Say No to Credit Cards Diary

[Deleted User]

Well done, SNTCC! That's so much progress in just a month! You're doing incredibly well.

LearningtoAdult

Well done lovely, just sat and read through your diary and you've done so well in such a short space of time. You've really motivated me to have a crack at selling some stuff on ebay tonight!

wishingthemortgaheaway

Woooohooo what a month.... just think what money making treasures that loft contains.

GlendaSugarbean

You really are doing a brilliant job! Well done on the grocery shopping especially. I can't believe how much we usually waste on food shopping...

Say_No_to_Credit_Cards

Hi Everybody,

What an amazing day it is. I have two days holidays booked for today and tomorrow. I have done hell and all today up to now.

First job this morning was to do all the back garden then I have sorted out the shed. Some stuff to go to the tip and some for the car boot sale. Then I have done the drive and the front garden. So I have a boot full of junk to go to the tip in a little while.

At lunch time I had a look at the credit card I do not have a balance on and they were offering 0% until July 2020. It did have a 1.9% fee. So I had a look at one of my cards that I knew the 0% deal was going to come to an end soon it tuned out it was July 2018. So I have transferred the balance over. The 1.9% fee would have come to roughly the same as one months interest. So it was a no brainer to do it.

Moguline - Thank you for dropping by. This diary is keeping me motivated so much. I really have never been as organised and up for anything like I am at the moment. How are things going with you?

LearningtoA - Thank you for reading my waffle over the past few weeks. If I can do this anybody can. I think the issue with ebay is actually starting listing stuff. Once you have a few sales and you see all this stuff you don't really want going out the door it just motivates you to do more. I hope your ebay is going ok.

wishingthe - Thanks for dropping in. I know what you mean about the loft. With having two days off work I was going to start it today. However, with the weather being so hot I could not of stayed in the loft for a long time as it is so hot in there. So that idea went on the back burner until we get a cooler day.

GlendaSugar - Thank you for calling in and reading my waffle. Shopping is a very strange one. I think you have to be organised and plan ahead to make the most of the food you do buy. It is so easy to waste a lot of food especially if you go shopping once a week, as I think everybody does over buy especially fresh food that goes off quite quickly.

I am off to the tip now to get rid of all the junk. My car is a quarter full so that will be fine until I fill it up after payday which is tomorrow.

I have checked my bank and I still have a whopping £38.75 in my account. Which is great considering I have not used a Credit Card all month again. Bring it on July, I cannot wait for the challenge.

Take care everybody

[Deleted User]

Another excellent day, SNTCC! All going well here, thanks.

Gemsy81

Amazing progress SNTCC! You are inspiring me to nail the groceries budget this month. I was just one shop off being in budget for the first time ever before falling at the final hurdle! As Saturday will be my final NSD of the month, and then I have a food shop planned for Sunday, I am going to take some time to really meal plan well on Saturday. My struggle is making sure everyone feels 'satisfied'....my OH has both a huge appetite (as does my LO actually), and a very sweet tooth. I already buy no sweets/biscuits etc as he would just demolish them, but I'd love to come up with some things I could batch prepare, and then surprise him with over the month. His parents struggled massively to the point when they would often be short of food when he was a child, so I think its a psychological thing, that he feels he has to have a full fridge at all times!

Say_No_to_Credit_Cards

Morning everybody,

I had not realised I did not post on here yesterday, but think I can be forgiven as I did have a very busy day.

Got paid yesterday which was fantastic. I had £28.56 in my bank before my salary had gone in, so it was needed. So new monthly goals.

Petrol budget £60 - I have a little left from last months allowance so this can be done again
Food £240 - I am going to do the same as last month and put £240 in a tin in the kitchen as this has worked really well. I had £2.55 left from the June budge so it can be done.

Credit Cards - As I said before I have moved some of the balances around which has given me 24 months interest free credit, which is a life saver. This morning I have took a look at all the cards and one of them CC1 has £1300 on it that the promotional rate ends at the end of July.

So my aim in July is to clear as much of this as possible so I do not pay any interest. When I have had a look at the cards I have done the balance transfers on they have taken the transfer as the months payment and it clearly says nothing is due in July as a result. So I am thinking of not paying the minimum payment on these and just paying what I would have paid onto CC1 to pay off the £1300. Then all extra payments will also go off CC1. This will save me about £35 in interest per month as a rough calculation.

So another month without using the Credit Cards, on to month 3 now.

Moguline - Thank you for dropping in, it is good to hear all is well in your world.

Gemsy81 - Thanks for dropping in. I always feel the food budget is a strange one because everybody is different from what they eat, the time you have to purchase the food and the time we have to make it. I think you just need to experiment and just see what fits into your work. I have been giving my lot jelly and ice cream as a desert. The jelly is the sugar free one and it 45p for two in B&M, put a little ice cream with it and everybody has had a pudding and it did not cost that much. I think it just fills the gap and is better than going no we have not got anything.

I am going to do like you this week and really plan what I buy this week because I have a feeling July is going to be a long month were food is concerned. My son is off Uni so will be eating me out of house and home, plus some of the stuff I have been using has been stockpiled from my buy, buy, buy days. So like you this month is going to be a challenge.

Just because you are cutting back does not mean the fridge needs to be empty. I think if it was me I would cook some nice good homemade food with a little cheap pudding so your OH is comfortable with it and mostly importantly he is reassured that the food situation in the house is ok. I just had a thought could you not do a little nutritional information digging and find the foods that keep you fuller for longer and try and incorporate those into your diet. For example my lot always used to eat all different sugar cereals that cost a fortune and in ten minutes you are looking for snacks. Now we all eat either porridge or overnight oats. This is so much cheaper than the c**p cereals and we have all stopped snacking in a morning because I can honestly say I am not hungry after eating it till lunch time.

I cannot believe the amount of waffle today, sorry, but that is me.

I am off now to do all and sundry again today, life is getting so much better being organised is the key to sorting your life out without Credit Cards in them.

Take care everybody

[Deleted User]

Ah that's excellent about the balance transfers! Wish my debt was interest free!
And to don't need to apologise for "waffling"! We all enjoy your posts. Plus, it's your diary, so you can do what you like!

Gemsy81

Great news about the balance transfers, it really does help.

The good thing in our house, is that we are real breakfast people, so we do tend to eat eggs on toast with bacon or something for breakfast. I try and avoid the snacking on anything that is not fruit. Booze we have had a big cull of...thats a massive expense (although not something I can blame this month on). OH has a thing for chutneys, jams, pickles etc etc. He could honestly spend the entire budget on it I swear. I'm also quite picky about meat quality, so I think I do really need to become a lot more savvy about what will fill us up.