Statement of Affairs

JAMIEDODGER

spirit, hi:)

you are really tackling this well hun! go on the holiday, enjoy it and try not to worry. once you come back you can get back on the dfw trail. youve had your LBM and i dont think that will go.

excellent to see you are doing the grocery challenge, it really opens your eyes doesnt it, that, together with the spending diary will really help. the os board is a mine of information too and will help bring your budget down. when i joined i used the grocery challenge together with the PMS challenge, any PMS money i made went towards things that would save me more money. in one year, i bought and paid for (with PMS) a new cooker, old one broke and new one was more energy efficient. a hen house and hens which provided me with the eggs for my baking:) a breadmaker, again saving me money on my food shopping earning me more PMS:D and various other money saving things, its amazing how quickly it adds up and if you didnt keep track would just disappear! i must admit, i didnt keep track of PMS last year and ive learned my lesson, am back on it from july 1st and am doing quite well so far!

fuel is expensive but if you need your cars for work etc then you havent got much choice. i was spending £80 a month (:eek:) but have invested in a pushbike and a trailer for my daughter to take her to and from nursery hoping to cut down the fuel and it should have paid for itself in about 6 months!

you are doing so well, keep up the good work!

Jamie x

chevalier

Hi there
Well done on all the baby steps. I hope that you have got some good advice about the endowment. I would suggest though that in the end making the decision is the most important thing. If you have loans or cards with high APR's then I can't see that the endowment is going to perform at say a 20% level (which might be the apr on a card). So assuming there is not penalty for selling it now, then I would go for it.

Well done on taking your spending on food in hand. One thing that really bought home to me how much we were wasting was doing a normal shop then putting the till receipt on the fridge. Anything that went in the bin got a red dot put by it and before I went on my next shop I totaled up the cost of what had gone in the bin:eek: :eek: . Wow was that a revelation! And embarassing as well.

Best of luck with your continued debt busting
chev

tallyhoh

Hi Spirit,

Good to hear from you. Tip I use with holiday money is divide it into the number of days you have there. Easier to keep track of. If you overspend one day you can pull it back the next.
And if you must bring back soveniers, make sure its something useful that you actually need.

Have a good time.:beer:

bargainbetty

Hi Spirit,

Well done on everything so far! You have made great inroads, and definitely get a buzz out of it, which is so important for keeping going.

Just a thought, but if you are staying in a villa, will you have a full kitchen? If so, could you find a supermarket and stock up on breakfast and picnic lunch options, plus the basics for a couple of evening meals? My family does self-catering holidays and save a fortune on resort prices. A box of teabags, jar of coffee and small tubs of salt, pepper, herbs and spices (we save up the sachets you get in cafes) can mean you don't need to waste money on those.

Add a couple of bottles of wine etc.... lovely evening meal with the family.

You are now a DFW - why not aim for a DFW holiday!

Good luck
BB

Spirit_2

JAMIEDODGER wrote: »

spirit, hi:)

"with the PMS challenge, any PMS money i made went towards things that would save me more money. in one year, i bought and paid for (with PMS) "!

Jamie x

At the risk of sounding silly; What is PMS?

JAMIEDODGER

pin money savings, check out the OS board for August challenge:)

atypicalblonde

Hi Spirit, you are doing so well, your thread is really encouraging. Enjoy your holiday x

glitzy

Hi Spirit

Have just read your post as i am going through much the same thing ie going on holiday that we can ill afford and in debt - the two just dont go together!

You will be amazed at all the support and helpful ideas you get. My tuppence worth is check your endowment for the last year of its life, as mine seems to make all its money on that final year.

enjoy your holiday forget your debts, and when you come back you can start again. The hubbys b/day pressie find is good i have done a photobook for my hubbys 40th which cost a pound, have a look in Quick grabbit while you can, they have lots of special offers.

:beer:

KiKi

Being very new myself, I don't think I've ever posted in here before. But have read through this whole thread and it absolutely bought tears to my eyes. Partly because of the level of support that everyone is so kindly providing, and partly because of the way that you (Spirit) have been so amazing in changing your lifestyle in two weeks, and getting your OH on board.

You have been fantastic in what you've done, and I really, really wish you all the best. Enjoy your holiday; there's no point wasting what you've already spent on it, and come back refreshed and ready to continue all your good work. Best of luck.

KiKi x

Spirit_2

The pointer to Old Style gave me just the push I needed for the lifestyle change and and I feel much happier and family life is coming together nicely. I look at the board most days and am amazed at what some folk are achieving, they persevere and are optimistic about the future.

I have a loving family and a comfortable home but we are up to our eyeballs in debt and in truth it has been this way for the last 10 years. The optimism and support of the MSE board has effected how I feel about this, and it is really important to me that we tackle this.

I have spent the day defrosting the freezer, making home made food, DD did all the washing and OH and DD's boyfriend are still at work on the trailer. I feel as if I have woken up in an an episode of Waltons.