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

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Comments

  • Hello Hairy sorry you’re feeling yuk. Some of my brood have had that cold. They complained of feeling tired for a couple of weeks. The cold seemed to drag on too. Sorry about your leak, what a pain. At least insurers are paying out.

    Take it easy :)
    Thanks Arsenal :). I think the cold was a really nasty one and then I had two disturbed nights too.

    Noella wrote: »
    Sorry to hear you're feeling so 'down' at the moment. Not surprising really with all that's gone on but you've had some pluses too (such as insurers intending to pay out:T and DS arriving safely in S.America:T) so try to concentrate on them. Easy for me to say when I'm not going through what you are but in my darkest times (and there have been plenty of those, not just dark but downright pitch black:eek:) I've tried to play Polyanna's Glad Game. Hasn't always worked but has more often than not.


    A recent charity shop find was what looks like an unread copy of Polyanna (bargain @50P:j) and I hope to find the time to read it soon. I found the character in the film really annoying but the book has many happy memories for me and I hope re-reading it as an adult doesn't disappoint;)


    Wishing you a good day xxx

    Thanks Noella :). I often get despondant when I'm over tired. I hope you enjoy reading Pollyanna.
    I agree with the 'glass half-full' approach, even though filmed Pollyanna made me want to hit her !! The book is loads better (as it often is), even the bit about the crutches !

    Hope your cold or whatever is gradually getting better, HH, so many around at the moment, doesn't seem fair with warmer weather. Rest if you can, bask in the de-cluttering already done, feel smug for having appropriate insurance, look forward to choosing new freezer when you're up to it.

    Thank you Elizabeth :). I'm a bit fed up at having to fork out £350 for a new freezer, but it can't be helped.
    Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
    Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
    EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
    CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
    HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
  • Hi Hairy,just caught up up with your dairy again,sorry to hear about your flood,I hate problems with plumbing because water just goes wherever it wants and causes so much damage,I hope you get a new freezer sorted soon xx

    Thanks OBL :). I'm fed up at having to fork out £350 for a new freezer, it came at a bad time too after me being ill, but it can't be helped.
    Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
    Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
    EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
    CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
    HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
  • I had another good night's sleep so I feel more like myself today :). I even did a bit of tidying in the kitchen. It was sunny all morning but just before I left for work it chucked it down with rain :mad: but luckily it stopped again before the children went out.

    After work DH picked me up and I spent £12 in Mr T on bread, 9 loo rolls, 8 pints of milk, 12 eggs, cherry tomatoes, margarine, bananas and face wipes, to tide us over for a few days. Meanwhile DH went and signed the guarantor form for DS3 (finally).

    Talking of DS3, our plans for a restful weekend have been scuppered :mad:. We've realised that DS3's term ends on a Friday and he has to vacate his accommodation on or before that date. As we can only go at a weekend, that means we have to collect him this coming weekend :eek: :eek:.

    Sometimes I feel like fate is having a laugh at my expense. It's like our children, burst pipes and infections are conspiring to keep me in a constant state of tiredness :mad:.

    So we'll drive down on Saturday morning, spend the afternoon packing and cleaning his flat, sleep the night at a nearby hotel, finish packing and cleaning his flat, then leave to come home on Sunday lunchtime. That's the plan anyway. We've booked a hotel for Saturday night for £67 (including £3 extra for wifi). We decided the breakfast was a rip off so we'll go to Costa for that as the supermarkets don't open until mid morning. We'll take a load of cleaning products with us in the hope of leaving his flat clean enough for him to get his deposit back.

    We'll take food and coffee for the journey to try and minimise spending, but petrol will be an expense and we'll need to eat on Saturday evening, so we'll swop £14 of Mr T vouchers for some restaurant vouchers worth £42 which should cover most of it.

    This evening our builder is coming to give a quote for decorating the kitchen to cover up the water stains. The insurance company are sending some flooring people to inspect the floor within the next few days. We haven't had the £100 to replace the food yet, but until we've bought a freezer we won't be replacing it anyway.

    On a positive note at least I feel less tired and more like myself today :T.

    I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday.
    Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
    Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
    EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
    CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
    HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
  • Yoohoo I just did a £4 PA survey :T :j :T. First one I've managed to do in ages.
    Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
    Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
    EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
    CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
    HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
  • beanielou
    beanielou Posts: 96,536 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Academoney Grad Mortgage-free Glee!
    Blimey, that is short notice.
    Glad that you have a hotel booked though.
    I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.

    Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
    "A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.

    ***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb.
    ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
    One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.
  • doingitanyway
    doingitanyway Posts: 10,314 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Mortgage-free Glee!
    Glad you slept well and feel a little better.

    Also glad you decided to get a hotel this time as it should help with the tiredness.

    It sounds as if you are very organised with food and snacks which will help keep the costs down.

    I hope you can relax a little this evening.
    If you have built castles in the air, your work should not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them

    Emergency fund 3501000
    Buffer fund 0/100
    Debt Free (again) 25/072025
  • beanielou wrote: »
    Blimey, that is short notice.
    Glad that you have a hotel booked though.

    Thanks Beanie :). We probably could have got it cheaper if we'd booked more in advance but it could be worse. I think the money for the hotel will be worth it if it avoids us being totally exhausted for a week afterwards.
    Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
    Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
    EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
    CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
    HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
  • Glad you slept well and feel a little better.

    Also glad you decided to get a hotel this time as it should help with the tiredness.

    It sounds as if you are very organised with food and snacks which will help keep the costs down.

    I hope you can relax a little this evening.

    Thanks DIA :). I think the hotel cost will be worth it as we were so exhausted last time and then it affects your work performance if you're exhausted for a week afterwards.

    DH and I are not getting any younger, but our stress levels seem to be getting constantly higher :eek:.
    Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally
    Debt in July 2017 = £58,766 😱 DEBT FREE 31 OCTOBER 2017 :T 🎉
    EMERGENCY FUND 1 = £50/£5,000. EMERGENCY FUND 2 = £10/£5,000.
    CHRISTMAS SAVINGS = £0/£500. SEF = £1,400/£12,000 PREMIUM BONDS ME = £350. PREMIUM BONDS DH = £300.
    HOLIDAY MONEY = £0 TIME LEFT TO PAY OFF MORTGAGE = 5 YEARS 1 MONTHS
  • Great news that you are feeling a bit better .HH. Shame about the last-minute weekend plans but life sadly has a nasty habit of getting in the way of what we planned to do:mad:. At least once he's home you can forget about all the effort it takes to get him hither and yon and be able to relax a bit. I hope he's contributing financially towards all the expense of moving him and his stuff what seems like pretty frequently:eek:.


    Lucky for him he has parents with a car who are available to do it. When I was at Uni (and trust me, I bet I had as much stuff to vacate from my room as he has:eek:) I never expected my Dad to drive over to pick me and it up at end of terms. I know he would if I'd asked but we students liked/needed to be independent. We all had a massive cabin trunk which we packed to bursting point (pity the poor man/men who had to lift it:eek:) and a courier company back in those olden days, BRS I think it was that specialised in trunks, came and picked it up and delivered it to my parent's place. Didn't seem to cost much either if memory serves me correctly. Other breakable or valuable items I got home myself on the train (which involved 2 changes en route) and I had to take it all to the station in the first place in stages, using the Left Luggage facility until I had it all there. Then I had to get a porter (remember them?:rotfl:) to help me get it on the train. Same at every train/platform change. Sometimes a very kind and helpful passenger helped instead:j. My Dad picked me and the stuff up at the station in my home town. All of us students did it that way. All a lot of faff and effort but my independence meant such a lot to me, that's a lot of what going away from home to study was about;). I know your son has a big computer with him though, which I certainly didn't have back in my day:rotfl:, but I had a big and heavy record player and a separate heavy reel-to-reel tape recorder which had to be got back and forth somehow.


    Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the hotel:beer:. Look upon it as a little holiday (albeit a working one) and make the very most of it. Money well-spent IMO as doing it all in the one day is a bit much especially as there'll probably be a fair amount of cleaning to do. There shouldn't be all that much though unless he's really neglected doing it himself as an ongoing thing. I know students are prone to untidiness:eek: but I assume he's hygienic;). Maybe you can suggest he helps you to do his cleaning, then he can watch how it should be done so you don't get lumbered with it next time;)
  • arsenalbarnie
    arsenalbarnie Posts: 581 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts
    Oh gawd Hairy I do sympathise with all this uni stuff. Two years ago it was July 30c and we had to hire a van and drive to drop a massive sideboard off at DS2 flat up to top floor. Then drive to next city to get DS3, empty his flat, top floor again and drive across country to east London to move him in, ready for 3 years of PhD. OH had hired a van with no air con! Could have crowned him. We drove home that night. We did see a lovely sunset over Oxfordshire though on the drive back :rotfl:
    Total weight lost 6.5/73lbs starting yet again. Afds August 10/15. /8 Sept.
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