Debt-Free wanna be vs Maternity pay. Determined to stay on track.

hannahroberts1985

Awol again and back because I'm feeling stressed and over whelmed money wise!!! So looks like we will be completing on 30th!! 27 days!!! Exciting but also scary. We will have to use our overdrafts for bits and bobs, moving costs and essentials when we move in and after working so hard on debt clearing and getting into good money habits this feels so wrong and I'm just worrying I'll be like a loose cannon once we start spending. If that makes sense! I must commit to post in here more during the move to keep spending in check! Xxx

hannahroberts1985

Hummm or maybe a 0% purchases would work out better taking over draft interest into account. Only for the bits we really need once moved it? I will discuss this with dp tonight. Just need to get it all out of my brain and onto here or my brain will keep going over and over it and I have kids to play with!! X

enthusiasticsaver

If you have no savings left I would strongly urge you to think about what is essential and if you can make do until you are able to get finances straight.

Many people go mad after buying houses thinking they need to get it straight within weeks or months and go into serious debt they never recover from. Unless it is unsafe (ie electrics) which is unlikely if it is mortgaged most things are not essential or can be sourced for free (freecycle). Make a list and think before borrowing either on overdraft or credit card. The most essential are removal costs, first mortgage payment (sometimes bigger but if you are completing the end of the month you should be ok) and solicitors fees. Then decide priorities once you are in.

hannahroberts1985

Thanks enthusiasticsaver. I won't be going mad don't worry. Just worried I will as I used to be like that so I will keep my diary updated lots to keep my on track.


We have enough for all fees etc but need a fridge freezer as currently have a big American one which won't fit we will be keeping the current one for now as undecided if we will need the space as we live in a remote village. But this will be in the garage at the end of the garden and with two kids under 3 there is no way I can pop out there every time I need something. I contemplated second hand but from past experience ive learnt buy cheap buy twice so a new one it will be. Removal costs should be cheap maybe a lunch for dp's friends for helping, he can borrow a van from work. Then the garden needs a lot of work it's currently paved and has a cement path and pond which just isn't going to work for the boys so we will do the work ourselves but will need to hire a drill,skip and buy turf. There is a lot of shingle that we can bag up and sell to cover some costs. Other than that the rest of what I want for the house will be saved for. My plan is 50% of any free money to be saved to build back up our emergency fund and 50% to be spend on things I want for the house. Xx

enthusiasticsaver

You can get a decent new fridge freezer these days relatively cheaper. Try the online comparisons. We use AO for electrical appliances and think we paid around £300-£400 for a normal fridge freezer. They may do interest free credit or a 0% card as a last resort. I agree with two little ones and coming up to summer getting rid of a pond and putting a lawn down is a good idea. A few years ago we seeded a new lawn which was much cheaper than turf and took around 3 weeks to get going in the spring.

hannahroberts1985

Now you have me questioning if I could live with the garden for a while it would just take a month or two to get the money as dp has good and bad pay days being on commission. My boys are so active they go in the garden everyday for hours on end no matter what the weather though so growing seed and keeping them off it wouldn't work I don't think. Just with it being spring when we move it I just want it done as we will use it so much. Hummm

hannahroberts1985

Note to self....delete Pinterest!!!

Drawingaline

Lol! We have been here nice years and are finally getting the gardens sorted. Our back garden is just a trampoline atm, but we had a new fence put up last year (old one fell down) and the gardener is due to come and measure up for top soil and turf at some point. Then we can move the trampoline and then the rest is being turfed. I am no gardener, and the front had some well established plants so going easy care for the back.

System

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

Many people go mad after buying houses thinking they need to get it straight within weeks or months and go into serious debt they never recover from.

this was our issue - we bought an absolute dump - and it was unsafe so we had to do everything to it (water was coming out of the shower down onto the electric meter!!) and the mortgage company wouldn't loan us more money to sort it....a few CC's later and then having a baby, reduced working hours etc and DMP land is where I landed.

At least HR you have had the little ones up front!!

The other thing I will say is that it's amazing what you can live with /put up with! it took 3 years to finish our house!:rotfl:

chelseablue

We've lived in our house 2 years and its still a dump :rotfl:

We were planning to do stuff to it this year but we've decided to get married and go on holiday to Australia instead :eek: