Time to Start Again....Again

FiftyQuid

Hello Debt Free Wannabe folk. It's been a while...I used to be here some years ago under a different name but I'll keep that seperate as a lot has happened since then!

I've called myself FiftyQuid because that's what I am down to in my savings account - which I know is more than some people have (been there!) so I'm grateful to have that.

But there's always more to the story than meets the eye. I've spent a lot of savings on various things after my husband left me suddenly this year. Some of the spends completely necessary and some probably not. I'm trying to move and have been for the best part of a year but the chains keep breaking. I'm trying to move closer to work and to a smaller house.

As of the last few weeks things have got worse and the money has just slipped away and here I am down to £50 in savings and I'm going to be overdrawn every month now till Christmas at least. My overdraft is free to £250 and I have an arrangement for more than that so I won't be hit with silly charges so that's a bonus. But it's still money I owe isn't it?

There will be no Christmas for me which is fine really, I don't have children and I am not close to my family so Christmas always freaks me out annually anyway. I can't bear all the false adverts with the happy families - yuck! (Sorry to be a Grinch!)

Anyway I had another lightbulb moment yesterday as I got ready for bed. Just realising that if I don't get a handle on this, it'll spiral out of control so quickly. It's happened before and can so easily happen again.

I know there are people on here a lot worse off than me - I was one of those people before. I guess I am starting this diary to try and record small victories and keep my spirits up during a difficult emotional time.

My circumstances are as follows. I am paying the mortgage with some help from estranged hubby but I am picking up all the domestic bills. I have done the necessary to get on single person's council tax and got meters read for utilities and reduced monthly direct debits though.

I have two credit cards with small balances which do get paid off in full at the end of the month but I am using them to spread out payments for food, petrol and other bits and pieces.

I have a loan for my car which I need for work (I have a long daily commute which would be more expensive by train & bus the other end) and this runs for another four & half years. My car is small and relatively cheap to maintain.

So I am keeping the wolf from the door - but I don't really have any money left over after the bills are paid. As the saying goes there is a lot of month left at the end of the money. I feel like I'm teetering though.

I have cut right down on food. I am vegan and cook a lot from scratch and store portions in the freezer. I don't really have the energy for cooking at the end of the daily commute especially if there has been an accident on the road which delays me getting home even more. So I cook batches of easy things like chilli, a curry, soup or a casserole. Getting a bit sick of them but at least I eat 'sensible food' I guess meaning veggies and pulses/meat substitutes.. Once a week my "treat" quick food is oven chips, a veggie quarter pounder with sweetcorm or peas. Rock & roll eh? :rotfl:

There are areas I need to be careful about. I love charity shop shopping and if I am in town on the weekend I can't go by without popping in to see if I can grab a bargain. I am also a sucker for nice toiletries and tend to stock up when there are bargains even if I don't need the things right then. When you haven't got a lot of money, then it's foolish to look for bargains if you don't actually need them right there and then, right? And I don't know if anyone else does this but I often end up buying things from charity shops that I am sure look great in the changing room but a week later I think they look c**p! So I re-donate them. May as well have just put the money straight in their charity tin.

I have £1.70 in my purse right now and I have planned meals for today, tomorrow and Wednesday. Then I am down to a few random tins of a few things and some frozen veg and a few old onions, chillies (that might be off now) and some garlic.

I am feeling hungry now but don't really have anything to snack on except a bit of toast perhaps but then that will impact on the bread I have mapped out for lunches at work. I think I'll end up going to bed hungry but I have eaten a proper dinner (if a little smaller than usual) tonight so I'm hardly starving.

So...as I said...just writing this to kind of lift my spirits. I need to get back on the straight and narrow and whittle down the overdraft. I need to be careful literally with every penny and be inventive with my food. I need to keep myself occupied for free or as close to free is possible anyway.

I raise my glass to everyone on their journey. I've been there with the thousands of pounds in debt (more than my salary) and I can honestly say that when you owe anything with no idea how you're going to repay it, it's a worry. :beer:

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

FiftyQuid

Well, before I went to bed I had a few little cherry tomatoes I'd got from Lidl for packed lunches and also a satsuma which was from my week's lunches but I had to eat something, my tummy started to really grumble and actually started to hurt a bit. Then when I was lying in bed I remembered I had a big pot of oats and I could have made a bowl of porridge! I'll remember that this evening if the same happens again...

I got out of work early today and got home at a decent time and managed to be productive whilst dinner was cooking. Made my lunch for tomorrow...cleaned all the UPVC windowsills and door steps as I have a viewing tomorrow evening....remembered somewhere where I may have some useful change and found another 40p so I now have £2.10 in my purse. Also on the way home I needed to get petrol. I usually put £30 in but I put £25 in today as it will only make a day's difference and that means I have £5 to buy some useful bits to make some one pot dinners for the rest of the week. I also remembered I have some Nectar points I can redeem (about 8 x £2.50) so coupled with the above if I use one or two if them, I really should be sorted for another week.

Apart from the petrol which is essential, I have had a no spend day and yesterday was as well come to think of it - a proper no spend day yesterday. I need to get as many of those under my belt at the moment!

I've cleaned the kitchen after dinner so that will be all ready for tomorrow (just a quick wipe of counter after making breakfast in the morning) and the viewing and the rest of the house is clean & tidy.

It was a nice sunny day today where I was (hope it was for you too) so I got out for a half hour walk to stretch my legs and some fresh air...free exercise! I also needed the break for some thinking time.

I think tonight I will go to bed early and read a chapter or two and enjoy snuggling down. But before that a cup of tea and a meal plan & shopping list to make sure I buy the right things with my cash and nectar points!

Keeping going...

beanielou

Happy shiny new diary

SnuggleBuggles

Best of luck with your journey. I will follow your endeavours with interest. I know you will rise to the challenge! X

FiftyQuid

Oh dear. I did really well at Sainsburys today when it comes to the food side. But I saw one of their long tunic tops which go so well with work trousers and leggings and I bought that too. :eek:

I used four of my vouchers but the whole spend was still well over a tenner more than I planned. I think I have a problem when it comes to clothes:embarasse

So now here I am telling myself that I do really like and need the top as I am short on decent things for autumn and winter but I am also berating myself for not even going a week without buying an essential non food item.

However there is some good news...I got an offer on the house today! Probably going to accept but there was another viewing afterwards so I just need to see if they better the offer. So maybe tomorrow I will have sold? Hopefully they won't change their mind overnight? Really hope not.

When I got home I had dinner which was something I'd frozen a week or so ago and I made lunch for tomorrow. See I can go buy a top when I am not supposed to but the thought of paying for a lunch? No way!

Last night I did get a bit hungry again before bed so I made a small bowl of porridge with a handful of dried fruit and it really did the trick. I slept well (previous night I had woken up a few times with a rumbling tum) and woke up a bit before the alarm but didn't feel exhausted. I guess oats are a super food for slow releasing energy so it makes sense.

Oh going back to Sainsburys/nectar points.....something else today....I forgot to use a voucher I had for 300 extra nectar points if I spent >£15 so I queried on Nectar points Facebook messenger if I could take receipt back to Sainsburys to get them added on. They said it was at the store's discretion but if I sent a photo of the receipt with my card number and month of birth they would do it for me. So I have sent that off and it should be added tomorrow. :T Always good to ask right? AND I just looked at my Nectar points statement/account and realised I had extra 100 points to be added at next shop at Sainsburys and 5 x points on TU clothing so....maybe it's not all bad. I'll be able to use those points along with the extra 300 towards groceries if I get really stuck.

I hope to get the money estranged hubby pays towards mortgage next week so with the food this week I really hope to be sorted as I will make a couple of double meals.

Not much else to report - I booked my car in for its MOT next month just after one of the credit card statement dates flips over so that won't be due till the end of December. I hope by then I should know where I am with regards the house if the offer works out tomorrow. Wish me luck!

If anyone has any advice on how to surpress clothing urges....please do share!

beanielou

Good news on the house offer

beanielou

By the way I just dont look at the clothes now!

FiftyQuid

Thank you. I hope I haven't jinxed it by mentioning it. I've had so much poor luck this year so I don't want to get my hopes up. At least when the alarm goes off tomorrow I will want to get up & face the new day and see if the offer is still on the table. Oh and yes, clothes....just so much temptation always.

Scott-Weiland

Good luck on the journey.

One thing to note with your nectar points you can build them up and spend them on ebay, just I saw your clothing post. Its what I do build them up them use the points off something nice.

Plus spending on ebay you get more nectar points

FiftyQuid

Thanks Scott for the eBay tip. I hadn't thought of that so I'll keep that in mind.

FiftyQuid

Thursday night....nearly Friday. :T

Well...an offer was accepted today and I am told the buyer is seeing his solicitor on Monday. He owns some other houses around here (buy to let) and I hope that this all works out. I've suffered so many let downs this year that I don't want to get my hopes up too much.

Well I had a no spend day today :j I came home from work and made a double portion of a vegetable & chick pea curry and had some tonight with a couple of wholemeal wraps which were languishing in the freezer.

Got out for a walk at lunchtime with a friend I haven't seen for a while which was good...free exercise in some sunshine when I thought it was going to be raining. Bonus.

Not really much else to report really Trying to be good!