Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks Milann . I really don't need the dress and I can easily rebuy the leggings in the spring, so I know it's the right decision to return them.

I agree about making our money work for us so we can have a life and we have enjoyed having a few treats over the summer . But we need to reign it back now or we won't have enough money to pay the bills .

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

I feel as though I lost the plot a bit with money over the summer holidays and haven't got on top of it since. So I need to get to grips with my/our spending.

An example of this is that I bought a dress on Saturday for £46 . I bought it to cheer myself up because I was feeling low. I've decided that I have plenty of dresses and I don't need another one, so I'm going to return it next Saturday. I'm also going to return the two pairs of leggings I bought a few weeks ago while I still can. The leggings don't seem to look right with any of my dresses and as we're going into the autumn now I may as well get the £20 back. I can always buy some leggings next summer if I can find a dress that suits them. So by returning the dress and leggings I can liberate a grand total of £66, which is not to be sneezed at.

I also stopped doing surveys over the summer holidays, so I need to start checking for them again.

In addition I haven't been keeping track of how much money is coming and going. As we don't have a set income (apart from my measly wages) this means I have no idea from one day to the next how much money we have .

So I need to start doing my monthy budget again and tick off bills, etc, as they get paid. This way I'll know whether we can afford the bills and how much (if any) money we have left.

Christmas is coming up fast which makes this more imperative. I havn't been setting aside the £30 a month from my wages for Christmas, but have been frittering the money instead .

Also I've realised that our MOT and car tax expire on 31 October so we'll need to find the money for this. I must also find out when our car insurance and breakdown insurance expire. We don't have a car expenses pot so we have no provision for this at the moment .

So as you can see I've lost the plot completely with money and need to get to grips with it. If I do get these extra hours at school then I MUST NOT fritter the money. Instead I should put it in our Christmas pot OR start a car expenses pot. In fact ALL of my wages should go into one or other of these pots.

I can understand why you felt the need to treat yourself a bit and have a mini splurge on clothes recently. Spending can often be a response to emotional issues and you've had plenty of those recently. Please don't beat yourself up about it and well done for making the decision to return some items for a refund:T.


Car expenses, sadly, are a constant drain on our money, aren't they?:mad:. If you can, pay your insurance and road tax upfront rather than by monthly/quarterly instalments. It's a bit of a shock to the system (and bank balance:eek:) but saves money in the long run. When I was in debt and on a DMP I had no way of paying upfront for car taxes and insurances so had to do it monthly. I made a vow that as soon as I was debt-free I would pay everything annually and it's certainly saved me some money:j.


With petrol prices rising please make sure you ask your DS for a fair share of the cost if you have to drive him back to Uni soon as I know it's a very long trip. I imagine he's spent a long summer rent free with all his washing done by you and his meals provided for him. Only fair that he should pay for his transport as if he'd gone by train or coach he'd(presumably) have to pay himself.


Don't worry too much about letting your budgeting go to pot a bit recently. You've had such a lot to cope with and it's perfectly understandable that you've taken your eye off the ball. At least you've determined to make a fresh start now and should feel proud of yourself for not letting things slide:T. Knowing how well you juggled your finances before I'm sure you'll have a vice-like grip on those purse strings again before you know it. Good luck:beer:

in_need_of_direction

You’ve noticed and are doing something about it so don’t beat yourself up. Those refunds are just over two month’s worth of Christmas savings. Pick up a survey voucher or two between now and the big day and you’ll soon be sorted.

arsenalbarnie

I find with my flat feet they get worse if have been walking around bare feet, or overdoing the walking. Was told by the podiatrist to not walk around barefeet. Trainers, even in the house seem to provide the most support. I suppose you could google exercises for flat feet. He could try those while he’s waiting for an appointment.

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

The head teacher didn't speak to me about the cover today . That could be due to two reasons: 1) she has changed her mind or 2) she didn't get a chance to speak to me. I hope it's the second reason!

I volunteered in the afternoon with year 1 today instead of my usual morning with year 2. They were doing PE and it's like herding over-excited cats who are blind, deaf and have the attention span of a goldfish :eek:. And my lunchtime class were playing dodgeball so I feel completely exhausted now! For someone who isn't very sporty I've been involved in a lot of PE today .

It's a warm sunny day which is nice . I've put some more laundry on to wash (it's a mystery where all the dirty laundry comes from, I feel like I'd doing it for the whole street!).

I heard yesterday that one of my nieces that I feel closer to is having a baby, so that's good news . It will be my second great nephew/niece which makes me feel ancient!

I hope everyone is having a good Tuesday.

I hope it's the second reason too.
If you can fit in regular exercise along with volunteering, that's a very economical use of time !

You do know laundry breeds, even if there was originally only a bit ? The lovely weather at least makes drying it a pleasure. If there's any household task more lovely than gathering an armful of dry scented washing off the line, I'm sure I don't know it.

My Tuesday/Wed/Thurs this week involved(s) recommended trip to A&E with suspected DVT, blood tests, 2 blood thinning injections, a scan, possible months of blood thinning tablets, and a lot of traipsing around - so much that I hardly need to do any post-op exercises as it's all encompassed within walking round the hospital, getting on & off buses, balancing myself on said buses, etc. But we did have lunch out twice !!!

HairyHandofDartmoor

Scrimpess wrote: »

I can understand why you felt the need to treat yourself a bit and have a mini splurge on clothes recently. Spending can often be a response to emotional issues and you've had plenty of those recently. Please don't beat yourself up about it and well done for making the decision to return some items for a refund:T.


Car expenses, sadly, are a constant drain on our money, aren't they?:mad:. If you can, pay your insurance and road tax upfront rather than by monthly/quarterly instalments. It's a bit of a shock to the system (and bank balance:eek:) but saves money in the long run. When I was in debt and on a DMP I had no way of paying upfront for car taxes and insurances so had to do it monthly. I made a vow that as soon as I was debt-free I would pay everything annually and it's certainly saved me some money:j.


With petrol prices rising please make sure you ask your DS for a fair share of the cost if you have to drive him back to Uni soon as I know it's a very long trip. I imagine he's spent a long summer rent free with all his washing done by you and his meals provided for him. Only fair that he should pay for his transport as if he'd gone by train or coach he'd(presumably) have to pay himself.


Don't worry too much about letting your budgeting go to pot a bit recently. You've had such a lot to cope with and it's perfectly understandable that you've taken your eye off the ball. At least you've determined to make a fresh start now and should feel proud of yourself for not letting things slide:T. Knowing how well you juggled your finances before I'm sure you'll have a vice-like grip on those purse strings again before you know it. Good luck:beer:

Thank you Scrimpess .

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

You’ve noticed and are doing something about it so don’t beat yourself up. Those refunds are just over two month’s worth of Christmas savings. Pick up a survey voucher or two between now and the big day and you’ll soon be sorted.

Thank you INOD .

arsenalbarnie wrote: »

I find with my flat feet they get worse if have been walking around bare feet, or overdoing the walking. Was told by the podiatrist to not walk around barefeet. Trainers, even in the house seem to provide the most support. I suppose you could google exercises for flat feet. He could try those while he’s waiting for an appointment.

Thanks Arsenal . I bought DS3 some generic inserts for flat feet and they have helped a bit, so he does wear trainers around the house (and everywhere else) with the inserts in. I would like him to see a podiatrist soon though.

HairyHandofDartmoor

elizabethhull wrote: »

I hope it's the second reason too.
If you can fit in regular exercise along with volunteering, that's a very economical use of time !

You do know laundry breeds, even if there was originally only a bit ? The lovely weather at least makes drying it a pleasure. If there's any household task more lovely than gathering an armful of dry scented washing off the line, I'm sure I don't know it.

My Tuesday/Wed/Thurs this week involved(s) recommended trip to A&E with suspected DVT, blood tests, 2 blood thinning injections, a scan, possible months of blood thinning tablets, and a lot of traipsing around - so much that I hardly need to do any post-op exercises as it's all encompassed within walking round the hospital, getting on & off buses, balancing myself on said buses, etc. But we did have lunch out twice !!!

Thank you Elizabeth . The head teacher didn't speak to me today either . But then I think she did have a lot on her plate today!

Going out for lunch sounds like a good reward for having to go to hospital . I hope you are okay Elizabeth?

EssexHebridean

If the head doesn't speak with you soon about the cover why not have another chat with the Deputy and see what they can tell you? It could just be that they've jumped the gun a bit in mentioning it and the Head isn't ready to discuss it yet maybe?

As for the money stuff, welcome to the world of the debt-free among us - it's not as shiny as it loks you know - I still find it's a constant battle between feeling I've slipped a bit and needing to claw things back, and sitting back having just declined to buy something unnecessary feeling rightfully smug!

It's incredibly difficult to transition from a world of not spending because to your own mind you don;t have the money, and not spending because you DO have the money but don't want to spend it unwisely, as well. Then add in the fact that you sometimes feel slightly sheepish about the fact that actually, life isn't the struggle it was for a while, and still is for others, any more. Kind of like survivor guilt for the debt-free I guess. Never forget though - it was your own hard work that got you to where you are now - and at the stage when you NEED the new dress, £46 really isn't so much to pay for something that is quality and will last.

doingitanyway

EssexHebridean wrote: »

As for the money stuff, welcome to the world of the debt-free among us - it's not as shiny as it loks you know - I still find it's a constant battle between feeling I've slipped a bit and needing to claw things back, and sitting back having just declined to buy something unnecessary feeling rightfully smug!

It's incredibly difficult to transition from a world of not spending because to your own mind you don;t have the money, and not spending because you DO have the money but don't want to spend it unwisely, as well. Then add in the fact that you sometimes feel slightly sheepish about the fact that actually, life isn't the struggle it was for a while, and still is for others, any more. Kind of like survivor guilt for the debt-free I guess. Never forget though - it was your own hard work that got you to where you are now - and at the stage when you NEED the new dress, £46 really isn't so much to pay for something that is quality and will last.

I really needed to read your post Essex as I seem to have blown my budget this month and was feeling annoyed at myself. I've been DF for over a year and your post has helped me cut myself some slack. Thanks.

HHOD Hopefully you will hear about the job soon. Have a relaxing evening

HairyHandofDartmoor

EssexHebridean wrote: »

If the head doesn't speak with you soon about the cover why not have another chat with the Deputy and see what they can tell you? It could just be that they've jumped the gun a bit in mentioning it and the Head isn't ready to discuss it yet maybe?

As for the money stuff, welcome to the world of the debt-free among us - it's not as shiny as it loks you know - I still find it's a constant battle between feeling I've slipped a bit and needing to claw things back, and sitting back having just declined to buy something unnecessary feeling rightfully smug!

It's incredibly difficult to transition from a world of not spending because to your own mind you don;t have the money, and not spending because you DO have the money but don't want to spend it unwisely, as well. Then add in the fact that you sometimes feel slightly sheepish about the fact that actually, life isn't the struggle it was for a while, and still is for others, any more. Kind of like survivor guilt for the debt-free I guess. Never forget though - it was your own hard work that got you to where you are now - and at the stage when you NEED the new dress, £46 really isn't so much to pay for something that is quality and will last.

Thank you EH I think I might mention it tomorrow to the deputy if the head doesn't approach me.

Not spending money is hard. Our budget is quite tight at the moment so any extras would come out of our EF which I really don't want to happen . So I really need to get a grip on the spending.

doingitanyway wrote: »

I really needed to read your post Essex as I seem to have blown my budget this month and was feeling annoyed at myself. I've been DF for over a year and your post has helped me cut myself some slack. Thanks.

HHOD Hopefully you will hear about the job soon. Have a relaxing evening

Thanks DIA . It is a good idea to cut yourself some slack. Tomorrow is another day and a chance for a fresh beginning .