Wobbling my way out of debt

findingthisdifficult

Mr FTD and I had a lovely long walk by the coast today.
We only sat and looked out to sea for about an hour but by the time we got back to the car we were a little pink, note to self - buy some sun cream.

We also had a big wobble today on whether we could afford new watches on finance, technically we can afford the payments, it's interest free and we get corporate discount, however is it the right thing to do whilst we are paying off debt?!
I know I NEED new glasses, yet I haven't budgeted for them yet and I definitely NEED some spring/summer work wear which I could use some money for.
Sometimes being sensible with money is a real struggle.

enthusiasticsaver

Personally I would not take anything else out on finance if not essential. Saving for things you need like glasses and clothes sounds more like a priority.

findingthisdifficult

Happy Easter!

Mr FTD has suggested that we use musclefoods going forward to see if that helps us break our ridiculous groceries expenditure. I'm apprehensive, I'm not sure what they're like, anyone have any experience of them?

The weather really is beautiful here today, we had a wander around a local National Trust garden and have now come home to relax, although I have some washing to be getting on with and there are some chores that need to be done so will probably do them slowly this afternoon.

This evening, I'm going to shop around for pet insurance as ours is up for renewal and also look at the spreadsheet to see if there are any other bills that could be reviewed. I'm pretty sure we're paying 2 providers for critical illness cover, I need to look in to the documentation and figure out what's covered. I also need to find another book to read as I've just finished one this morning.

findingthisdifficult

Had a bit of a spendy day today, managed to get myself some lightweight trainers, 2 full length leggings, 2 cropped leggings, a pair of jeans, some black linen trousers and a dress all for £98.99 with no credit used so I'm happy with that. I have a dress I need to return as well which isn't included in the above amount, although I will probably swap it for a similar dress to the one I'm keeping, it was only £15. I'm tempted to return the linen trousers too as the material is a bit scratchy, I'd worry that they'll end up in the bottom of a drawer never to see the light again.

Next pay day, I will be on the hunt for some sandals suitable for work and play.
Time to do some more chores before returning to the grind tomorrow.

findingthisdifficult

Don't you just love it when you think it's Monday but it turns out to be Tuesday, love a 4 day week!

A week left until payday, annoyingly I don't know how the increased pension contributions will impact our take home pay so can't play with my budget, I usually do this prior to payday so I know how much money I'm putting in to each account.

findingthisdifficult

So Sunday has rolled around again, we've survived Storm Hannah but it's definitely been chillier here, so tempted to put the heating on low just to finish off drying the clothing.

We've had a lazily productive weekend, spending a fair amount of time at home, so what have we achieved this weekend:

• Grocery Shopping for under £70 (unheard of in our house)
• NSD today - enjoyed a lovely walk in the countryside
• 6 loads of washing done, 3 washed, dried and put away, 3 still drying....
• House tidied top to bottom
• Budget spreadsheet updated ready for Pay Day next week
• Research started
• Pulled Pork in the slow cooker for dinner tonight, with leftovers planned for tomorrow's lunch
• Bank Accounts Checked and matched up to D&C App

Turns out we've done more than I thought! I still have insurance to shop around for and I'm still on the hunt for my next book to read but have spent far too long on here procrastinating instead.

I'll be back in a couple of days to update the all important numbers :j

DFDSEPT2023

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

I do this A LOT.

I am ridiculous on Amazon. was looking at beds the other night. No reason. But I have a list now - things I want for the house. So I put them on there and then come back to them every so often.

Just wanted to say you aren't the only ones.

XX

I can totally identify with this! Over the years I’ve made exactly the same mistakes

findingthisdifficult

Quick update on the numbers for me this evening, finally dropped below £11K on the loan, I know it's still a large amount but at least the numbers are going in the right direction and usually I would have refinanced and added a few thousand on without even thinking about the consequences.
I'm holding off on the card payment for a few days just to make sure everything is ok in the bills account but aiming to pay off £250 this month.

Start of a new month, going to try and keep grocery shopping down by doing a bulk order shop for stuff we use through the month, then work out a decent meal plan. We need additional fuel this month as well so NEED to be sensible!

enthusiasticsaver

Well done on getting below £11k. Steps in the right direction.

findingthisdifficult

Thanks enthusiasticsaver, it's good to see the balance coming down.