My journey to a debt free life

Onebrokelady

foxgloves wrote: »

Good luck with the tap, OBL. Wish I could lend you mr f, as despite being built like a brick privy (in a nice way), he is getting quite good at getting under our kitchen sink & spannering our pesky mixer tap. If there were any local courses teaching people how to do the safer more basic household maintenance tasks, I'd be very tempted to go along. Years ago, at my old house, I called a plumber out for a badly blocked loo. I'd tried the usual remedies such as kettles of boiling water, bleach, but no use so phoned for professional assistance. Plumber arrived. Took one look, went out to his van, came in with a big toilet plunger, stuck it down the loo & did two plunges. Blockage gone. Cost to myself? A £40 call-out charge plus the 'first hour' of his labour (which was 4 minutes). I have a little sink plunger, but had no idea that big ones for blocked loos were even a thing.
I went along to our local old-fashioned hardware shop the next day & asked if the had one. They did. It cost £3. I still have it. I shan't make that mistake again!
F x

I too wish I could borrow Mr F I really love being single but when it comes to needing muscle I just don't cut it :rotfl:

Onebrokelady

Happy first day of spring everyone🎉🌲💐🌞
I am going to do the spare room today but first I'm having breakfast and a cup of tea,I didn't wake up until 9.30 so have had a slow start :rotfl:

I've got to go into the loft first to put away DDs book case,she no longer wants it in her room but wanted to keep it for when she moves out and gets her own place,we took it apart and I am going to lay it on the joists in the loft,I have to do this before I start on the spare room because it's in the way,the single bed is also being dismantled and put in the loft so that can rest on top of the book case,it's just a pine frame and some slats so there isn't much to it really, I'm not sure what to do about the mattress yet though,I'm tempted to get rid of it and buy a new one when the time comes to use the bed again but there's nothing wrong with it so I could just keep it,but that would mean leaning it against the wall in the room somewhere and I'm not keen on doing that,I don't think I can persuade it to go through the loft hatch:rotfl:

MrsLottie

I see what you mean about the mattress but you will need it again probably when your grandson grows out of the cot .If it’s stacked against the wall at least you can’t pile things on it .Like you though I like to find a neat solution for everything - would it lie flat under yours or daughters bed ?

Onebrokelady

MrsLottie wrote: »

I see what you mean about the mattress but you will need it again probably when your grandson grows out of the cot .If it’s stacked against the wall at least you can’t pile things on it .Like you though I like to find a neat solution for everything - would it lie flat under yours or daughters bed ?

I've propped it up against the wall for now,it's not in the way at the moment so I will think about it for a bit,I'm not sure I will need it for DGS because I don't often have him overnight,I will be having the new baby next April when DD1 goes back to work but won't be having DGS because he will be able to go to nursery more by then,I will have him in the holidays but he probably won't need a nap by then,I also have a blow up mattress in the loft so could always use that on the rare occasion that he might stay over

I'm keeping the bed more for when the grandchildren are older and I can actually use the spare room again for guests rather than as a baby room,I'm also thinking of using it to offer overnight accommodation to student nurses who are on placement at work,some of them come quite a way and stay in hotels or nurses accommodation which is a bit grim,I could earn a bit of money from that empty room

Onebrokelady

Finally escaped from the spare room,all the bits that are meant to be in the loft are in the loft,the drawers from the landing are now in the spare room and look very nice in there behind the door and the dogs bed is now where the drawers used to be so I won't keep tripping over it in the night,I got rid of loads of stuff today and have a large bag for the charity shop but there is still some stuff in that room
DGSs toys are in there in a large plastic box and I still have the vinyl flooring for the bathroom propped up in there,I must get on with the painting then I can lay the floor and that will be another thing gone

It's nice and tidy in there now though and now the bed has gone I've got nowhere to chuck things I'm not sure what to do with,I've also sorted out another bag full of books that I'm going to take to the charity shop,my upstairs landing looks lovely and empty now the drawers have gone,it does need paining though and of course new carpets ,I have the paint for this job but will have to save up for the carpet
The main bonus is I can now put the travel cot up in the spare room when DGS comes over rather than in my room which is much better

I'm shattered now though so I'm jut having a quick cup of tea before I take the dog out

HairyHandofDartmoor

Well done, what an amazing job you'd done on the spare room :T. You must be feeling really pleased with yourself .

Onebrokelady

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Well done, what an amazing job you'd done on the spare room :T. You must be feeling really pleased with yourself .

Thanks Hairy,I am pleased that the spare room is finally sorted and that my landing is completely clear and tidy,the only problem now is that all the crap from the spare room is downstairs :rotfl:
Can't wait to get to the charity shop :j

Lifeisforliving19

Well done on sorting the spare room and what a great idea to maybe offer it out as accommodation to nurses , a definite money earner. :T

DF2019

I have been where you are & I want to add this to give you hope! Others may have said the same thing but these things do work - it worked for me. A year or so ago I was on paper, over 25k in debt. Long story short, I have always has debts, since teens, been terrible with money even tho always earnt a fair amount. My credit rating has always been poor as did not have my priorities straight, I missed payments, but always ended up paying stuff back eventually - as was earning. But then a few years (now 7 years) ago for the first time in my life I broke up with my then partner, lost my job, my earnings plummeted, and I needed credit to get me through. I rook out terrible loans, sky high interest. My confidence was really low and I couldnt face working in my sector for a while. Loans defaulted, things spiralled, got stressed, hid from the phone calls, felt awful/ shame. But. I realised after a while that I needed to get on top of things. So I got created an excel spreadsheet and listed each of the debts with the amount owed. I then found out how much I owed, using templates on this site. Asked for the original contract details i was due. Realised being in debt was something I could take control of, that didn't need to feel ashamed or embaressed to talk to the people on the end of the phone. I used the snowballing technique to motivate me, paying off the smallest debts first and ticking them off one by one, where I could just paying off the balance and keeping making payments monthly to others. I kept a diary, a log of when each debt would be paid off. I am now debt free and it is the weirdest feeling - to no longer have this weight. If some of your debts have defaulted or are old and you can not afford the full payments you can negotiate to pay a percentage. Or have the interest wiped. I really wish you the best of luck and keep going - the day WILL come when you will be debt free.

Onebrokelady

DF2019 wrote: »

I have been where you are & I want to add this to give you hope! Others may have said the same thing but these things do work - it worked for me. A year or so ago I was on paper, over 25k in debt. Long story short, I have always has debts, since teens, been terrible with money even tho always earnt a fair amount. My credit rating has always been poor as did not have my priorities straight, I missed payments, but always ended up paying stuff back eventually - as was earning. But then a few years (now 7 years) ago for the first time in my life I broke up with my then partner, lost my job, my earnings plummeted, and I needed credit to get me through. I rook out terrible loans, sky high interest. My confidence was really low and I couldnt face working in my sector for a while. Loans defaulted, things spiralled, got stressed, hid from the phone calls, felt awful/ shame. But. I realised after a while that I needed to get on top of things. So I got created an excel spreadsheet and listed each of the debts with the amount owed. I then found out how much I owed, using templates on this site. Asked for the original contract details i was due. Realised being in debt was something I could take control of, that didn't need to feel ashamed or embaressed to talk to the people on the end of the phone. I used the snowballing technique to motivate me, paying off the smallest debts first and ticking them off one by one, where I could just paying off the balance and keeping making payments monthly to others. I kept a diary, a log of when each debt would be paid off. I am now debt free and it is the weirdest feeling - to no longer have this weight. If some of your debts have defaulted or are old and you can not afford the full payments you can negotiate to pay a percentage. Or have the interest wiped. I really wish you the best of luck and keep going - the day WILL come when you will be debt free.

Thanks for your posting congratulations on becoming debt free,it must be an amazing feeling,I'm getting there slowly