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

crunch_time

Morning diary

I had a bit of a meltdown on Friday and cried all day to husband (who was trying to work from home) about how down I was about lots of things in my life. Weight, lack of close friends, wider family issues, no time to myself, constantly paying off debt etc etc etc.

I got an early night on Friday and we then had a lovely time at the wedding on Saturday. To my surprise husband had booked us onto a 'adventure thing' on Sunday morning before we picked the kids up and I really really enjoyed it!! It blew all the cobwebs away for sure.

I now feel very fresh and ready to continue. I enjoy keeping this diary and it does keep me motivated, especially as talking about money is still something that cannot be spoken about freely with friends and family.

I thought I might start a new diary but couldn't think of a title as we are still paying off debt so it makes sense to continue with this one.

The change from now is that I'm going to take the scenic route with the loan for a while, up the payments with the mortgage when we are ready to and concentrate on staying out of debt but finally allowing myself to have fun in life and not feel guilty about the debt.

Husband and I agreed yesterday to buy the chairs and table we have longed for for about 10 years and then balance transfer the cost so its always 0% and pay £50 off a month until its cleared. To us this is strategically managing our money.

I'm also going to include my mortgage on my signature. We are currently formulating a 3 year plan to lower the mortgage and increase equity on the house and I will probably focus more on this than the debt for a while as that wont stop us from moving but having enough equity for the next step up will.

Right, need to check bank accounts and sort food out for the week.

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary!

Not much going on here. Just trying to entertain the kids without spending money. And stop them from irritating each other.

I get paid tomorrow. Or at least I hope I get paid. We shall see. The last one for a while so I'm going to buy some new trainers and then put the rest into my isa to pay for the dog at the beginning of next year.

I also started to scare us by working out how much is left after essentials for husbands pay for the rest of the year. It was around £2500 but factoring in Christmas presents, birthday presents for 3 of us and costs for the wedding weekend and put holiday at Christmas and that already added up to £1000.

These were on the absolute essentials column of
Y spreadsheet. Next I have to work out the'would be nice' column which is dog costs and decorating.

One thing for sure is we are going to have to extra careful with our money to ensure we get to the end of year with no credit card debt!

Crunch xx

crunch_time

Morning diary,

Last pay day for a while. Most money swiftly shifted into ISA for dog costs bar a few bits I have to pay for.

That's it now! No more pay days until end of January at the earliest.

This is going to be really good for us I just know it.

Right, work out while DD is napping then swimming this afternoon. I have got washing on but I think its going rain this afternoon.

Got to get some paint as husband and I are DIYing tonight! We know how to live!

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary

I've been on form and been working out ways to manage our money over the autumn and into Christmas. I've taken the husbands monthly salary and subtracted all our direct debits, mortgage payment, car and loan payment, monthly fuel allowance and the boys hair cuts. Total left x5 = roughly £2500.

I then worked out what we absolutely have to pay for between now and the end of the year - dentist, chiropractor appointments, essential clothes for children, wedding weekend expenses, Christmas presents and birthday presents etc = £1000

I've then decided to save £500 out of the £1500 left for extra dog costs or emergencies.

So then we have £1000 as 'spending money, between now and the end of the year or about £200 a month.

Husband wanted a way that he can see how much money we have at any given point so we have decided to tape a piece of A4 paper to the inside of a cupboard in our kitchen with £1000 written at the top and then every time we spend money we have to deduct the amount from the £1000. Hopefully it will stop us from spending willy nilly and id really like to have change out of the pot by the end. Its totally possible especially with Christmas and birthdays covered.

Once DS starts school I can start to plan the Christmas and birthdays so that we can maximise our money.

I've already started to make lists of stuff each of us 'need.'

Unfortunately there has been too much month at the end of our money this month and I've had to put some things on my credit card which will need to be paid off once husband gets paid on Friday. These will need to come out of the £1000.

Otherwise we are enjoying the lovely weather at the moment and I'm trying not to get too stressed trying to balance entertaining 2 young children, housework and time for myself.

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary!

So the £1000 has already been lowered to £962 thanks to some planned spending but for stuff that isn't in the Autumn necessities budget.

We are off to a birthday party today as a family and planning a trip to a cheap card shop to stock up on cards for the month.

I'm feeling very excited about Autumn now. Husband and I have started watching Lost again and its making me long for cozy nights with hot chocolate and snuggling under the blanket.

We are seeing friends tomorrow and hoping that they will like to just come over for a cup of tea and then bring their dog for a dog walk - very frugal.

Its going to be a tight month food wise as its a 5 week month but I shall do my best!!

Its the last week of the school holidays - I cant believe it! My boy will be going to school a week tomorrow. He is so ready. I'm looking forward to being there to settle him in.

I managed to go food shopping on Friday without the kids so picked up 2 more stocking fillers that were £1 each for the hubs and I. So each of us for now has 1 stocking filler present each - absorbed into food costs. Signature updated!! I'm really enjoying this challenge I have set for myself.

Going to try and have a nice cheap last week of the holidays and going to chase our mortgage advisor about remortgaging as ours comes to end at the end of October.

Have a lovely bank holidays weekend everyone!!

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary

I'm afraid that somehow we have managed to rack up some credit card debt again.

Surprise curry out, sports bra broke and needed to be replaced, sains shop, iron tablets because dr said I'm low and had no other means of paying for them etc etc etc leaves a total of £359 on mine! GAHHH!!

Then husband decided he 'needed' a pair of noise cancelling headphones that cost £289!!!!!!!!!!!!! and then his drill broke so he just popped out and bought one to the tune of £120!!! Plus a few more other bits and he suddenly has £484 on his.

Very cross. Very tired of being in credit card debt. Quite simply these credit cards have got to go!!!! There is no point having them in our wallets for 'emergencies.'

I'm currently formulating a plan of action to get us in control. Its a good job its school starting next week and the summer holidays re over = no more spending.

Btw husband has been told that he will not be getting a birthday or Christmas present now as the £50 allocated to both will have to go towards paying them off. Very cross!

Sad crunchy xx

reality_check

It is so easily done though, life 'essentials' always get in the way. You could try loading up one of those pre-paid cards and keep that and get rid of credit cards completely or at least keep them somewhere hidden at home for total emergencies i.e. car repairs/boiler breakdown etc. I know in order to do that you need to save the money to put on them and not spend anything else in that time...easier said than done.

You've done it before and you'll do it again....good luck xx

crunch_time

Thanks reality_check.

I feel pretty rubbish about it. I didn't get much sleep last night because I was thinking about it and the fact I am about 1.5 to 2 stone overweight as well.

Big tears, and little chat with the hubs this morning. Credit card has been taken out of my purse and put somewhere in the house for now just to be used for online purchases that have been budgeted for and we need to have the money in our account for said purchase before we can spend on it - that is the rule.

I have also made a list of action points and a list of stuff to sell on gumtree and I'm going to tick them off when I do them.

Not spending will be easy during the week now that the little dude is at school it will be weekends that are our downfall. We have 2 to go then the wedding weekend which is all budgeted for so just need to get through these next 2-3 weeks without spending any money - only on food. And maybe fuel.

We can do this.

Crunch xx

crunch_time

Morning diary

DS's first day at school today! He was so excited! He has been up since 6 and dressed since 6.30am, shoes and everything. He is only doing mornings for the time being but I'm so pleased he has started bless him.

DD is down for a nap so I'm going to have an enjoyable morning really sorting myself out.

Lots of tears yesterday about money. I'm so disappointed in myself that I have racked up debt again. Husband was really cross with me that I am cross with myself telling me that we have done so well and paid off £8.5k in a year etc etc etc.

Anyway, I feel better about it now. I'm determined to get rid of these credit cards once and for all by developing a saving mentality.

Here is my plan of action...

September challenge
- get through the next 3 weeks only spending money on food....maybe fuel. We have about £80 in cash for the rest of the month but will probably need some of that for food so I'm going to say £30. Husband is going to football tonight but I think they owe him money and he might have a drink after but that can come out of the £30. I will give him pocket money.

- October challenge
Put all money left over after bills/planned spends etc into one of our online savings accounts and try not to use it. Only get out money as and when we need to. At the end of the month use the money to pay back debt apart from £100 which becomes a sort of emergency fund - like an overdraft.

November challenge
- Put all money after bills and planned spends into the online savings account and try not to touch it only transferring money if we need to. Top up emergency fund to £100 again. At the end of the month use the money to pay off debt.

and so on.

Right - lots to do this morning, lots of phone calls to make.

Onwards and upwards!

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Morning diary,

I was thinking last night as I was cutting out some bunting for my kitchen that I should change my mindset so that I'm saving up to pay off my credit card once and for all. I'm quite good at slushing down the debts but quickly rack them up because my mindset is currently that I will pay for that next month. I usually have the money allocated its just that it could be going on better things.

Day 2 of school and I think DS is knackered already. Two tantrums in the space of 24 hours. Glad I'm off to support him through it though.

I thought it would be good to have a schedule at home so the kids and I don't get lost in a world of 'what to do next' so that's on the list of things to do today.

Also, the place I had a job interview for a few months ago is advertising for another position in an age group that is my speciality. Trying to decide whether to apply or not. If I do that's 2 jobs to apply for to start in January - progress.

Two days in on the spending diet and only bought milk and squash so far. Must remember to buy 2 lots of squash when I shop from now on. With husband and I both at home a lot of the time we are steaming through it and the basics range is soooo much cheaper than the leading brand in the local shop.

Off for a run shortly while the husband listens out for DD who is napping. I've been 8 times in 2 weeks so obviously mean business about shorting myself out. I am 1.5 stones heavier than before I got pregnant with DD. She is nearly 2 now and I cant seem to shift it. I don't feel any bigger just thicker around my middle. I have cut back on booze and started to track my food intake and I have noticed a difference in how I look anyway and seem to be getting slimmer but now its the wrong time of the month and its all a bit off kilter. So I'm running today and then HIIT training for the rest of the week as husband is away. Very grateful I can pop out when he is at home. I can run 3kms in 23 minutes which isn't too bad. I want to be running 10k in under an hour by the end of the year though. That's my target. And running is really making me happy at the moment. That runners' high is real people!!

Anyway have a lovely day everyone!!

Crunchy xx