Ongoing Journey to being a Frugalista..

brizzlegirl

Just flicked back to my first post in this diary. And thought I’d also do an update of the bank accounts:

S&S ISA: £10,200
Emergency Fund: £250 (aim is to get this to £20k)
Repairs: £0 and needs to be £1k really and maybe £3k when we need a new boiler which will probably be in next few years
Splurge Account: £275

And the debts are being worked on. Life could be much much worse.

Feeling positive and even did some pegging out this morning - yippee :j

Seasidegal58

Things are really going well so far for you this year brizzle. Well done - keep up the momentum!:j

beanielou

All good Brizzle
How much left on the debts?

Sun_Addict

All sounding very positive Brizzle. Sounds like a good balance of everything. Fab :j

brizzlegirl

Hi lovely Lou :hello: hows you?

Thousands. It’s really rubbish so they just have to go. Let’s put it this way, more than the ISA Stopping freelancing is the best thing in the long run but it proved an expensive turnaround for us.

Thanks SA and SSG..it does feel good. I am determined and certainly not a conflict avoider and for those who know me in RL, that usually gets me steamrollering through :rotfl: May break a few eggs but the omelette gets made..

Just been to a concert with OH. Great music and tickets were paid for months ago. Despite the rain we cycled so high virtue points!! One cider each whilst we were there and free ear plugs Cheap night - £8.40 - need more of those :j

Have a good weekend all xx

jwil

You are doing so well Brizzle :T

XSpender

Great progress brizzle.

I would be interested to hear what kind of things you have done to go hard on your debt. Are you still saving or have you put that on hold until you clear the debt?

brizzlegirl

Thanks jwil. How's it going with you?

Hi XS - this time round its been using YNAB for everything and cutting back on additional spends, particularly around groceries. We are using mainly whats in the larder, freezer etc and using up all leftovers. Pretty much what we do anyway in terms of cooking from fresh but really pushing hard on it now.

We are also paying across large sums to the CC debts immediately we get paid, which focusses the mind. What else? We have sold stuff on the Bay, hosted a student for a week and both OH and I are working more hours for more pay. So a lot is increasing income and then making paying off debt an absolute priority even if it means I now have less than three figures in the bank account for the next 11 days. But we will cope, we have done since January and the 'hard route' seems to be breaking our habit of spending better than if we had a cushion. Oh well...you live and hopefully (finally) learn

xx

brizzlegirl

And in good news..a YNAB report for last month shows that we put 31% of our household income into savings (the ISA I noted above) and paying off debt. Not quite yet at 60% as needed by Mr Barefoot but we are getting back to that. Yippee!! :T very pleased :T

Have updated my signature and onwards and upwards

brizzlegirl

Morning all

Ouch. Cash flow problems so had to shuffle. But all will be paid back on Friday so just hanging on. No spends anticipated this weekend..going to friends this evening and fitness class but already paid for. Having a money date night :rotfl: on Monday too - OH has already done his homework as set by the lovely Tanja Hester in her book

This should give us a boost. We are turning the corner, we just need to keep at it and I need to ignore tempting offers for city breaks. I also badly want some more sweatshirts but will have to wait. I only have one, very appropriately for IWD, it’s a Feminist one from Top Shop - it will have to remain my only one but that’s a definite first world problem - I am seriously not complaining.... and if OH and I work together it will feel like a joint problem (and dare I say it it could be a wonderful adventure towards FIRE) rather than something that I solely own and slog through..

Having one of our DDs go off for the first time for an extended period is definitely putting things into perspective, as is a new job for both of us. We have more income than ever pretty much so need to use it well. I will be 50 soon as well and I refuse to be anything other than debt free by then!!

Have a wonderful weekend all

X