A Frugal Maternity Leave

crunch_time

Evening all!!


I started a diary mid last year and managed to pay off around £3k in 6 months with the aim of clearing it before baby number 2 was born.


Its now a new year and we have new goals therefore its time for a new diary!!


As the title suggests, I am currently on maternity leave and the date I go back to work depends on our finances and whether I can find a new job or not.
'We' is myself and my husband and we have a toddler, baby, and a cat.
We are currently moving house in the next few weeks (although I have been saying that since September :mad: to our dream house in the country.
The aim of this new diary is to make sure we are ultra careful with our money in 2015 so we can achieve our dreams of
- Me staying off work until September 2015
- having a dog
- having lots of adventures - at home and abroad
- be debt free!!!


Feel free to join me on the journey! Will dig out the spreadsheet and come back with some figures and our plans to achieve our goals.
Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Signature updated with new figures!!!



The debt I'm currently focusing on is the energy debt as it is the smallest and costs £20 a month. We were underpaying our energy and dint kdnow about it so ended up with £460 of arrears last August. We have to pay £20 a month but I am slushing it away with any extra money we have from coming in under budget from our spend accounts every month and with any money made from ebay/gumtree.


The loans will just run for the time being and we shall decide on how to pay my parents back the £3k (for the house move) once we have moved. The credit card is used for my husbands expenses at work so doesn't cost us anything as we have to have it and the minimum payment is covered by the mileage. I will set up a payment a month so we get what we owe on it paid off over the year.


Once the energy debt is paid off, all extra money will go into the 'financial freedom fund' which we will decided what to do with after we have moved. It will either be the basis of paying back the loans early/parents or form the start of an emergency fund. So although its saving, it still will be paying off debt at some point in the future. It also might have to tide us over for childcare or help pay bills if I cant find a new job for September as we will have moved away from where I work and our families were helping look toddler.


My ultimate goal for the year is to keep this pot as high as possible by -


- shopping at Lidl when possible
- meal planning
- clothes planning and buying secondhand clothes for the kids
- budgeting all expenses for the year in pots e.g. car maintenance. Christmas, clothes etc.
- keeping our monthly bills as low as possible - these will all change when we move anyhow.
- growing our own veg in our new garden!!!
- making do and mending or borrowing.
- less takeaways and bottles of wine (easier when we are in the country)
- selling anything we don't use on ebay.
- using less petrol by combing trips.
- cheaper weekend entertainment - walks and picnics and day trip voucher spotting!!


Phew!! Determined to do these so we can fulfil our dreams!! We have had 2 travel brochures through our door these last few days which makes me long for our future planned adventures. First thing I have done this year.... wrapped up ebay parcels ready for posting tomorrow. The money earned will go towards the energy debt.


Here is to a frugal 2015!!!:A
Crunchy xx

chesterroo

Hi, good luck with your new shiny diary and your journey

I would love to move to the country one day, my ideal would be a cottage in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fields lol

lubava

I'm subscribing!!!!

remote_control

Good luck, we are sort of on a similar journey but I haven't been very money saving lately. We also moved and it is a money pit!

Anyway you have inspired me! So this morning I have checked all our cashback accounts and found a couple of pounds, cancelled a subscription and written a list of how much we owe. We have a lot we want to do on the house this year but it would be nice if we owe a bit less this time next year.

abba1772

Found you !!

You're doing really well with the energy debt you've inspired me to get the bottom ion gear and list stuff on eBay / gumtree xx

laurasavon

Good luck, I'm just at the end of my maternity leave (back to work Monday!), hope you manage to get the time off you want. good luck

crunch_time

Hi all


Thanks for all the lovely comments - glad I'm inspiring people. Owe friends and family don't know about our debts so it is nice to have an outlet to shout about achievements and share tips and bad times.


I posted the ebay parcels today so that is another £15 off the energy debt. I have got another 7 items to list so hopefully will be able to get some more money off it next weekend!!


Have been feeling really frustrated today - I just want to move now. Its so annoying being somewhere where you left in your head 5 months ago!


Anyway, car tax reminder letter came today for my car - lucky we have started a car maintenance fund for that!!! and have £300 stashed already! This means I can pay straight away!! Hurrah!!


Pet insurance renewal came today. I'm going to shop around and see if I can get a better quote in my quest to keep all our outgoings down.


That said, after saying I'm having a dry January I've just sent husband off to the shop for wine as cant cope with the stress of (not) moving. Ha ha!!


Off to Lidl in the morning for first frugal shop of the year so will be meal planning tonight!


Hope everyone is having good weekends!!


Crunchy xx

MrsR68

You do have a diary.:)

Congratulations on the new baby. Where do you find the energy?

Subscribed.

cazzyd

good luck crunchy, I'm going to subscribe. I want a dream house too (though the one in the country may have to wait...I love Escape to the Country....and Homes under the Hammer!)

PinkPoppies

Subscribed!