NST December: Debt Destruction December

mothernerd

Not spent any money. Not doing great. Have been struggling with my room all day and it's slow - progress but slow. I have a small bag and have put snmall items I am taking away (pills, breathing exercises, address book) into it as I find/ sort them (rest of pills put into the correct drawer and packaging into paper sack).

Looks like I will be taking the Christmas cards and two large embroidery pieces with me - one needs to be posted by 11th December and the other (much simpler thankfully) needs to be completed by the 13th.

Beloved was looking at christmas decorations and I suggested she looked at what we had first - two large baskets moved into their room (+ some bits of craft stuff) win. The baskets were under the large pet cage I used as a holding centre for lots of paperwork (segregated to sort out later). This had to be moved and I'm sort of back to square one.

It will get done, I can't take it any longer (and need to find threads and some bits to go with the presents I need to finish whilst away). I need to be much more selective about the craft stuff.

Today I am grateful for my bed, for lots of food in the freezer (tea was garlic sausage and pasta salad from the fridge which had got buried). Some things moved from the fridge to the freezer, not sure if they will be okay but they will definitely go off in the fridge. Grateful for past work I have done (can substitute a nearly finished piece of work for the one I intended to do) and for having so many cardboard boxes I can afford to chuck the least useful ones.

This is probably it from me until Friday evening.

apple_muncher

Hope that you and your mum have a lovely time away, mothernerd.

sashanut

Hi all turtles :j

Checking in: 3/31

NSD: 1/15 bought online today..

Debt destruction: Have no debt now but not so long ago were 93K in debt so I know that I need to make sure I don't go down that slippery slope again...but we are on a fairly fixed income so need to rein the unnecessary spends which have been creeping up..

Exterminate Nothing bought for myself

Clear up, clean up and take control. More clearing of items into dining room & spaces now appearing in other rooms - yay, However progress is slow, mainly because all the glass & china removed from the cabinets needs washing as all quite dusty. Also am putting items in cupboards so I know where they are, instead of all stuffed in anyhow. Should make catering a breeze as I won't be frantically searching for a plate/glass/cup etc at the last minute,

Clean up your way of talking to yourself – clean away the negative talk and be kind and positive to yourself. Will try to do this, and try to take a compliment when it's offered, not something I'm good at!
Let yourself sparkle. Take control of your finances, your time, your habits, and your health. Indeed

Explore your local area – Will attempt to explore local area when we go to Ireland, there are lots of opportunities, it's such a beautiful place.

Mental health Had a blip today totally out of the blue. Watching a programme on catch up whilst eating lunch, in this programme emergency responders called out to man who they couldn't save. Wife & daughter were told, then daughter said she would say goodbye to dad & I just burst into tears. Probably because I never got to say goodbye to my dad, & never grieved at the time, too much to do & a 200 mile trip e/way to sort everything out. DH very supportive then & now. Went into garden where I always feel best, feel much better now.

Write down 4 gratitudes each day. Grateful for - Progress on clearing, DH support, little robin keeping me company in the garden, online ordering


Budget Need to do this but not got my head around finances yet, watch this space

Evaluate the year you have had: . Need to plan 5 things that will happen next year.

Dottydaisy

My budgets are
Groceries to include xnas/ny £350
Petrol £75
c/c repayments circa £500 see below
bills £400
entertainment £100 including hair, chiropody, acupuncture 6 weekly


Allocated £500 to debts, but have rejigged finances this weekend and hopefully all will be on 0% except Mbna which is on 4.9% until 2022.
Only have 2 xmas do's as retired. One is free, mum paying for the other.
Always have packed lunch and am trying to stay out of coffee bars, but meet my friend once a week there for coffee
Entertainment am part of group which gets cheap or free tickets for concerts, plays, opera etc., so spend around £10 per month on those.
No money spare for the sales.
DEBT DESTRUCTION
I don't have a dfd but will have better idea this time next year!!!
Will do a SOA so I know where I am although use YNAB
EXTERMINATE
Reading posts for local fb selling sites, don't know why I do it!
Also limit my online game to the 5 games a day given free, I never spend on games.
CLEAR UP, CLEAN UP, TAKE CONTROL
Really need to get a grip on clearing and cleaning, will work out how I can achieve this. Need to stop dwelling on the past which would probably make me love me more it wasn't my fault.
Have started to take PROPER control of finances, saying no is a good start.
EXPLORE
Moved to this small town August 2016. Happy where I live and handy for bus routes and local shopping, but don't know the area yet. Will try new part each week.
MENTAL/PHYSICAL HEALTH
Neither particularly good. Have hospital apt tomorrow and will address one issue. Mental due to the past rearing it's ugly head, trying to get to grips with it
BUDGET EVERYTHING
Will record all spends in December in little notebook. Will also batch cook/bake, menu plan and buy to suit. Have family next weekend, haven't planned anything yet.
EVALUATE 2017
Had two good holidays, second without my caring roles, much needed. Have committed to same 2018 again with friends not caring roles. Good for the soul not alas for the bank balance.
Things getting done at last after dodgy but recommended builder made a ....sup of the jobs, which cost extra to rectify.
Good friends helped out in garden
Didn't add to debt, just stood still.
Happy being here
REMEMBER
Food bank and Dogs Trust


Have tried to take control yesterday, Sunday, and applied for 0% finance, balance transfers. If they go through money management will be easier. Cancelled d/d's and s/o's for charity lotteries, English Heritage-will keep National Trust as I use it a lot when visiting eldest dd in the Midlands-a family history site and a magazine subscription due to end soon. Just keeping my sponsor a guide dog puppy until Sept 2018 and will then cancel that one.


Looooong post, but it has made me feel better about things and now it is on paper I can see how it looks.




Hugs DottyD

Dottydaisy

Forgot my gratitudes
1 The lovely birds visiting my feeding station
2 My youngest dd mental health improving
3 Our dogs making me laugh
4 The flowers still blooming in the front garden, including my favourite 'pinks', my gran always had them in her garden-happy memories

laurenh1

Hi all

Today should be NSD #3. Hoping to stay out the shops until Fri.

Bad habit- Doing ok at not dwelling on negative thoughts

31 items- Will look for something to clear out later

Explore & something that makes me happy - going to wonder through town later looking at the xmas lights with my boys.

Budget- the same; 147 in acc, 10 my brother owes me & 10 in my purse until 23rd with money for Christmas food & edinburgh already put away.

Remember- considering a donation of fuel to food banks for heating instead of food


Wil do gratitudes later

dolly84

Morning all.

I hope to not be spending any money today. I have some ebay sales to post so may do that today (still waiting for one to pay) but that isn't really my money. Five things decluttered plus a bag full of DS's xbox games that is going to the charity shop, these are the ones he can't trade in or re-sell.

I have been cycling this morning and will dog walk this afternoon and run this evening, I need to make a cottage pie for tea, make bread rolls for lunch boxes, sort out laundry, vacuum, clean bathroom and do some paid work.

DebtFreeDuo

We have been taken down by a sickness bug, I will try to keep track and will be back soon to update on my December so far.

f0xh0les

DEBT DESTRUCTION
Started the year with mortgage of 114,881 now it is 108,800 going down slowly
Daily interest was £6.05 now £5.77

EXTERMINATE
Still no fakebook. 4/10

CLEAR UP, CLEAN UP, TAKE CONTROL
Changed all the beds and laundered.
Menus planned with what I have in
Did not go YS shopping yesterday as I felt poo. Also, I do not really need anything for the next few days. It was hard not to go anyway.

EXPLORE
Keeping close to home as still feel like I am coming down with a cold.

Mental Health
Mine is fine, but I have something to ask .
If you or a relative has a child at university in a houseshare, can you advise them to get and to keep a note of the home phone number of their housemates parents. When I was a student, you had a landline, and once a week or for so your housemates parents would call and if anything was wrong (like you were really, really, worried about them) there was a point of contact.
If they are in halls and someone raises a concern then something can be done. Someone can be sent round to check on them, but if they are not in halls and the housemates are concerned but have no way to contact the parents, then there is a real problem.
The University has a duty of confidentially so can't give out contact details or contact parents .
This is a really difficult time for some students, So if you have a student, check up on them and also, make sure they have contact details for their housemates or at least an email address.
Hopefully they will never ever need to use them. But if you are picking up your student soon, please take this opportunity.
Sorry if I sound preachy. But if i can save someone from a 'why didn't ' someone tell me ???' scenario, then I will risk it.

Budget - like a pro!

EVALUATE 2017
Stuff got done. Not as much as I wanted, but still less to do than when we started.
REMEMBER
Did some computer stuff for housebound step-gran that she cannot do. Another of her contemporaries died last night. So checking up on her daily with made up excuses.

Gratitudes :
That I know what my kids are up to.
That we have nothing to complain about.
Washing machines and tumble dryers
Clean sheets

thriftylass

Hello,

I fell a bit off the wagon in November and stopped posting but then have been super organised and pretty much finished the majority of Christmas shopping. Homemade gifts and cards are also well on track. But I got a few night outs etc planned and other things that won't fit with the challenge this month.

I also signed up for two races (one with work as a team building thingy) and one by myself (including a few days by myself like last year in Aug) to have sth to look fwd to and motivate me.

Another motivation to join back in properly next year is that our mortgage deal will be up, we want to start overpaying and decided to extent rather than move - MSE head needed for all those.

So I will just cheerlead from the side this month while taking some rules on board (exterminate, clear up, etc) and fully join you again in January.

All the best for December, Turtles