DFB35 Diary

Aaleigha

well done for owning all of that
I too sort my bank account at the end of the month
but what you could do - that hopefully you wont miss - is to check your bank account every couple of days and then round it down - so if it was at 1558.79 take the 8.79 and put that as an over payment - so every few days you can move just a little then you can do the big over payment at the end of the pay month

if you cant pay in dribs and drabs then open another current account and pop the rounding money into that then do it at the end of the month - or leave that as your emergency fund account

DH and I allow ourselves 50 quid a month as an allowance - some of that monthly goes on our son when we visit him (its all in my diary) some of mine goes on my hair - what is left at the end of the month goes in the draw and will be spending money when we go to wales for a week in june - I dont have debt NOW but I do have to save what I can so I can afford to visit my friend in norfolk for two weeks in oct -

HTH a bit you will come up with your own ideas - but I have said before sometimes I think you younger ones are being far too hard on yourselves - if you do you will find it harder and harder as the months go by so be gentle on yourself

H xx

Igamogam

You need the Payment A Day thread - its fab and really works. I use Aaleigha's method and round down account every day as an over payment. I also pay off a dedicated CC account the equivalent amount I get in vouchers - so if I have a save 50p off grapes and use it I pay 50p off the CC. I also round down each CC after the the DD has gone out.

Have you cut up your 0% card??

I am like you regarding nails.........as long as they are clean and neat - SO WHAT!!?? There is a great thread on here somewhere about looking fab and being frugal..........worth a read. Lots of ideas. I dont wear make up but I like perfume and one thing I did take from there was to where it everyday - REGARDLESS:D I was guilty of 'keeping it for best' Why???? I do treat myself to a very good hair cut 3 x a year ( fringe cut in between which I pay with loyalty points) I work out how much haircut costs over a year and out that away in an envelope each week - some people use a series of bank/saving accounts as their envelopes but I use actual physical envelopes:rotfl: I also do this for DD activity bills ( swimming dancing music etc) and vets bills . I dont always have the full amount in there when I need it but at least its not such a huge shock!

I have also gone over to using cash.............duh duh duh:eek: I know how weird. I limit myself to £70 for food and that is it, I have found I now have more change in my ourse and this I sling into various pots - 20p, coppers, 5p, £2 and £1 with dragons on ( and you think your handbag obsession needs looking at:rotfl:) Since using cash more my pots fill up more and when full the money saved it used for something - pay towards debt or put in an envelope in the form of paper money.

Last year I joined the Weekly Saving challenge - I opened a Credit union account and on each payday I deposited a sum of money based on the number of the week had just passed - son end of January I paid in £10 (week 1+week2+week3+week4) make sense?? Had well over £1300 at end of year:j This year I am doign same principle but doing 5 weeks worth to account for the bigger numbers at end of year - 1+2+3+4+52. Lots of ways of doing it - this is now our emergency fund and continues to build........


Oh I am rambling now! I have probably said it all before:rotfl:

The debt free journey is such a roller coaster and is different for each and every one of us although our goal is the same. I found it had to become my new hobby. Even my guilty pleasure:A Injecting a few daft challenges has made all the more palatable as other wise I think I would have fallen off the wagon a long time ago:p

Keep going, but dont keep up with the Joneses;)

DFB35

Igamogam wrote: »

You need the Payment A Day thread - its fab and really works. I use Aaleigha's method and round down account every day as an over payment. I also pay off a dedicated CC account the equivalent amount I get in vouchers - so if I have a save 50p off grapes and use it I pay 50p off the CC. I also round down each CC after the the DD has gone out.

Have you cut up your 0% card??

I am like you regarding nails.........as long as they are clean and neat - SO WHAT!!?? There is a great thread on here somewhere about looking fab and being frugal..........worth a read. Lots of ideas. I dont wear make up but I like perfume and one thing I did take from there was to where it everyday - REGARDLESS:D I was guilty of 'keeping it for best' Why???? I do treat myself to a very good hair cut 3 x a year ( fringe cut in between which I pay with loyalty points) I work out how much haircut costs over a year and out that away in an envelope each week - some people use a series of bank/saving accounts as their envelopes but I use actual physical envelopes:rotfl: I also do this for DD activity bills ( swimming dancing music etc) and vets bills . I dont always have the full amount in there when I need it but at least its not such a huge shock!

I have also gone over to using cash.............duh duh duh:eek: I know how weird. I limit myself to £70 for food and that is it, I have found I now have more change in my ourse and this I sling into various pots - 20p, coppers, 5p, £2 and £1 with dragons on ( and you think your handbag obsession needs looking at:rotfl:) Since using cash more my pots fill up more and when full the money saved it used for something - pay towards debt or put in an envelope in the form of paper money.

Last year I joined the Weekly Saving challenge - I opened a Credit union account and on each payday I deposited a sum of money based on the number of the week had just passed - son end of January I paid in £10 (week 1+week2+week3+week4) make sense?? Had well over £1300 at end of year:j This year I am doign same principle but doing 5 weeks worth to account for the bigger numbers at end of year - 1+2+3+4+52. Lots of ways of doing it - this is now our emergency fund and continues to build........


Oh I am rambling now! I have probably said it all before:rotfl:

The debt free journey is such a roller coaster and is different for each and every one of us although our goal is the same. I found it had to become my new hobby. Even my guilty pleasure:A Injecting a few daft challenges has made all the more palatable as other wise I think I would have fallen off the wagon a long time ago:p

Keep going, but dont keep up with the Joneses;)

Thank you for your post Igamogam! Lots of helpful ideas and food for thought there! I will definitely do the rounding up into a savings account, I did it one month and it soon adds up

snowscreamer

Hi DFB35,

Just checking in and catching up, read your last post - WELL DONE on resisting temptation.
For me the issue was clothes although I managed to kick this habit actually a few years ago when I started running out of wardrobe space, recently and leading to CC debt was household goods. Just couldn't resist things in Robert Dyas, Lakeland, Cargo, department stores etc.
I can now go into those shops with one thing on my list and just buy that one thing. Which is a huge improvement. I still manage to go over our budget almost every month on household goods though. We stick to the budget overall so I fund my overspends by shifting money from eating out budget (that one we have managed to drastically cut back on without much pain actually). Hey ho. There is at least some discipline now I think even if I continue to go over.

What I do know is - seeing cleared funds in the bank on the up and up and now this month our CC balance starting to reduce - now knowing if we carry on like this we'll never need to use overdrafts or credit cards again - this feeling is just so much better than something shiny and new.

Knowing that I don't have to dread annual bills coming round or pay credit card charges as I can't pay with my debit card as everything is budgeted for - you can't beat it.

Happy debtbusting - keep at it - you will get there and the feeling will be worth it!

DFB35

I'm happy with myself that I resisted, I know it's ridiculous to have those thoughts in the first place but it's like a mental obsessive thought that kept going round and round in my head! But this time I won... I have also confessed it to my hubby and he offered to take over online banking so I'm not tempted to balance transfer into current account. The card itself is in a safe place and I've not opened the pin.

I think what's going to make me feel fantastic is seeing that debt go under 3k when I make the payment on Friday and my big loan under 10k - I'm looking forward to this Friday :j

In other news, son needed St George's day t shirt and I've popped in to primark - spent 1.50

Everything else on budget and we won't be overdrawn but no left over money this month (not surprising with massive overpayments and 100 for hubbys bday)

As soon as we paid I will pay:
- 200 to everyday credit card for boiler and water debt

Then our regular monthly payments:
- 120 to CC payment
- 140 to loan payment

And for the CC overpayment we will put 250 from hubbys bonus.

This will take CC to 3,790 and loan to 9,933

I'm not going to make any more overpayments next month, at least not until the last week before payday, to avoid us being so skint and miserable. It's completely psychological as having money doesn't mean we will waste it just makes you feel better it's there. I will use next month to re group and possibly start my emergency fund again.

I will also do the rounding up thing into an old account I found xx

mummytogirls

Evening DFB,

Just popping by to say you are doing so well, keep it up!! Well done on resisting temptation! Was that at the weekend by any chance? I always find weekends hardest to resist spending!!! xx

DFB35

Pay day and new totals!

Something gone wrong with hubby's tax code as he only had 130 extra in his pay and he was due 500 bonus.. He will go and sort it out today, meanwhile I've paid the 130 of the big CC. Also paid 200 bill of our everyday card (boiler trouble and water debt) so that's now clear.

I'm much more conscious this month and won't be making any extra payments until the end of the month so we can be sure exactly how much we will have left.

With regular repayments due to come out my totals are as follows:

CC 3,910 VS 8 months
Loan 9,933 :T

Hopefully will bring it down further as the month goes on

crunch_time

You are doing so well!! Been following for a few weeks now. It sounds like we have the same mindset- I'm going to keep money in a slush fund and wait until end of the month and see what is left over before paying down more debt.

Regarding clothes - I feel your pain - I was the same then husband and u have ourselves a clothes allowance of £50 a month each and it's changed my life. That's £300 a year and when you look at it like that it is a lot. I only buy good lasting pieces now that go with everything I have already. I realised I don't need as many clothes and can save up for large investment piecese. I'm also going to plan my clothes for the year. It's way more organised but makes you think of the end result rather than 'shopping.' And I look at clothes in a different way now.

It helps me - it might help you!

Keep plodding on.
Crunchy xx

DFB35

A couple of spendy confessions yesterday

Hubby had an afternoon off work and went spending his birthday money but also purchased us a steam mop for myself and a treat for the kids (he asked what we would like so wasn't an unexpected spend).

The steam mop was reduced from 99 to 39.99 and I'm hoping it will revolutionise my life! I already tried it out yesterday! Makes washing the floor a doodle and I tried it on the window which was good also. Will be off in a bit to clean the bathroom and I'm hoping that it will do magic on the shower screen.

Daughter got headphones -£16 and son hot wheels track £18. Both are thrilled with their treats as we not bought anything for them in a while.

I'm not feeling guilty about it and will be going back to the MSE ways for the rest of the month. It has cheered us up no end and even though it wasn't stricktly budgeted for, hubby should have some extra money coming in as work messed up his pay.

I think being so strict and MSE makes you really appreciate treats more, hahaha even though it's a mop but I really really wanted one for ages lol

mummytogirls

Morning DFB,

DH bought me a Vax steam mop for Christmas and its my favourite thing ha!! People are work look at me like I'm stupid when I say what I got and that I was actually more thrilled than if I had received perfume!

I did my downstairs windows outside in the holidays too so I'm also saving on the window cleaner :money:!!

Have a lovely weekend xx