Crunchy pays off the loan early, and other stories

crunchy_time

Morning all!
What a week!  My heart goes out to everyone in this tricky situation trying to juggle homeschooling their own children with a job.
I have to go in two days a week to help supervise key worker and vulnerable students and the other three days I can work from home.  I'm going to have to move meetings as on those days I am in, it won't be as easy to duck out to sit on a call.
On the days that I am working, poor husband is going to have to juggle his job and homeschooling and childcare.  His work are being brilliant about it.
I've told my kid's school that our mental health comes first and it is likely that we will drop some of the subjects and focus on the core ones and the ones that my two are interested in. They won't get an email with work every day but once a week will be enough.  We just have to do our best.  Husband has bought a word working kit for DS for them to do and I have some sewing kits for DD for us to do.
I spent bouts of the beginning of the week sobbing about this but we have just got to get on with it.  I don't want to comfort eat or drink alcohol to get myself through it.  I have lost 6 lbs in a week from just thinking of food as fuel and not something to just put in my mouth as I deserve it and I'm feeling blue.  Instead of doing the former, I have treated myself to a lovely sweatshirt and new jogging bottoms.  If I am spending more time at home I want to feel comfy!!  It can be paid for by the spending money that I am not spending at the moment apart from on books.  Even then, I have loads that I haven't read yet.
Because of this latest lockdown, we are unable to sell any of the furniture or large toys on gumtree at the moment so they are sitting in husband's office for a few weeks.  He is spending more time in the house so it makes sense.
We have just got to get through it as best we can!  
Crunchy xx

crunchy_time

Evening all
Made it to the end of another week intact.
I’ve really enjoyed going into work this week. It’s been lovely to see other adults other than my husband! 

He has been so grumpy about me going in and being left to homeschool our two whilst working. Made me realised how much responsibility I have shouldered over the years and maybe that has been taken for granted. I worked from 7am until 8pm yesterday just to get homeschooling done so our kids won’t miss out and my work done and I will have to work this weekend to make up the hours that I have missed. 

Perhaps we are just spending too much time together and not quality time.
I think I am going to go to bed. Things always look better in the morning.
Crunchy xx

crunchy_time

Evening all
I am not going to lie the last few weeks have been rough.  Panic attacks and overwhelm again at work and not much homeschooling done.  Arguing kids, exhaustion.  The same in many homes I'm sure.
Husband's payday today.  We don't have to pay council tax next month and some of the kids clubs aren't happening so lots of money to slush towards getting the credit card down which it is now.  Husband and I have decided on a frugal month so we can start saving towards house stuff properly next month and not be paying off things.  Should be easy since we are still in lockdown.
I've updated my signature to show that we are nearly below £6k of consumer debt.  We will be on Monday but I will probably be knee-deep in homeschooling/work then.
Crunchy xx

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster

You ate doing really well Crunchy. Nearly in the fives! 

crunchy_time

Yes nearly in the 5’s! 

Husband and I are contemplating whether or not to put the pergola/new shed/fence on 0% credit cards. The loans have £4500 ish interest on them and the sooner the actual balance is paid off then the less interest we will pay. It would mean using any extra money to pay off the loans and not saving up for the above. 

It’s a bit robbing Peter to pay Paul though. Will have to think out a strategy to see if it would work or not.
crunchy x

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster

It's challenging trying to get things done around the house and pay off debt at the same time. I wonder if it's harder for us because l've spent my entire adult life pretty much buying stuff on credit so l'm used to having it now and not having to wait. It can he frustrating but overall saving means guilt free spending. 

t2rry

Ah @crunchy_time I'm sorry it's been a rough few weeks.  I've certainly had my down days too, and even though you know it's probably the case in many homes, it doesn't make yours any easier.  Remember to take some time for yourself, I know that's difficult but even the little things really do help.  Something that's yours alone, something that's quiet and normal for 10 minutes!

Brilliant that you're soon in the 5's!!! I don't envy you the garden stuff/0% decision.  I always go round the houses on those sorts of things.  Takes longer and more time in my head than it ever should, as it's actually an objective decision but subjectively you think about all the consequences and what 'feels' better!! Go with your gut, I say!  Home improvements often feel like a luxury when debt-busting but realistically it's not.  Look at houses that haven't had normal upkeep - after a few years it costs more to get them back to standard, whereas if you chip away and do something every year it never gets to being a huge outlay, which then becomes harder to achieve!  

Hope you have an easier couple of weeks ahead, at least January is behind us now!!!

crunchy_time

You’re right @t2rry about chipping away at house maintenance over the years. We need a new shed and a pergola and fence for privacy and if we put them off for another year it’s not going to help the house in the long run.
Both loans have another 4 years to go and the interest is already calculated on them so all we have to do to reduce them is to pay them off early. If we focused on these garden things this year just by saving up as much as we can and then 0% borrow anything we need to top this up so it’s then done, then we can overpay the loans next year.

It’s also looking highly unlikely that we will be able to go on the Caribbean we have booked for August. We currently have £4000 saved up for this so if we have to postpone to 2022, this money could go onto something as well.

Trying to do my job and homeschool my own kids is massively affecting my mental health. But I’m trying to take everyday as it comes. Did some yoga today and going for a 3 mile run tomorrow morning. Now having family film night with popcorn!

crunchy xx

Sarahwithlove

We spend most of our time in our homes and its where we go to escape the day usually so think it's important that we have them the way we want. 

remote_control

Hi Crunchy,
That's a tricky one about putting stuff on 0%. We have put a few things on 0% cards over the years, three major house renovations and a car. We haven't ever put 'day to day' spending or holidays on 0% as we want to live within our means for things. Whereas for house and buying a car we are definitely 'buy now pay later' people as we can't be bothered to save (probably shouldn't admit that!). 
At the end of the day it is how you justify it to yourself and how happy you are living with debt. For me I get anxious about the debt whenever I have added to it and this is enough to put me off doing it! When we finished our extension it was lovely to know the debt would just go down from now on. We've only ever borrowed on 0% cards and then have switched to no fee 0% cards. How much does the interest on the loans bother you? Would you be able to get the items on a 0% deal with the company you buy them with? E.g. we got a kitchen on 0% and the payments were set up to pay it off in two years, so there was no temptation to overspend on a credit card or to reduce the monthly payments.
Sorry this probably isn't a useful post for you! But I know you struggle with anxiety and I don't want more debt to make that worse (it might not though!). What is your total debt?
I go and look at frugal living or minimalist blogs when I want to buy something!
A fence and shed do sound pretty important though so I totally understand getting them on 0% and it is something I would do!
Good luck and take care. This home schooling while working thing is a nightmare! We are all on the edge of falling apart here. I can't believe we've got to do it all again tomorrow.