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From debt to freedom...
Comments
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Sun_Addict said:Definitely give the photo selling idea a go, you take such beautiful photos.I’m giggling at the thought of you drying a couple of lads on the line though 🤣🤣4
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Cherryfudge said:Honeysucklelou2 said:Cherryfudge - I did manage to get a couple of lads line dried on Tuesday but it has been very hit and miss with the weather ever since!paydbx2025 #26 £890/£5000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £138k.
2025 savings challenge £0/£2000 EF £140. Savings 2 £30.00. 174 -
Thank you Janb5, Cherryfudge, Rugbymadfamily, SA, SH & Humdinger1 - thank you all for your kind words of encouragement.
Cherryfudge - good question about the copyright. DD1 says she can show me how to add a watermark type effect online. I thought about how I could put that on prints. Some prints I’ve had printed as cards, so I’ve bought today, a stamp that can be applied to the back of the card, which says “Original photo by HSL”. I thought that might help too.
Its been a lovely, lovely day today. I met up with two friends and we ( along with DS3) walked on a local circular walk. The walk is local to me but not to them, so they enjoyed seeing the countryside from a different perspective. I was simply happy to be out, up in the top fields looking out across the landscape to the moors beyond and picking out various villages and hamlets that could be seen. On route we stopped at a relatively new farm shop. DS3 was beside himself with joy to discover litters of piglets running around🙂.
On our return, DD2 came round. She suggested going to the beach for an hour. I don’t need a second invitation to go to the beach so DS3, DD3 and I jumped in the car. The DDs wanted to swim, so DS3 and I spent a wonderful hour rock-pooling. DS3 likes to find treasures such as mussel shells and beautifully coloured pebbles. The tide was way out so we had quite an area of rock pools and tiny hidden stretches of sand to explore. The hour passed very quickly, but it was so lovely to be free on the beach, the wind warm on our faces looking at what we could see. The very top part of the cliff on this particular beach is either sand stone or compacted sand/earth. To my astonishment I noticed holes in the sand. Swifts were flying out and around.
In the most remote rock pools we noticed patterns on the floor of the pool. At first I thought someone had put their finger in the pool and swirled a pattern in the sand on the bottom of the pool, but we noticed that more and more rock pools had this. It seemed a bit bizarre to think that someone would have drawn swirly type patterns in many rock-pools , particularly as we were walking well away from the more crowded areas. We stopped to look and noticed that at the end of every swirly pattern, there was a sea/water snail moving it’s way across the bottom of the pool. A bit like slime trails from garden snails!
paydbx2025 #26 £890/£5000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £138k.
2025 savings challenge £0/£2000 EF £140. Savings 2 £30.00. 175 -
Snail trails in the rock pool.paydbx2025 #26 £890/£5000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £138k.
2025 savings challenge £0/£2000 EF £140. Savings 2 £30.00. 175 -
Within the whole rock pool.paydbx2025 #26 £890/£5000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £138k.
2025 savings challenge £0/£2000 EF £140. Savings 2 £30.00. 174 -
Walking through the maize field.paydbx2025 #26 £890/£5000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £138k.
2025 savings challenge £0/£2000 EF £140. Savings 2 £30.00. 174 -
Had a day off work today, so have been busy with life admin, namely taking DD1 to an appointment which conveniently happened to be in the same place as one of the very few DVLA approved post offices in the county. I dropped her off for her appointment and navigated driving into the city centre. I haven’t been to this nearest ( only city in the county) since 2019 and I did find it quite an assault on the senses in terms of people and vehicles everywhere. It took me quite a while to park...one of those car parks whereby you have to collect a ticket on entry, but the machine still issues tickets to drivers even when there are no available spaces so I was one of several cars touring the car park hoping to find a space. Eventually the waiting paid off and I was able to park. It’s been so long since I was at this city, the post office wasn’t actually where I knew it to be🤔😂 but eventually found it and was able to get my driving licence renewed. It’s a relief to get that job ticked off.
I have been offered the job that I had the interview for earlier in the week🙂 (henceforth known as Job 3) I have a training day to look forward to at the end of the month and starting properly in September.
Some spending today 😟. I used wages from job 2 to pay for the licence renewal and I confess I did have a Costa coffee after navigating the vast quantity of 🚘. I had time to nip into B and Q to have a look at the flooring options. Although tempted to get materials today, I decided to wait until I have more saved up so it doesn’t end up on my credit card.
paydbx2025 #26 £890/£5000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £138k.
2025 savings challenge £0/£2000 EF £140. Savings 2 £30.00. 176 -
Congrats on the new job. That's fab news - well deserved I'm sure.
Your photos are lovely. I hope that idea takes off for you too.
I really should make an effort to go back and find the sea...
Achieve FIRE/Mortgage Neutrality in 2030
1) MFW Nov 21 £202K now £174.8K Equity 32.77%
2) £1.6K Net savings after CCs 14/8/25
3) Mortgage neutral by 06/30 (AVC £25.3K + Lump Sums DB £4.6K + (25% of SIPP 1.2K) = 31.1/£127.5K target 24.4% 15/8/25
4) FI Age 60 income target £16.5/30K 55.1%
5) SIPP £4.8K updated 29/7/255 -
Well done HSL...I felt sure you'd get it!x6
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Well HSL - after spending weeks/months being MIA and dying under my own stress I've just spent time catching up on your diary. With my mouth hanging open and in complete shock for most of it
The behaviour of your ex should not shock or surprise me but somehow it always does. What a truly horrid human being he is - and when I think he can't be any lower or more devious then he is. I really, really hope that you can get the locks changed very soon. That would do so much for your mental health and wellbeing of feeling safe in your own home.
I ended up with a huge smile though - massive congratulations on the new job. You are amazing.Not giving up
Working hard to pay off my debt
Time to take back control
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6290156/crazy-cat-lady-chapter-5-trying-to-recover-from-the-pandemic/p1?new=18
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