Heads, Shoulders, Cheese on Toast

beanielou

Happy birthday 🥳 
Have a happy lockdown birthday. 

Chocolatedrinker

Thank you all, belated Happy Birthday to smallestdrawingaline as well.

Chocolatedrinker

Had a lovely birthday bbq, thanks to some lovely weather on Friday, then a follow up bbq on Saturday.

Got some delicious brownies delivered from a local bakery so that was a good day.

As my birthday present for OH I'm getting language lessons paid for when our local college goes back, hopefully in September.

Got some DMs and some cash from family, with the instruction to spend it on myself.                                                                        

mark55man

Local colleges do great language lessons, but a lot of the online / AI type programs are free now - duolingo I think? - Haven't done them myself but my FB is swamped with adverts

Chocolatedrinker

Wow! it's a long time since I checked in last! So, I've started the free duolingo app and have now got over 100 continuous days of using it AND I have got lessons booked at the local college starting in September (online to start with). I have just made another payment to my debt today, so it's not looking too bad, I think I should (hopefully) be able to use my sealed pot challenge cash to make a larger payment in October towards this.
Signed up for a petplan at the local vets - £15 a month, but the flea treatment and vaccinations needed are more than that, plus I get a couple of health checks and nail clipping included, which can't be bad!

Chocolatedrinker

So a month since I was last here. Using insomnia inspired boredom to update this. Am still gradually working towards a debt free date. I am hoping that we will get a refund from our Ovo account which is in credit by quite a lot apparently, I have emailed them and asked for a review of the account and asked them to send someone out to read the meter if required as I would really like the money in our account. The problem is that apparently they are having issues with balances showing large amounts in credit when they are not, but ours has been this way for some time, so I'm hoping its correct as the money would be very useful at the moment.

mark55man

thanks for the report back.  you should pursue OVO - I imagine they are having a reduction in cash flow / increase in bad accounts so they may not be in too much of a hurry to make your payment.  but they will, as you say if its been there a while its likely to be true

debt busting is dull - but be careful as if you clear your debts and then go back to exciting well you'll be back again - I'm afriad you have to embrace your new frugality as your new way of life (allow yourself a little more when you're clear obviously), buts its more about become happy with what you can do and not regretful about what you can't

keep going - you got this.  maybe try to post a few highlights or maybe try to chat a little more often - sometimes you get great ideas out of a random conversation