My debt-free plan - £35,236.02...

[Deleted User]

Great progress, well done!

Yes, eBay and also Shpock and Facebook marketplace are great for kids clothes bundles!

BeBopTalulah

Week 2 - Day 1

The first half of my 'expensive weekend' has gone brilliantly. Had a great time last night and when we split the bill it came to £40 each. Which leaves me a fiver to get eggs and milk today. Haven't even touched our entertainment budget. I was also able to use my loyalty card for the restaurant chain we were at, and the entire bill came to nearly £300. I was the only one with a points card (I did ask, it's only polite..:laugh:). That's £30 to spend the next time I go That would not have brought me anywhere near as much joy pre-LBM as it did last night!


Compiling a list of good freezer meals to make when we come back from our trip. I really need suggestions please...

PurpleFairy26

Hi bebop glad you wee able to stay on budget the other night. Well done on starting your journey. Just a couple of things from me:
Have you calculated how much capital gains tax will be due on any sale of a second property, just before you allocate all your profit back to debt
Have you looked at NCT nearly new sales near you for clothes for your small, really good value and no postage like fleabay

With regard to meals:
Look over on the old style money saving board on here but a few to start you off...
Spag Bol
Lasagne
Curry
Enchiladas
Sausage casserole
Chilli (meat or veggie)


Good luck on your journey.

Working_Mum

Hey BeBop - you have cancelled your charitable donations for the time being, which is a sensible things to do. Have you considered supporting in other ways:-

* food bank contribution, sanitary protection or food will be gratefully received - a few quid saved from your food budget can be put to good use
* donate your used ink cartridges to a charity for them to sell
* try clicking each day (on all of the tabs) on https://greatergood.com/thanks/ - it is free, you spend a few seconds each day and their partners give cash!
* donate what you can to charity shops rather than eb4ying it or ziffit etc
* round down your coppers in your purse and put in a tin to donate when it is full - you don't miss the coppers but it does add up.
* donate home made tray bake or something to a local charity gala
* support local events at your Church Hall - I do this and love it, my local church is very active - they do a jumble/table top sale and you can get a coffee and a slice of home made cake for £1 - I always buy something from my social budget and it keeps things local!
* donate Co-Op points, Sainsbury's rewards or Tesco vouchers to charitable cuases

You have made a great start and you are noticing the chnages in your thinking which is brilliant!!

I am glad you navigated the night out ok!

For food ideas check out th Old Style Forum "Love food hate waste"

BeBopTalulah

Week 2 - Day 2


Busy day today. Have to pack for our trip tomorrow, make a picnic and snacks for the journey and return the house to 'default'. That is, tidy and clean up as I hate coming home to a dirty house...

I reduced overdraft 1 by £260 this morning, which is £10 more than planned. It feels good, but it'll take a few days to show in my account. Thanks to Moguline for the suggestion of reducing it bit by bit. You're absolutely right, the money is paid and can't lie around tempting me.

Unfortunately our car is at the garage at the moment....:( We noticed an unnerving squeaky noise and wanted it checked before our mammoth drive tomorrow. They've suggested that it's brakes. We have lifetime free brake pads at Kwik-fit, but if it's the discs it's going to cost us, and I will have no option but to put it on a card :doh: Praying it's nothing serious.

Hey BeBop - you have cancelled your charitable donations for the time being, which is a sensible things to do. Have you considered supporting in other ways

I was listening to a radio programme the other day talking about how a lot of women can't afford sanitary items. I did think then that I would donate some to the food bank bin the next time I'm at Tesco. We also have 2 large boxes of Pampers that don't fit DS that I was planning to hand in to our local Women's Aid. I tried to do so about 6 months ago but it was so hard to speak to anyone. I'm going to add this to the list and get them a home.

Thanks for the advice PurpleFairy

I have factored in tax in the sale of my flat, although I haven't done an accurate calculation. It's not going to be a huge amount as I am a basic tax payer.

I kitted DS out from eBay last night. 3 pairs of trousers, 5 t-shirts and 2 pairs of shorts for £22, all good quality and condition. I've deducted this from my 'Other' envelope when I withdrew cash this morning. I'm feeling so good about this. I'm a total penny-pincher and I love it!

I also made a big batch of chicken korma with veg and rice and froze them in individual portions in our new chest freezer. I had chicken from our bulk order and a rather sad jar of korma paste in the fridge. It had about a tbsp. taken out to use weeks ago and was past it's BB date. That would have been straight in the bin pre-LBM, but there was not a single thing wrong with it.

When we get back from our trip I will make a big pot of chilli and spag. bol. Our butcher does a good deal on bulk-buy mince, so I'll make spag. bol. then add some spices and beans and I'll have chilli too! Great idea, thanks.

Enjoy the sun folks!

Week 2 Plan

-Stay within the budget in our cash envelopes on our trip away
-List some bundles of unwanted books on selling groups Tick!
-Contact the bank and reduce my overdraft by £250 Tick! £260 gone
-Make a list of what we need for DS for the next 6 months or so, and have a good look round the charity shops (haven't made a budget for this as I have no idea how much this will cost) Tick! All done, £22 in all.

[Deleted User]

Wow, that is excellent progress, you are doing so well!
Great prices for the clothes from eBay too!
I bet it felt good reducing the overdraft.

BeBopTalulah

Week 2 - Day 5


I haven't posted in a few days as we are on our staycation and have been super busy! And hot...

We had a 6 hour drive, and packed sandwiches, fruit and snacks. It was a NSD :cool: I'm very proud of us, because we make this trip a couple of times a year and would usually spend £20-30 at services without a thought. The food isn't even that nice....

We did go clothes shopping yesterday, but used the cash in our envelopes, haven't touched the bank account. The car was ok too. The brake discs had slipped and were making a squeaking sound, but Kwik-Fit fixed them and didn't charge us. Highly recommend them!

Went to a country park this morning and didn't spend a penny. The only change we made really was to avoid the caf! and gift shop. Went home for drinks in the garden instead of spending £10-20 on cola and cake at the park. Didn't feel deprived at all, as I would have expected to. I actually felt empowered and a bit smug...no idea why, the cake looked good :laugh:

Planning a night out with DH at the weekend, but still have more than enough Clubcard vouchers, so only paying for drinks. Still haven't spent any of our £150 Entertainment budget. I think I need to tweak the numbers slightly, as this is excessive for us. Should be able to stick that straight into debt at the end of the month.

Haven't done much planning since we've been away, so my weekly tasks may need to roll over into next week. Hope you are all enjoying the heatwave! :T

NelliePie

I'm glad you're having fun without spending - proving to yourself and others it can be done! Try to remember that empowered feeling next time you hit a hurdle or have a down day. You're doing great, keep going!

BeBopTalulah

Week 3 - Day 1


It's week 3 officially, but I've now been trying to save money for more than a month, but it feels a lot longer. We're quite comfortable with the idea now.

We went out for dinner last night to Pizza Express. Cost us a grand total of £5.40 with clubcard vouchers. Also went to the cinema, which cost 50p for both of us as we also used clubcard vouchers and DH has another month left of the Cineworld membership he's just cancelled. We bought some sweets at Tesco and parked out of town so that was free too. We spent less than £10 on a night out, which I think is really good.

As suggested on here, I also popped into the phone shop to see if I could do anything about my £42 a month mobile bill... After paying off my device plan, which was £120, my bill is now £15 on a sim-only deal. The £120 was definitely an unexpected expense, BUT over 6 months it will actually be £30 cheaper than if I'd left it as it was (this will come out of our massive 'entertainment' budget this month). My phone is also paid for, and I'm not the kind of person who needs to upgrade when the latest model comes out. That's it until my phone dies. DH will need more convincing to change his contract unfortunately, but I've saved us some money so that's something.

We're heading home overnight tonight to avoid the heat, so just packing some snacks and drinks. Our family are very generous, and as a result we have only spent what we had in our weekly cash envelopes (for groceries we didn't need to buy). So despite a holiday, and £120 to pay off my iPhone we are still very much on budget.

I'm looking forward to the end of this month, when I can evaluate our budget properly and actually see what we have left. There is money in the bank at the moment and all seems to be well, but I don't think I'll see the difference until we get to the end of our first full fiscal month! To complicate matters slightly, I'm in the middle of changing jobs, and some of my overtime hours are being paid weekly for the next few weeks until my new salary starts....so it's a bit blurry here :undecided:

Week 2 Plan

-Stay within the budget in our cash envelopes on our trip away Tick!
-List some bundles of unwanted books on selling groups Tick!
-Contact the bank and reduce my overdraft by £250 Tick! £260 gone
-Make a list of what we need for DS for the next 6 months or so, and have a good look round the charity shops (haven't made a budget for this as I have no idea how much this will cost) Tick! All done, £22 in all.
-Reduce mobile phone bill Tick!

Kitten868

Hello! You're making a flying start. Well done you and having a investment property to sell! Old pre debt you was very kind to future you. I would crack on and get it on the market now before autumn hits. Not that I know my stuff but I think March - August is the key time to sell.
An idea - have you looked at the flex direct? That overdraft is free for a year and you would get £100 to switch if you get recommended. So it'd be reduced £100 and free.
You will get more selling books on fb if you can get a buyer but webuybooks are doing a 10% bonus this weekend. They take cds and dvds too. I used nappy boxes to post mine.
As for saving for little one- child benefit is to pay for baby not give to baby! Some people put it by for Christmas which is very clever as they just have it go straight to a saving accoint and forget about it. I spend mine - I need to. Don't feel bad.
Keep up the good work x