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

Elisheba

Oh, also in another little MS thing, I've just redeemed £6 of T£esco vouchers for 3 months of Disney +.  I don't need to redeem for 2 years, but I think I'll do it for Dec/Jan/Feb when the nights are so dark and the weather rubbish.  Something nice to watch in the evenings. New season of Loki might be out by then as well which would be nice!

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi Elisheba

I often read your diary so have popped on to say hi

I'm a public sector worker too and a veggie.  I did veganuary this year and actually enjoyed it - i think i ate much better.  My absolute fave food though is cheese so i really don't think i could be 100% vegan.  I tried a variety of non dairy milks and my fave was a Koko-nut one.  I did veganuary as a challenge to myself (could i survive a month without cheese) but also to expand my food choices.  You can get very nice vegan ma6num lollies too, taste no different to me.  

If you can clear 10k of debt by next summer that would be amazing!  That's the same amount of debt as me at my LBM.  

I do prolific surveys, i cash out each time i get £50 & pay it off my mortgage, it's quite productive especially if you WfH and can keep an eye out.  I have to go into the office about half the week now.  I'm hoping we get an inflation matching payrise but i doubt it!

Your list of the MSE things you already do is very inspiring.

Love Deni 

Elisheba

Oh, thanks Deni!  I've just seen an email that the 2022 pay offer is £1925 on each pay point from April 2022, and an extra day's leave from April 2023.  Its being voted on, but for 2022 that sounds fairly reasonable for me.  Its quite a hike for lower bands, and is over 3% even for managers. I wouldn't accept it if its a 2 year deal though. I can't see anyone is going to get offered a rise to beat inflation this year!

I think cheese is going to have to be my climate change sacrifice.  I'm going to try a mac cheese with the cheese sauce made from a white sauce with vegan Applewood, some nutritional yeast and a dab of mustard when it gets cooler to see if it passes muster.  The thing I've found with vegan cheese is that its often more tolerable cooked than straight. No more cheese boards though 

With milk, just because it is the most climate friendly option I normally stick with oat, but have bought a couple of cartons of almond as I don't like oat milk in coffee much.

My figures said I could pay off just over £10k by next summer, but if I'm paying £750 a month on debt right now (maybe a bit more) that doesn't add up!  That's 13 and a half months.  I think I was ignoring the £1K and a bit I owe my ex. Although I will be paying a bit more towards the OD after Xmas, so hmm not sure.  Anyway - next year sometime definitely!

When I added up the interest I was due to pay when I first started this in 2020, I think I thought I would pay about £28k back on the £21 1/2 k I owed including interest.  Then I added on a canal boat holiday for me and my family after the first lock down which was £2 1/2 k, so yeah, been averaging roughly £7.5k in payments a year, but now interest is gone from a lot I guess I am paying more off quickly.  

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi again
I'd be happy with that pay rise for sure!  
I like most non dairy milk in coffee but the only one that was acceptable for tea was the kokonut one (i drink lots of tea!).
I try to do lots of climate friendly things like use the greengrocers or only buy veg that isn't in plastic and i also use a zero waste shop for as many things as possible - it is a bit more expensive but now I don't have debt I'm willing/able to pay a bit extra. i try to minimise car use too but have to go to work at least twice a week which is over 50 miles each trip
keep going...

missymoo81

Hey! Just caught up. I hope the first day back working wasn’t too bad. I hope you’ve managed to keep cool. The weather hasn’t broken here, I feel
like a wilted flower It’s so warm. Really loving your debt paying back figures. and very much liking your vegan findings. I was vegan for a while before it was more
Common. OH won’t but I’ve been considering going that way again. I’ll be interested to see how you get on.

Elisheba

It funny, @Deni_debt-free_dreamer, lots of people have told me they don't like most non dairy milk in tea, but with me its coffee, even though I drink tons of tea!

With things that cost a bit more, I have decided that unless they are making a significant difference they will have to wait until my debt is gone.  I am doing a fair bit now, but can't afford an electric car, or to spend loads buying organic and locally - much as I would love to.  

Amy in The Frugal Tightwad explained it best, saying something like when you have more money available then you can mindfully chose what you want to spend it on, like more environmental options.  Until that point though you don't have that freedom.  

I'm 50 miles to work as well, and resisting getting back to the office as much as I can!  I'm hoping it won't be more than the occasional office day every few months that is eventually decided upon, especially as I want to move to the hills in Scotland.  A 350 mile commute too often would be a financial nightmare!

Oh @missymoo81 I'm sorry the weather hasn't broken where you are yet.  Yes, the thing with going vegan for me is that it has to be frugal.  It beats the entire point and I can't afford to buy processed food all the time, so I am going to have to be quite careful how I go about it.  Although I have just seen a fake salmon fillet I would like to try.  I haven't yet found decent fake fish, but you never know.  This one looks good - although I bet it won't be cheap 

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

I agree with that sentiment in The Frugal Tightwad.
I can only make environmentally friendly choices because i finally got rid of my debt.  I think i'm a fair bit older than you though - I'm in my 50s! 

I wanted to move further from my workplace last year but couldn't sell my house - fortunate really as we are mandated to be back in the office at least twice a week I hope to work PT in a couple of years, once my mortgage is paid off.

It's rained here in the NW but still clammy  

Jellytotts

Worth checking for boots in places like TK maxx ( I store and online), I picked up some fab ones last month (can’t recall the brand) but were £112 down to £35 and fit like a dream, when I got to the till they scanned at £27 so even better!!

Also keep an eye out in charity shops or local boot sales for towels.  So many change their colour scheme regularly and just get rid of fantastic quality stuff.

Elisheba

Ooh, I hadn't thought of TK Maxx, @Jellytotts! I've got one near me so I'll have a look this weekend if I have time.

I haven't managed to find the towels I want yet in charity shops sadly. I want extra long and preferably blue. Still got time before I need to buy them new I suppose. 

Elisheba

Super proud of myself tonight. I'm out all day tomorrow and need a packed lunch. Sadly I have nothing suitable in the fridge. It got to about 9.30 when I'm thinking about bed, and I got myself up from the sofa and whipped up some hummus like substance* and made sandwiches, and put some salad and banana in a bag for tomorrow as well, and I put overnight oats in the fridge.

Normally I would have written it all off as being too late and can't be bothered, chucked porridge in the microwave tomorrow morning and got a meal deal from Mr T's.

So that's £3 odd saved and I've got enough hummus like substance to do sandwiches all week.

*turns out I have no blooming cooking oil in the whole house, so added the aqua faba, and some oil soaked tomatoes from a jar with some of the oil, and a teaspoon of Pesto. Tastes okay, although I could actually have gone a bit heavier on the tomatoes and Pesto.