Crunchy pays it down....£20k...the final chapter

DebtFree2012

You make me smile as some of your posts could have been written by me. I am going to enjoy your diary .

Food wise, do you menu plan and have a list and stick to it? I'm doing mine for 26th Feb onwards and hoping to shop in 2 week stints with a grocery budget of £300.

crunch_time

Aw thanks DebtFree2012! I really enjoy your diary!! Sometimes I feel like I am whittling on a lot about stuff that's not really about money but writing it down has made me understand my relationship about money, if that makes sense.

I do menu plan but dinners only really and always from what we already have. Breakfasts are usually the same options every week and then lunches and snacks are just sandwiches etc for the kids and then soups/salads for us. I plan out meals for the week and then pick and choose when we have them depending on our moods/what's going on.

I shop at Sains once a week and we are lucky enough to have an awesome butcher nearby. I occasionally nip to the village shop for bits we have run out of.

I think I could make more of an effort to plan monthly so we are only eating meat 3-4 times a week and get a balance of types over the month that would help. As well as shop online so I can delete stuff if I need to. I shall work on this.

So roughly 2 days to go until the items end on ebay. I'm hoping for at least £35 to round down the credit card to £1300. There is an item which I bought second hand for £5 that has a bid on for more and 24 watchers!! Just because it is a brand name. In all 8 items will sell for about £20 so far so I'm hopeful for £35.

I don't think I am going to go out on Saturday night. I'm too tired for 'party' socialising at the moment. Husband can go by himself and I shall have an early night.

I have £80 left in my account till payday and husband does too although I haven't told him. so £160. We may need some more fuel and a little bit more food and of course he will need a little bit of beer money for Saturday night.

Usually by this point in the month I would be worrying but I feel my mindset changing. Husband has a job where he is out and about a lot and last night he was away and out with a colleague for a curry and beer. I used to be jealous of the socialising and 'child free ness' of it but now I'm definitely happy to be at home raising the children and pursuing my own goals. A cup of tea with a friend or dinner with friends once in a while is my sort of socialising these days and I enjoy it more because it doesn't happen all the time. I went out loads in my 20's. My 30's is about pursuing the goals I wanted but didn't achieve in my 20's.

Anyway, I'm off to have a snack and write my half term to do list whilst DD naps.

1 week till payday!!

Thank crunchy its Friday!!

Crunchy xx

DebtFree2012

That's exactly how I've been working the menu plans up until now and I suppose to some extent, still. I know what we eat, what we have daily for breakfast and lunch and I can pretty much buy all of that in bulk to last us at least the 2 weeks that I am trying to achieve. If I can stock the freezer up with some home made meals then I would be even happier! So based on what we like and already eat, I am menu planning going forward 2 weeks and will buy enough food to cover that period. I'm freezing milk and buying green bananas for example. I have no idea how long it will actually last in to the 2 weeks, but I like a challenge.

I also know where you're coming from re the child freeness nights etc as DH used to go out a lot more than me but as we moved into our 30s it eased and he doesn't really go out much now, especially since we moved. I have learnt to love my life and it makes us stronger in the long run (not that we weren't but you know what I mean). So I can relate x

crunch_time

Debtfree2012 - I'm definitely learning to love my life and I'm incredibly grateful with what I have/have not and excited about where I am going.

A couple of things to do with money....

So the e bay items end tonight!! 11 out of 22 will sell - woohoo!!!

I cant remember whether I have mentioned this or not but husband got a payrise a few weeks ago which showed up in the Jan pay. Its an extra £200 a month roughly which is great!! He needs to buy a new suit which will be about £400 made to measure. I have £200 put aside for it and then will take out another £200 when he gets paid in a couple of weeks. Then I can use that money towards our goals.

I've been wrestling with my needs and wants. I worked out last night and noticed that my trainers aren't supporting me as much as they used to. They are about 6 years old so I am long overdue some new ones, particularly if I want to start running again once the evenings get lighter. This is a need so will go on the list.

The jeans I wore a few days ago have now been put back into the box under the bed as they are just not comfortable. I'm around a size 14 after previously being a size 12. I weigh a lot more than I look (5ft 7in and big boned and with size G chest) so I'm not interested in weight so I have kept measurements of my 'key areas' since 2007. I had a flick through my fitness journal this morning and although I weigh a stone more than I did pre children, inches wise there is only a few in it. I only need to lose 4 inches around my belly button, 2 inches off my thighs and 2 inches around my hips to get back to pre children figures. The exercise programme I am following is High Intensity Interval Training and I feel fitter and stronger than ever since starting it again after years of back trouble. Its definitely going to make me more toned but I don't think it is going to change my shape too much. I think it is time I accepted that my body has changed since my kids and I should accept that rather than feel I need to lose the extra stone to allow myself to feel good about myself (and buy new jeans). I'm exercising, I'm eating as healthy as I can, always with room for improvement, and I will get to where I want to be but it will take time and commitment and organisation........just like my budget in relation to becoming debt free.

At the moment I am wearing unflattering jeggings, desperate to get back into my pre second pregnancy trousers. Actually I just need to buy a few more pairs of size 14s and watch them get loose. I'm comparing it to having a life whilst paying off debt.

So I'm changing my attitude, not setting any time limits to my goal but living for now, day by day, and making the right choices, for my health and for my money.

Phew - feel better for figuring that one out!!

Better got on with some housework!!

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary!!

Approx £40 made on bay of e last night!! So I smashed my target of £35!!

So I shall be wrapping tonight and posting tomorrow.

Neither of us went out in the end so that would have been £20 saved but we rented a film (£5) and husband bought some beers so that was that pretty much gone.

I have worked out some real approx costs of journeys in the new car. It is diesel and cost £48 to fill up and that gets us approx 575 miles. My 70 mile round trip to work costs £6-7. In the old car it cost £20 so a massive saving there. I know now that I just need to save about £20 in the fuel budget for next week just in case but the rest can go on debt hopefully. Will do some sums later.

Got a frugal plan together for half term. We will do something every day for at least the morning and have one day out planned on Friday. Will try to stay local too to save on fuel.

6 days until pay day!!

Crunch xx

crunch_time

Evening all

All bay of e parcels that have been paid for are wrapped and ready to be posted. After fees and postage of those paid for so far I think I have made about £30 so that has been chucked at the credit card.

I also reconciled our joint account, realising that the Council tax hadn't gone out for this month. So I checked our statement and we signed up for 10 months rather than 12. So of course that (£100) has been chucked at the credit card too bringing the total to £1232.

So I am getting there.....

Just got to make it to the end of the week spending as little as possible, do a food plan for the following week and a fuel check and then I can hopefully chuck a few more pounds at it. I would be happy with £20 to be honest but we shall see.

Plan for tomorrow is to post the ebay parcels/play in the snow/maybe go to the library - my reserved book is in!!

Crunch xx

crunch_time

Morning diary!!

So we have already had an hour of playing in the snow!! First time for DS and he is 3.5 and of course first time for DD. Now come in to thaw out and for DD to have a nap. We have been up most of the early hours with her so plenty of coffee on the go this am.

I checked the bank balances this am and the first payment for the car has gone out. We now have about £120 to last us until next Friday. Mainly for food. Because its half term I am going to see what I can fashion out of the stuff in the cupboards. If I can manage a shop of £50 then I am winning.

Lots of spreadsheet staring this morning trying to make this debt magically disappear - it hasn't.

Crunch xx

crunch_time

I must just add something as I think about it.

We went to see some of husbands relatives yesterday - his uncle and aunt and they will be 60 and 65 this year. His aunt was saying how much she hates her job and cant wait to retire but they still have another 2 years to go on the mortgage. Apparently they remortgaged a few years ago and installed a new bathroom. The bathroom cost them £10k!!!! What!!! This is a £150k 3 bed semi not a £1m barn conversion. She also said to the husband a few weeks ago they had a windfall of £6k from PPI they didn't know they had but that that was going to mostly pay off the credit card! What!!! This was all said after she served up a meal mainly consisting of M & S shove in the oven type food and whilst sitting on their brand new sofa with their financed car on the driveway outside.

I am not at all judging as we are ones to talk with our level of debt. However nothing major has happened to warrant that amount of debt at their age, just bad planning and a lack of frugality. They are in steady jobs but just have an attitude of deserving the finer things in life and paying for them on credit. Hearing about it has really made me think how much I don't want to be in that position at their age - hating my job, getting tired and wanting to retire but I cant because of debt. I want my mortgage to be gone by the time I am 50, 55 at the latest and not relying on credit cards to buy things we really don't need.

This has made me more motivated than ever, and husband too.

I am sooooo determined to shift this debt now.

Just been through the cupboards and made a meal plan for the week and started a shopping list for the following week.

I have also decided to create an outfit for the christening using things I already have. I have a black pencil skirt I could wear with an existing top. Feels good not to be buying anything else and using what I have.

All going in the right direction. I WILL get there.

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary!!

Lots of errands run yesterday. I took back a parcel to a collection point and went to the library and picked up my book. Paid the 60p and have already read 1/3 of it. Lots of interesting points. I think I'll find a little note book to write some key points I've taken from it down to refer to later.

Didn't manage to post the parcels so that is my task today and clean and tidy the house as much as possible. I have a friend coming round tomorrow I haven't seen for a while. Which will be lovely. All frugal fun!!

I also made a lovely squash, sage and Stilton soup for lunch yesterday. There is some left for lunch today. I forgot how much I like cooking savoury stuff. Will have to make more of an effort. It will be easier now dd is no longer a baby demanding I hold her all the time!!

So no trips in the car planned for the next 2-3 days. I think I have about 160 miles left so will need £20 for fuel for next week until husband gets paid.

I must make a comprehensive list of things we can do at home/walking distance ready for the summer so I'm not tempted to spend money like I did last year.

3 days till pay day!!!

Crunchy
Xx

crunch_time

Sorry - me again!! I'm full of it at the moment. It's like something has finally clicked in me.

Thought it would be worth just mentioning a conversation I had with the husband whilst I was washing up and he came in for more coffee.

He commented that I seem really 'focussed' at the moment and 'in control' which lead to a conversation about last year when I was postnatally depressed and then ended with a 'let's try and pay all this £16k left off by the end of next year?'

We are going to give it our best shot and it looks like I have a debt free date in sight!!!

It means an overpayment of about £450 a month which is doable if we stick to the plan and everything stays the same I.e I find a 3 day a week job from September.

We can but try!!!! Even if we don't the loan is due to finish at the end of 2020 so any time before that is amazing!!

Going to amend my signature with a debt free date now!!

Crunchy xx