Here we go Lupus Lou....

Lupus_Lou

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

That is impressive!

Hi Lupus Lou

just saying hello and good luck

XX

Thank you :beer:

Lupus_Lou

Quick check in
I went through my June supermarket expenditure using my banking app. I appear to have spent around £650 on groceries, not including the £100 or thereabouts I have spent on credit cards as well as the odds and sods that OH has bought..
I'm sure over the next month or so I can knock at least £200 off that with no adverse effects.
Tomorrow I plan to contact Step Change about the old biddies (no offence) mortgages.
Our 5 year fixed term ends in January, OH is 74 and I will be 56 so we may qualify for a better deal.
I will also check out the threads W2L has recommended and see what I can sign up for.

No spend day today:j

Back tomorrow, thanks for all the advice :beer:

Lou

Lupus_Lou

Another no spend day today, quite the reverse:T
DS picked up a pack of 2 organic red peppers from M&S on Saturday (£2). When we opened the packet one instantly turned to mush and started oozing brown liquid.
Instead of binning it, I put it back in the wrapper and popped it in the fridge. I used the other one with dinner.
I took the gunky one back today along with the wrapper and receipt and got my £2 back.
Not a huge amount but it will go on a credit card.
I have decided to target the card with the lowest balance £450 (but not the lowest interest) for clearing and hope to get that zapped by the end of September, then I will start on the next lowest etc.
I didn't manage to call step change today, I ran out of lunch break.
I did contact LCFC (Leicester City) as my 16 year old son wants to start attending football matches.
As he is disabled my OH or I would need to attend with him but we didn't both want to pay for membership.
They asked for proof of his disability and said only he would need to pay membership and buy tickets and one of us could go along at no cost.
That should save us around £500 over the course of the season.

Off to think about dinner- sausage pasta anyone? Then we can start on our meal plan for the week.
In the meantime, I will be looking at a few diaries this evening and also check my bank account is tuned up for the direct debit onslaught later this week.
Have a good evening everyone:wave:

Lou

Lupus_Lou

First day at work completed after a weeks leave and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
PA has been managing emails in my absence and as a result I got through the backlog by lunchtime.
I left work at 5.15pm as my son was starting his first day ever at work today.
He is disabled and has learning diffs and I have always worried that he might never find work so I am absolutely chuffed.
He isn't so chuffed because it was hard work (kitchen assistant in a national chain), but work is work and I am just grateful someone thinks his time is valuable.
I didn't bother with sausage pasta, just had leftover chicken pasta from Sunday. I also had it for lunch at work so that ys £1.82 chicken has served us well.
I am also taking some into work for lunch tomorrow. Cheapskate :rotfl::rotfl:
I have transferred the £2 M&S refund onto the Halifax card along with another £1 (old style) OH found at home. I'll take it to the bank tomorrow and change it over.
I've been thinking about groceries and will be aiming to cut expenditure to £100 weekly in August with the aim of dropping to £75-80 weekly over the autumn.
I also need to start thinking about Christmas - only 5 payday to go :eek::eek:

TTFN

Lou

Heatherweed

Looking good well done to your son:

Silver_Queen

Hi Lou

If you can get an SOA posted, I suspect that the posters on here will be able to help you make some painless trims. Your spends sound quite high but obviously if you're used to a certain standard of living, you will want to cut back slowly!

Lupus_Lou

Isn't it exciting when someone posts a comment?
Thank you Silver Queen and Heatherweed.
Not such an :money: day today.
In early 2018 one of my managers was suspended. His subordinate immediately picked up the reins and supported the team through that. He refused any additional pay and instead asked for additional training which we funded, cossting in the region of £2,800.
He left today but his collection only raised £36.80 (tightfisted coleagues).
I chipped in another £35 to get a voucher, chocolates and flowers but to me, the support he has given over the last 15 months was well worth it.

Total spend today was £42.50 including a £7 shopping top up.(milk, bread, bananas etc)

No additional payments today.

Lou

enthusiasticsaver

Lupus_Lou wrote: »

Husband isn't really worried about debts to the degree that I am, he believes debts and credit cards are necessary if not desirable.

I am struggling to see how someone who is retired so presumably on a reduced income thinks that debt and credit cards are desirable and necessary. What sort of pension is he on that those levels of debt are not crippling?

Lupus_Lou wrote: »

Quick check in (QCI)

I have just done some quick sums and we are spending £3791 per month servicing our debt.:eek::eek::eek:
That's around 70% of our monthly income and doesn't include utilities, C tax etc

Does your husband still think that is ok? If so, you have a bigger problem. Well done on addressing it now at least. When is your mortgage due to finish?


When you say £3791 is used to service your debt presumably you mean your mortgage too and presumably the monthly repayment is high because you have a large mortgage and are older so the term is not as long? Is downsizing an option as otherwise how will you afford that when you retire? When do you plan on doing that and do you have any pension arrangements?


I think posting an soa is a good idea but the best thing that will help is a spending diary but I suspect you already know where most of your money goes. Shopping at M and S is not cheap for example and more than £200 a month on wine can definitely be reduced.


I am going to say something now which may not go down well. Some of your comments (tightfisted colleagues on not giving large amounts to a leaving collection) and cheapskate lunches from home do ring as if you are used to spending as and when and are not used to living within a budget. This may make this journey harder but is an indication of why the debt is as high as it is. I agree with Silver Queen that there is undoubtedly loads of scope for cutting down but you both need to get on board with that for you to succeed in reducing the debt.


Do you have any emergency savings and have you stopped using credit cards now? Normally you tackle the most expensive debt first.

Lupus_Lou

Hi enthusiastic, no offence taken so please do be candid.
My comments about colleagues refer to those who buy in 3-4 coffees a day and think nothing of dumping on my now departed colleague but when asked to chip in claimed they didnt know who he was.
We are a small department but his departing collection realised less than 40p per colleague.
I have been guilty of shopping in M&S, unfortunately it is the nearest shop to my home!
Spending on CC now stopped.
I can't control how OH thinks, if I could the last 25 years would have been so much simpler.
However, we are both guilty of running up the debt so I am not going to apportion blame.
I would like to downsize but until the political situation stabilised we don't really want to put the house on the market.
We have twins about to start year 8 and their school is very local.
When I was at school I had two bus journeys and two 15 minute walks morning and evening from Tooting Bec to Parsons Green so I really do value the importance of a local school for my children.
I know that 10 years from now all my debts will be cleared ( with my medical history I will probably be dead anyway) but I just want to have risen from the abyss before then, to at least get some enjoyment, (rather than monotonous monthly bill paying) in my life before I head into the eternal, hopefully by then carbon neutral furnace at Garston Crem.
As an aside, the Crem at Garston once won an award, best crematorium in the UK or something similar. One of my colleagues called it the "creme de la crem" :rotfl::rotfl:

Lupus_Lou

I couldn't resist.
I checked my current balances and monies due out on 1st and had £2 left over.
I've paid £1 onto my lowest debt CC (Halifax)
Min payment is due on 12th but I will go online and see what the balance is over the weekend.
Lodger is due to pay her rent tomorrow although she has been off work sick for a few days (she has 4 jobs :eek:) but does appear to prioritise rent above other outgoings.

Lou