Frugal, thrifty, make do, mend! Let this debt come to an end!

fionaandphil

@Elisheba Principality Building Society have a good rate on a six month saver that might work for your savings before they go into your LISA.

Glad you got your car sorted out.

fionaandphil

I've just been thinking of you. Someone on Facebook just posted a picture of a car tailgate tent they bought from Temu, said it was decent quality and great to extend their space. I wasn't sure if you're planning to go away again and camp in the car

Elisheba

Goodmorrow, weekend money wranglers,

Well, yesterday was a significant day! The money came in for the old car and I paid off the 2 credit cards (one which was historic, one I used to pay money into the LISA in March), and the small amount I still owed to a friend from the house move.

Since I also have the money now that means the OD is gone as well. I did some sums to work out exactly how money I had before so I knew how much I owed the OD, but it's complicated by the fact I needed to subtract this month's Amex spending, annual pots money and some other bits and bobs, and the things I haven't yet spent from this month's budget. I came up with a figure but it was almost £300 more than I thought should have, so I'm not 100% sure it's right. It might be as I haven't done a full bank/budget reconciliation in ages, but £300 odd is quite a lot of money to be out when I write down everything I spend. I'll redo the sums at the end of the month and double check.

Anyway, that's the majority of the debt gone at last! I'm not debt free as I still have a bank loan that will take another 5 years to pay off, and owe about £1k to my ex for paying off the joint OD, but he doesn't want that back until after I've bought a house. So I'm as debt free as I'm going to get for the foreseeable - woo hoo 🎉🎊🎈🎂😁. 

I was thinking I might start a new diary I'm celebration. This one is getting quite long now, and it would be good mark the occasion. So once I've gone that I put a link on here to it ☺️.

The remaining dosh (apart from the money in the LISA) is in my high interest instant access saver for just now. It's only at 4% just now, which is annoying as it was the highest at nearly 5% when I opened it, but I guess that's variable rate for you. I've had a look at other savings accounts but haven't decided what to open yet. Hopefully the C00p will do another current account transfer deal soon as well, and I can get that sorted out. They also have a 7% linked regular instant access saver up to £250 a month which sounds good, so I'll open one of them when I open a current account.

I'll also need to reread the info on MSE about the things to do to make your credit rating the best it can be for getting a mortgage. I imagine I'll need to close some of my numerous credit cards, which will involve some research as well as it's certainly not an option any of them offer on their apps 🙄. I'll keep two though, the Amex which I use and pay off every month, and another one just to show I can get credit even if I don't use it.

Other than that, things continue apace. I've been so busy with various things this week that I've done almost nothing in the house, so if I can find an hour or two this weekend to do housework it certainly wouldn't hurt. I'll also need to look up Nancy Birtwhistle dishwasher power recipe as I've finally finished the shop bought ones. I seem to remember it didn't get wonderful reviews on her recipe FB group though - I'll see how it does, and if it's no good I can just buy some Eco ones. They are much more expensive than the own brand normal ones though, so I'm hoping Nancy's recipe does the trick. 

Weight loss hasn't been great this week, just 200g. Since I lost 2kg last week I suppose that makes sense. Some kgs are just harder to lose than others 🥺. Next week I'll up the dog walks, and properly meal plan and see where I get to. I'd really like to get down to the next kg bracket.

So meal plan for the week -
🌻Saturday - kale, smoked tofu and pepper with a soy sauce and yogurt dressing 
🌻Sunday - mashed celeriac and swede with veggie sausages, peas and marmite gravy
🌻Monday - as Saturday 
🌻Tuesday - mushroom stroganoff 
🌻Wednesday - mushroom stroganoff 
🌻Thursday - riced cauliflower with veg and ras al hanout
🌻Friday - I think this might be an office day, so everything will be prepacked in flasks - fruit, nuts and yogurts for breakfast, 2 boiled eggs and 2 veggie sausages for lunch with a 85% cocoa chocolate bar, and as Thursday for dinner 
🌻Saturday - cauliflower pizza

I also have a bit of salad veg that will need used so I'll have some garden salads with the above where I can.

Shopping list for the week -
🎈Natural yogurt, as I don't have time to make any
🎈I might need a bag of frozen mixed berries but I'll try to manage with what I have left
🎈Cheese 

Hopefully that's it, but the fact I need anything is annoying as I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to get to a cheap supermarket so may end up paying more at local C00p for it. If I can find time I'll definitely make some yogurt as well as it is a lot cheaper. There is a recipe for making it in a flask in a self sufficiency book I got from the library so I might try that as it might be easier than doing the whole thing in the instant pot. You still have to mess a round with temperatures though, so maybe not.

Aims this week are -
🏵️ Spend as little time online as possible
🏵️ Finish at least one of the numerous books I am reading 
🏵️Listen to a few podcasts 
🏵️Spend as little money as possible 
🏵️ Get to grips with the new car I am picking up later on
🏵️ Sort out a better life and work routine
🏵️ Get the house looking decent again
🏵️ Get weight down to the next kg bracket
🏵️ Dog walks for about an hour each day
🏵️ Stick to food plan
🏵️ Finish messing around with money so it's all in the right place 
🏵️ Work out what credit cards I need to close and what else to do for getting a mortgage.
🏵️ Prepare and list a few clothes on V!ntrd

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. I'm off to get ready and then my friend is taking me to pick up the new car 🚗. Broom broom!

Elisheba

fionaandphil said:

I've just been thinking of you. Someone on Facebook just posted a picture of a car tailgate tent they bought from Temu, said it was decent quality and great to extend their space. I wasn't sure if you're planning to go away again and camp in the car

I haven't got any camping dates in the diary this year, but that's not to say I won't do any. I have quite a nice tent I got from the sports shop named after the number 10, and that can work as a tailgate or side awning tent. Will need to see what works best with new car. 

Will have a look at the 6 month fixed saver - thank you ☺️

fionaandphil

Congratulations on paying those off, it will be a big relief.  I hope you like the new car when you get it. I have a courtesy car for the next week as someone hit mine and its in the garage. It will be interesting to drive something different after all this time.

Have a good weekend

beanielou

Great news on paying them off particularly the OD. 

Queen_of_the_Hive

Congratulations, I have been following you since your started your debt free journey. I was on one at the time. Paid mine off and due to circumstances changing dramatically have ended back up to my eyebrowns but its taught me valuable lessons. Enjoy your well earned car, get some camping trips booked in and so far the weather has been shaping up to be a good summer! 

Elisheba

Happy Sunday, frugal friends,

Yesterday was super busy! I had made a list of everything I wanted to get done and when, and I got though most of it except doing any house work. Will need to see if I can fit that in today, or at least some of it and then do more during the week.

So I collected the new car, and am getting used to driving manual again! Haven't managed to stall it so that, although I did forget to take the handbrake off once or twice, so it's a work I'm progress! I've never actually downgraded when it comes to cars before, so I'm finding all the things the new car can't do a little hard to adjust to. The main annoyances so far are that it doesn't have electric windows in the back (which I hadn't even thought about when I viewed it) which is a pain because silly dog does so love to stick his head out when I'm not going fast, and that the air con isn't very cold - lots of air just not very cool air. Still I'll get used it. It drives fine and that's the main thing.

The company I bought it from were very good and helped me sort out the tax before I left their premises. Only £20 so that's good. I thought it had gone up to £190 with the government changes, but apparently that's just for new cars, it doesn't apply to older ones which stay in the bracket they were assigned when first registered. It's fuel efficiency is also a lot better than the old car - looks like it averages just under 60mph, so that will save some money as well.

As some point I should get a small refund from the DVLA on the tax for my old car once they receive the V5 new keeper bit. I think they only refund full months, and I think there is only one full month left on it, so will be about £15.

If I have done all my sums correctly then I now have just over £7k in savings. It's not much in the grand scheme of things, but it's the first time since I was 17 I have actually had savings so I'm pleased as punch, and revelling in it a bit ☺️. I'll just need to check my figures against reality at the end of the month when everything has come out.

Spendy day yesterday, although all on necessities. Bought the car obviously. Then filled it up with diesel - it was half full but with the current state of world affairs I thought I should full up before oil prices go sky high. Bought a few messages for the week from C00p - onions, cheese, eggs and natural yogurt. Came to just under £14 I think. Also agree to go halvers with my brother for my sister's birthday present, and sent his the money for that.

Today I need to get ready, have breakfast, then head out and do Scout/Beaver things all morning for a sleepover they are having. Then home, lunch, walk silly dog, make some bring and share food, then out a special afternoon service at church and a tea afterwards. Then home, put out the bins, do some housework, and decide what relaxing activity to do in the evening.

It looks like it is going to be hot all week, so it'll be shorts and T-shirt weather I think. Next weekend I am going to have to fit in some gardening as the grass and the weeds are flourishing 🤣.

Right, time to get ready. Have a lovely Sunday everyone!

KajiKita

You could try getting the air con in your new car regassed. It sounds like all the seals etc are sound (otherwise it wouldn’t work at all) but there should be somewhere local to you that could do it. From memory it is c. £40 or so. (I need to do this as well)

KK

Elisheba

KajiKita said:

You could try getting the air con in your new car regassed. It sounds like all the seals etc are sound (otherwise it wouldn’t work at all) but there should be somewhere local to you that could do it. From memory it is c. £40 or so. (I need to do this as well)

KK

Yeah. I might wait until the MOT and service are done to get it done at the same time. I'm sure it said in the service history it had already been repuffed at some point, but may it was long enough ago that it needs done again.