Crunchy's Final Debt Free Diary!

crunch_time

It is overwhelming. But I have to accept that we chose to have a big holiday this year and that needs to be paid for. I'm just impatient - husband tells me this as well.

We sort of are focusing on one debt at a time at the moment. With our minimum payments - husband's £100 is focusing on the house stuff as I mentioned above and my £100 is focusing on the holidays from 2017 that we booked before we decided to panic move that summer as well.

The overdraft is what it is until September at least and my other two credit cards are just token payments. Any extra money we have is soon swallowed up by decorating the house or trying to keep children fed, clothed, educated and entertained.

We are done with house stuff now until after the holiday and focusing on getting fit for it. Both of us are working out at home. I'm going to have to invest in some bits for my working wardrobe this summer as I don't have much from not working last year. We will also need to buy some holiday bits.

I guess its the balance between all these goals that matter. For the next 17 weeks until our holiday we are aiming to spend as little as possible on anything other than paying off the holiday, investing in summer wardrobe bits and holiday stuff.

And I promise I shall focus on this and make a goal for what happens afterwards, when we get back.

Crunchy x

crunch_time

Morning all.

NSD yesterday!! Today we are going to the cinema but will not buy snacks there. We will prob have to buy a boots lunch too.

It looks like we are having a bbq tomorrow. I’ve done my fitness pal for a week now and lost 2 lbs so I steered the husband clear of a roast. Going to go for boba chicken.

Monday we are going to have a big sort out of the children’s bedrooms so should be another NSD then. And tomorrow I am proposing a dog walk with free parking.

NSDs and low calorie days are the way forward.

Roll on husbands pay day on Friday!!

Crunch x

Willowtree222

How was the NSD and low calorie days? Hope it worked out for you. xx

Seasidegal58

Yes - hope the NSDs and low cal days are on track. How did the children's clear-up go? Did you end up with anything you could put on ebay?


Have a good week!
x

crunch_time

Afternoon all

So far so good I have lost 6 lbs! I want to lose another 1lb a week until we go away. Had a little blip last week as it was my first time working more than 3 days a week in about 7 years and boy was I tired so resorted to a bottle of wine on Friday night - but it's out of my system now and Im so determined to shift this weight and stick to the money diet too.

I don't really have time anymore for ebay so give everything to charity. I stopped my charity contributions when I gave up work last year so this is my way of giving until I can start up regular contributions again.

Its another 5 week month so we shall probably be limping to the finish line again. Some food purchases ended up on credit cards last month and I am currently paying them off with overbudgeted childcare money when it is available. I should get a bumper pay packet in two weeks time as it will be my first for 4 days a week and will contain some money for days in April that I wouldnt have been paid for in April so it should even itself out then.

Husband and I have disappeared off the radar with socialising for the time being and not seeking out any time with friends. We are all about work and spending time with the small people. We are trying hard to not have any spends during the week and do minimal stuff at the weekend. Its hard, but necessary.

Issue with family member has made me rethink a LOT of stuff and weirdly a lot of my attitude to finances has come from this relationship historically. Im currently trying to unpick how I feel but I think I have been waaaaaaay to harsh on myself in the recent past.

So I'm feeling more like myself and a lot more free from the ideals that have constrained me. Sorry if thats all a bit cryptic - probably the most ill say other than I feel like I have created a persona for myself which isnt me and now I am breaking away from that which is releasing a lot of negative feelings and attitudes - including that about money.

Oh! We paid the £2300 off the holiday last night! And then put the remaining balance £2996 - on my credit card - to be paid off in 3 equal installments of £1000 each in the 3 months before we go.

Did I mention that I am still paying off Center Parcs from 2017? Ha ha! £400 to go on that one! So yes it is going to feel incredible to have paid off such an expensive holiday before we actually go!!

Crunch xx

Seasidegal58

All going in the right direction and here's to the new crunchy!:beer:
That's a great chunk off the holiday as well!:j
x

crunch_time

Morning all!

Payday today!!

£1000 off the holiday only £2000 to go.

Crunchy xx

Homegrown0

Excellent on the holiday payments! You're almost there

My holiday is paid off and the spending money is in the bank in advance FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. It's just covering the cost of new holiday clothes and other bits that we need that i'm trying to cover now.

I'm glad you're taking the time to work through the feelings you're having about the family issue. It sounds like it's making a positive difference to you, so keep going with it and be kind to yourself

crunch_time

Evening all!

Its been a few weeks since I last properly updated so here comes a long post.

The good things
- We have had a lovely month of May working hard during the week and then trying to be as frugal as possible at the weekends. I've lost half a stone so far and aiming for another 10 pounds by the time we go on holiday.
- There have been a few moments at school where I have worried that things were happening like they did in the past but I have strived to remain positive and I think I am making a positive impression. I only have a contract until the end of August and will hopefully be covering maternity leave from Sept onwards - at least 3 days a week. I shall know for definite in the coming weeks so then we will be able to make plans for next academic year.
- I feel like Im starting to have a more positive relationship with my debt. I know there is the saying 'debt is normal so be weid' but I felt like so far ive tried so hard to be weird and 'different' - escaping some things that Ive ended up in debt as I've been unhappy and trying to fix things if that makes sense. Husband and I are going to try and be normal for the time being. I feel grateful that I have the debt as it enabled me to do wonderful things and that I have the means to pay it off at a pace that I choose.

The bad things ( or just not so good things)
- Me working 4 days a week and husband being involved in the food shopping means that the food spends have gone way up. I think there is about £300 overbudgeted at the moment which is a lot but we can do something about. Husband gets paid on Friday, we have toiletries for the month already and I just did an order of cleaning stuff from the ethical superstore so it will just be food from Aldi on Saturday mornings and suck it up. Its because the husband has been doing the meal planning and he takes every recipe literally - once he planned a paella with fresh squid, prawns and mussels in and I was like er no. That will cost LOADS. Ha Ha! Ive realised that its just best that I deal with it. At least going to Aldi takes waaaaay less than sainsburys. My plan is £100 a week and whats left over goes on the excess. I also use spare childcare money to over pay this so will carry this on too.
- We need to do some privacy enhancing stuff in the garden that involves ready grown trees and wooden structures. We want to do it next summer so it has time to establish quickly and provide us a lovely garden. There was talk from the husband about paying people to do it (honestly 0 he found a garden designer and everything ha ha) but I have managed to talk him into doing it ourselves so long as we save up for it first. Right now the work looks like 3 phases. Phase 1 at current ball park estimation is going to cost about £5k!!!! I am not OK with this cost and want to explore other options that will do the same thing. The good news is we have agreed to save up for the cost next year. The bad news is that this will cost in the region of £600 a month and will mean we can't do anything else next year. Honestly, I sometimes question where his head is at. Phase 2 might cost a couplf of £1k and phase 3 would be about £500 jusy fyi.

The (potentially) ugly.
- potentially we are heading towards a lawsuit situation regarding our house. Without going into detail, something hasn't been done right so its not our fault but causing issues. important people are being contacted and facts are being gathered.

So a bit of a mixed bag going on at the moment. Im focusing on the positives and looking forward to the holiday

Crunchy x

-

Willowtree222

yay! excellent news about paying off the huge chunk of the holiday xx