Aligning the Stars

Starmummy

I've been here before *eyeroll* and it didn't work very well but here we go again. :rotfl:


I am thinking that I want to do a 6 week spending ban. I have a few things to return this week and a new pair of glasses to pay for next week but I plan to spend nothing outside of DD, SO's and groceries between now and halloween.
I'm not doing it to necessarily save money but I just need to give my spending habits and bit of a shake up. I need to learn patience and the difference between want and need again. Especially popping to the supermarket in my lunch break- it soon adds up.
I'm going to try and stick to soup fruit and homemade baking over winter. Not only will it be cheaper but it will be nice to do some baking with Starchild on a Sunday.

I so desperately want to be debt free but I've allowed myself to get too comfortable with "only" having £10k debt. I've started living like I'm already debt free and that just isn't reality. I can't afford to treat SC to £50 dinners at Wagamamas. :eek: I can't afford to treat the office like a catwalk. I can't afford to have as many holidays next year as we had this year.

According to my spreadsheet i've spent £6k outside of bills and household costs this year. That's clothes, meals out, holidays, bits for SC, entering sports events, my new bike. £6k in 9 months works out as £667 a month, £153 a week, £22 a day :eek:

I don't need any new clothes, I need to budget nights out, I don't need expensive skincare or massages and spa days not with debt, not before I have my name on the deeds of a property.


So I'm swapping shopping websites for property !!!!!! to keep me motivated.
I'm going to organize my wardrobe to make mix up my outfits, I'm going to do a beauty product inventory and give myself facials at home instead.

Please wish me luck, I don't want to be this wasteful, mindless spender any more.

Take care

SM

DrSpendLittle

That all sounds really positive and decisive Starmummy!

This might be a bit controversial, but have you thought about just throwing your house deposit at the debt and getting it down to £5,025.37? If you find a further £25.38, you'd be in the £4Ks... I think I recall you saying that once you'd saved up enough to clear your debt, you'd do that...? I might be wrong.

The reason I mention it is that I get the sense from reading your last few posts that you're super frustrated with having the debt and wanting the 'post-debt' life before its due. I did exactly the same. I know how super frustrating it is when you're nearly there but oh so far away. I get it, I'm super impatient too. Learning to have patience with my finances was one of the nicest unintended consequences of my debt free journey. I wonder if you're trying to do too much all at the same time? The way forward for me was going back to scorched earth and throwing all my savings, minus about £500 for emergencies, at my debt. I paid off about £3K in one month. It felt great. It gave me the kick up the a*se I need to clear it once and for all. Different things work for different situations and personalities though.

I think you're doing really well and I just don't want you to beat yourself up like you seem to be doing!

Keep at it, and keep your end goals in mind. You'll get there.

Hugs xx

Starmummy

Thanks for your post and such kind words DrS.
I will be paying part of the 'house deposit' off the loan in the new year. The house deposit currently sits in 2 accounts. £2100 is in a regular saver with my account- I pay the max (£300) a month into this. It matures in February next year and I will pay the full £3600 plus interest off the loan. The other £2.5kish is in a LISA so I will be heavily penalised if i take this out. I pay £100 a month into this.
I think If I used all the savings to pay off the debt I'd feel like i'd gone through 2 years of debt busting with nothing to show- With the LISA I can see that I still have a contribution towards a house.

I may take on board what you are saying in part though as anything I have left after regular savings and debt payments I had been paying into a Marcus account- I think once I get that to £500 I will start over paying the loan with this money instead.
I have been stupidly budgeting including the child maintenance that I should receive. I need to budget without it as it is never paid on time if at all, it's currently 4 months overdue. Then when I do receive it it can go straight off the loan.

I just need to simplify it all. Honestly I want for nothing I really should appreciate where I am a bit more.

Starmummy

STEP 1 OF SPENDING BAN COMPLETE!!!!

I've removed all my banking details from Amazon!

Starmummy

STEP 2- is to unsubscribe to emails when I receive them from retailers trying to tempt me with their wares.

Suffolk_lass

Super frugal Christmas tips - I might be wrong but there is usually a thread on here. Personally I make things that are edible for adults - they usually have loads of stuff and so unless there is one thing I know about, something consumable (especially parents) - sweets have always been a choice for me - lots of simple fudge, tablet, truffle recipes. And small-sized Christmas cakes - I make three in small saucepans from one quantity of the recipe I use - and I bought some card-cake-boards and decorative boxes to put them in. Ideal for one or two people and it means they are not eating cake until Easter but have a bit to offer to visitors or have with a cup of tea.

I also wrapped all my gifts in brown paper with ribbon (florists) - so it was all recycle-able or reusable.

Food wise I bought a frozen free-range bird that was approx one third of the cost of the fresh one I normally buy (and nobody could tell the difference) and I bought a frozen crown for sandwiches and so it could be sliced thinly across the breast, not along it. My veg was a similar price - we used to also do a swoop on Christmas Eve to M&S in the two hours before they close - lots of slashed prices - especially on pre-prepared chilled buffet food.

Our advent calendar is reusable with little Xmas stockings for every day each with a foil wrapped chocolate, a piece of fruit, a chore (tidy your room, wash up with Mum, etc), a coin or tiny gift I know will be used in each pocket - so exciting for DS and very personal - places like The Range are great for these small pencil-case things. One note said "look in the dishwasher" where a small gift was wrapped - still a really small thing but the anticipation was very exciting for DS.

I mix cracking nuts with the premium chocolates we treat ourselves to (buying these when they are on offer from now on) and don't buy any tins of things we used to buy, getting the nuts in smallish bags rather than the premium cellophane covered basket. I also bought reduced Xmas puds as individual things from SM in January so that I can nuke one if anybody wants one (the following year - they all have 2-3 year BBDates).

I do send (and receive) lots of cards - many with people we no longer see but it is a way of staying in touch and sometimes a bit of news is important but costs time only to write and is an excellent alternative to gifts.

redmel1621

Hi Starmummy,

I am completely with you on the overspending recently. I've popped into my diary, but have been so off track it is untrue.
I already have a couple of trips booked for next year, so I am going to pay them off but WILL NOT book any more.

I love the idea of unsubscribing from all retailer type emails. I get loads lately. You sound very determined and I will be here cheering you on

Starmummy

I'm back after a rather exhausting and eventful weekend.

I took part in the White Cliffs Ragnar Relay. For those that don't know it's a 177 mile run from Sittingbourne all the way along the coast to Brighton. We did it as a team of 9 and completed it in 29 hours starting at 10am Saturday running all through the night and finishing yesterday afternoon.. No sleep and living in a Van was certainly a challenge but it's some of the best fun I've had in ages. It's amazing what people will do for free beer and pizza. :beer:

I was pretty organised and packed enough nutritious food to see me through the event but I did have to spend a couple of pounds on Coffee at mcdonalds at 3am and I need to settle everyone's share of Van hire and food. I also spent £35 on a pair of race branded jogging bottoms as I was much colder than I anticipated by 5 pm yesterday having been awake 36 hours and thoroughly exhausted. They were something I did need but probably could have waited to buy somewhere cheaper. I'm going to have to be very strict on the spending ban from today.

The weekend itself wasn't cheap it was £90 per person to enter but I paid that ages ago. It is something that gives me pleasure and pride so it is an area of my life that I don't mind spending money, if I can stop wasting money on other things then I can refocus it on areas such as this.

It's still another week until payday but only 4 days until SC's 10th birthday. Presents have been bought and party/day out paid for. All that's left to do is buy a cake ( I have zero time to bake it and £10 supermarket cake is cheaper than the amount I usually end up spending on ingredients) and arrange a birthday tea.
I hope you all have a good week. I'm desperately going to try not to fall asleep at my desk. :rotfl:

Starmummy

Well....I've managed to not spend any money this week- Personal or family wise.:money:
I do need to pop to the supermarket to buy SC a birthday cake and a few bits for dinners for the rest of the week.
Mr S has been given freedom with doing the food shop this month and surprise surprise we have already spent over £300. :mad:
This weekend will be fairly expensive- the birthday activity has been paid for but we need to pay for birthday dinner (we always go out to a restaurant-desperately trying to find a voucher for this) and lunch for SC and friends after the birthday activity.
I don't get paid until the last working day of the month and the joint account isn't topped up until the 1st of each month so this weekend will be a bit squeaky.

Still no child maintenance received- that's 4 months overdue now :mad: :mad: :mad:
I also still need to repay myself from the joint account- not looking likely this side of Christmas as we are away october half term so that's most of Octobers money accounted for and November and December will have to budget christmas. Not ideal. will need to sit down with Mr S and actually work out a joint account budget- we tend to just buy whatever is needed and hope for the best- not very MSE

Picked up my new glasses yesterday £340 odd spent on the Credit card but I WILL pay this back as soon as I am paid on Monday. The above issues mean my budget is a bit shot after the expense that is the summer.

I'm ready to hibernate now though. No social events coming up, no need to buy anything (need to keep an eye on the wants though) I'm also hoping the autumn food bill is cheaper, root veg is pretty much a staple and so cheap so lots of veggie shepherds pies with sweet potato mash and sausage and mash, poached haddock with mustard mash.....basically just mash with everything :rotfl: feeling hungry now

Starmummy

It's payday :j :j :j

The personal spending ban is going well. 10 days and nothing bought.
Turns out the answer is to just not go to any shops- who knew? :rotfl:

I've totted up the joint account spends and we spend £375 on groceries last month :eek: that's about £90 more than normal. Mr Star has been home all month and has also been helping with the shop. I was eating more due to training for a big event and we had birthday cake to buy. We are away half term this month so I'm going to try and budget £200.
In order to make this we need to get better at meal planning and Mr Star needs to get on board with that.

Star Child's birthday weekend was lovely. The day out was pre-paid but we did have to spend from the joint account for lunch out.
On Sunday Me and Mr Star went for a lovely long forest walk and took a yummy picnic- we need to do more of that at weekends. SC wasn't there so it gave us a good opportunity to clear the air over some issues. Just the usual being a grown up sucks and why do we never have any time for each other stuff.

I've gone through the costs for our trip at half term- flights are paid and some of the accommodation is too- we need to pay the balance on 2 nights (120 EUR) and we need to book something for the last night still.
We also have to work out how to get to the airport- I'm swaying towards meet and greet parking (£80) as the flight out is early.

It should be a really cheap trip (we are hiking part of the Fisherman's trail and then a couple of nights at a surf hostel) so just basic packed lunches and something simple for an evening meal. The bus to the start is 23EUR for the 3 of us and I need to book that this week.

I think I'll wait to see what expenses occur with this trip before repaying myself for our summer holiday from the joint account (£1000 ish owed). Also still no sign of any maintenance from SC's biological Dad. 4 months and counting and owing over £1500 (part of this was repaying some really old stuff that CSA had caught up with him for-he isn't even paying that part)

I'm really focusing on shopping from my wardrobe and spending nothing for as long as possible, I really want to be debt free ASAP and get my name on a joint mortgage.