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

DrSpendLittle

Yay!! :T:T:T:T:T

Super, super pleased for you both!! :beer::beer::beer:

HairyHandofDartmoor

Cumbria_lass wrote: »

Oh wow ,wow , so pleased for you and DH, it's made my day again ! Look forward to hearing what you intend to do with your money when it arrives. A new cooker perhaps !:beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

Thank you Cumbria . Yes I think a new cooker will be on the list :T.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Moneywhizz wrote: »

More good news. that is fantastic. Enough now with both payouts to actually have a good emergency fund behind you. With your new income too this year is looking so much more positive for you.

teapot2 wrote: »

Thats fab news :j:j:j it will make a huge difference - well done on persevering with the claims :beer:

DrSpendLittle wrote: »

Yay!! :T:T:T:T:T

Super, super pleased for you both!! :beer::beer::beer:

Thanks all of you . It will indeed make a huge difference :T. I felt that we had had PPI at some point in our debt career, but couldn't remember who with and then started to doubt myself and think maybe we hadn't had it, because it was all such a long time ago. So it's such amazing news :j.

HairyHandofDartmoor

These are the things we will probably spend some of the money on:

- New cooker £200?
- Glasses for DH £500?
- Laptop for DH £400
- Final VAT bill £1000?

POSSIBLE TOTAL = £2,100

These are all estimates apart from the laptop which DH has researched. I have no idea how much a cooker will be, DH reckons his glasses will be £500 :eek: but I'm hoping they may be less that that.

The VAT bill again I have no idea how much that will be until the final day of March and then I'll be able to calculate it. I don't feel as if we've earnt much this quarter as we seem to have been living off the tax rebate to some extent but who know?

When DH messaged me with the news I treated myself to a cup of tea and a cheese scone in M&S cafe . I rejected a sandwich on the grounds that I wasn't prepared to pay £4 for it and the scone was only £1.50 :money:. DH wanted to get a takeaway tonight to celebate so that has cost £23.

I want to save the rest of it in our emergency fund. If we can save £7000 (from my B@rclaycard refund and the H@lifax refund) then I'll be a very happy bunny indeed :T.

That's assuming that we can earn enough money to live on. I really need to get more hours at work so that's my main goal for 2019, as well as finishing my course.

MrsLottie

Brilliant news - so pleased for you both .

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks Mrs Lottie .

HairyHandofDartmoor

We need repairs done on the house, but I don't want to spend money on that until we have a income and reliable income coming in.

When we paid off our debts with DH's pension, Stepchange advised us to keep the money to live on and not pay off the debts, that's how low our income was . We ignored that advice as we knew that it would be our only chance to get debt free and we would always have felt the weight of the debts crushing us.

I've never regretted using the pension money to pay off our debts because it's lifted an enormous psychological burden from us, even though we've struggled to afford food and pay for heating and petrol at times since then. But I don't want to be that poor again. This money could give us a buffer so I don't have to lie awake at night with my gut grinding with anxiety, worrying about not being able to pay the mortgage or the council tax.

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

You're not going to believe this, but we're getting another PPI complaint upheld :T.

It's from our old H@lifax mortgage. DH and I are going to get, wait for it... £3120 EACH

:T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :T :T :j :j :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:.

I'm still in a happy shocked daze .

I think we're all in a daze of astonished happiness on your behalf - this is amazing :j:T:j:T

It's been so windy here, OH wanted to stand by the front fence to protect it ! Hope it survives.
And I got a £5 survey on PA today - and I thought I always just missed the high-paying ones !

daisy_1571

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

These are the things we will probably spend some of the money on:

- New cooker £200?
- Glasses for DH £500?
- Laptop for DH £400
- Final VAT bill £1000?

POSSIBLE TOTAL = £2,100

These are all estimates apart from the laptop which DH has researched. I have no idea how much a cooker will be, DH reckons his glasses will be £500 :eek: but I'm hoping they may be less that that.

The VAT bill again I have no idea how much that will be until the final day of March and then I'll be able to calculate it. I don't feel as if we've earnt much this quarter as we seem to have been living off the tax rebate to some extent but who know?

When DH messaged me with the news I treated myself to a cup of tea and a cheese scone in M&S cafe . I rejected a sandwich on the grounds that I wasn't prepared to pay £4 for it and the scone was only £1.50 :money:. DH wanted to get a takeaway tonight to celebate so that has cost £23.

I want to save the rest of it in our emergency fund. If we can save £7000 (from my B@rclaycard refund and the H@lifax refund) then I'll be a very happy bunny indeed :T.

That's assuming that we can earn enough money to live on. I really need to get more hours at work so that's my main goal for 2019, as well as finishing my course.

Fantastic news hh, so pleased for you. So glad we all kept on at you to get your applications in. Just shows how wrong these organisations were taking money off people in all the wrong situations.

So pleased to see your very modest wish list here, i feel you are right to prioritise savings as that has caused you so much stress over your diary having no savings. In time you may find you loosen the purse strings a little but it's good not to go mad immediately imho. I favour a cautious approach after some consideration :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I think your dh will get glasses much cheaper than £500 btw I got two pairs with scratch proof coating and not in the cheapest frames (ie I chose them cos I liked them without checking prices first, then was ok about paying the money) for less than that, in a private type shop not your glasses supermarket type place. Course maybe he needs varifocals or something? Mine were 'ordinary' type, sorry, dont rely on my prices

Anyhoo, fab news. Keeping my fingers xd for the third one too and hoping this one is quicker than 28 days although you have a bit of emergency fund now so hopefully never again will you be waiting on a £25 invoice to be paid so you can eat :T:T:T:beer::beer::beer::j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:T:T:T:T:T:T.

Daisy xxx

beanielou

Yes, as you say how awesome to not have to have that grinding anxiety about paying the mortgage & council tax :j :j :j :j :j
Priceless