The most boring diary in the world...

wannabee_in_credit

... but I need to write it.
I have a problem.
I have a few problems actually.
You know you have those dreams when you're younger of how when you're older you'll be in a brilliant job and you'll be happily married, and rich and own two homes? Well I'm 42, in a very stressful job that I love, divorced with 2 kids, just about managing my mortgage and in a large amount of debt.
I have been in debt before, but gotten out of it, and I keep falling back into it again. I desperately want to sort myself out, but then there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything I want to.
So I'm starting this diary to make myself accountable and sort myself out once and for all.

beanielou

Happy shiny new diary
Baby steps are the way to go.
Keep plodding

wannabee_in_credit

Thanks Beanie
Nice to see you here. Hopefully this time I will get out of debt and finally make it stick. I am a terrible comfort spender - constantly pursuing the life of luxury I think that I 'deserve' rather than the life I actually have.

wannabee_in_credit

So I suppose I should say a bit about me. As I previously mentioned I have a terrible habit of spending, then working hard to get out of debt - then losing control and spending again. I behave similarly in life - I tend to go full steam ahead until I burn out, crash and and take time to recover and do it all over again.
This debt has been run up in the past couple of years and I need to properly sit down and do a SOA and figure out where I'm going wrong in terms of my budget. I'm doing my best to live within my means but it sometimes gets hard being the only wage earner in the house - I live with my kids and cats.
I desperately want to be more frugal but I am incredibly time poor - I work as a teacher in a busy comprehensive school. Anyone who knows anything about the life of a teacher knows that there's not a lot of time for anything else in life, however I am mother, cook, cleaner and problem solver on top of everything else.
I think I need to make my kids more independent and encourage them to help more round the house. Could be a bit late though as they've spent a lot of their lives being not-that-helpful and I've allowed them to get away with it. I could use all the help I could get though...
Anyway, I need a plan of action.

wannabee_in_credit

Small steps. First thing I'm going to do is make a list (I like a list)
cancel non essential dd's
use TCB for my purchases
cut up my credit card
see what foods I have in the cupboard and plan some meals for the next week or so
take a good look at the cheaper German supermarkets rather than expensive orange brand supermarket
go find some challenges to join to keep me on the straight and narrow.
check out the os board for hints and tips

beanielou

Great start with a list

joeyjimbles

Go you with the fabulous lists.

Have to say that personally I love Aldee - I do 90% of my shopping there, sadly the baked beans, ketchup and english mustard haven't gone down well but we buy almost everything else from there. I quite like Leedly too but oddly only go there for luxury products like salame, continental cheeses etc, oh and their rather good Cptes du Rhone Villages.

Honeysucklelou2

:wave:

Getting children to help more around the house is on my to do list too!

MeandO

:hello:

Good luck lovely, we’ll be here to cheer you on! Xx

Buffythedebtslayer

Welcome back

I love a list

Can you do anything else to earn extra money? This is my favourite solution to debt.

I also buy a life of luxury when I can't really afford it.

I know this feeling!

Suffolksue

Hello ,I use Aldi too ,start in Aldi then others(not many in Gainsborough 's home town