A Diary of Reinventing Ourselves

lynnejk

Forward_thinking wrote: »

......
I have had two very promising phone calls with people who want me to contact them again regarding possible work at their co-operation. So I'm feeling really positive about that.

The car is also lovely - I really like it and OH is really pleased too. It's such a nice car and feels in some ridiculous way like part of our family.

Transition is now underway on the credit card scene - one has been paid off, another is about to be juggled over - change is happening.

....so that's the ironing out for tonight. I have to admit it is driving me crazy - I seem to spend about 8 hours ironing each week and I only used to spend £25. I know, I know....it's money that isn't mine. I did also equate this to the price of the swimming lessons but again, I know that's not what this ironing money is going towards. OH did mention he doesn't have many shirts left - my fault. I keep 'stuffing' them down to the bottom of the basket hoping they will miraculously disappear. To date that hasn't happened. Better get on with it though before he contacts the ironer for me!!!

Good to hear some positive news re your work project and hope that it starts to get going soon.

Pleased that you are happy with the car and trust you've added all the costs to your on-going budget. Don't forget to add an amount each month to save for any repairs, new tyres, tax and insurance.

Great to see something positive happening with the CCs and you are starting to get them sorted.

Maybe you can get into a habit of putting some hangers near your TD or WM and hang the shirts directly onto hangers out of the TD or when taking off the drying line. You will find that the creases will reduce significantly Maybe you can look at the money saved as part-payment towards your holiday.

Finally, you have done really well so far and have done soo much in such a short time. Now I'm really crossing my fingers for another house coming up soon for you all.
Lx

getmore4less

Every Iron session, start with one shirt.

Forward_thinking

I really must go to bed. But getmore - love that idea. Just need to make that iron session happen now or there won't be any shirts ironed. Roll on summer - and then I no longer have any sleeves to battle with!

liuhutOz

Loved your post about the car, I get what you mean about it being part of the family. I really care for my little car, and I hope that if that means that if I take care of it, then hopefully it will take care of me!! But daft I know.
Also about the swimming lessons, I think that will be money very well spent, we live near the sea so it was my top priority when we moved here that the kids be able to swim, I really do think that you're doing the right thing.
Fingers crossed on the pay rise :-)

sugarcube84

lynnejk wrote: »

Maybe you can get into a habit of putting some hangers near your TD or WM and hang the shirts directly onto hangers out of the TD or when taking off the drying line. You will find that the creases will reduce significantly


Lx

This!! I don't iron shirt hubby does them, but he finds them much easier if I don't tumble dry them so I just pop on a hanger when they have been washed and hang them anywhere there is room, wardrobe door, curtain pole etc

pelirocco

I am really not targeting you ,I have been a member here for a very long time and of course have read many threads and posted on some of them ( across all the different forums on here ).I do believe your posts don't always add up and if I come across it I will comment ,this isn't a forum for people to only post what the OP wants to hear .My method of browsing is mainly read news posts only ,so I get to see all different subjects I don't just stick to the one area.

I hate to disappoint you but my avatar is not aimed at you,nor anyone tbh it's a joke going back many years.
I am also female so that might disappoint you too lol

Debt_Denier

Hi Pelirocco & Forward Thinking
I was going to PM Pelirocco actually to say I thought the message was unfair but understandable in the circumstances. I joined recently probably because of this Reinventing Ourselves Diary and mainly because of Pelirocco's responses. I was reading and lurking feeling very sympathetic but also I have to say it was a bit like watching a car crash and I kept following. I expect a great unveiling about the very confusing tax arrangements to suddenly happen. I have always been a PAYE worker so I can't help or even begin to understand but I thought I smelt a rat . I think there will be a big denoument in the tax affairs but the house and car things are more important in the first instance. The school thing is I think a red herring. It is not negotiable for the family and that is that . Anyway the competiition for places is so fierce that multiple school can happen to one family. You even have bizarre cases of twins one born before midnight on 31 August and one after midnight therefore on 1 September ending up in different years.
As I said I pay PAYE so I have never dealt with the taxman and my only knowledge is from TV shows so my fear might be misplaced.
Pelirocco you are welcome to come and interrogate me if you like. I have been kidding myself for years and since joining MSE I have had to hear difficult things about my own stupidity and have felt like I am having to defend myself ( I have tried to resist being defensive but it is really hard) but my behaviour has been stupid and I needed a kick in the behind. It is I think supposed to be challenging and I think painful at times.
Forward Thinking I really wish you well and I actually worry for you. I hope it all works out. I also want to thank you because worrying about you made me wake up to myself.

Forward thinking - teenagers can and should learn to iron! You never know they might enjoy it. I don't intend ironing for my boys once they are old enough. I always do mine on a Saturday lunchtime when we have gotten back from tennis lessons and while the OH makes lunch. I put on the telly and just get it over and done with. In fact I am so used to it now that it is my time with the telly and no one interrupts me.

getmore4less

groovy_chick wrote: »

Okay, lets just take a moment to remember THIS IS A DIARY (Yep, I did shout that). If FT wanted opinions, hard truths, constructive criticism or to have everything she writes picked over with a fine toothed comb, she would be writing this on the Debt Free Wannabe board; and I think you will find she has been there and done that.

A diary is for support, reporting how you are feeling and charting every small success.

Play nice people or go play somewhere else :j

The problem with the only be nice in diaries approach is people can completely miss the bigger issues and are still saying you are doing well as the house is getting reposessed.

I think the most recent classic example of how wrong it can go if everyone is always nice is the MrBloater threads.

I picked up the story as MrB came to mortgage free wanabee middle of June looking for help and keen to bust that mortgage.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5261061

Arrived having consoldated £50k of debt on the mortgage all keen to make progress.

Turns out MrB does not do SOA but a few days of digging got to the bottom of some of the problems. loads of money being spent on stuff that duplicates, others some big items that could be adjusted etc. nothing unusual really all the standard stuff that SOA highlights in minutes and give the knowledge to crack the problem going forward.

Turns out MrB had been on DFW for 4 years with everyone telling what a great job he was doing every time he sold a CD on Ebay for a £1... MrB does not budget or plan just juggles debt and plays around the edges.

Enough said the guy was getting some decent guidance so could move on and fix things you would think, you could tell the heart was not in it only lasted a few weeks and along the way it turned out the £50k on the mortgage was only part of the debt the rest got rolled into a loan..

where Is MrB now..

Back on DFW with nearly £8k more CC debts.

MrB writes well and tells a good story sometimes very entertaining but when it comes to debt busting it is just a tragic train wreck.


..............
Diaries are great for the day to day slog of debt busting but you have to make sure the underpinning plan is workable and does not go off the rails Mrs FT has a little way to go to get that plan nailed and some of the changes like the house are going to make that more difficult and time consuming initialy.

meer53

Well put Getmore4less. No-one comes on here to knock FT, i'm sure she's grown up enough to understand how this all works. I chose my words very carefully before i posted, sometimes it's difficult to see the wood for the trees when you have so much going on and so many things to worry about. Just another persons view of things can sometimes make you reassess your plans.

getmore4less

Debt_Denier wrote: »

Pelirocco you are welcome to come and interrogate me if you like. I have been kidding myself for years and since joining MSE I have had to hear difficult things about my own stupidity and have felt like I am having to defend myself ( I have tried to resist being defensive but it is really hard) but my behaviour has been stupid and I needed a kick in the behind. It is I think supposed to be challenging and I think painful at times.

This is actually quite critical to the thought process.

It is part of the learning curve to challange everything, from the £2 coffee, the mobile phone, the TV package, to major decisions that involve big spends like cars and houses.

IT is not about justifying to randon strangers on the web but to yourself that you are making the right trade off on the things that are important.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of not thinking things through identifying the true Needs agains the nice to have and wants.

Phones for kids are the classic example, it starts out as kids need phone for emergencies and they end up with a smart phone on a all you can eat data tariff.
when all they really needed was an old Nokia 3510(battery lasts a week) on a non expiring PAYG. SO from a free phone and £10 credit we are upto £100s and insurance because kids get phones nicked and they break them.

When the analysis is done some changes can result in better for less money, some will be tough choices and trade offs some will just have to go till things get better.