Twinklie returns - debt free by 2020?

twinklie

So todays the day we get our new car. Just sorted the insurance. It's been taxed, MOT'd and serviced so we've paid everything we need to (hopefully).


I'm out for tea tonight - hen doo which I'm excited about. £20 all in so can't complain.

twinklie

As of August my current outstanding debt is as follows:
Repayment of maternity leave - was 503.26 / now 62.68
Credit Card - was 598.74 / now 380
Tax Credits OP - was 480 / now 200
Loan - was 1,627 / now 745
Current total debt January 2019 = 3,209 / July 2019 = 1,387.68

43.2% of original debt remains.


Just to add the utilities debt has reduced down to £278 now as well, so that's good - it was over £700 at one point - the money is in an account so I could have paid it back all at once but I didn't (which I'm glad about given we had to buy a new car).

twinklie

I messed up and deleted the post by accident.

The gist was I managed to entertain the boys in the July part of the summer holidays for free!

twinklie

I messed up and deleted half of my post, but I’m going to chart what I spend entertaining the kids in August.

1st - Superhero party £2
2nd - Playgroup £2
3rd - SEND group £2
4th - Play at home day NSD
5th - Mattel Play and lunch £44.10
6th - Work NSD
8th - Hairdressers (for me), lunch and play date £6
9th - Play at home day NSD
10th - Play at home day NSD
11th - Play at home. NSD
12th - Work - NSD.
13th - Work and Forrest walk with the kids- NSD.
14th - Playing at home and chores - NSD
15th - Summer Disco - £2
16th - Playgroup - Free. Swimming lessons (out of monthly budget) - NSD. :money:
17th - Played at home - NSD
18th - Played at home - NSD
19th - Travel Day but did have to get food shopping (but a different budget) - NSD
20th - Day at a national trust site (we get free as carers, youngest doesn’t have to pay yet and eldest has a junior membership) NSD
21st - Maze attraction. Should have been £60 for us but was only £30 due to DLA for the children. £30
22nd - Archeological attraction and Railway Museum including train rides and car parking. £25
23rd - Day at National Trust site NSD
24th - Free entry to a hall and gardens. But £10 for a train ride and £11 for a boat ride for all 4 of us. £21
25th - Day at a National Trust site NSD
26th - (BANK HOLIDAY) - Free entry to another hall and gardens, but £10 for a train ride. Travel day home day.
27th - Work - NSD.
28th - Work - NSD.
29th - Hairdressers for boys - money out of a different pot. Soft play playdate with ex work colleague and kids (inc. lunch). £22
30th - Swimming lessons (our of monthly budget). NSD
31st - Play at home day NSD

Total August Entertaining the kids spends - £156.10

Work days are NSD's in terms of entertaining the kids, youngest stays with Grandma and the eldest goes to a holiday club - but that's out of a different budget and already paid.

twinklie

So 8 days in £48.10 spent so far in entertaining the kids. This includes £17.10 on food and drinks when we went to Liverpool.


We need to reign in the grocery shopping though. It's not good. We are way too spendy. Think we are going to have a play at home day tomorrow, the boys have swimming in the afternoon anyway so will still get out.


Will take the weekend as it comes I think, it's been a busy week for them, the eldest has been ill and we are all a bit exhausted (feels wrong saying that when I've only worked a day this week).

savingholmes

Following. Hope you manage to get grocery spending on track. It's our biggest sink hole too. There are store cupboard challenges on here that may help - but I must admit I am probably like your son - I know what I want to eat and if that's not available it doesn't work for me.

twinklie

I used to have a bigger freezer and was brilliant with the batch cooking and buying in bulk/cheaply. However, the house we moved too has an integrated fridge with a smallish freezer. So I can’t do that anymore. Although, I do plan to buy an under counter freezer to go into the utility room.

We have a veg plot (raised bed in the garden) but I just had no time for it this year. So I’m planning on having a better go next year. Just simple stuff. I’ll get the raised bed prepped over winter and we can just see what happens. I’m hoping to have much more in the way of home grown stuff then anyway. Not sure how much difference it will make to our outgoings though. Will just have to see.

twinklie

DH was cleaning out under the car port and has decided to list a few bits he's been unable to part with thus far - rocking chair and kids mini trampoline. They've been requested already, so hopefully they'll go this weekend.

twinklie

Booked the kids birthday party at a local leisure centre for the end of September. It has scooters, trikes, climbing frame and slide and a bouncy castle (and football). So it will be a free play party with no other entertainment (my two hate that part of parties). My friend is going to make the cake. So just the food to sort really. It’s going to be quite DIY.

We were going to get the big one an Xbox 360, but my cousin (the boys Godfather) doesn’t want his anymore so is going to gift it to them. So just need to buy Minecraft game and we are golden. The little one has some engines coming and has a membership to the local steam Railway. I’ll take him out on his actual birthday as well.

Still haven’t been grocery shopping, so HAVE to go tomorrow. But they have opened a new Aldi right near my house so I will be heading there tomorrow for a big shop.

twinklie

A new Aldi has opened up really close to my house (and on my way home from work). So I popped in to do my weekly shop on the way home. Less than £50 for everything! Result!
I’m hoping this is going to save me loads.
And £3 of that was a weed control sheet for the veg patch, which I’d already told hubby I wanted!

I should add that I used to shop there all the time, but I got fed up of trying to get across town to go, when other places were so much easier to get too.