NST July - Bobs Bucket & Spade Boogie to the beach!

WelshKitty85

Hi everyone!

I am very sorry to say that I am on the naughty step already. I bought a bargain dress last month for my graduation - only £12. But I couldn't find any shoes to go with it. So, today I have been shopping. I still couldn't find any suitable shoes, so I bought a brand new dress...AND a new pair of shoes - £50 for both - so that's my graduation fund gone and nothing left for a meal out on the day! Naughty kitty!

Calling14

Naughty Kitty. You have worked hard enough just enjoy your graduation.

Well happy, happy, happy news. Just heard via one of my neighbours my ex has pulled out of buying the house behind me. So happy. Will celebrate tomorrow as it is my independence day, 6 yrs since I moved into my house and started enjoying single life.
Just had to share my news!!

WelshKitty85

calling so happy for you! You must be very relieved.

Westie983

Hi,

Just checking in to declare my SFD number 3, doing well,

I have paid of £432, off my credit card which is a big chunk of my debt on that card, as I got a offer of a new 0% deal which was cheaper then the interest rate I was being charged, so I borrowed money at 0% to pay it back in to pay of the money that was attracting interest...

I have just got back from Brownies where we did a penny mile hike which means I have been out and got active - YAY go me...

Im feeling good...

Tomorrow hopefully will be a SFD but may not as Im driving up to visit a friend and not sure if I will end up spending any pennies but I have a full car of petrol so that wont cost me a SFD...

Will keep you all posted how I get on...

Well done to all of those 'turtles' thats are doing well...

:-)
I

Fmess

Evening all,

SFD number 2 here and LTW number 3 Done another evening of marking and can't wait for it all to finish. Think I might finish one of my allocations tomorrow :j

Hope you've all had a great day, I'm grateful for the cooler evening today, and hoping for rain overnight to water my lawn and plants.

mothernerd

Warning - this may end up being one of my 'epic' posts (or possibly 'saga' because of my age).

I have had a SFD and reconciled myself to yesterday's shop as £10 was on toilet rolls and washing powder tablets (bought 2 boxes for £7, they were £4 each, but not going to use more therefore worth buying. Also forgot to get them last month and ended up paying £7 for one box in little Arseda as had problems with their own brand non-bio - stupid sensitive skin). Also bought biscuits and put them in the foodbank box.

Had a good day on the getting things done front. Only housework but have deep cleaned and filled a couple of previously inaccessible cupboards and listed the contents so I don't half kill myself getting down there again only to find the thing I wanted is elsewhere). Toaster and scales plus a good few other things now off the worktops. All washing went out on the line and dried in just over an hour. My emergency measure with the leaky radiator seems to have worked.

I also spent an hour outside weeding, scraping soil (off flags/out of corners) and finally got my plastic shelves where I want them and wrestled the three bags with potatoes growing in them, across to the shelves. All the scraped soil has gone into two more 'potato bags' - I want to get some dwarf beans planted.

Spent some time relaxing in the garden. Not sure how long as it started as 'putting soil in the last bag (sitting down) and not being able to go and get the brush to sweep the last bit' and morphed into ' the sun's gone over the house, there is a little breeze, the kids on the carpark are playing good music and foghorn lil next door isn't yapping away to her friends/ on her mobile phone' and it's actually quite pleasant sitting here.

For all the new turtles, my (hopefully brief- ish) backstory. I am 57 years old. I bought this house by the time I was 25 and always intended to live alone. Unfortunately I met my ex-OH and my study/sewing room became a nursery for eventually 3 lovely sons. Following redundancy, OH started to work 300 miles away and put all the money into slot machines. I found out when i was pregnant with DS3 and divorced him when DS3 was 3yo.

I kept my house but ex never paid a penny maintenance and I've supported the boys through to university level mainly through minimum wage menial jobs (working up to 70 hour weeks and 11 jobs in a year), although I have had various attempts to gain other skills/ qualifications.

My current debt is mainly from the last ten years. I bought another larger house following the deaths of my father and brother, DS1 and his then gf were flooded out of their rented cottage and moved in with us a month after the move, DS2 has two medical conditions (one correctly diagnosed after eight years) which meant he had to repeat each year of uni due to time off sick and was also unable to work during some breaks, DS3 also took the scenic route to getting his degree and a friend of his lived with us for 18 months and we also had two homeless kids stay for months and up to 11 teenagers/ young people staying at weekends.

In October 2013 I scraped together the money for a new damp proof course and began the process of getting the house fit for sale, doing as much as possible myself on a shoestring budget (fitted kitchen cost < £500, including labour). I joined the turtles in February 2014

In March last year my doctor ordered 3 weeks bed rest, followed by months of physiotherapy. In August I was referred to a specialist who diagnosed acute arthritis in my right hip and referred me for a surgical consult (up to that point I had still been struggling to walk everywhere and keep doing the house improvements). I had a total hip replacement operation on November 13th and DS3 and I moved back into the little house (DS2 had been renting it) one week before that.

So I have two houses, the larger of which is up for sale (never had a mortgage, as my income has never been sufficient), minimal earnings from self-employment (compounded by focusing on getting the house up to scratch last year, not being able to carry stuff or get out and do any craft fairs and not being fit enough to do the original larger component of my business plan).

This month's financial goal. Having come close to having to take out a TPP (would have paid £1 a month each to 4 creditors for 12 months or until the house sold) two months ago, I am still ridiculously pleased at having been able to transfer most of the debt to 0%. I transferred £5208 last month and then because that bill arrives first, I paid some off and then transferred another £495 this week (offer finished on 30th June). I have also moved these payments forward, so that I now pay them when the bill is due rather than the last possible moment.

I know the dds for this month are covered and also that the money to cover the next round of minimum payments will be in the bank before they are due. I can't give a figure but I need to start making some money, whether by selling the furniture I don't need (other people's cast offs so will give it away if it doesn't sell), selling some sewn pieces (can't use the machine to do the finishing off) or some materials I haven't used. Will read and re-read post #94 until it sinks in. I need to do something not just be passive. This would give me some money to pay extra off the debt.

Inspiring turtles. This is very difficult, you are all inspiring in different ways. Deserving of an honourable mention are Abundant, Apple muncher, Shyspender, Synonymous and Thriftylass, who mostly seem to have been around for all my turtle time and or the 'newer' intake Bobarella and Welsh Kitty (with special thoughts and wishes for Cupcakegirl who had to drop out due to real life issues). However I would like to do a joint nomination for Liltdiddylilt who juggles so many things and seems to have managed a lovely life/work balance and Nannygladys who gives me hope that I might eventually reach retirement (and maybe grandma status too, though that is the boys choice) still in one piece (apart from the donated bone) and hopefully fitter, healthier and living simply and happily debt free.

Today I am grateful for The Only Girl ( grappling the weight and exercise demons), for quiet time in the gentle sunshine with breeze and for lovely ys food - piece of feta and spinach quiche for 18p).

nannygladys

Hi everyone

Ah Mothernerd thanks for the nomination you really surprised me as I always get inspired reading your posts, you seem to do such a lot (much more than me) and cope with whatever is thrown at you. I think you all inspire me in different ways and although debt free (mortgage and cc' s) I still have to be careful as I could quite easily go off the rails, I have to deal in cash and leave my debit card at home. (My dd1 has custody of my cc card just in case I need to buy flights etc).

Anyway, no grocery money spent today as I was at work (only 3more days to work - getting excited now, finding it strange to think I don't have to work ever again), so
Sfd 2/15

Right off to bed, I have a family celebration tomorrow afternoon, a naming ceremony for 2dgc, so that will be lovely and food is being laid on as well, So no tea to get!!!!

Take care everyone

Nannyg

Optimistic_Kate

Thank you for sharing your story mothernerd. Wow 11 teenagers... You must have a heart of gold to open your home so widely to those in need. Best of luck to you. Hope the bigger home sells quickly for you.

Cannot believe it's the 4th already :eek:

I've had 3NSD in a row

But off to ikea today... Need petrol and a rug. A cheap rug though so hopefully I will find a bargain.

Hope all well and good! Miss debt I too find to difficult to catch up on thread

X

Bobarella

Good Morning All

Happy weekend!!

So what are you going to do this weekend to make a difference to your financial life/goals? Are you going to be out there selling something at a car boot sale, taking the extra time to max out your ebay item allowance? Putting up an ad and offering your saleable services such as tutoring, cleaning, teaching an instrument as an income generating side hustle?

Or are you going to go without a treat you love, make coffee at home instead of spending at a coffee shop, making a fake away meal instead of calling up a big fat £££ take out?

Whatever you do, use these 2 days of pause, if you are a Monday to Friday worker, look after grandkids in the week etc, & focus on what you can achieve to help the overall outcome.

Kate - well done on your hat trick!!
Nanny G - have a great time at the naming ceremony.
Mothernerd - such an interesting post. If I can be half as good a mum as you have been to your boys I'll feel I've done well. I truly hope your 2nd house sells ASAP and you can relax properly although I suspect you are never going to rest on your laurels. Thanks for the mention.

Fmess - well done on your NSDS

Westie - congratulations on the big pay down that's a good wack off the debt.

WelshKitty - with all you have achieved this year I don't think you have any need to beat yourself up over some nice clothing and shoes to celebrate it. Guilt free right!

Calling - OMG epic news! Which begs the question what was he doing in the first place? All a head game or innocently insensitive. Have a large wine and celebrate that milestone 6th anniversary in style.


I am working today. Have a huge event to cater for, I am so grateful. I landed this one all off my own back fair and square. I answered a post on a local forum, created a good relationship with the person and converted them to a booking. If all goes well today it will be around £300 extra revenue for my business with an excellent profit margin. So today I'm giving myself a pat on the back because good things do come to those that wait, but they come more often to those who don't!

Go Turtles!!!

Bob

dolly84

Welshkitty - enjoy your new dress and shoes they'll make you feel special.

Calling - happy singleaverssary.

Boberella - hope the job goes well.

Nannygladys - have a lovely time at the naming ceremony.

I will be spending money today, we are at a fundraiser for Scouts/Cubs and will spend a few pounds there and will be calling at the supermarket to pick up some bits for supper this evening but that will come out of the grocery budget.

Had a dreadful nights sleep last night, we had a thunderstorm and heavy rain and I was worried about DD camping out, particularly as last night I saw the tent she's in - crikey it is 20+ years old, canvas, with a pole either end and no sewn in groundsheet, talk about carry on camping:eek:.

Will pop back later with an updated spend.