From debt to freedom...

Parkyp

Omg What an experience to get to school 😳
Nice wee bonus getting tips in job no2. Hope dd enjoyed her shopping trip, It is so nice to hear about kids getting back to normal like clubs, hobbies and Weekend with friends.

lucielle

Pleased to read that job 2 is getting busy.  Have you managed to do any plant sales from your gate this year?
L

Spendless

I might have told the story before, but I used to work for a forestry company that had the agricultural  utility contract (cutting back trees that are growing through power lines) one day, one of the supervisors came back to the office  spooked out because the farmer was running late to their meeting and a herd of sheep came over to 'see' my colleague and as he tried to walk away unnerved by them, they all bundled together and tried to squeeze him in the middle. He had to leapfrog over a gate to get away, where he was met by the rather amused farmer.

Glad DD1 is sorted with what she's doing next. It must be a relief to know she's in this country too, even though that wasn't her initial plan. I know I've had to veto/discourage some of my daughter's plans for next year because they involved studying either abroad or in a different part of the U.K and I don't want her subject to different rules to us and unable to reach ehr, should there be further restrictions/lockdowns.

Good that job2 is helping you financially too 

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SH, Parkyp, Lucielle & Spendless.

Lucielle - I put some plants out a couple of times but unfortunately they got windswept and damaged, so none sold so far this year. A couple of people locally have also started plant sales so more competition! I must get back to  growing more unusual types of flowers and vegetables.

 Spendless - my thoughts entirely. I’m so relieved  that DD1 will be in the same country so hopefully able to get home if another lockdown ensues.

We had an enjoyable bank holiday weekend. I spent quite a bit of time in the back garden, pulling out nettles and dock leaves. I filled quite a few garden bin bags 😳. I’ve been looking around the garden and weighing up what is there and whether it needs to be. The ex liked to keep bits of wood. While I’m all for frugal firewood, there is a difference between collecting left over wood, chopping it and storing it before using it for free heat and just accumulating wood, leaving it to be exposed to the elements for years. It is then only useful for woodlice, so I decided that wood like this  had no place in the garden ( unless in a designated wildlife corner) and have got rid of 2 boxes of wood in various states of rottenness. There is more to do but at last I can see more of the garden shape. The pyracantha, that I bought a couple of years ago, is flowering beautifully🙂.

Yesterday I worked a shift at job 2 and then took whichever children were not working, to the beach. It was the best time to get there, just as most people were leaving. The tide was out so we enjoyed an expanse of sand. We had a bbq on the beach, reminding us of the days we had tea on the beach at least once a week. It didn’t happen at all last year, due to Covid concerns, but I think if I stick to lesser known beaches, it would be good to get that habit going again. We stayed until the sun had set, lighting the sky with greys and pinks. The cloud was a mixture of wispy, white streaks and a mackerel sky, showing the colours of the sunset. It was just lovely to sit, watch and listen to the waves.

Direct debits went out today but bizarrely not the debt repayment ones. For some unknown reason they seem to be coming out on the 3rd rather than the 1st 🤷‍♀️.

Honeysucklelou2

Pleased that the EF has now slowly climbed to £400. I can only save £30 a month at the moment, but thankfully it has gone up🙂. The Help to Save has also crept up, so by the end of this month, my aim is to have £400 in the H2S as well.🙂

Had a little dilemma today...the opportunity has arisen to be able to purchase a vehicle that is my ideal in that it is able to off road ( useful for the allotment)  and is 4WD ( useful in winter on muddy or icy lanes) however to purchase it would mean selling my existing vehicle and would take every penny of my savings, which at this point in time, I’m thinking would put myself in a precarious position. I was reading the recent mortgage statement that came and I noticed  that there was a leaflet of charges. One of the charges related to removing someone from a mortgage. While I don’t know yet if this will happen or is even a possibility, I did note that it will cost £299 to do so, meaning now isn’t the best time to run savings down.

Cherryfudge

I know nothing about cars but I'd imagine some questions to ask yourself might be:

if this hadn't come up, would I be looking to replace my vehicle yet?
Comparative running costs/mileage/insurance/road tax
Possible/likely other imminent expenses
How suitable would it be for learner drivers?
What do I know about the seller/history?

Spendless

I know nothing about cars either. I notice you've put 'usefull' to its advantages, how 'essential' are those aspects compared to your current car?
Glad you've decided to take a fresh approach re some of the stuff ex has left lying around.
Going to the not as well known beaches to have tea sounds like a good plan.

Parkyp

Sounds like a lovely evening by the beach. These are memories your kids will remember for ever. 

Do you know the person who is selling the car always makes a difference if you know the history of the vehicle. 

I don’t think your ex will simply hand over the house so you will probably have a lot of refinancing to do (sorry to sound doom and gloom) 
My friend wanted a divorce for about 4 years and the ex kept stalling and changing  lawyers etc, so when it came to him wanting to take her off the mortgage she played hardball and was adamant he’d have to give her half the deposit and profit that was in the house. He obviously couldn’t afford that so the house had to be sold. Fortunately no children involved and they were grown up and flew the nest. 

rugbymadfamily

I'm no lawyer but I am an accountant who has been involved in divorce settlements from time to time, but given that your husband has contributed nothing financially for the last X (not sure of the numbers but I believe its quite a while) I honestly cannot see a judge awarding him anything. In fact its likely to be quite the opposite! He probably owes a fortune to the family finances in child support back pay from since you separated (I don't think he has contributed since then and possibly even longer before that) and if he doesn't have the cash, he can be made to sell the investment property i think you mentioned that he owns. The fact that he won't even tell you and the kids where he lives will not be looked upon favourably by the judge. I hope your lawyer is well aware of all the finance issues and raises these as a significant priority with the judge...common sense really should prevail! I'm keeping everything crossed that it gets sorted swiftly and smoothly from here on out. 

You really are an inspiration with you ability to see the best in situations, provide a fun but stable environment for your children and teaching us all about gardening!

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge, Spendless, Parkyp & rugbymadfamily(love the username!).

The questions are brilliant Cherryfudge and Spendless. No I probably wouldn’t be looking for a new vehicle if this one hadn’t come up. I know the seller and he has done some work on the vehicle. The running costs are not dissimilar to the current vehicle but it’s not really ideal for learning to drive. I’m erring on the side of needing to conserve money for the future, however ideal the vehicle is.

Its been a lovely pottering sort of a day so far. The tomatoes have been potted on into 3 litre pots, the nasturtiums have been potted on into 9cm pots, the sweet peas have been planted out, better late than never and the Calendula seedlings have been planted out. The driveway has been swept and weeded - never quite sure how the weeds grow in the tarmac but they do!

Another £11 of tips have been paid into savings, bringing that savings pot up to £60.