Crunchy's Final Debt Free Diary!

crunch_time

Homegrown0 wrote: »

Any advice on that front? With my two, it's a hit or a miss whether they're happy to play themselves. In the school holidays, i often have my eldest (6) at home with me while i work and while i try to carve out time during the day to do something with him and always stop for lunch with him, he generally hangs about whingeing about not knowing what to do and just wants to default to TV/ tablet.

How are you going about it?

I think it was just a fluke the other day! They were back to their usual whinging and moaning yesterday! I've tried to do quiet time before. DS is more agreeable to it than DD. Its a bit hit and miss here too!!

crunch_time

Morning all

Husbands payday is here! He got paid an extra £169 for expenses so i have paid it off his credit card getting it down to £8611. I have to wait until the 1st of March before I pay off the £100 minimum so it will go down a bit more too. It feels like drops in the ocean as that card is so massive but I trying to look at it as little pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.

I also paid off the £10 for wriggle room in the food budget. So there are no more food-related expenses on the credit card anymore from 2017!! The breakdown is as follows:

Holidays from 2017 - £800
Mattress - £740
Mortgage valuation - £418
Course fees from 2018 - £910

Total - £2868

I really want those holidays gone. It feels weird saving up for the massive one with these still hanging over our heads. If I use my monthly savings money of £100 a month along with the min payment of £100 I will pay them off in 4 months so end of June. Then we can revert back to £10 a month of the mattress and £20-£30 a month off the mortgage valuation. The actual min payment is £85 a month so paying off £800 in 4 months will bring it down more. I would then just pay the minimum payment for a few months until after the summer when I would aim to pay the course fees off as soon as possible.

Holiday is now up to £1350. I have left the extra £100 there in husbands account for the time being.

Its great to be in the £16,xxx at the moment. Maybe just maybe we will get into the £15,xxx by April!

Crunch xx

Homegrown0

Sounds like positive progress all round for you I bet you're glad to see the back of those '17 food spends! One more portion ticked off the list.

Well done on getting into the 16ks too - it's a nice boost dropping down a bracket. I generally pay enough to drop down a bracket every month or every other month (depending) and this month, I'm about £100 off dropping to the next bracket...totally in a huff about it!

Hope you have a good weekend!

Willowtree222

That's great that you are dropping a bracket. You are right to look at it as pieces of the jigsaw.

I cut out little 1% cards and every time I pay off 1% of debt, I transfer it to a new pot. x

crunch_time

Afternoon everyone

I have come on here to say goodbye to you all. After a long talk with the husband today I have realised that updating my diary is no longer serving me at all. I’m thinking too much about it and feel pressure to pay off the debt quicker than I really want to. I do t really know why this is but I think guilt comes into it somewhere.

We got into some debt over the last 18 months because of a series of decisions we made. Although I feel I’m about these, obsessing over overpaying and giving myself deadlines to pay it off is punishing me. I’m not giving myself reason to go overspending but the balanced way is calling me and that just means not obsessing over it and getting on with it.

The lesson I have learned this time is that life is for living and I would rather not take up my time on here and would rather spend it doing other things. Although I love when people comment on here, I’m bored of my own ‘voice’ typing the same things over and over again.

We are ok with paying off the min payments until after the holiday and then seeing where we are and if we like to up this amount then we will or not. Doesn’t matter.

I would like to say a huge thank you for those of you who have commented on all my diaries over the years. In 4 years we managed to get ourselves mega organised to be where we are right now and that’s enough for me.

Life does t start when you are debt free. It starts now. I am accepting myself debt and all and I am embracing the credit cards that enabled me to do what I have done these last 2 years.

Good luck everyone out there who is debt busting. It is hard but it is worth it.

Goodbye!!

Crunchy xx

Willowtree222

Take care Crunchy xx

Homegrown0

Sorry to hear that crunch but it sounds like you need to bow out for your own sanity. I wish you well!

Honeysucklelou2

Just found your diary in the last few weeks, so sorry to read your post above. Wanted to wish you all the best when your working hours increase after Easter.

remote_control

Good luck! Come back and post in a year or two so we know how it is all going.

Seasidegal58

I'm so sorry to hear that you have decided to end your diary crunchy, but it sounds like it wasn't helping you and stressing you out in the end. As you say, there are other things that you can do with your time that will serve you better and are more enjoyable.

As remote_control posts though, please do come back at some stage in the future and let us know how you are getting along.
All the very best to you and your family (+dog too!).:beer:
SSG xxx