D - 16 Months

Money_mess

Yesterday was a NSD. Today will be another NSD.
Need to counteract all the shopping at the beginning of the week Even though the money was budgeted for that purpose it leaves me nervous - I HATE to spend so much right after payday.
I'm sure Christmas will be lovely, but I just can't wait for January if I'm honest. Christmas in debt is so stressful, especially a big amount of debt like 19k it makes me feel bad for spending anything. I know its like wishing life away which is awful, I just want to make a bigger impact.
Not sure what we will do this weekend, I have an afternoon out booked that will probably cosy around £25 bit I will budget £30 out of our entertainment pot just to be on the safe side.
We will prob do a national trust day which will be free with our cards but they might be charging for a Xmas trail so that will cost.
We also mag go to the cinema, however I've done a kids pass trial, 30 days for £1 and you can get 40% off cinema tickets. so that will help.
Also need to do the food shop. I think I will go out last on Friday night. we aren't hosting so I'm certainly not expecting to spend much more than usual.

Money_mess

I've tried to post a few times recently but been logged out before I've pressed post , third times a charm?!

Still here. Still Money saving. Stuck to budget over Christmas but it's still making me feel sick, will definitely be cutting down more next year, as well as saving up and spreading the cost.
I spent £900 this year on the 6 of us plus two sets of parents and some token teacher gifts. Next year I will save up £65 into a separate account which will give me £790 for next Christmas. Hopefully being able to get bargains throughout the year will help and I need to buy my kids less, there was a few gifts I can easily say didn't need to be under the tree.
Every year we learn I guess.

Current situation :
£19,813 in debt.
This time last year my debt was 8k+ higher so I'm really happy with our progress.
lightbulb moment Feb 18 - I started tracking with my trusty spreadsheet. since then I have cleared £7,183.13.
So I think I've made huge progress in 2018.
It's 15 days to payday. There are some bills waiting to go out but money is waiting in the account.
My fridge/freezer and cupboards are full. Don't need to shop again until Sunday 6th at least.
Have £50 in my housekeeping account.
Have £8.48 in my purse.
It is definitely doable.
from the 6th it works out £6.49 per day which is more than enough. So will just take a bit of work.

Money_mess

2019.

Have been thinking about next year.
I have a few targets.

1. To be under 10k in debt by New year's eve 2019.
I am really hoping to exceed this- but for now I'm being realistic.
2. To save up for Christmas and my car repairs In a separate account.
3. To save a £1000 emergency fund
4. To get my grocery bill down to £500 per month. This is a LOT of money and I have been regularly exceeding it by at least £100 in 2018. For two adults, 4 children, 4 taking packed lunches (OH takes leftovers), One Gluten free.
It works out £125 per week and I thought perhaps I could do £110 on weekly shop and perhaps £15 on stocks when I see bargains?! needs more thought.

This is pretty much it. My goals are mainly financial though I have a personal goal of reading more, to take my mind away from the constant thinking about money I do. I am also due to start some voluntary work which I know will help my general happiness levels.

I'm also planning on 3 super frugal months in the year.
I'm thinking January, June and September. So after Christmas and before and after the Summer holidays which should be the easiest times of year to do it.
My idea for these months are
* don't spend on anything non essential
* only do free activities or heavily discounted things - I.e we could go to the cinema using OHs work rewards scheme that gets us £5 tickets - and the cost would come out of our entertainment budget. But we wouldn't go to the cinema full price.
* No buying clothes, books or random things I see.
*no takeaways.

Basically a month where I try extra hard to be frugal knowing that the month following I could relax a little. On these months I will make our budgets for entertainment for example smaller.

Money_mess

I've been reading the zero waste thread on Old style and also read an article about a woman who only bought second hand for the whole year.
I'm pretty good at buying second hand and I get a lot of hand me downs for my children but I think I will try extra hard with this. It will hopefully in turn save me money. I appreciate I will have to buy some things new, I'm thinking I will record all purchases in my journal. Then I can see as I'm going along what I'm managing to pre loved, what has had to be new, what was in necessary..
I've got very good at recording the amounts I.spend in my spreadsheet but they just go in their respective categories, I think if I record each individual spend I my journal it will give clarity. I feel very strongly about wasting things and love the idea of a more simple life so i think is a fun challenge to try. So from tomorrow I will try and get any purchase I need second hand or th3 cheapest way possible if it's unavoidable to buy new. I will also keep a spending diary in my journal so I can see where I'm up to. I will be looking at ways to reduce our waste.
I think it's important for me to find some challenges that distract me from how all consuming the debt busting can be, as it gets so depressing, so I'm hoping this will help.

Money_mess

Been a week since I last posted- no real reason other than not having much to say!
7 days to payday. So in that lull where bills are out and payments all done, and to be honest we are finding things quite tight as we spent too much at Christmas.
Have decided to go veggie as much as possible so will be a full veggie week now in order to save money.
Tonight I'm making chickpea and sweet corn burgers with homemade chips and broccoli. I've some Leek and potato soup for lunch for me and the kids.
They go back to school tomorrow.
I'm feeling very regretful about the Christmas spending. I know I spent a lot less than I have in the past and that most people I know spend on their children but it was around £100 each child and added up to a total of £900 on Christmas all in and I think it's just ridiculous.
I can see at least 3 presents each that my kids got that we could have missed out and they wouldn't have bat an eyelid. My Dh thinks we spent the right amount and got a good number of presents but it's made me feel uncomfortable as well as left us struggling in the last week so .....
Can't be undone but can make better choices in the future.

Been 're assesing our financial targets for 2019.
I think I was ambitious with the amount I want to pay if our debt as My DH getting a bonus is not a given. so I'm going to declare
*pay off £10000 in 2019.
This is much more doable than 14k and will take us to around 8k in 2020.
If I can get it down more it will be a bonus.
Obviously this is likely to push our debt free date of March 2020 back a little but I still think we have and are doing tremendously well. We have cleared nearly 10k from this time last year and that's no short change. The impatience to get it gone takes over at times but I need to be realistic as we still have lives to live and children to bring up.

I'm keeping my spending diary and so far this year I have spent only on school shoes for one son and a water bottle for school. This is keeping things in perspective for me that I'm not being ridiculous with money Im just spending where I have to.

This next week will be damage limitation until payday and then can start my new 2019 budget. I have a new spreadsheet all set up. I've wracked my brains to make sure I account for everything so I'm hopeful next month will go according to plan.
I'm still planning for it to be a frugal January with spends only on necessities and possibly one cheap cinema trip as a treat towards the end of the month.

Money_mess

Current situation.
4 days until payday.
£23 in cash.
Money in the bank to pay the milk bill on Monday.
Not much else!
I hate getting to the end of the Month on edge like this and I'm determined it will not happen again in 2019. I do know we are at this point in January due to me not being strong enough regarding Christmas. I knew I could have spent less but caved, my OH particularly wanted to spend more and I got wrapped up in it all.
Along with not budgeting correctly for other pots it's left us in this situation at the end of January.

I've done and 're done our January budget and I think I'm finally happy. It may change slightly as I'm not sure how much OH will get in overtime but it will only mean a bit extra off the debts or in the pots.
I think I'm finally accounting for everything, it means what feels like hundred of 'pots' but it will help.
As well as all the bills I've budgeted for
mine and OH spends
OH travel
Petrol
Groceries
Household supplies (cleaning etc)
Toiletries
Presents
Clothing
Christmas
Car (mot service and tax)
insurances (life and car and contents)
holidays (not much as just doing two v small uk trips for kids birthdays - one night and an attraction)
Christmas
entertainment
treats (small budget for odd bottle of wine or chocolate etc)
health (opticians, dentist and prescriptions)
moving costs (we have to move to a new rented house in spring)
Kids school costs (trips etc)

I think I've listed everything as not got my spreadsheet open atm

I just really hope I can let the pots build a little before raiding them!

Debts levels un changed still at £19, 820.88.
I don't think we will get under 19k until end of Feb. But I'm confident we will pay off the 10k this year if we can stick to the budgets and be strong. This is why I've decided to budget for EVERYTHING and be realistic. I dont want to find us short again.

Money_mess

Still here still plodding along.
Have paid off £541.89 in January taking our totals debt down to £19268.49

I'm really pleased with this.
I have paid off one creditor totally so am now down to 11 creditors.

In February we will be down to 9 creditors and be under 19k. closer to 18k as long as no spanners are thrown into the works!

I feel like I've really got control over my budget this month. pay day is still 2 weeks away but we are managing, not at all wondering how we will get the food shopping etc. So it's all going well.
A good start.
I've committed to only shopping twice a week and staying out of the shops at weekend and that's helped massively.

I just keep thinking its pne more year. 2 at a push. and it will all be over.

Money_mess

Morning.

Still plodding on.
Not much progress since last post - once you've made the oaynebts you've made then I guess!
down to 19,220.
I'm feeling like it's a hell of a lot of money left to pay atm.
I know it's end of month feelings, as it's 2 days until payday and new financial month starting. So I'm feeling like we haven't made any progress for a while.
Next month will see us reduce debt by a further £800 and also pay the balance of a cheap uk holiday we have booked for may. We are going in term time to keep costs down and we have to have something to look forward to and enjoy with our kids while they are young.
So I know we are very lucky and it's all going in the right direction but sometimes I look at that outstanding balance and feel very overwhelmed by it.

I've been reading some other diaries and think I will try a weekly budget to see if it helps to feel more like every week is the same and stop these end of month blues.
I think I'll just split each category into 4, and see how that goes.

Our budget works really well really as it is, I just wonder if I can make my own feelings about the way we live, better, by doing it slightly

Money_mess

Good morning.

Payday do update time.

Debt total is £18,613.96

paid off £1,196.42 since January
and £8,380.55 since my true lightbulb moment which happens to be exactly a year ago!

I know at it's highest our debt was close to 30k so we have brought it down LOTS since then. But I had a few flickers before the lightbulb shone bright enough to kick me 100% into gear.

I'm really pleased with these figures. Sometimes the debt situation really gets me down but we have both turned a corner in that when we get down about it we don't then go and spend loads of money and ruin our progress like we have in the past.

We are doing well with the budget. we've managed to bring our grocery bill down Significantly. I've just renewed car insurance saving almost £400 per year.
I'm finding when school trips or necessary purchases come up then I'm not having to panic. that's a big change.
last year we paid for all birthdays, a summer holiday and Christmas without credit.
So I really feel we have turned a corner.

We got some great news that OHs bonus will be paid this year. We have to arrange how we will use this but I think most will go towards moving house (we already have some savings for this and the move is non negotiable it really as to happen for many reasons). Hopefully as we have some savings already we can use some of the bonus towards debt and perhaps some for the EF. yes also due a lot of overtime pay next month. so things are definitely looking up.
It's also warmed up which means less heating to.use and hopefully the start of pegging out - the TD costs so much to use but we get a real damp problem plus huge lack of space so have to use it daily half the year.

We have a UK bread for Springtime. all paid for.
I know We could forgo this, I've uhmmed and ahhhed so much but we have kids and I think as long as we are sensible then it's ok.

I still know we have mountains to climb really. We are down to ten creditors. by mid March it will be 8 and then hopefully can use some of the bonus to clear another which will be £350 at that point and the smallest remaining debt.
after that the remaining 7 have much higher totals but the plan is to tackle the overdrafts first.

Money_mess

Debt total is 18544.29
won't be making any more payments now until the 15th.
have repaid £1266.09 on 2019.
have repaid £8450.22 in total since LBM.

We should be able to lower the debt by around 900 in March. So will reach another milestone of being under 17k.
Still seems like a massive amount.

Working on my budget. Halved my car insurance cost. Got rid of Netflix and Amazon prime. lowered my gas direct debit as was in credit. same with electric plus actually using less now.

I think I need to budget bigger amounts for certain things for building up 'pots ' as got rubbish at that again. But so desperate to be debt free.

ah I don't know

down to 10 creditors.
2 due to be cleared in March.

atm
Barclaycard £294 (will pay off on 15th)
Tesco CC £125.66 (will pay off on 15th)

Then will concentrate on
Overdraft £697.
followed by
Housing benefit overpayment owed ££375 (should be around £300 when I get to.this as £25 per month atm.and then I should be able to clear the 300 in one go)

I'm snowballing smallest balance first as we are mostly 0 interest due to defaults. The overdraft is higher than HB but I want it gone first.

after that the ones left outstanding have higher balances but there will be less to deal with.