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

Elisheba

Thanks @fionaandphil.  I saw that yesterday on the MSE website so have registered, but not sure I am going to be spending any money in anywhere that gives cashback for its duration.  There are a few places listed around me, I just don't think I'm planning to spend any money in them this month.  Guess we'll see, but I won't be changing my habits just to get the cashback - bit of a false economy then.

Elisheba

Oh, and good moneysaving news, I was reading Martin's post about doing credit card balance transfers now when the rates are good and I thought, why don't I just see if I can get a balance transfer for the one card I'm still paying interest on?  So I did, and manged to get the lowest transfer rate which is all I needed as it'll be paid off next year.  They gave me 22 months, so I suppose there is some grace there but hopefully I won't need it.  So that is £26 a month saved to go towards paying it off quicker!

Honestly, at the start of this process when I was paying interest out my ears and could have really done with some good deals, no-one would give me a tuppence transfer.  Now when its just an after thought I'm pre-approved all over the place.  I know its because I have a better credit rating and look better on paper now, but some help when things where dire would have been appreciated more.

By my count I now have 7 credit cards with a total combined credit availability of ... £33000.  That's £33k of high interest, unsecured debt available to me. And that's with me telling all of them not to increase credit automatically.  Honestly, the trouble I could get into if I wasn't a reformed character these days!  I should close some of them, but it messes up your credit rating and I don't want to do that until the debt is gone and I'm certain I don't need any credit for a while.

SuzeQStan

Elisheba - you should send that last comment to Martin’s team - it’s so true what you say about the vast potential sun of unsecured debt that you could fall into if you weren’t disciplined like you are. No wonder people have so much trouble!
ps superb re the £26 interest no longer going to the banker and back in your pocket where it belongs 🎉🎉🎉

badmemory

I do love it when we stop those bankers from making even more money from us!  So go you!

Waywardgirl3

Just caught up on your whole diary and it’s so inspiring! 

Elisheba

Blimey, @Waywardgirl3 that's a lot of reading! I'm glad you found it useful though 😊.

Feeling inspired by you reading it I thought I would start having a read through again myself, but found myself getting very frustrated by the current cost of things when back then celery was 30p, and I moaned about a loaf going up from 36p to 40p. It's was only 2 3/4 years ago - how can things have more than doubled in price so quickly!?! 

Waywardgirl3

Yep the price increases are insane! I was so impressed reading about 40 pounds a month for food! 

SuzeQStan

Hey Elisheba - hope you are ok. Just wondered if you are sold on the instapot duo 11 in one air fryer/pressure cooker? Have seen a deal on it at Costco for £139 but not sure if it’s a good deal or not

Elisheba

SuzeQStan said:

Hey Elisheba - hope you are ok. Just wondered if you are sold on the instapot duo 11 in one air fryer/pressure cooker? Have seen a deal on it at Costco for £139 but not sure if it’s a good deal or not

I'm fine, thanks. Just been a bit caught up in life! 

I'm presuming for that price it's the 5 or 6 pint size... Think it went down to £130 in the Black Friday sale on Amazon, and I think it was £120 in the sales last January, but with the cost of inflation I doubt we'll see that price again. So not a bad deal, but not worth jumping at if you aren't sure. 

I'm liking mine. The air fryer is basically a superfast oven, although quite a but smaller. The pressure cooker I've only used for potatoes but it was quick. Certainly if you eat meat it's a game changer. 

Elisheba

Afternoon all,

I've done my monthly figures, and now down to £8293.26 of debt.  By next month I'll only have 2 credit cards left and both are interest free, and as I've mentioned before the debt that isn't credit cards isn't costing me anything right now either .  So next year the goals will be to get the max into my LISA to get the government's extra £1000 by the end of the financial year, and pay off the credit cards.  Once I am at that point I can decide what to focus on next - I imagine its going be my LISA for 23/24 to be honest. 

I thought I had budgeted really well for this month, but bought quite a lot of Xmas sweets and cakes in Lidl at the weekend, which along with a few sneak shops here and there means I'll probably end up going over my £100 budget for the month.  I suppose it is Christmas, but how annoying!  Bah humbug!

I already know I'll be going over on the travel/petrol budget due to an extra work commitment, and that my pocket money budget this month will be as long as a piece of string.  I've just got to keep an eye on it I suppose and economise where possible.

I am aware I am a bit of an all or nothing sort of person, and the fact that I have put my heating on recently has put me in a right mood!  I was really hoping to go through winter without it, and it would be possible, but when I found myself with those awful, massive ski pants on in the evening that keep slipping down, and with cold hands and feet, I decided that quality of life was worth more than me making some sort of point.  So the heating is on in the evenings and weekend when I am in currently, but still just using layers, a heated hoodie, and an electric footwarmer I found in a charity shop years ago during the day.

I am having to tell myself very slowly and gently that this is not a test, and just because I am spending money on my own comfort, does not mean I have failed and need to throw all my toys out of the pram.  There is value in a moderate and balanced approach to things!

I have vegetable soup in the soup maker and bread in the breadmaker for lunch, and that'll do for lunch until the weekend.  I have to go for a blood test this afternoon so will try and fit my dog walk around it.  Not sure what I'll have for dinner - maybe Irish potatoes, or egg and chips.

I got all my Xmas decoration up at the weekend and was please to discover my lights are LED so won't cost much to run.  Had a lovely fire on Saturday, and have some fake coal and a tiny bit of wood left for a fire this weekend coming.  I'v been reading a lot and have got through 3 or 4 books in the last week or so, and it really is lovely to be cuddled up with a book and a blanket, Xmas tree twinkling, and my dog against me (if he decides to sit with me).

I hope everyone is well and keeping warm in this arctic chill!