Hope is not an Effective Financial Strategy

debtfreeoneday

We had the same conversation today as we've used more electricity this month (only have electricity), but I couldn't cope with tracking to the point of actively trying to reduce.. I do submit monthly readings just so i can keep on track with what we owe / credit etc after the fiasco of recent months with previous power supplier!

shangaijimmy

I always submit on the 1st of each month to make sure we don't end up with a big bill from underpaying. Its happened to friends and they ended up in a mess on a poor tariff and couldn't move as they couldn't afford to pay off what they owed etc... So submitted avoids nasty surprises!!

TSB money is in and transferred so for October we've now OP'd £19.01. Halifax rewards x 3 are next but my Tesco savings only sweeps them up on the 8th. In other news my small change jar is considerably slow at the minute but i'm putting that down to being very thrifty and the daily TT's. I'm about £1.50 off £5 so might have to go raiding Mrs SJ's purse, especially as she keeps nipping to Mothercare...!

shangaijimmy

Weekend off to a good start with a £1 TT. Bizarrely our current account balance was £333!

Ali-OK

shangaijimmy wrote: »

Ali - aren't all of us here freaks in some form or other??

:rotfl: Vivre le difference!!

Part of the actively reducing the electricity use was educating DS to switch off lights and sockets etc - was like Blackpool illuminations at times. Typical teenage behaviour now under control and money saved in the process .

Also changed all our bulbs to the fab LED ones - similar brightness to incandescent and prices dropped to a level that it won't take years to recoup the cost.

ourcornercottage

I am slightly obsessed with reading my meter and monitoring my usage. It's not a road you want to go down!!!

shangaijimmy

Ali - Mrs SJ is exactly the same. I work evenings and in the winter months when i walk in i go round switching all the lights off and i always use the "its like Blackpool in here" line...! I did consider just removing some of the lightbulbs at one stage, but i had a good old fashioned whinge instead and marginal improvements were made!!

OCC - i can understand you doing it as you've got solar panels!

Few pounds spent last night at an 80th party, but at least Mrs SJ couldn't drink so it didn't turn really messy and we had a lift home. Though Mrs SJ wasn't happy at missing out on a drinking night out.

She did some spare room clearing yesterday, and sifted through all the kids clothes. So we have a huge pile for ebay, a few bags for charity and some for loft storage. We then had the discussion of whilst the room is part cleared we may as well decorate and construct nursery furniture straight away before we fill it with junk again. So today's jobs - 2 coats on ceiling and undercoat the woodwork, whilst Mrs SJ gets the paint (i have no input on colours!!). I'm off Tuesday so i'll paint walls and gloss, then on Friday afternoon i'll clean the carpet and build furniture. Then its all ready for Mrs SJ ti accesorise it so to speak.

I'm hoping that with this room being a nursery/bedroom we may not hoard quite so much junk, though we now have to find somewhere for the ironing board!

£1 TT'd by the way!

debtfreeoneday

I'm turning into my Mother doing exactly the same Blackpool Illuminations line!

shangaijimmy

I wish Mrs SJ would take that line, but she's the culprit in our house! Her sister is even worse so i cant complain too much!!

shangaijimmy

Long day today, but Mondays are usually NSD's. £1 TT'd this morning so now at £4.15 for October.

The weather has definitely changed here today and im guessing that Autumn Sumner is gone...Blood donation this afternoon also.

selloptape

shangaijimmy wrote: »

Ali - aren't all of us here freaks in some form or other??

Cheered me up, thanks :rotfl:

I've been starting to think this about myself after the reaction s I've had from family, friends and co-workers about trying to pay down the mortgage early.