Spend less now, work less later...

EscapingTheAlarm

I’ve worked out that if we really stick to throwing all we can at our debts, we have a chance of clearing them this year! This would be amazing but would mean that things would have to be really tight to get there. I don’t think it would bother me but DH is going to struggle. He’s the first to admit that he isn’t really bothered about our debts as we can service them fairly easily at the moment and he’s only in on this goal because it’s what I want. He is doing really well most of the time but gets very frustrated because he feels like I’m always telling him that he can’t buy anything. Of course this is frustrating for me as well as I’m trying to make our lives easier in the long run and struggle to sympathise with his mindset... it can be tough at times to come to agreements that we’re both happy with! We will get there though and I know he will be as happy as me when we don’t have to worry about them anymore!

There are a few things that we need to be prepared to spend on this year which will impact our repayments so I’m trying to be prepared for them. I might even put them in a calendar so that I know when they’re coming. The biggest hindrance will be that DH has to give back his work laptop and iPad when he starts his new job in April. We can live without an iPad but we will need to replace the laptop We also have a few weekends away with friends and family planned. I am determined to get rid of this debt before we have babies though and so I really need to make sure that we’re staying on track!

camz2017

Catching up...

I would advise not using a work laptop for personal stuff anyway, I go out to organisations all the time and assess their backups and data recovery. Plenty of firms have mirror copies of work machines, in the event of any legal case they can use it. I have seen cases where they have suspected an employee of leaking data and because their personal emails are logged in, forensics will go and download all the emails, and process them offline for analysis. You don't really want to be mixing your personal life into a corporate environment too much - just my two cents. Everything you do on a corp machine is fair game for the employer to use.

It might be cheaper to get a new iPad, rather than a laptop, although if you have a smartphone e.g. iPhone or whatever, 99% of things can be done on mobile now. I'm considering selling my laptop and just using my mobile.

RE his friend spending £500 - £750 going out, everyone has entirely different priorities. What one person prioritises you may not, e.g. I prioritise what I eat and budget for that by foregoing other things, but others will just eat pasta and noodles and may prioritise drinking alcohol or buying fancy clothes.

I'm glad your car has free servicing, that's good news!

I'm all about being realistic, so I think target a realistic date for being debt free, because things will crop up. Your husbands attitude to debt frustrates me no end!! I feel for you!!

All the best

EscapingTheAlarm

Thanks Camz- we need to have a think about replacing the laptop. I had a look the other day and I didn’t realise they were as expensive as they are!! I do think we need one rather than an iPad though so DH is going to try and find a good deal before April.

I think DH is doing pretty well considering it’s not him driving the debt busting! I just told him that if my backdated pay comes through this month then we could have saved £4000 towards our debts by the end of the month which he really pleased with! He just doesn’t worry about it like I do.

In other news, I’m back to work tomorrow. I do actually enjoy my job so I don’t mind too much but I’m not looking forward to my alarm!!

elsien

You could try posting on the techie bit of the forum for a laptop. I got pointed at an Argos refurb from ebay which has been going strong a good few years now. Have a think about what specs you want, and what you need it to do, and someone might be able to find you at a good deal.

EscapingTheAlarm

That’s a great idea elsien! I’ll let DH choose one or two so that he gets a sense of choice but then I’ll post his ideas on there to see what people say. Thanks for the idea- I didn’t realise that that board existed!

EscapingTheAlarm

I've had a breakthrough with DH today! After another conversation about his car, he has agreed to pay off the existing finance on his car AND save up for a new one before swapping it!! This may seem like a no brainer to most people, but for DH it's massive! I'm really pleased, however, adding his car debt to our total brings the amount of debt we have to an eye watering £37,500!!! :eek: I am feeling really determined to get rid of it all and although DH isn't worried about it for his sake, he's gutted that he's made me feel so rubbish about the amount of debt we have so I do think that he will stick to the process the best that he can.
I know that his debt may seem like a lot for me to take on at the minute but what's important to remember is that he is completely prepared to support me financially when I either don't work or work part time when we have kids. This will be a huge repayment of what I'm doing for him now so I don't feel bitter at all. I really do hope we are able to have babies soon as I'm so desperate to be a mummy!

In other news, we got new batteries for our scales today and I am about 5 pounds more than I should be! I'm determined to make the most of still having pre-baby abs while I can so I really really need to be proactive about losing this. The trickiest bit for me is that I only really enjoy outdoor sports (mainly cycling and kayaking) which come with the added bonus of being out and about in the countryside while keeping me fit. January doesn't lend itself well to lovely countryside views so I need to think of another activity (other than walking my dogs) ASAP.

EscapingTheAlarm

I got confirmation today that my backdated pay will arrive in this month’s pay! Hooray! It should work out as just under £1000 so I’m aiming to put £2000 away next Friday! I can’t wait!!
The HR lady emailed me to tell me not to spend my rebate all at once and I felt like emailing her back with with details of my much less exciting plans for it but luckily for her, I resisted.

I’ve also decided to count my emergency fund as money that can go towards my debt. I know this may seem like a silly idea but while DH has 0% credit card, I think that it makes more sense to pay off debt which is charging me interest. I do always keep a £500 buffer in our joint account which I don’t count as real money so I won’t be leaving us without anything. This in mind, I should have £5000 put aside by next Friday which will go towards paying off my car! It’s making me really determined to keep going even though the list of things I want to spend my money on does seem to be growing...

This month’s budget is obviously pretty tight at this point but I just need to get through this weekend without over spending and I’ll be ok. We’ve got friends over to eat on Saturday night and I’ve got a baby shower on Sunday which needs a decent present but I should be fine if I’m careful.

My work mountain is already massive again so even though I enjoy my job, it is reminding me why I’m doing this!

Chrystal

You're doing brilliantly ETA, and getting rid of interest paying cards ASAP makes a lot of sense... assuming that you're paying more interest than you're getting with your savings (I remember when savings used to pay REAL interest!)

[Deleted User]

We were in a similar situation a few years ago. Having to move twice in 6 months did not help. I was offered a 0% cc moved a load onto it and then threw every penny I could to pay it off, at the same time I was overpaying on debt I could not move. It was difficult, but we did it and paid everything off last year. Watching the bank balance grow now is great!!

EscapingTheAlarm

Thanks both of you! I’m pleased that you agree about the card... it’s reassuring to know that I’m not the only one to think it’s a good idea!
Chrystal, thanks for telling me I’m doing well- it makes me feel even more determined!
Deleted_User, well done for paying off all of your debt! Did you work out how much interest you saved by switching?