A year to change my life...

Lesina

@onestep - thank you so much for subscribing, it really means a lot & thanks to everyone who has dropped in to say hello. A quick up date this morning, as I have a loooooong day ahead with lots on with the second job. Though I do get paid from that today and again next week
Got up this morning and had a look at the mobile package I am on. I have phone and tablet deal with Sky. Gone through it and stripped £20 off in time for the next bill and by moving to an flexible plan (paying for my calls/texts) I reckon I can strip another £10 quid off that. I need the tablet for my 2nd job but I don't need £20 of data a month on it. WIFI is everywhere. So I am counting that as a win.
I have also energy switched as BG was quite frankly taking the pee. I will have an exit bill to pay - planning to tackle that at least in part today , I just need to make sure it won't fire me into the red again as I am already overdrawn on the bank account. I have worked out I should save £57 per month by doing that.
Another thing that is becoming obvious is that we do too many 'top up' shops. We do need milk and bread through out the week, especially as we have a 3.5year old at home but also as we are now taking packed lunches every day. What we don't need however is beer and wine. Briefly mentioned to OH that perhaps we should invest in another larger freezer and bulk buy our bread/milk/ lunch stuff from the discounters... that way the local 'convenience store' will be less needed.. and no temptation to pick up some lager.... Its all part of the unraveling of the mess and my mental confusion over 'where does all the money go'...
It is helpful to make small wins... I can't start snowballing until the beginning of August so these small steps keep me motoring. Have a good day all :-)

Lesina

So a fairly dull few days. Still trawling through the finances looking for quick wins. I think that I have convinced the family to ditch Sky and use freeview along with Prime and Netflix. That will save over £123 a month all in. The spending diary is an interesting thing.. just how quickly all those incidentals add up without your noticing it at all. I believe I may be slowly changing my mindset. I have to go over to Belfast to visit the elderly ones in the next week or so. Normally I would just take EJ out of Luton, car in to the car park and think nothing of it... as I usually have to go over at short notice, I easily spend £300 for a 24 hour trip - not counting any spending I do when I am there.... but a quick trawl through skyscanner and I can travel from Birmingham on another airline into the city airport and save ££££ - I can also easily get a train to Brum saving on the car parking...

Yesterday I had to travel up to London for work. I do this once per month.. £58 train and travel... and I suddenly realised that I never claim this on expenses! :eek: How stupid. So that is being done as soon as I get in this morning. As I said previously, up until now I just didn't respect money.

I think a big part of the journey is the change in my mindset. Eager to get on now... just need to wait until I get paid at the end of the month for the snowballing to start....

in_need_of_direction

Can you backdate your expenses claim?

BettyBoof

I highly recommend YNAB (stands for You Need A Budget) to track spending and help you plan. You can sign up for a free trial to see if you like it. It has been life changing for us. I know that sounds dramatic but using YNAB has enabled me to be in complete control of my money and it's now a pleasure, not a chore to deal with our finances, it's the best thing since sliced bread! :-)

[Deleted User]

Well done on all of your wins so far

Lesina

Oh hum... thats how I feel about all this. Nothing much has changed really other than a continuing realisation of the job I have a head of me and the opportunities I have missed because of my spendthrift ways .. I was really quite depressed about it yesterday & not in a much better frame of mind today but I am putting that down to a bit of stress and poor sleep over the last few days.
So, progress.. another NSD yesterday which I appreciate is not a massive achievement but when like me the 'popping to the shops' is an ingrained daily habit not going to the shops is a win. I have also downloaded YNAB, which I am currently trying to get my head around. I don't think it helps me that the tutition videos all start with ' I have $1700 to allocate'... when my current bank balance is £65.... but this evening, I am going to complete all my scheduled stuff & start getting started.
I need to keep in mind why I am doing this and the great life I know I can create if ... when I complete this journey. As I say ho hum and keep on keeping on. Have a grand day if you are reading

stoozie1

Do neither of you have occupational pensions?

Have you obtained a recent state pension forecast?

Wishing you all the best in your journey.

enthusiasticsaver

Sounds like you have a few wins under your belt.

Why no occupational pension? If you are employed rather than SE you are turning down free money from your employer and reduced tax. On your income it is a no brainer.

You can download a spending tracker app to your phone for a spending diary. Unlike YNAB it is free and much easier to use. Clear checkbook is another which is the one I use.

Are the debts at 0%? That is the biggest win of all plus avoiding overdraft charges. Don't give the pesky banks any money. You have a lot of unsecured debt but you also have a huge income so you should be able to sort this out easily. As you say sorting your mortgage out afterwards should be a priority along with your pension otherwise what will you live off when you retire and how long will you need to work for?