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

Chrystal

Sending gentle (((hugs))) and Healing thoughts to you all.  XX

doingitanyway

 Thinking of you and hoping everything is okay and DH is improving.

Seasidegal58

Hope all is going well at home Hairy. x

EssexHebridean

Hope things are going OK with you HH xx

MiMi66

Hi HHD
I am just catching up after several quiet years on here, and saw your news. I am so sorry that you and your husband have got this challenge. Health is paramount isn't it, knocks everything else into perspective.
 I just wanted to send my good wishes and thoughts. You were very kind to men here when I was going through the worst of my debt journey. 
Virtual hugs x

Fidelia

Just popping in to send my best wishes to all the family and my hope that things are improving in every way for you all.

Seasidegal58

Just sending good wishes for Christmas to you and your family Hairy - I hope all's well and here's hoping to see you back posting before too long. 🎄☃️🎅❄️Xxx

Chrystal

Seasidegal58 said:

Just sending good wishes for Christmas to you and your family Hairy - I hope all's well and here's hoping to see you back posting before too long. 🎄☃️🎅❄️Xxx

Ditto!  Also sending (((hugs))) XXX

elizabethhull

If you ever drop in, HH, please accept love and best wishes for the year ahead, whatever it may bring xx

I would also wish to send New Year greetings to all the followers here. May we all have a happier year.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Hi everyone 👋. I'm sorry it's such a long time since I've posted. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and best wishes 🙂.

I've been feeling a bit despondent for the last few months and haven't felt like posting 😒. Some things have been going well. DH has lost two stone and is much fitter than he was. He needs to lose a lot more weight to be healthy, but it's a very good start and he's thinnner than he has been for a good 20 years. 

The defaults have all fallen off my credit file and DH has only two defaults left on his. I don't want to take out any credit but it's nice to have a clean credit file. Also I won £25 on the premium bonds.

Another good thing is that DS3 got a kickstart job on 1 December for six months, which will be good work experience for him and he can afford to pay us more keep now. It is a remote job so he's still at home with us, which I'm pleased about.

Less good things are to do with earning money and this is why I've been despondent 😔. Work wise the only paid hours I've had since July has been my meal time assistant job which only pays £200 a month. DH has earnt some money with his self employment, but my secret emergency fund has been helping to keep us going. I only have £340 left of the SEM now. We've also had to sell half our our premium bonds to pay the accountants. DS1, 2 and 3 have been giving us more keep to help pay the bills. But I've found it very demoralising not earning more money. I've spent this time volunteering in a preschool and starting an early years course.

However some really good news which has inspired me to post is that I've got a job 🎉. It's in a preschool, 30 hours a week, Monday to Friday. The hours are good as I'll be working from 9am to 3pm, and the best thing of all is that I'll still get school holidays so that I can spend time with my family and have a good work life balance. The job only pays minimum wage but I will still earn far more money that I was in my lunchtime job at school. I start in the new year and I'm looking forward to it 🙂.

I've left my lunchtime job  and the preschool where I've been volunteering since September. I felt quite sad to leave them both as I was happy there and liked the staff. However I need a full time job and I hope that I'll like the staff and be happy in my new job. I can finish my course remotely while I'm working as my tutor is very helpful and said she will email me the class notes and I can speak/message her if I need any more help.

I had a lovely Christmas 🎄with just the five of us at home, went to my stepdad and wife's for Boxing day lunch, and then went for a walk with my aunt, uncle and cousins the next day. It was  very frugal Christmas where presents were concerned, but we had nice food and spent time with family, which is what's important.

I hope you've all been keeping well and I'd like to catch up with diaries soon.