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

milann

The freezer was definitely an emergency - use your fund - and enjoy the newly decorated kitchen. Nice surroundings mean better mood. Build the fund up ASAP - I’m sure you won’t want it to be lower for long - worth a thought - stress can do funny things to us - if there’s no need to stress - please don’t. Boy I sound very bossy but it’s what I’d do :beer: but do what’s best for you to keep the stress levels lowest for you :money::beer:

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks Milann . I know that sounds like the sensible thing to do.

The trouble is that I'm convinced we'll never be able to replace the EF as our income is so low/erratic . I should probably rename it the Peace of Mind Fund.

If we have to use it then we have to I guess, but I want to try and manage without it we can.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Noella wrote: »

Sorry a lot of worries from your original list still exist, HH, but you've gone a long way to getting several ticked off so feel proud of yourselves for that:beer:. Everything came at once (flood, short-notice trip to fetch DS3, DH2 going away etc)so no wonder you felt overwhelmed. Any of us would feel the same.


I just wanted to say that I fully appreciate why you want to save as much as possible and building up the savings pots has been a bit of a mission for you recently. We've all been cheering you on :T:T:T. But don't some of these latest events constitute 'emergencies' and shouldn't have to be paid for from your normal monthly spending budget. I know you said you don't want to take anything out of your savings because you'd probably never put it back again but adding to your already stratospheric stress levels and making yourselves miserable and having to scrimp just to get through the month doesn't seem a very good idea when you have, for instance, several hundreds in savings for such as Christmas. Just a thought, anyway,


I hate to see you so down after such a run of bad luck. Take care of yourself:kisses3:

Thank you Noella . I know using the EF seems sensible, I'm just worried we'll never afford to replace it as our income is so low/erratic. I'll have to see how things go.

I'm sure I'd feel more cheerful if I wasn't so tired.

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

The trouble is that I'm convinced we'll never be able to replace the EF as our income is so low/erratic . I should probably rename it the Peace of Mind Fund.

If we have to use it then we have to I guess, but I want to try and manage without it we can.

I can totally understand your thinking on this, HH, but I honestly think you are underestimated you and DH's ability to control your spending and that you assume a necessary dip into the EF pot is the beginning of a slippery slope. It's an Emergency Fund and what constitutes emergencies if the current events don't?

Just meant o say, and forgot:o that the freezer contents are going to be reimbursed by the insurers aren't they? Maybe a temporary dip into the savings could be used to restock the freezer when it comes. You can then make sure the insurance money goes straight back in to your savings pot.

redofromstart

I have to confess I take my own pillow and an empty cotton duvet cover to sleep under whenever we go away. The delightful hot flushes of the peri menopause mean I have my own built in night time central heating.

I get your stress about using the emergency fund to cover emergencies. You do need to do a small food shop though, or you will end up with a takeaway and resenting the waste of money. Pasta, eggs, value bacon for a carbonara maybe?

Onebrokelady

You should use some of your EF to buy some shopping, even if you only use half of what the freezer cost, then you can replace it with the insurance money, just buy enough fresh food to last until Wednesday then do a proper shop on Thursday
I think it will help you feel better if you know you have some food in the house

beanielou

Could you just buy what you really need today food wise & then do a wee top up for the freezer later in the week?

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thank you all .

We've already had £100 from the insurance company to replace the food in the freezer, so we've decided to use that to do a food shop today. We'll buy everything EXCEPT frozen food.

We're running out of all kinds of essential things as we didn't do a proper food shop last week. Also it's DS1's birthday tomorrow and it's not very nice for him to have no food in the house on his birthday.

The fridge was filthy because DH put meat from the freezer in it that was half melted and then meat juices ran everywhere when it finished melting. I told him to put it on a plate but he never listens :mad:. So the state of the fridge was stressing me out too.

I decided to clean the fridge before work and I've just finished doing it. I feel really tired again now but at least that's one less stress. Now we can do a food shop this afternoon, have a clean fridge to put it in and get a birthday card and cake for DS1.

Then after the freezer arrives tomorrow we can go out and buy some frozen food. We paid £23 extra for them to take the old freezer and the packaging away. We thought it was worth it to have less mess and stress in the house, and the council would have charged £20 to take the old freezer away anyway.

Another annoyance is that we haven't heard from the insurance company about the flooring, they were meant to send someone to look at it and no one has come, so DH needs to chase that up.

greenbee

Presumably DS3 can help while he's at home too - with his share of cooking and housework to pay for his keep, and maybe help you with some of your decluttering (you never know, it could be catching ).

If he's got a job for the holidays, although I realise that he doesn't ask you for money for Uni, it's not unreasonable to ask him to contribute a bit towards his keep as well as doing his share of domestic tasks. You're all busy, so everyone needs to pull their weight. If I wasn't working during school and uni holidays I was expected to do some housework/gardening and be responsible for feeding whoever was home for lunch and dinner. And if I was working I was expected to do it some days, just not all of them.

Obviously you'll have your own ways of balancing things out, but just make sure your boys are aware of the pressure you are under, as they're old enough to help out now.

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

The fridge was filthy because DH put meat from the freezer in it that was half melted and then meat juices ran everywhere when it finished melting. I told him to put it on a plate but he never listens :mad:. So the state of the fridge was stressing me out too.

I decided to clean the fridge before work and I've just finished doing it. I feel really tired again now but at least that's one less stress. Now we can do a food shop this afternoon, have a clean fridge to put it in

You're a lot more kindly-disposed than I would have been had my DH ignored my advice over the meat and caused such a mess, not to mention health hazard, in the fridge:eek:. Accidents happen and I'd have been only too happy to clean it up in that case but he caused a lot of unnecessary work for you at a time when you're are at the end of your tether. I hope you read him the riot act. Maybe he should cook tonight to make up for it;)