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

SuzeQStan

Amazing Elisheba - debt neutral
and it’s not even 2023 yet! 🎉🎉🍾 

I hear you about the need to prioritise your health & comfort - and indeed about your all or nothing approach, But your methods are a really good compromise  actually - if we deny ourselves too much it can make us give up and throw away our hard work.  

We are still heating one hour in morning, one hour at lunch & 100% reliance on log burner in evening to heat majority of our home (working from home). We have an electric under blanket on our bed which gets used multiple times on the night and also a heated throw on the sofa (ditto). Really strongly recommend keeping on top of any mold that may be forming on window sills in rooms that are being kept cool. And keep any extractor/ventilation /dehumidifier options going as much as possible. OH has said to me today he wants to think about GCH heating an hour in the evening as well. Not sure what the outcome will be on that convo!

Keep yourself toastie Elisheba - keep
up the good work you are inspiring all of us on here 🥰

Elisheba

Thanks @SuzeQStan - not quite debt neutral yet but hopefully by April or thereabouts.  One thing about my house is that there isn't any mold, thankfully, apart from a tiny bit in the shower on some of the grout that I spray with vinegar regularly. With my dog in and out, and a cat flap, the downstairs is aired regularly, and I open my bedroom window during the day upstairs.

I did think about an electric throw for the sofa, but my dog gets far too excited about blankets and tries to chew them, so I opted for the heated hoodie instead.  I occasionally take a hot water bottle to bed with me, but am normally pretty toasty very quickly (I have a normal duvet and quilt cover, an half sized old fashioned feather filled quilt, and a fleece blanket) and don't need one.

I'm putting the heating on from about 6 - 9pm, and have turned the little dial on the boiler down so the radiators aren't as hot.  Takes longer to warm the house, but costs less so its a compromise.  Unless I'm planning a bath the thermostat is at 18 degrees.  

Cheery_Daff

Glad you've put the heat on Elisheba, as you say, it's not a test, and keeping ourselves cold to make a point isn't good. I know two separate couples, both with decent income, certainly one lot not in debt, who are keeping their heat off to prove that 'if I can manage, everyone else should be able to' - and therefore people shouldn't be complaining about heating costs. From them, it feels spiteful.

Clearly that's not what you're doing!! But please don't make yourself miserable and freezing if you don't have to xxx

Great news about the debt! What a fantastic thing to look forward to in the new year! 

AnotherNewDay

Hi @Elisheba, i've just finished reading your diary from the start and found it great inspiration......Plus it really brought home how weird 2020 - 2022 have been.

The microwave cake is fast becoming a favourite!

I also like your approach to structuring your weekend/week, meal planning etc and all the ways you try and incorporate simple living and environmentally friendly ways into your life

Congratulations on all your achievements for reducing your debt!

kiloranbay

Hi Elisheba,

Just wanted to say thanks for keeping up with your diary. I was feeling so glum about my financial situation the past few days. I was only five months away from debt free and had a small emergency fund building up (£750), as well as a LISA and a fixed term regular savings account. Then my car budget, emergency fund and LISA were wiped out by vehicle costs after a series of calamitous events! Some of those costs have gone on credit card so that I'll have enough in the bank for next month's rent and council tax. I've had to accept the withdrawal penalty fee for the LISA as a working, road legal vehicle is a priority for work. Even with that money coming through I'll be relying on friends and family for food, fuel, heating etc the next couple of months.

Long story short, reading a few pages of this thread has rekindled me (smokeless; less than a tonne). We're not alone. I'm feeling grateful you've taken the time to keep the diary going and optimistic that I'll be debt free next year after all.

SuzeQStan

@kiloranbay - glad you have rekindled (smokeless coal tonne made me laugh! 🤣) it’s always good to know we aren’t alone and that there are those inspirational ones like Elisheba to let us know it’s possible to see that light at end of tunnel.  

Sorry to hear about the calamitous events. Like you say the vehicle is a must for work - well done on having that emergency fund as it would have been even more painful by the sounds of it if you hadn’t! And especially at this time of year so much to be thankful for family and friends who can help out. 

You will get there - it’s the journey not the speed in which you get there. 

x SQS 

Elisheba

AnotherNewDay said:

Hi @Elisheba, i've just finished reading your diary from the start and found it great inspiration......Plus it really brought home how weird 2020 - 2022 have been.

The microwave cake is fast becoming a favourite!

I also like your approach to structuring your weekend/week, meal planning etc and all the ways you try and incorporate simple living and environmentally friendly ways into your life

Congratulations on all your achievements for reducing your debt!

Really glad it has been helpful @AnotherNewDay I do love my microwave cakes!!!!!  And yeah, a bit of structure can go a long way.  Not that I do it all the time, but when I do get organised it can really help

And I agree about 2020 - 2022 - what a weird few years!

Elisheba

kiloranbay said:

Hi Elisheba,

Just wanted to say thanks for keeping up with your diary. I was feeling so glum about my financial situation the past few days. I was only five months away from debt free and had a small emergency fund building up (£750), as well as a LISA and a fixed term regular savings account. Then my car budget, emergency fund and LISA were wiped out by vehicle costs after a series of calamitous events! Some of those costs have gone on credit card so that I'll have enough in the bank for next month's rent and council tax. I've had to accept the withdrawal penalty fee for the LISA as a working, road legal vehicle is a priority for work. Even with that money coming through I'll be relying on friends and family for food, fuel, heating etc the next couple of months.

Long story short, reading a few pages of this thread has rekindled me (smokeless; less than a tonne). We're not alone. I'm feeling grateful you've taken the time to keep the diary going and optimistic that I'll be debt free next year after all.

Oh @kiloranbay I'm really sorry to hear about your series of calamitous events! At the end of the day though, you are heading in the right direction.  Those costs are a one off, and you have reduced your spending to less than your income in the longer term.  We have things like credit card for those emergency situations, so we can manage when it all goes a bit t*ts up.  Think how much you would be looking at on the credit card if you didn't have a car fund, emergency fund and LISA? You are still on the road to getting there - just carry on doing what you have been doing.  Yes, debt free is a little further off, but its still there.  Its all about priorities, and obviously being able to work is top of that list.  One day you will have an emergency fund that will be able to absorb those costs, but just because you aren't quite there yet doesn't mean you haven't helped yourself an awful lot already.

kiloranbay

Thank you so much SQS and Elisheba!

Elisheba

Good morning, all, 

Frugal living continues apace here - well, at least documented spending living. Can't say that December has been particularly frugal all things considered 😂. 

I've gone over budget on food, and massively over budget on spending money - some of it justified, some less so. Frugal wins include having to drive home from my work Xmas do due to train strikes, so I wasn't drinking and that meant it came in under budget. At another Xmas do I ended up not having to pay due to a weird combination of circumstances, and ended up going home straight after the meal as I wasn't feeling well, so only had to pay for drinks with the meal - so that was under budget as well.

Things I have spent that I didn't budget for but I can justify include buying a new set of 4 bath sheets. I've been moaning about mine since the start of this diary, and I saw a set of 4 extra long ones for a good price so decided to go for it. I also bought some jam funnels, which while far from essential, should be useful as we move into marmalade season. Also a pair of scissor as mine have disappeared into the either.

There have been some savings on planned expenses as well. My neighbour has said she will feed my cats over Xmas so I don't have to pay for someone to come in and do it. My mum's present will be cheaper than planned as she only wants bedsocks 😂. I've overspent on my niece's presents though - I paid for their winter coats, but also wanted to give them something on the day.

I have written absolutely everything down this month, so I will tot it all up at the end and see what the damage is. I've been quite well motivated to do that by my Amex payment going from mid month to mid month. It means I never actually see the actual month end balance, so I need to be careful I'm not missing anything.

Other than that my thoughts have been much taken up by the idea of a campervan. I'm pretty much certain at this point I'm going to take out a loan to get one. The ability to easily travel at weekends and on weeks off feels to me like a good justification for getting into debt again - as long as it is debt I know I can afford, and there is an argument that it will pay for itself in the long run with savings on holiday costs. 

The main question is what sort of camper to buy. I've viewed a micro car camper but it was just too small for me and my dog. I thought at first, and am still fairly swayed in the direction, that I need a vehicle that can function as a car and a camper, so I'm only running one vehicle. Also being less than 2 meters means there are lot more free car parks I can get into and say for nothing. 

However, I've also been considering a proper converted van - if I can fit one on my driveway which I need to check. With the van there would be a lot more space and functionality which could make things a lot nicer. I might need to keep my car then though as you only get about 30-35 mpg on a van and diesel is expensive, so the car would be cheaper to run for local journeys. Maybe not though - it's not like I do much driving other than going on journeys to see people which I would be using the van for anyway. It might be cheaper to use the van for everything that paying to maintain the car as well. And although having extra seats in a car is useful when visiting family, that is only a few times a year so can't really base my decision on such a rare occurance.

Another snag, no matter what sort of camper I go for, is that I'm not very mechanically minded and in my price range I would be buying a vehicle with a lot of miles on it, which means things go wrong. So I suppose I would need to buy some books and watch some You Tube and learn some things, and find a good garage that won't rip me off. There are also so many con artists out there when buying a van that I need to be wary.

Anyway, in the meantime it is lovely to dream and follow van life groups on FB 😂. Kudos to the people who live in a van full time - don't think I could manage it. I did some rough sums to see how much money it would save me, and I'd save about £850pcm in fixed costs, but then would need to add up the costs of diesel, maintenance, laundry, an unlimited data phone plan, calor gas if using it, any site fees if saying on one at any time, and for me the monthly cost of the camper loan. So maybe £200 - 400 saving. Not immense, so it would always have to be more about the life and freedom.

I have piles of things I could be getting on with today but I've not been feeling great the last couple of days so just taking it easy. Think I'll do some airfried chopped new potatoes, a Quorn fillet and beans for dinner. I have salad stuff in the fridge but I haven't been in the mood for it with the Arctic weather, and not sure what to do with it before next Friday when I head up to Scotland for Xmas. 

And finally just a moan about how blooming cold my house has been. I've had to have my heating at 25 and I've still not been warm. I've stopped looking at my energy monitor app for now - I need the heating on just now and that's the end of it, and I'd rather not depress myself with how expensive it is. I can't believe I'm spending the amount I'm spending though to still be cold! 

I hope everyone is well and coping with the Xmas chaos as best they can.