Crunchy pays off the loan early, and other stories

t2rry

Amazing work on the debt!! Flying downwards!

crunchy_time

Evening all
I've been doing a lot of reflecting recently.  It must be because my birthday is coming up in a week or so and I like to set new goals for the following year.  
This time last year I was:
 - In a temporary teaching job that was coming to an end.  I had no clue what I wanted to do next but I knew I wanted to get out of teaching.  I love the job but it was draining me.
 - Drinking a lot - not too much but more than I was comfortable with.
 - Exercising sporadically but not enough to make a difference.
 - emotionally eating
 - £14,000 ish in consumer debt 
- frequently suffering from panic attacks
 - people-pleasing all the time.
I know 2020 is going to go down in history as being an awful year. But these are all the positives that have happened for me this year.  This is where I am now.
 - Learned to say no and no longer taking others' bull sh*t as my own.
 - Took a risk and landed a job that I enjoy immensely, where I work with a great team and have the possibility to learn and shape my experience into a new career pivot.
- exercise 3 times a week - can do burpees and feel way better when I stick to a routine.
- can now run 4 miles
- £7,838 in consumer debt
This time next year - when I am 40!
 - Debt free!
 - consistently works out 
- Can run a half marathon
 - Be ready to make the next career move
 - Gets up at 5 am to carve out time for myself so I am fresh and have the enthusiasm to be a great mother.
 - not emotionally eating but eating to fuel my body and mind.
Have a great evening!
Crunchy xx

enthusiasticsaver

You have achieved lots this year and hopefully you will meet your goals next year.  Having a job you enjoy is excellent, halving the debt is brilliant and learning to say no and stop people pleasing will stand you in good stead.  I always think reflecting as you come up to a milestone birthday is common.  Good that you are exercising regularly now and eating better

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster

Well done Crunchy. It has been an awful year but it's good to focus on the positives. 

crunchy_time

Evening all!
One more day till husbands pay day!  But it’s not until Tuesday that the min payments come out. We didn’t do too well with our food budget this month. I had to use the £150 oil fund to pay things off. Husband did the shopping a few times and didn’t quite get everything that isn’t on list and that I carry in my head so we had to go back a few times.
Not going to beat ourselves up. Just going to try to do better next week. Which is difficult as it is Christmas month. But again. We shall do our best!
Crunchy xx

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster

It's a hard time to stick to food budgets, especially when we are stuck indoors!

crunchy_time

Evening all
It's pay day eve!  Husband has already gone to bed.  He is really down at the moment.  This lockdown has really hit him hard since it's winter and all and all he does is work from home.  He knows what he needs to do to make a negative situation more positive which is good.  I feel grateful that 1) I have a job and 2) that I get to go out to work each day and socialise with colleagues.  Who would have thought that that was something to be grateful for a year ago eh?
Anyway, I've just checked his account and he will be paid £4273 tomorrow which is £27 less than I anticipated.  No biggy but I won't round up the loan payment just yet as I want to clear the expenses from pre covid era that is STILL sitting on his credit as he has failed to download his payslip to see whether or no they have been paid.  I am sure that have.  I paid a bit off the other day so there is £150 ish to go.  So there will be £92 'spare' to pay off that.
I also just rounded up his accounts and slushed £4 to the loan.  I now wish I had done it to the credit card but he ho!
It is going to be interesting getting through December without extra money for food.  January is a 5 week month as well so we are going to have to be really strict about top-up shops and booze.  I suggested to husband that whenever either of us want booze we buy it out of our spending money rather than the joint account and he laughed.  He is getting £150 this month to pay for socialising after running club - if he goes - and football - if he goes. And I stick to my £100 a month.  We are just going to have to be sensible and creative in December.  We are already discussing having a family roast on Christmas Eve and then going out for a walk on Christmas Day - that is about all we can do!
Roll on the weekend!
Crunchy xx

t2rry

Ah sorry to read your hubs is down, it's so difficult sometimes for people to appreciate how hard this is because everyone copes in such different ways.  It's not natural, is it, to be inside the same walls for such long periods with such little real human interaction.  My hubs has become my colleague, we share a makeshift office space at home.  I'm mostly grateful he's here, other days I crave working my way and not having to fit in with his.

With you on the january spends.  We usually get paid early in december but somehow always seem to have a good month in january and I'm not sure how or why because looking at it, it seems like it's going to be a long slog!!

crunchy_time

Morning all
Drama yesterday as had to rush one of the kids to the hospital for emergency surgery.  All absolutely fine now thank goodness.  I dealt with it like a boss!  We shall be having a gentle day today.
I've just done the banking and amended the debt totals even though the loan payments won't go out until the 1st.  I will be busy doing my next assignment this week so want to focus on that rather than money.  So the overspending from last winter has now been paid off.  My min payment of £200 is paying off the course fees so that should be done by April.  Husband's £356 is paying off Summer 2019.  Then we shall both be paying off the year that I was unemployed.  Any overpayments to loan will go towards husbands as his is the biggest.
Looking at my spreadsheet - we need to overpay husbands loan by £963 in order to be consumer debt free by this time next year.  Totally doable.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Crunch xx

t2rry

Oh well done Crunchy, another line clear from that signature, amazing!  Hope the hospital trip and recovery period was swift and pain-free for you both.  How exciting to have a realistic end date too!!!