Learning to budget to make future adventures happen

crunch_time

MistyMountainTop wrote: »

Is there some way to read the Nomoreharvarddebt blog from the beginning to the end? Sorry if it seems a daft question, I'd like to start at the start and at the moment can't even find it.

I don't honestly know! I just read all the different posts in different order and that was fine for me. Its a good blog isn't it?

crunch_time

Hello all!

Sorry I've been away for a while. Had a house guest this week and no free time to myself. So husband was paid yesterday. All I have managed to do is move money into the joint account and food account. I haven't worked out anything extra.

Husband also got paid £800 of expenses which I didn't know about so I managed to get his credit card down to £1385 which is so much better than I originally thought. I do recall him saying there was still another £200-£300 left to claim. I hope so. He will look next week. He is also going to see if he can transfer the balance onto his 0% card which would be great!

I chatted to him regarding the mattress etc and he said he doesn't think we need one at the moment and we could probably out it off for another 6 months. This makes me very happy. He also said it would be great to start 2017 with just £10k of loan which means I need to try and over pay another £200 in the next 6 weeks. This is totally possible just need to fiddle around with the numbers.

We do need to by a set of 2 new tyres for his car though as they are low on tread and he has a slow puncture. He is going to get a quote from our local garage next week. So all things plodding away nicely t the moment.

The best news is we only went £20 over food budget in November and that was due to house guest so not too bad at all. Same challenge for next month.

Happy Saturday everyone!

Crunchy

MistyMountainTop

crunch_time wrote: »

I don't honestly know! I just read all the different posts in different order and that was fine for me. Its a good blog isn't it?

yes it really is, thank you for mentioning it. It's giving me some ideas and helping me to think a bit more creatively about ways to bring in extra money.

Great news about holding off on the mattress! Is it one you can turn? I always feel like we have a new mattress after we've flipped it over. Great news on the budget too - you're doing brilliantly!

crunch_time

MistyMountainTop wrote: »

yes it really is, thank you for mentioning it. It's giving me some ideas and helping me to think a bit more creatively about ways to bring in extra money.

Great news about holding off on the mattress! Is it one you can turn? I always feel like we have a new mattress after we've flipped it over. Great news on the budget too - you're doing brilliantly!

No worries! I love it. I hope others find it useful too.

Yes we do keep flipping it. Perhaps its due another one.

crunch_time

Morning diary,

I'm finally up to date with the banking. DS swimming paid for, children's savings pot topped up with the monthly £71, managed to swing £60 into the slush pot which now stands at around £220 but that will pay for new tyres once husband books the car in.

£300 is set aside for Christmas presents. I can't BELIEVE that it will all be over and done with in 4 weeks time! I had best get a wriggle on with my planning. The tree will be going up next weekend arrrggghhhh!!! And we break up from school in 3 weeks time!!

I can't remember whether I have said this before so sorry if I have but husband and I have decided not to get big gifts this year. Just stocking fillers. We are away with family and have to travel quite far so we are going to get the kids 4-5 £10-£15 presents consisting of things they can 'do' while we are away. Their stockings are nearly finished anyway. So I am hoping to get at least £50 change from my budget to go towards debt.

I have decided I need to find £100 this pay day and £100 from December pay day in order to get the loan down to £10k before 2017. So this pay days money can come from the £50 change from Christmas presents and hopefully our £50 contingency money from the budget. I'm also hoping to have some change from petrol money but it is also my birthday this week and I have no idea what husband has planned and what it costs!! Eek. I've just remember we will need to new holdall to go away with this year. I will have to have a look around at some bargains.


This weeks plan is devise the definitive Christmas shopping list. We are going to the library today as a free way of entertaining the kids.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Crunchy xx

crunch_time

Right, the DD is having a nap and my boys are making brownies so its time to reflect on where we are since we started this diary.

The quote below is the plan I laid out in the very first post in this diary...

crunch_time wrote: »

So basically the grand plan is to smash this 'debt hangover' as the hubs and I call I, as soon as possible so we can start using the money we currently use to pay it off for the adventures we have been planning pretty much all our adult lives. And also the things we should be doing at our age to be financially savvy like overpay the mortgage, contribute more into pension pots etc etc.
Crunchy

Since this, the hubs and I have had lots more conversations about money and made some big decisions. We have decided our strategy is now to get the debt down to £5k by the end of the 2017 basically to allow us to do several things we NEED to do like maintenance on our house, buy our much wanted dog, save some money for a 2nd car (don't want to replace one loan with another unless we have to), have a proper £1k emergency fund.

To pay off the loan in 2 years is roughly £450 a month which is totally doable.

£450 plus our new mortgage of £613 is roughly what a new mortgage on a bigger house would cost anyway so basically we cant move until its paid off.

This is totally the essence of our plan - to learn to budget to make future adventures happen. Paying the loan off early will only save us a couple of hundred pounds of interest anyway so its ok to take the scenic route.

It feels great to have made a decision. the best bit is I'm going to start to think of the £450 minimum payment as part of my mortgage so I don't feel as guilty about it. I shouldn't feel guilty about it anyway its for cars and uni debt not 'stuff'. I should feel determined to have no credit card debt and an emergency fund.

Crunchy xx

joedenise

Don't know if you've heard of a company called Tyres on your Drive but their tyres are cheaper than most. My friend is having 4 tyres replaced on his car for £250, although not sure what size they are. Certainly might be worth looking them up and getting a quote before booking the car into a garage.

Denise

Seasidegal58

Plan sounds good crunchy. I took the scenic route as well. As long as the debt is going down. And good idea to think of the minimum payment as part of your mortgage! You won't miss it so much!

hugglemonster

Just read all your diary, you are doing so well such an inspirational read. Well done on all your progress and good luck with your future plans it all sounds very exciting!


H x

crunch_time

Morning diary,

Minus 3 here and I'm going to wear pumps today as I still haven't bought boots. That will be Thursday!!

Had a case of the Monday morning blues yesterday and then watched new lives in the world - the one in Canada- and felt inspired!! So did the hubby! Turns out that is the sort of thing we would love to do one day.

I must start thinking of other ways we can cut down our expenses to pay back the debt. Hmmm worth a think.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Crunchy x