The Ultimate Incentive muddles along

Cinny91

We're okay! There hasn't been anything on our street yet, however the woods where I walk Ryder with Oscar is constantly targeted (think I've called the fire dept 3 times myself!) and someones hedge got set on fire a street over from us. Hoping to move next spring, aiming to save up the rest of the £20k by the new year.

Those are great mile stones to be hitting CMD and ROTE! You do sound a lot more motivated this time around CMD and I hope you make it through the summer okay ROTE.

At least you can put that chapter behind you and move on yourself now Wendz. It does sound like you might be better off moving but with having to get a new job too it'll be a massive change, but at least you have the extra support. Seems to be a pro to ever con and visa versa!

FacelessNumber

Well I just had to post to say hi :hello: after spending a lot of time the last couple of months reading through all of the diaries! (Well I may have skim read some bits but that's not the point!) I've had a dissertation to write so it's been an ideal distraction :rotfl:

Dinah I can only say I hope you manage to get some steady income sorted between you to get a decent run at the debt for once. I'm going to subscribe to this one now and hope that you get back into it soon! Although I've been lucky enough not to suffer with depression, both my mum and sister have had it quite severely (both requiring counselling and medication) so I know what it's like when your family are struggling and can sympathise.

Anyway I just wanted to say hi and let you know that people are still reading, and you have a huge amount of virtual support if you need it!

ruby_eskimo

Just popping in to say hello :hello: and to wish you luck with the debt busting Dinah. I know it's disheartening to find yourself back with debt to clear but you've done it before and you can do it again. Hope NIM is enjoying his new job and that things are looking brighter for you both. Also can't believe Ben is 2 now, where has the time gone!?!

Nothing much really to report here - almost 10 months into marriage and nothing has really changed. Oh apart from we're in the process of buying a house. I promised myself I wouldn't get stressed but when you find out that you may need a new roof and no idea where the hell the money is going to come from, that's kind of stressful! Hoping that it will just be a minor repair but will know more once I've spoken to the surveyor and got a roofer in to do a quote. But first I'm going to procrastinate by popping in to town and buying a folder and some dividers to sort out the mountain of paperwork that we've received about this bleeping house!

Cinny91

Lovely to hear from you, Ruby! I think it's basically impossible to not get stressed over buying a house when just moving home is stress alone. And I'll keep everything crossed the repair is only little.

Keep popping on to see if Dinah has posted and nothing! Always worry just a tiny bit when you go MIA

Not an awful lot of change out way! Managing to get back on form with our food budget, and we're keeping a frozen pizza in at all times for those nights when we have nothing left to give come tea time. But we have got into a good routine of cooking one night, left overs the next so it's gone untouched for a fortnight :cool: We've been using a lot of wartime era recipes too because they're coming up healthy, simple, cheap and tasty! I've made a few cakes and the recipes only require an oz or so of sugar so I don't feel too guilty over my tea and cake pick me ups anymore :A

Hope everyone's ready for the week

clearmydebts

Happy Monday all!


I agree with Cinny - don't think any house buying comes without stress. Fingers crossed re: the roof Ruby!


Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine today. I'm stuck in work but am off tomorrow so am hoping it sticks around.


Dinah - I hope the silence indicates you are beavering away at the debts. Hope NIM has settled into his new job well.


Birdie - how are you? Haven't heard from you in ages

shrimpy_80

HI everyone, lovely to see familiar faces (names) still on here! I haven't been on the forums in a very very long time but had a little browse tonight and one of the first threads I came across referenced you Dinah! So I did a quick search and found this new thread. Sorry to hear you're having such a tough time but its really quite amazing that you are still a source of inspiration to people on these boards all these years later so you should feel immensely proud:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5507938 (post 5 I think it was)

I still have some debt lingering around as well which I really want to knuckle down and get cleared so hopefully I will make it on here more often.

wendz86

Hope you are ok Dinah.

We had a nice weekend away in the lake district. Definitely want an abroad holiday next year though. I got some free shares in my company this year so hoping to cash those in to pay for it as don't have much spare cash these days.

Good luck with the house buying Ruby.

Birdie85

Hi all! Sorry I've not been here for a while, just fell off the forums for a while and got out of the habit of checking back in!

Hope everyone's well? I'm on the countdown to payday (12hrs to go!) here, for the last few months we're definitely finding too much month at the end of our money!

I saw that you went to the Pirate Day at Stokeld Park on Sunday (?) Dinah, was it good? Zach's obsessed with Swashbuckle ATM and we'd have loved to take him to see Gem but we figured out that it was a really freaking expensive day out so we didn't go, used our HHA passes for a cheap day out elsewhere! :money:

Hope you can get a nice, cheap holiday booked for next year Wendz! The Lakes is a beautiful part of the world, but it's not a sun holiday! We're relying on shares to pay for next years holiday too but we've booked it already so having to pay off the deposit now, as well as the garage bill for the car to get it through it's MOT... hence being short of cash! Hopefully it'll all work out by early next year when my shares mature!

Have you had any more thoughts/made plans about moving closer to your family Wendz?

Well done on sticking to a decent food budget/plan Cinny! I struggled to plan/cook meals when I was alone with Zach for pretty much the first year! I'm still rubbish now... I get home from work, look in the (usually empty) fridge and think 'Ah !!!!, what the hell are we supposed to eat tonight?!'. Pretty much every single night! Bad, bad Mama!

Hope the house buying is going well and the roof isn't working out too pricey Ruby!

wendz86

There is always too much to pay for isn't there Birdie! Not long till your pay day though.

I've got a lot better with my meal planning now. The girls eat at school/childminder mon -thurs so I just do things for me that are easy after work and then meals for us all fri-sun. I have a organised mum diary which is fab as has a meal plan section each week.

I haven't really had much more thought on moving yet. Think I am going to get Christmas out the way and then do some number crunching and pro and cons listing.

gothrockchic1

Hi Dinah, lurker coming out of lurkerdom!

I remember your first thread and I thought you were incredible with your debt busting. You were inspirational to a lot of people including me, and you still are!

Sometimes life happens and it throws you some challenges. I am sorry to hear of NIM's depression. Congratulations on his new job! Hopefully it is going well and is giving him some routine. I know you can do it again!