From debt to freedom...

savingholmes

Glad you got a lovely walk and to treat yourself too. Good you've found an app that is helping your DS

Cherryfudge

As far as I know there's no mileage limit to walking in lockdown but I think if you are sensible about your route, anything you can do on foot without having to stop for a picnic sounds reasonable to me. Like you, I'm able to get into the countryside on foot and I put a fitness app on while I'm walking. The idea is that if I'm challenged (I never have been), the app will prove that I've walked and that it's normal exercise for me. The most I've done this way - with some doubling-up of my route - was 10 miles.

Spendless

I would agree with Cherryfudge re how far you walk. The Government advice is 'within your local area' https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#exercising
Even that is open to interpretation though, because I live in a very large town. A few years ago I was at work in one area and DD caught the wrong bus to a summer activity and got lost. She was 17 miles away but we were still in the same town and neither of us were on the very edge of it.  Can totally understand you wanting to see the sea, I always think that you can physically feel what a shoreline walk does for the soul. Unfortunately we live 50 miles from the nearest coast  so that's not possible for us at the minute, see what news next week brings. I believe the police will not have the time or resources to question everyone as to what they are doing. They are more likely to target 'hotspots' that people congregate at, act on a call about a covid breach or question if they see someone increasing the risk of having emergency services sent to them eg a twilight walk along cliffs, you're more likely to get pulled over at night-time in  a car purely because there's less people out and less places for you to legitimately go to. 

Sun_Addict

There are lots of nice places nearby I could physically walk to but I always worry about needing the loo so tend not to stray too far 🤣 

Cherryfudge

Sun_Addict said:

There are lots of nice places nearby I could physically walk to but I always worry about needing the loo so tend not to stray too far 🤣 

Well there is that.  

Spendless

Sun_Addict said:

There are lots of nice places nearby I could physically walk to but I always worry about needing the loo so tend not to stray too far 🤣 

This is true. Last summer as things started opening up, I took DD to meet her boyfriend who lives 30 mins away in a  neighbouring town. They were going for a socially distanced picnic (yeah, ok, I love teenagers lol). The previous time they'd been out was before lockdown1 when his parents worried about the news ordered him home early and they were out less than an hour. Convinced the same would happen, I decided to stay put instead of driving back and so there I found myself still parked up 3 hours later, after having looked through the limited shops that were open, desperate for a drink and not daring to have one as no toilets, thinking I'd get an ice cream instead to quench thirst and only finding the one place that sold them closed it's doors 15 mins before. 

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SH, SA, Cherryfudge & Spendless. 

That must have been tough Spendless. Feeling thirsty, especially in the summer...

Today was an early start to get DD1 to work, which gives me chance to do the weekly shop with only 2 other retired farmers that also seem to do their shopping at 6am! I’m starting to think that food prices are rising slightly or is it just me🤔? I seem to have struggled to get the weekly shop at the £100 a week mark. Ah I have remembered one thing...DS2 has taken after my dad and become a cheese guzzler. He‘ll make himself  cheese sandwiches whenever he feels hungry, which given he is a teenage boy, is almost all the time he’s awake, so my cheese purchases have trebled. That will be one increase😊.

It has been grey and wet here all day, so I’ve spent most of the day prepping for next week. I got a fair amount done but could do with an hour or two tomorrow as well.

£25 was paid off a debt this morning. I’ve decided to only save half of the planned amount of my job 2 money and put the rest to debt payments. It will allow me to get below a threshold so will feel that progress is slowly being made.  I don’t think I’ve ever been brave enough to put my scores on the door! I’ve got left

Window loan 1 = £88
Window loan 2 = £1200
Debt 3 = £999
Debt 4 = £2,947

To my shame debt 4 has occurred since starting my diary here but was due to trying to help DD1 as much as possible at uni, so transport costs, trying to get her a decent amount of food in when I visited and when I’d had to dash up to help in event of medical emergency. If I can keep chipping away, the figures are going in the right direction. To help with that, I had a letter from my electricity provider telling me that I am £90 in credit, which totally stunned me as usually I end up in debit during winter. The company increased my monthly direct debit by £55 in September, now they are decreasing it by £50! I’m not complaining , it can go right to debt repayments to chip away a little faster!

savingholmes

Glad the debt is going in the right direction. You don't need to feel shame about getting into debt to help DD at uni. It amazes me how much you achieve on a part time wage... especially with such a big family.

Sun_Addict

Totally agree with the above. You do amazingly well 👏 Also been a grey day here, not much rain just dreary.

Parkyp

Teenagers can eat you out of house and home 😂. Your window 1 loan will be gone in no time. Everyone is allowed to have debt, no one is here to judge usually just cheering you on when You clear some. I would get into debt for my son your helping with every day things not buying designer clothes etc