Twinklie returns - debt free by 2020?

twinklie

So I made a bit of a mistake yesterday (lack of sleep and accidently deleted my August post. Then in trying to rectify what I'd done I typed over my July post! :mad:


Anyway, I'm still doing pretty well entertaining the kids with minimal expense. Gutting the playroom and finding homes for everything has been well worth the investment because not only do I feel a lot happier because it's more organized and clean. But the kids are rediscovering toys that have been buried under other things and it's been keeping them entertained without me having to spend a penny! Result!


The boys have both been under the weather as well didn't want to go out or stray too far from home, so that's helped with saving pennies too. :money:

twinklie

Cheque for £81 for car tax refund came yesterday! Yay!
Technically a NSD but it was quite spendy really on shopping - we are on holiday and are trying to do packed lunches everyday rather than eating in cafes, so should work out cheaper in the long run. We got a variety of stuff to keep the boys interest though.

twinklie

Went for a day out to a National Trust site today (free entry). Made a packed lunch to take with us. Fed us all for approx £4. It was £4.50 for a kids meal and between £6-7 for an adult meal. So it would have cost us approximately £22 for lunch, which I think means I really saved £18!

Plan to do similar tomorrow. We shall see how successful I am - not sure the kids will go for it all week.

DebtFreeMonkey

That sounds a lovely day and very MSE! Good on ya.

twinklie

Half prize entrance fee for a Maze attraction. Took a packed lunch again, so approx £4 to feed us all again. To feed us all there would have been approx £21.90. So another decent saving.

We were there from 11.30am - 5.30pm. We were starving and had an hour drive to get back to the cottage so shared two portions of chips for £5 between 4 of us. So still pretty MSE I think.

Approx total saving from entrance fee and lunch - £47.90. Less the £5 on the chips and it’s still over £40!

twinklie

Free entry to an archeological attraction due to My Max Card. Thank goodness it was or it would have been £22. My kids just didn’t cope with it at all and I’d have cried spending that much for what we managed. Still, that’s why I’m so thankful for these schemes or we’d never try anything.

Another packed lunch saving is approx £18.

Oh and we paid £15 for train rides!

twinklie

I’ve done some laundry because I figured it’s more MSE to do it at the holiday cottage than to wait until I get home!

twinklie

So including all food shopping, entrance fees, coffees, ice creams and little train rides here and there, we spent less than £300 between us (£50 of that was booze :eek:) whilst on holiday.


I'm made up with our moneysaving exploits.

twinklie

As of September my current outstanding debt is as follows:
Repayment of maternity leave - was 503.26 / now 0! :j
Credit Card - was 598.74 / now 371.41
Tax Credits OP - was 480 / now 160
Loan - was 1,627 / now 619
Current total debt January 2019 = 3,209 / July 2019 = 1,150.41

35.8% of original debt remains.

Paid off the first of my debts now, which means I will effectively see a pay rise in my pay every month because it was taken directly out of my pay. :j I'll see how it effects me in Septembers pay, then plan to start paying more off my credit card to get that down quicker.


Final calculations are that I paid £156 on entertaining the kids over the holidays, which included extra days out whilst we were on holiday as well. So I can't really grumble at that. Wonder how long I will be able to keep it that low.

twinklie

Utilities debt is down to £142!