The Marching Minimalist

Treadingonplaymobil

angelpye wrote: »

We are pretty similar in aims as mine is to knock 36 months off and if I manage that I will be debt free by 39. You are doing so well I think you have a really good chance of getting there with your motivation and OH being on board. Are you paying interest? I am so every time I make an overpayment I am saving money on compounded interest.

I can't quite get my head around the figures today but if I am understanding the snowball etc I only managed to overpay by £35 and got a credit on CC1 of £50 but it brought down the interest I am going to pay by £211...can that be right?

We are only paying interest on a tiny bit of one CC balance (and it's really low interest, like 3%. I have no idea why) and on the Tesco loan (10.3%). At the minute we are overpaying on the 0%CCs rather than the Tesco loan, as the 0%s run out gradually over the next 18 months, starting with one in April, and we have such high borrowing that I'm worried about how good a 0% deal we'll get. If we get a good high value long term 0% card in the next 6 months I might rethink the priority order of repayment.

angelpye

Thats good that majority of it on 0% and rest pretty low. Interest hikes are understandably a worry but you are making good progress now so hopefully that will swing things in your favour. My credit report is shot for stupid late payments, when the money has always been there, so I have pretty high interest rates and no access to a decent amount on 0%. I think you are right to overpay on CC, have you looked at your credit reports?

angelpye

Frustratingly the cold I have had lingering has kicked back in after falling to sleep with heating on so have taken it a bit slow this morning. I am sitting here with a big bowl of comforting porridge: made with soya milk, frozen summer fruits, vanilla extract, chia seeds and a splash of the maple syrup I bought for pancake day...so yummy! I also cracked open the 'special' tissues as my nose is sore With a big cup of tea I should be set for the day. May have a cold and flu remedy to finish the kickstart.

Today I am going to be doing the big grocery shop online and some point I will update here with approx meal plan (never can tell exactly what I will want and there will hopefully be room for switching it up.) and total spent. Feel quite nervous?!

Treadingonplaymobil

angelpye wrote: »

I think you are right to overpay on CC, have you looked at your credit reports?

I haven't, embarrassingly! I'm assuming they're broadly fine as we have never missed a payment for anything and have plenty of available credit that we aren't using (unbelievable, given our debt levels). It's on my list to check next week though.

Treadingonplaymobil

I hope the cold disappears quickly! I am still feeling dire too. Your porridge sounds yummy.

angelpye

Horrid feeling yuck, isn't it? It was yummy and helped me face my food shopping! Worth checking report as then you can get an idea as to where you stand about applying...Martins credit club is free and so is Noodle. Really easy but I know hard to face too. Was relieved after I looked at mine even though was dire!

angelpye

Well I put in my order with W@itrose today and it will be delivered for free on Sunday. As I have allowed a top up shop of £10 I budgeted to spend £70 after all discounts for this month. Leaving £30 for top ups later on in the month for fresh produce.

I bought £111.24 worth of shopping for £78.92. Saving £20 on the first shop offer through TCB (which is a W@itrose offer but hoping to get £8 cash back), 20% of 10 items on the myw@itrose card and general offers on things like meat. Saving a whopping £32.32!!!:T

Now I realise that is £8.92 over budget but about £11 of that will definitely carry over to next month (this money is already in my bank account) and saves me money overall due to the offers on things I will buy anyway in that time.

I did buy quite a few organic options which is a personal choice and probably added £10 to my bill...although I have never worked that out as its not something I am willing to compromise on yet.

I am happy with that :T

angelpye

Just had notification that Cashback is tracking at £5 which is frustrating as it said £8 but at least its tracking!

angelpye

Organic purchases: Beef mince, burgers and meatballs (for DD and I hate handling it so as its on offer I bought burgers and meatballs rather than roll myself), sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, chicken, hummus, cow milk, lentils, stock, tins of various beans, tinned tomatoes, passata, kiwis. Most of these are on offer either through multi buy or myw@itrose card.

Like I have said DD has a restricted diet due to allergies so I buy the best that I can in the hope that she is getting as much nutrition as possible from what she can and will eat. I also have my own personal ethics around farming etc so this suits me for now.

angelpye

Morning all,

I am sat in the garden taking in some free Vit D and reading diaries for motivation. Still pleased with my shopping but just realised I booked an early delivery slot forgetting DD isn't due home until much later due to a party. At least I will be up but I do love a nice lazy sunday morning.

My meal planning is a bit repetitive but for a while now I have been trying to live by the quote:

"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work." - Gustave Flaubert

Plus DD can be a bit fussy so whilst life is busy I try to just offer something on her plate, every now and then, that she wouldn't ask for along with things I know she will eat. DD eats at her dads about 2/3 times a week so I like to focus on my work and eat simple, but also take the opportunity to eat things she won't even look at!


Meal plan for the month:

Breakfasts:
*Mainly cereal for DD (she likes an expensive 'healthy' kids cereal that I stocked up on when half price and have enough for 2 months)
*DD has milkshakes made with frozen fruit or nesquik
*Mainly porridge or overnight oats with frozen fruit for me
*Toast
*Toasted muffins

Lunches:
*DD has school lunches Mon - Fri (cooked from scratch)
*Leftovers as often as possible for me
*Sandwiches eg. hummus and salad (which is my lazy go to)

Evening meals:
DD has after school activities so on the nights we get home at 5 she has something quick like soup or pasta and the nights we get home at 6 she has a car picnic on way to club - usually hummus, carrots, olives, cucumber and pitta bread, a snack post club on way home and then a yogurt with fruit when we get home. She is such a creature of habit and looks forward to her car picnic bless her.
The rest of the evening meals are planned as a mix of these:
*Roast veg, tomato and lentil pasta with garlic bread (x2 with l/o this month, makes 4)
*Burgers in buns and salad(x2 for DD, x3 for me)
*Three bean and sweet potato chilli (x4 with l/o for lunches for me)
*Lentil, bulgar wheat and tomato soup (x 4 for me and love it!)
*Pizza night
*Branded tomato soup or h/m sweet potato and squash soup(x2 for DD)
*Lentil and quorn or random veg curry (x2 for me, l/o for lunches)
*Veggie sausages, mash and veg (x1 for me)
*Meatballs in tomato sauce and spaghetti(x2 beef for DD, veggie for me, makes 4)
*Balti style curry (x1 chicken and veg for DD, x2 Quorn and veg for me)
*Mushroom stroganoff (x1 for me from freezer)
*Baked Sweet potato, hummus and salad (x1 DD and me)
*Use up veg dish (x? for me)
*Roast dinners (x4)

Snacks:
*DD takes dried fruit and breadsticks, or homemade baked goods to school. School provide afternoon snack.
* Choice of apples, bananas, pears, kiwi, dried fruit.
*Homemade baked treats
*Various bought treat snacks

Dessert:
*Yogurt and fruit
*H/M cake and soya custard

I have other stuff like falafel, sausage patties, eggs and veggie fingers, dried goods should I want something 'off plan' and should leave the month with
* 2 x h/m pasta sauce
* 2 x meatballs meals
* 4 x chilli
* 2 x burger meals
* 2 400g mince beef
* quorn mince
plus all sorts bits and pieces to carry over.

Phew! Glad to have sorted that. :T