Sort of debt-free but hope to be a super-scrimper in 2019

[Deleted User]

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

Sounds like a good plan. They usually give better offers if no realistic chance of getting loads more out of you so continuing with the token payment and stressing you are retired and now only have a pension may convince them to accept a lot lower than 65%.

Thank you:T. Yes, that's my conclusion too. Why would they consider a discount unless they're absolutely unlikely to get the full amount?


I've already played the OAP card with no joy from them:mad:. I also mentioned that they are currently receiving only £1 a month/£12 a year and it would take over 135 years for me to repay the full balance:rotfl:.

System

Your diary has become one of my favourite CBC , your writing is interesting . Have you done writing as part of a career. .

My Christmas tree is full of baubles from places we have visited , homemade ones etc. None of it matches but I just love it.

I am glad you are sticking out for full and finals , if you aren't in a rush then let them come back to you.

Your sitting/study room sounds very nice , is it cosy as I seem to remember your other half isn't fond of having the heating on. I can imagine you in your chair writing all your lovely posts.

Do you have any hobbies CBC ? I know you have a garden.

[Deleted User]

Cumbria_lass wrote: »

Your diary has become one of my favourite CBC , your writing is interesting . Have you done writing as part of a career. .

My Christmas tree is full of baubles from places we have visited , homemade ones etc. None of it matches but I just love it.

I am glad you are sticking out for full and finals , if you aren't in a rush then let them come back to you.

Your sitting/study room sounds very nice , is it cosy as I seem to remember your other half isn't fond of having the heating on. I can imagine you in your chair writing all your lovely posts.

Do you have any hobbies CBC ? I know you have a garden.

Sorry, Cumbria, I'm not ignoring you and will be back to reply to your lovely post. In the meantime I want to get on with the next riveting instalment of my plans for this super-scrimping year:rotfl:

[Deleted User]

I just had a PM from Badger awarding me my 10 year badge:j. Where does the time go though:eek:, that's what I'd like to know.


I've already written that I'm kick starting this year with a no-spend food challenge and am planning to use up whatever's in the fridge, freezers and cupboards. Going well so far but it's only been a week and our meals have been pretty normal so far. The fun will start when I'm down to the weird and wonderful items that I can't for the life of me remember the reason for buying in the first place. The magic words 'reduced' and 'special offer' might have something to do with it;).


My car is 17 years old and although still looking good (if retro:rotfl:) and still mechanically sound I'm realistic enough to know it can't go on for many more years before major, expensive bits start to need replacing. I live in a rural area where every journey involves a lot of mileage:(. My focus now I'm 'debt-neutral' is to build up a car fund as soon as I can because I'll be starting from scratch with my old friend being only worth scrap value by then. I plan to throw every penny I can at my car fund this year and buy absolutely nothing except what I can't manage without.


I saw a wonderful rhyme from the American Great Depression and I've adopted it as my mantra:

Use It Up,
Wear It Out,
Make It Do,
Or Do Without!




So far I've taken an inventory of all my toiletries, wearable clothes and shoes and think I might be able to get through the year without spending any money in any of these catagories.


I have 'funny' feet and have a massive problem finding shoes to fit, one foot being a whole shoe size bigger than the other:eek:. Once broken in, after a lot of time and blisters, I wear a pair of shoes to destruction. I just have one pair each of the essentials (wellies, winter boots, sandals, trainers, flats, comfortable higher heels). The sandals have seen many a summer and are the only ones that may need replacing.


I'll manage with the clothes. They all more or less fit. I lost a lot of weight when I was ill last year and everything hung on me but I'm feeling fine now and gradually putting it back on which I'm pleased about as I was looking haggard. My clothes are maybe not the latest fashion but are OK as I'm not out to impress anyone:rotfl:. I bought a fabulous black wool and cashmere coat at Oxfam last spring for £14 for my brother's funeral and even that made me feel like a spendthrift. It received many compliments on the day, it really is gorgeous. I hope it will see me through many winters as I wear a lot of black anyway. Some of my undies are looking a bit washed-out but the elastic, where needed, still has some stretch so they'll have to last too.


As for toiletries, I could start my own shop:o. I'm a sucker for multi-buy offers of things I use anyway so I already have a good stock of shampoo, conditioner, hair mousse, soap, talc, shower gel etc etc. All I'll probably need this year will be toothpaste and sunscreen. I'll definitely need more plasters if I have to replace my sandals though:(. I get neuralgia from time to time so will also need to stock up on painkillers. Next time I'm seeing my GP I might ask her if she can prescribe something. If she puts it on repeat so much the better as prescriptions are free for OAPs:j. I do have £56.85 in Boots Advantage points so whatever I need to buy will be 'free' so long as Boots sell it. I won't need to use any 'real' money.


There are savings to be made elsewhere too but I haven't had the chance to work out what I already have:o. I really do think I can get by without spending any money except where it absolutely can't be avoided. Obviously utilities, groceries, car expenses will all need to be paid for as will any dental treatment(which I might get away without needing) and replacement lenses for my glasses if the next free eye test indicates my prescription has changed. I'll keep the same frames though. I'll need to have my hair cut sometime, it grows so quickly, but will see if I can get away without. I always trim the fringe myself and still have the butterfly clips from when I used to wear it longer and 'up' so I might even grow it again:think:. I worry that long, grey hair looks a bit witchy though:eek:



More pondering for me to do and if anyone has any ideas I'd be very pleased to read them:T. I'm loving having my own diary, I wish I'd taken the plunge and done it sooner. Everyone who's posted so far has been so supportive, I can't thank you all enough:A

HairyHandofDartmoor

You've put a lot of thought into your no spend challenge Carboot, so good luck with it. It should be doable. You're talking about no spending on non essentials, so if something does become essential then you will have to buy it. But I'm sure you will end up having a lot of money in your savings account at the end of the year :T.

How long will it take you to save up for your new car do you think? What's your target?

Seasidegal58

Sympathies on the feet problem! I have funny boney bumps in my heels - I've had them since I was a child but they seem to have got bigger over the years. So I'm an 8 in sandals because I pull the slingbacks over the bumps but 9 if I wear a court shoe. Boots funnily enough - I wear an 8 - I think because they tend to be more roomy inside.

Re your economies - you mentioned in an earlier post that your debt was incurred in ordering things and then not using them and hoarding. Could you perhaps sell some of these on eBay to generate some cash and clear some space?

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

You've put a lot of thought into your no spend challenge Carboot, so good luck with it. It should be doable. You're talking about no spending on non essentials, so if something does become essential then you will have to buy it. But I'm sure you will end up having a lot of money in your savings account at the end of the year :T.

How long will it take you to save up for your new car do you think? What's your target?

Thank you:T

Well, it will certainly be 'used' and not new. Even when I had plenty of money and could have afforded a brand new car I never had one. I like luxury, not to show off or impress anyone else, but for myself. I used to have a commute journey to work of 40-ish miles twice a day and liked to feel safe and comfortable. The roads round here (lanes really for a lot of it) are so bumpy that something that absorbs that was an essential. For the same price as a basic entry-level brand new car I could have a second-hand, more luxury one with all the extras. I'll be doing that again but my needs have changed now as I drive a lot less than I used to now I'm retired.


I get ridiculously attached to my cars:o. I put a lot of thought into buying one to make sure I get it just right. I've never impulse bought a car, unlike other things:o, and don't want to start now. I keep them much longer than is sensible really and by the time I replace them they're worth little more than scrap value:(. Then I have all the expense of starting from scratch again.:( A good quality car can last for years though and if I like it and it doesn't let me down I can't see any reason to swap it. I'm not one that needs to impress people. If colleagues wondered why I was driving the same car for so many years no one ever said anything, to me at any rate. Some of them got through 3 different cars while I still had the same one:eek:.


I'm not sure how much I'll need, I'm a bit out of touch with car prices at the moment. I never even notice them until I start looking round to buy, I'm not a window-shopper where cars are concerned. I'll definitely have enough saved for something suitable by the end of the year if my no-spend plans go well:j.

mark55man

Hello CBC also subscribing!!

Well done- I'm liking this debt neutral concept as although my unsecured debts are more than yours at the end of the day (can you tell Ive just been watching the football) I know I have equity that could cover them which is not a luxury everyone has

I have to say (as a bloke), I'm amazed at how unobservant your OH has been, or perhaps he has been observant but also staggeringly tactful and knowing that you would sort it out when you had set your mind to it, and would resent/beembarrassed by his interference

really lookig forward to the rest of your journey and well done on setting up your own diary - it already has its own feel and a lovely community

[Deleted User]

mark88man wrote: »

Hello CBC also subscribing!!

Well done- I'm liking this debt neutral concept as although my unsecured debts are more than yours at the end of the day (can you tell Ive just been watching the football) I know I have equity that could cover them which is not a luxury everyone has

I have to say (as a bloke), I'm amazed at how unobservant your OH has been, or perhaps he has been observant but also staggeringly tactful and knowing that you would sort it out when you had set your mind to it, and would resent/beembarrassed by his interference

really lookig forward to the rest of your journey and well done on setting up your own diary - it already has its own feel and a lovely community

Thank you:T. Nice to see you and I hope you'll be back:)

I've been watching the football too. Very disappointed by Liverpool tonight but they're probably concentrating their efforts on the league;). I've been a long term fan of Liverpool even during their many mediocre years. Nice to see them on the up again. Wolves played really well tonight though and deserved their win.


I didn't coin the phrase 'debt neutral' by the way, it was someone on another diary where I rabbit on. I have enough saved up to cover the remaining debt but am stubbornly holding out for good F&Fs before I hand it over;)

OH is very unobservant, the most unobservant man I know of:eek:. Your hunch that he may be tactful made me chuckle. That's the last thing he is:eek:

mark55man

well I was rooting for Wolves (my neighbour and best friend is a native) so am I still welcome

I kind of guessed that option 1 (unobservant) was more likely but I wanted to be er tactful

In which case I applaud your resilience in carrying the load - probably more at the LBM moment than in the years it take to wind it back down. If age teaches anything it's that a few years isnt much in the scale of things and once you started bringing it down £10K a year I guess you were pretty confident you could sustain that