Tidying up the mess

BabyStepper · 27 March 2020 at 7:58AM

There is so much going on right now, it's hard to know where to start.

enthusiasticsaver - I also hope the recovery is a good one, and I'm glad to hear you don't need to access those investments right now. I'm staying positive and believing that time will fix things, it usually does.

And in the biggest news of my life so far, I am debt free!! As of today!! WOO HOO HOO!!!!! (How I miss the jumping for joy emoji! I'd have it all over this post if it still existed!) 2 large invoices have been paid early and I just made the final payment, it is the strangest feeling! It has been 2 long years of hard work and sacrifice, 2 VERY LONG years, but for anyone who is wondering if it's worth it, YES IT IS!!! We were planning to celebrate with a nice meal, but given this lockdown situation that won't be happening. There is no way to spend any money at the moment so the celebration will need to wait. But wow, the relief!

I'd been wondering whether we should stockpile the cash instead of paying off the card, just because of the current situation, but really, no debt is better. And just as well, because although I can work from home, when the businesses you work for are not trading then they don't need me either. My work will be dwindling over the next couple of weeks as I finish things off and then I'm left with around £300 per month (I think, hope, unless something happens to that too). I was very glad for the announcement yesterday that self-employed people will get 80% of their wage as a grant. Unfortunately they are using my tax return from my first year of business, roughly £10k less than I am making now, so it won't be as much but really ANYTHING is a help. And without the debt to service we can live on OH's wages. So we will manage, we have to, because debt is not an option any more.

All our plans about how to manage the money have now been thrown out the window. We will not have the surplus we usually have, this was the last month of full payment, the end of April will be smaller, then smaller still in May. But there will be a payment in June from the government, however much that will be, who knows. Importantly, we can manage and are solvent.

If this had happened just over 2 years ago, I wouldn't even have known how much we needed to be solvent, or even why being solvent was important. Spend less than you get, so simple, so important.

I really feel for those families who have fallen through the cracks in all the help that is being dished out. There must be so many people who are worried sick about how they will survive. I expect these boards will get filled up with people who fell on hard times because of the virus, I really want to stick around to try and help them.

I am planning to start a mortgage free wannabe diary but I'm going to wait until this crisis is over, work can resume and things go back to normal. In the meantime, nothing is going to steal my glory today, it's a great day to be debt free! I would also like to thank all you amazing, wonderful people who helped me get here, who stuck with me through anxiety, meltdowns, mortgage panic, figuring out how to budget, and all the other things along the way. You're the best. Really.

I hope everyone is staying home and staying well.

Drawingaline · 27 March 2020 at 8:03AM

Fantastic news! 🎉🎉👏🎊

[Deleted User] · 27 March 2020 at 8:56AM

Congratulations!! I’m so, so, pleased for you, this is the best news to read this morning! Hope you find some way to toast your success, even if it’s not quite as you originally intended. You deserve it, you’ve worked so hard to get here, totally been an inspiration for me to keep going over the last year. Well done.

hugglemonster · 27 March 2020 at 9:45AM

Just popping on to say congratulations and well done on all the hard work! I hope the next few months aren't too bad and you stay well x

H x

BabyStepper · 27 March 2020 at 10:06AM

Thanks Drawingaline, BlackCoffee and hugglemonster.

I didn't imagine there would be all this going on in the world at my debt free date...hope you are all well too.xx

ChasingSunshine · 27 March 2020 at 10:17AM

Congratulations!!! Well done, I’m so happy that all your hard work has been worth it.

BabyStepper · 27 March 2020 at 10:19AM

Thank you, ChasingSunshine!

in_need_of_direction · 27 March 2020 at 10:26AM

Amazingly well done and thanks for sharing. It’s exactly what people need to hear

savingholmes · 27 March 2020 at 10:38AM

Congrats - I am so thrilled for you! I think you are also a living example of why it is so important to be debt free. I really wish I wasn't as in debt as we are currently that's for sure!