in practice its not that easy with someone else's children. They only stay with us during school holidays and we tend to go out of our way to buy stuff we know they like. I won't go into details but they're not used to food cooked from scratch, they eat a lot of frozen, processed micro meals. Next week, they'll be eating everything cooked from scratch. :T

He's definitely taking the moneysaving seriously, last week he was taking longer than usual in the bathroom so I went to investigate - he was pouring some ultra cheap shampoo I bought ages ago (which neither of us can use because it makes your scalp itch) into the handwash bottle. Now we have some perfectly adequate apple scented handwash and two bottles of horrible shampoo that would've ended up in the bin have been put to good use :T:T

I've just given the postie a fright when I opened the door in my dressing gown - you can't hide behind the door because its a glass one :o:o

I'll have to get dressed in a sec anyway, I'm having lunch with my mum later. I won't be seeing her tomorrow, so I'll spend longer with her today.

I sold a large item yesterday which brought in £150 to add to my challenge total. I'm aiming to save £100 and use £50 to buy stock to get my Eb*y shop up and running properly again.

Not much else to report except I'm really looking forward to my meal tonight (boyfriend's treat).

I hope everyone else has a good day x

newpennypincher

I'm home! Had a lovely small omelette with mum and did a bit of cleaning for her - came from there with a binbag full of laundry!

Its not a problem, the machine does all the work, its just drying them that takes work since I don't have a tumble dryer after the last one caught fire

I'm watching "Eat well for less" on catch up. Nice family with two lovely little girls but they spend the equivalent to my annual wage on food! The home made chicken nuggets look very nice.

I have no idea what to wear tonight. As we don't go out very often, I've sold most of my going out clothes on Eb*y - most of them wouldn't fit me nowadays anyway.

I'm going to have a coffee now - I can open the nice stuff!

newpennypincher

Well, last night was lovely. We had a gorgeous Indian meal and then came home early and watched Gone Girl on pay per view. Brilliant film but I thought it had a rubbish ending!

I sold a pair of jeans last night, but nothing yet today.

Sitting here now trying to decide what to have for dinner.

Today I have:-

1. Changed the beds.
2. Done the laundry.
3. Hoovered the whole house.
4. Dusted.

I need to check my online banking, the mortgage goes out tomorrow and I need to work out what's left

beanielou

Glad you had a lovely meal.
Yes the eat well for less couple were indeed lovely but spent nearly double my annual income on food!!!! :eek: :rotfl:

newpennypincher

Good afternoon! I haven't posted this week because we've had visitors, but BF's just gone to take his boys home so I'm back :j

BF knows I post - I've caught him taking the odd sneaky peek over my shoulder, but I don't really want anyone else in real life knowing about my money problems.

I've taken the day off today with the intention of going with BF and calling in town on the way home. Common sense won over in the end and I decided to stay home. If I'd gone, we'd have had lunch out and I would have gone into Ne*t and Deb*nhams spending money I don't have on stuff I don't need. Instead, we all had lovely bacon butties for lunch before they left :T

BF had some good news today, some tests he had done at the doctors came back all clear. He has these tests every few months just to keep an eye on something and I feel sick to my stomach every time he goes. I'm not exaggerating - my legs were like jelly this morning before he phoned for his results. I spent almost a year in and out of hospitals with my dad while he had his chemo and have developed a very strong dread of tests of any kind

Its really nice here on my own this afternoon, if I could afford not to work, I'd be quite happy to live a life of leisure - I wouldn't get bored - you can always read a book

Work is getting me down a bit at the moment. Actually, its not the job its the people! I keep telling BF that the people he works with are just his colleagues and he doesn't have to like them - I guess I'm not very good at taking my own advice, I want to like everyone and everyone one to like me. I just need to remember that they're just people who happen to work in the same building - they don't figure in my life out of office hours :T

My MSEing has been too bad this week, but it hasn't been brilliant either. At least all the bills have been paid and all statements have come in after the pre-Christmas madness so at least I know exactly where I stand now.

I've sold a few bits on Eb*y which has helped and I've enough in the bank to keep me going till BF's payday on Monday and my payday on Weds.

I'd better get back to my ironing, I've got a few bits left to do then its all done and one less job for the weekend :A

I'll be back later to catch up on all the challenges and other people's diaries.

Hope everyone has a lovely Friday x