2015 - the penultimate year!

DebtFree2012

I've decided to keep this diary as I feel like this debt part of my life is not going to be part of the new life going forward so I'm going to leave it where it is and once it's paid off, this chapter gets closed as will the diary. It won't stop me having a diary on here though, just it will have a different theme!

So in the mean time, it's DD's bday at the w/e so I'm getting the food items ready for an influx of guests which we've invited and for the cake I will make for her. We have family round on Saturday and Sunday will be hectic so I'm looking forward to it all. Although I could probably do with another weekend straight after it!

The grocery budget is still the same and the menu plan for the week has been done according to what we already have in stock. Looks like this
Monday 1stFebruary
Chicken one pot, left over Xmas chocolate
Tuesday
Tuna and pasta stir fry (Ste and I – kids eating at Mam’s)
Wednesday
Toad in the hole then rice pudding
Thursday
Lasagne with salad and garlic bread, left over Xmas chocolate
Friday
Beef inprunes with mash and frozen peas, HM cookies

The weekend is taken up with take away's (naughty but wasn't my idea) and birthday food.

All quiet on the money front until the end of the month again.

I have planted some seeds for a few spring sown veggies that we hope to harvest in summer and look forward to one less items on the grovery bill.

I've stocked up on loo roll, toothpaste and soap so I shoudn't have to get anything like that for a little while yet.

DebtFree2012

Happy Wednesday!

OK so our mortgage fee that we paid (knowing we'd get it back) has been sent to us so that means I am almost in a position to pay back a small amount I borrow from family to tick us over. I have about £500 needed until I have that ready to send over.

Apart from that, all monies are paid using the savings we saved in the last 4 months, meaning I'm back to having zero and everything is on track to a relatively (new) normal setting. The new set up is to put an amount from each wage (mine and DH) into a bank account and all bills come out of there. We used to have our own bills that we covered previously, but this way it's a fairer split.

My debt payments come from my personal account and are over and above the house payments. The horse payments (farrier, feed, hay etc) all come from my personal account too.

It's off to a good start, the grocery budget is healthy and we're stocked up on oil for the central heating/Aga. Unfortunately we're on a water metre so we've added extra each month to account for the horses etc and I'll just have to wait until a bill comes in to see how much we're using.

The difference to paying debt off now is that I will be saving the money in the bank and then paying it off in chunks (yet to be decided) rather than paying every spare penny out immediately and risking leaving myself short.

LAM2011

Hiya DF

So happy for you in your new home. Sounds like you have everything under control. x

Cwtchie

The dream has begun....remember to have fun x

DebtFree2012

Thank you! Those words resonate with me hugely. It could be so easy to get tied up in the running of the place and forget to have fun. I remind myself daily for that very reason.

Every morning after DH goes and before the kids get up I spend 10 minutes with the dogs and a cup of tea, just enjoying the moment. It sets me up for the rest of the day.

Well the great news is that Barclaycard have finally accepted me on to their books! I applied online, I didn't get an instant decision and they said they needed more info, rang them up and they said decline but they could send for manual underwriting, they text me a couple of hours afterwards to say I'd been accepted and a letter with my limit would follow. I am shocked! The limit however may be lower than I need to transfer everything across so we shall wait and see. If they give me enough, I will move it over and close the CC that currently has the balance on it.

DebtFree2012

Current CC balance is £5,461.87.
New limit is £5000 on new card (I called to find out, I'm so impatient).
I presume I won't be able to transfer the full £5000 as you normally have to leave space for interest, should you incur any and hadling fee which will be around £100. So the main bulk of the money will go to paying the left over on the original card each month with the minimum payment being met on the new card. I don't like having 2 cards open but will close it down asap.
Once I have the true figures I'll do a forecast. I *should* get a small bonus in March which will clear anything that's left on it, so I guess that's good enough of a focus for now.
The card has 0% until Q3 2017, 18 months I think it was. I can't see me being able to clear the 5 in 18 months given I pay the loans out too each month, but I'll keep it in the back of my mind.

Target DFD March 2018 (when last loan payment is officially due out).

DebtFree2012

Morning diary land - happy Friday!

Today is menu planning day for next week. I am going to try and get to Aldi tomorrow lunch time where I will buy next weeks packed lunch items and some of their super 6 for the coming week. I think the way forward may have to be frozen veg to avoid running out by the end of the week and to help reduce the shop visits. Ideally I don't want to have to go shopping every weekend.

Does anyone else buy frozen veg as in cauli, broccoli, etc? Potatoes, onions, carrots will be fine to keep but green veg won't be.
I think I can freeze DD's squeezy yogs too.

Off to plan something...

sugarcube84

I buy frozen veg I find it makes us eat more veg as we always have some in and its ready prepared, plus it doesn't go off so less waste. I normally make sure I have peas in plus green beans and broccoli/cauli mix. Oh and spinach.

Eager_Elephant

DebtFree2012 wrote: »

Morning diary land - happy Friday!

Today is menu planning day for next week. I am going to try and get to Aldi tomorrow lunch time where I will buy next weeks packed lunch items and some of their super 6 for the coming week. I think the way forward may have to be frozen veg to avoid running out by the end of the week and to help reduce the shop visits. Ideally I don't want to have to go shopping every weekend.

Does anyone else buy frozen veg as in cauli, broccoli, etc? Potatoes, onions, carrots will be fine to keep but green veg won't be.
I think I can freeze DD's squeezy yogs too.

Off to plan something...

Hi DF2012


How exciting that you are in your new home - I am following your blog!!!


I buy frozen sweetcorn and peas only.


I have got frozen cauli but that is usually to use as my quiche base. I find it cooks really quickly in a saucepan and if I don't remember I end up with a soggy mush.


I find that broccoli and cauli will last up to 3 weeks in the fridge.


Do you have a greengrocers nearby? I am doing monthly shops and with top ups at the greengrocers which is in the next village (DH went there today but we only needed a sack of potatoes, onions, carrots, lemons and apples).

pennywisepoundstupid

I also buy frozen peas, broccoli and green beans, I do also freeze fresh onions, peppers and mushrooms, I buy them on offer, chop up and then freeze in bags.