A Diary of Reinventing Ourselves

Queen.Bess

That's OK, you are going to do such a good job of this, I know it!

Look at what you are doing as the long term future to help your family and what you implement will be the norm rather than the quick fix. It's like dieting really - fad diets come and go and you might lose weight quickly, but for the long term, it's about adopting healthy eating so that it becomes the norm!

Keep going - the support you have on here is great, so positive (unlike a certain mums website!)! So even if there are gloomy days when you feel frustrated, come back on here, re-read what's been written and remember why you're doing this.

Sending virtual hugs (((hug))) QBxx

Sanctioned_Parts_List

Forward_thinking wrote: »

So husband is correct - and I expect everyone knew that apart from me. I have looked at the elegibility checker but am too scared to try it - just in case it does actually get noted.

The eligibility checker is a soft search and is recorded as a specific type of entry that doesn't impact your creditworthiness. So no worries there.

Actually applying for the card will impact your score, so that's where you have to choose carefully.

getmore4less

A carefully chosen card might be OK the level of debt is not that high(compared to income) unless there are other debts hovering.

(Are you sure you are clean when was the last time you got your reports)

with the level spends you have a 0% purchase card might be a way to get some of the debt onto a lower rate, you do normal spends on that card and use the cash to pay off the highest rate quicker.

BT cards just add 2%-3% to the debt with the transfer fee.

The issue is the cash flow is still out of control if your debts are going up, and that is an issue.

You need to get to break even first and get there fast.


Once you start earning and the hours build up, then thats the time to review buying help, Ironing and cleaning is likley to be cheaper than childcare so it really depends when you can do your work.

A refused card won't touch your credit anywhere as much as a single missed payment or arrears

If the records are really clean then a new rental won't be a problem.

I wonder if there is other stuff luking in the background you don't know about.

getmore4less

I had a post ready a few days back and decided not to post.

The jist of it was your are in a reverse feast & famine cycle.

With your current feat you are paying of the debts accrued during the previous famine but still living the feast lifestyle.

To break the cycle you have to go into famine mode during this feast cycle and hope you get rid of the debts and save enough for the next famine.

Forward_thinking

Wise words getmore - thank you! I really am on the case.

enthusiasticsaver

FT - Am I right in that your husband has dealt with this all up to now and you have not seen the credit card statements yet? Is he being totally up front with your actual debt. Please don't be offended but he seems to be a bit of an ostrich when it comes to finances. You can check on an eligibility site to see if you can get a lower interest rate. Your husband's plan sounds a bit messy and will still involve applying for a new card. Is his company willing to loan him money at 0%?


Well done on the changes you are already starting to make and in a few months time hopefully you will start to see results. Unfortunately paying off debt is a long road but your OH's idea of just making an additional £20k is just unrealistic. If you are starting up a new business this takes capital - advertising, set up costs, accountancy advice etc etc and you are unlikely to get a high level of clients instantly - it will take time. Also you have a lot of children to take care of between you so your time is stretched already.

Sanctioned_Parts_List

Spending expands to fill the wage available (with apologies to Parkinson )

One other question - how long were you out of the UK? Rereading older posts, you and OH seem to be quite unfamiliar with current British financial systems - vis the soft searches, approval requirements for lettings etc.. Soft searches didn't really exist 10 years ago, for example.

And a slightly ruder question, hence the whisper - you mentioned in an early post that your OH's accountant advised you not to move? Accountant - as in one who deals with your accounts? At what point was this accountant going to point out you were living beyond your means? I'd fire him.

Tommelise

Posted this on your old tread today - moved to your current tread:

I have been following your tread but not posting, since I did not have much to contribute regarding your debt situation.

Like others I recommend that you look up the forum at mr money moustache. I think you will find it inspiring. It’s an American forum but does have users from all over the world. As for the books you were recommended –try to find them at the library.

I have some advice for you regarding getting the cost of food down. It’s not always about dropping a brand (all tough that helps too) What helped us most was changing how we cooked and cooking in a smart way to save both time and money.

A bit about my family. We are a family of 5. The children are 17,15 and 8. We don’t have anywhere near your income even if we both work full time. We are debt free and are on the route to mortgage free. Our grocery budget is usually £ 300-350 a month but some months we can get it as low as £ 250. This include breakfast, packed lunch(leftovers or salad) and dinner for all 5 of us. We both like for cooking and we eat very well.


We don’t eat much meat, but provide a vegetable dish and a salad at every meal. Everything is cooked from scratch and we also bake our own bread (and cake). Beverages are water, juice and tea, and coffee at the weekends. We only drink wine once or twice a month. In our entertainment budget we budget for eating out as a family at our favorite place 4 times a year.

We don’t shop online as I prefer to shop around for offers at different stores and plan diners around the offers we get during the week. I do agree with your husband that this way you see special offers, but I think you husband might be too tired sometimes for shopping and thus he chooses things like precooked mash and probably shops too much without a general plan. Until you get the food budget under control you will benefit from planning your shopping. Also aim to find recipes that suit your family and can be cooked in bulk and frozen or recipes that require minimal attention like slow cooked meat. Reuse ingredients for several meals to save time:

M: Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne - bake extra vegetables to use in salad next day (http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/italian/roasted-mediterranean-vegetable-lasagne.html )
T: Side dish: White Bean Salad with Eggplant and Zucchini – use vegetables from yesterday – cook white beans for salad an make extra for tomorrow. (http://www.weber.com/recipes/veggies/white-bean-salad-with-eggplant-and-zucchini )
W: Beef stew with white beans

Our meal plan is designed to help us with fast dinner om busy days and we bulk cook on days were we have time.

M: Leftovers from Sunday in a different way. Lamb with pita bread.
T: Pasta or risotto with salad - often vegetarian or minimal amount of meat/fish
W: Vegetable soup with homemade bread/focaccia and if we have time a dessert like baked apples or crumble (Cook double amount of soup and freeze for later)
T: One pot meal like daube or chicken korma - I make enough for 2-3 dinners at once if I have time. If I am pressed for time I find a precooked dish in the freezer and only need to do a side dish or salad.
F: We are always tired on Fridays. Something from the freezer or Vegetarian meals - different salads, baked vegetables, tortilla or pies and homemade bread.
S: We are often busy on Saturday. We pop something in the oven for minimal cooking like lasagna or moussaka (I cook mega portions of meat sauce when I get meat on offer and freeze I portions) or pizza.
S: Large slow cooked roast – meat for 2 or more days: Pulled pork or slow roasted lamb.

We have found a number of fast dishes that work for us and also have a good selection of dishes that use inexpensive cuts of meat and can be cooked in large quantities and frozen for busy days.

Tommelise

Posted this on your old tread today - moved to the current tread:

To give you an idea on what we cook and how I have written down what we bought on offer this week. On top of this we bought lots of vegetables(cauliflower, broccoli, pointed cabbage, fennel, carrots, eggplant and squash), milk, flour and oats.

This weeks offers:
Toilet paper - Our preferred brand is on offer every 5-6 weeks – we bought enough to last us till next offer comes along.
3 green mangoes - £ 0,50 each
5 branded tubs of mascarpone – YS - £ 1 each will be used for tiramisu and cake. (I love mascarpone so it’s a special treat for me)
Dark chocolate 70% (50% off) – for baking scones and cake at the weekend. (I never buy chocolate full price – we will make do if we run out before I find the next offer)

5 bags of Jerusalem artichokes - on special offer £ 0.50 a bag
- will have to research recipes for this – will be used for side dishes and soup

2 stewing beef - 2,8 kg total - Yellow sticker (YS) £14
- have been cut up and made into a large Moroccan stew with lots of spice, white beans and tomatoes (Recipe adapted from Paula Wolfert Moroccan food)
6 dinners - we will eat one this week the rest is for the freezer

3 x ground pork - 1,6 kg total - (YS) 75% off only £3 for the lot
- made into cashew- coconut meatballs in tomato tamarind sauce– Adapted from a recipe from Mangoes and Curry leaves by Jeffrey Alford: Recipe here
Made 3 easy dinners for the freezer.

5 chickens - special offer £2,2 each
I cut the chickens into pieces – the carcass was made into stock and stripped for meat after it was cooked.
Stripped meat used for tartlets with chicken and asparagus served with a large salad the side to feed all of us for dinner (A favorite dish of my son)Chicken stock will be used for minestrone and risotto (have frozen 2/3 of the stock)
Chicken wings have been frozen and saved for hot wings – will be served as part of a Chinese style dinner with lots of vegetable dishes (my daughters favorite type of meal)
1x salad with chicken and bacon and lots of vegetables - used 2 chicken breasts for all 5 of us for a light dinner followed by a dessert - homemade tiramisu
1x chicken in coconut sauce with green mango served with rice and large salad- used 2 chicken breasts for all 5 of us (recipe from Indonesian Regional Food and Cookery by Sri Owen)
4 x chicken with Sliced Lemon and Fried Onions(3 for the freezer)( http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/03/classic-cookbooks-chicken-with-sliced-lemon-and-fried-onions-recipe.html )
2 x chicken tikka masala (one for the freezer)

This week we used £29,50 on meat – but it will be enough for 19 dinners for 5 people and some of our packed lunches – not counting the dinners we will make from the chicken stock. We don’t get offers like this every week, but since we cook in bulk we always have something in the freezer until the next good offer comes along.

I hope this give you some ideas to cut down on your own food bill. Do take a look at the old style board for more ideas on how to plan your shopping and stay on budget.

brizzledfw

Great post Tommelise..

I agree that eating well, cooking from scratch and eating seasonally whats on offer makes a huge difference to the grocery bill. Meal planning and batch cooking make everything easier, even when you have kids, are out of the house working etc. Tonight for example we are eating LOs (turkey meatballs on tomato pearl barley risotto from last week) - but as there wont be quite enough for all of us I am also doing baked sweet potatoes with cottage cheese and pineapple and there will be salad for additional colour and fibre.

We eat really well and usually mainly organic - especially meat from a local organic farm - but even then we don't spend what you have been..so it can be done. Happy to send you indicative meal planners too if that helps.

You're doing brilliantly with the dropping to fortnightly too with cleaners etc...you're on your way to DFdom