Single, six kids and going to be debt free!

Tropically

How did you get into debt in the first place? I think that you can clear your debt by next New Year, but also think that a international trip to Disney for 7 doesn't accord well with DFW. Everyone deserves to enjoy their life but those things certainly add up.

Mumoffourkids

Thanks for commenting Tropically. Part of my debt goes back to when I was married and when we split up, we halved the debt. I also had the kids and the expenses that go with having kids. So my ex husband managed to clear his debts, whilst I struggled. In addition they are partly from when I was with my ex partner who was awful with money. We agreed on an amount he was to give me each week and I covered everything. His money that was left was his to do with what he wanted. And I wasn't left with anything!

All that changed when we split up. I now have more money than I have ever had. I have budgets for everything and I don't just spend money for the sake of it. Partly this is because I have started a diary on here and partly because I am so competitive and I want to see how much I can save from my weekly budgets for food, petrol and general, so I am not spending any money.

I love spreadsheets so I have got a detailed spreadsheet until December 2018 which details all money in and out. In theory I should actually be debt free in October 2018 and that is while still living a little. It is also with a low estimate of an extra £100 per month either earned or saved. In January my extra was £364 and February it was £627. in March so far it is £234 so I fully expect this to increase by the end of the month.

After this holiday at New Year I am going to go back to cheap holidays in UK each year as my focus will be to save a deposit for my own house. I am very determined when I want to be!

Tropically

So sounds like it's not from lavish holidays It is definitely very impressive to have cleared so much so quickly. I love a good spreadsheet too! Good luck with your journey.

Drawingaline

I am beyond useless with spreadsheets. Shame hubby isn't more interested in budgeting as he loves them :rotfl: so I am happy to pay the (lower cost as I got it over a year ago) for ynab (I have a line in there saving £20 for all subs, ynab, Amazon, Xbox etc) because spreadsheets are the devil to me! I have to do one for my boss showing my hours worked etc. My hubby helped me for the first few months until we had the mother of all rows (we don't argue much at all lol!) And he told me he ouldnt help me any more. So each month I sit down and it takes me over an hour of swearing and tears to even manage that :mad:

I am super jealous of your Disney trip. Can I ask where you are planning on staying? Pm me if need be. We are off to Paris next month but not doing Disney, but would love to manage it at some point.

Drawingaline

Oh and you understand then who are useless with money! I had more money than ever when my husband was unemployed lol! We had less money, but I had all of it so could prioritise debt, where as he would never have done that. Obviously he had some money, but being out of work for a year has actually worked wonders for his money awareness. If I hadn't have stepped up (ok, I was also working two jobs but hey!) With serious budgeting we would never have been able to pay all the bills and mortgage, let alone paying off debt.

Mumoffourkids

Drawingaline wrote: »

I am beyond useless with spreadsheets. Shame hubby isn't more interested in budgeting as he loves them :rotfl: so I am happy to pay the (lower cost as I got it over a year ago) for ynab (I have a line in there saving £20 for all subs, ynab, Amazon, Xbox etc) because spreadsheets are the devil to me! I have to do one for my boss showing my hours worked etc. My hubby helped me for the first few months until we had the mother of all rows (we don't argue much at all lol!) And he told me he ouldnt help me any more. So each month I sit down and it takes me over an hour of swearing and tears to even manage that :mad:

I am super jealous of your Disney trip. Can I ask where you are planning on staying? Pm me if need be. We are off to Paris next month but not doing Disney, but would love to manage it at some point.

See I fixed my old laptop and found that had the old version of YNAB on it which has been fully paid for. So I could use that but that would mean using the old laptop which the kids are using at the moment. I do love a spreadsheet though and I do love messing around to see what would happen if I saved a certain amount or if I saved a different amount. That is funny though that your husband won't help you anymore with your spreadsheet.

We are staying at the Explorers Hotel. It looks amazing and I think we might have a day at the hotel on one of the days. I am so looking forward to it as we have never done anything like this before. Just got to save up for it now!

Drawingaline wrote: »

Oh and you understand then who are useless with money! I had more money than ever when my husband was unemployed lol! We had less money, but I had all of it so could prioritise debt, where as he would never have done that. Obviously he had some money, but being out of work for a year has actually worked wonders for his money awareness. If I hadn't have stepped up (ok, I was also working two jobs but hey!) With serious budgeting we would never have been able to pay all the bills and mortgage, let alone paying off debt.

I know what you mean. My ex is absolutely useless with money. I have access to his online banking details so I transfer out the money for my youngest each friday when he gets paid! I feel like sitting him down and doing him a budget as he is always running out of money and borrowing from people. Thing is he earns good money and should be able to survive quite easily!

Mumoffourkids

Tropically wrote: »

So sounds like it's not from lavish holidays It is definitely very impressive to have cleared so much so quickly. I love a good spreadsheet too! Good luck with your journey.

No definitely not from lavish holidays. The last time we went abroad was when we actually lived in France. Before that, the last time I actually went on holiday abroad was 13 years ago. The last three years we have been to Cornwall twice and Devon once. All booked on a cheap deal or camping.

This will definitely be a one off trip but is something we will never forget. Next New Year we will go back to going down the rugby club and spending about £50 max for all of us!

Thank you for your wishes. I am definitely going to be debt free before I go away at New Year and will have everything saved up to pay for this holiday before we go away. I have updated my savings goals spreadsheet to include this holiday and will start saving asap for it.

Mumoffourkids

So Saturday morning and although I didn't get much more done yesterday afternoon I did do a few bits. I think I am definitely more productive in the mornings :rotfl:

• Get DD3 to school for 8.15 as she has a cross country competition Done
• Take car seats to local charity Done
• Clear small freezer and defrost Cleared out and turned off yesterday, will check today how it is doing
• Do Shopping order on Ocado
• Do tip run
• Phone school re DD2
• Phone gym re membership Done
• List ten items on ebay/FB Listed five items on ebay yesterday, got to list five more today to keep things going
• Check banks and update spreadsheet Done for today
• Check work emails Done
• Look at wedding quote
• Change my sheets Done
• Washing mountain Will need to do school shirts today and school clothes
• Take kids to their dads Not happening because of the snow!
• Take girls to rugby Not sure whether this will be on tomorrow
• Clean bathrooms
• Sort out black toy boxes

So today I have already been to the gym this morning and I will go tomorrow morning first thing as well. Next I am going to and help the middle girls to sort out their room and I will list some more bits on ebay I think. I really want to do a tip run today as well.

Mumoffourkids

So update on the list

• Get DD3 to school for 8.15 as she has a cross country competition Done
• Take car seats to local charity Done
• Clear small freezer and defrost Cleared out and turned off yesterday, will check today how it is doing
• Do Shopping order on Ocado Done
• Do tip run
• Phone school re DD2
• Phone gym re membership Done
• List ten items on ebay/FB Listed five items on ebay yesterday, got to list five more today to keep things going
• Check banks and update spreadsheet Done for today
• Check work emails Done
• Look at wedding quote
• Change my sheets Done
• Washing mountain Will need to do school shirts today and school clothes
• Take kids to their dads Not happening because of the snow!
• Take girls to rugby Not sure whether this will be on tomorrow
• Clean bathrooms
• Sort out black toy boxes Done and this was a big job, but have made more room for more toys to be tidied away. Got two more toy boxes to sort out downstairs and that will be all the toys downstairs sorted

The girls have tidied their room, there are a couple of bits I want to sort with them and then their room is done. My son also tidied his room. Am slowly getting more and more tired though!

Spendless

Just caught up. Hope your DS is ok.

I think I can tell you're an accountant, you seem to love numbers.

The holiday sounds exciting - perfect idea when you have a different age range, they will all find something to enjoy.

A few years back my friend booked a Florida disney hol for her family. She couldn't afford that and big Xmas presents for her 3 kids as well, so she didn't tell them and at Christmas they opened mostly 'stocking filler' gifts and then each one had a small velvet drawstring bag and an old fashioned ticket inside it printed with the wording on each '<child's name> you are going to Disney' and the dates. I think she got the bags and tickets from etsy or pinterest. Her kids were 13, 11 and 7 the Christmas they received them, to go away the following August and they all loved it, both the present that told them and the hol.