Crunchy pays off the loan early, and other stories

crunchy_time

Morning all!

Its finally the Easter holidays! After a really stressful few weeks I will be very glad for the break as I’m sure many people are. 

The min payment for husbands credit card has come out - signature adjustment done. We have almost paid £1000 off this in a year And I haven’t even noticed the money going out. We have another year on 0%. What we bought was a hedge and screening plants and pots to make our garden more private and I am definitely glad we did it in 0% instead of saving up because it has really helped over the winter to feel more private from our neighbours. The plants have established themselves and are looking really good.

I like our focus being on savings now and letting these things run.

In other news I have been diagnosed with a hormone deficiency and am being referred to the hospital. I’ve always known something was wrong with me so it feels good to finally have it acknowledged. I need to have further tests so until I have a treatment plan I have spent about £60 from the emergency fund on supplements. It has only been a week but I feel miles better. I also have to give up coffee and alcohol which I don’t mind as I’ve wanted an excuse to do this for ages.

Crunchy xx

crunchy_time

Morning all!

Supplements and no alcohol or coffee for three weekends saw me bounce out of bed this morning! 

Easter holidays are going well so far, I feel relaxed. I’ve had a bit of a sort out of my wardrobe for summer and I only need a few bits for work and for our holiday. I have some material and I am going to make a few tops again and adjust a few things. 

I’ve been tweaking some things in our budget and food shop to make way for increased costs going forward. This month I will be paid for two days less than normal because I had two days off to look after the kids when they had Covid. 

Other than that things are ticking along nicely with savings pots being topped up for what is coming up this year and debt going down slowly. I’m consciously trying not to be so aggressive about it this time given all the changes that have happened this year that have been out of our control.

im actually feeling more at peace with it. Not too much so I become complacent but pragmatic. It is what it is. The debts we have now are for home improvements and cars. That’s it. Nothing for cheeky meals out. This is the long road but it feels like a more secure road for sure.

Crunchy xx

remote_control

That's awesome! Plodding but in the right direction!

Have a great Easter hols 

crunchy_time

Morning all

Pay day for me today! I got paid about £100 less due to unpaid parental leave for when the children had Covid. I’m still waiting for my March childcare bill but it should be lower because they weren’t I school for over a week and it costs us £20 a day so hopefully I shall be able to recoup some of the money lost and use it to save for something on our wish list.

Our first electric bill has come out since prices rose - an extra £50. We’ve been making a conscious effort to turn things off at the plug. On the wish list is a smart meter which will make a difference.

Ive gone back to shopping in A l d I over the holidays to save money and am planning to continue this going forward to save money as well. I’m planning to do it after work on a Friday when I have no kids with me. It won’t affect the Weekend then - that was the problem before.

We are about to pay the balance of the massive holiday that we booked a few months before Covid and the cost of living crisis. It seems very strange to be doing it as when we booked it it was like a different era but hey ho. 

Crunchy x

crunchy_time

Hi everyone! 

It feels like I haven’t been on here for ages but it’s on been 2 weeks!

I’ve absolutely had enough of my job now. Not enough to quit immediately but I’m actively looking. I reckon my transferable skills would work in a career in HR. An entry level job would start at £21k ish and I’m currently on £17k but don’t work holidays so I’d have to pay for holiday camps for kids as well as our current childcare. I contemplated full time teaching just for the money for a few years as well to clear our debts. That would be £36k but then all the stress and lack of flexibility is putting me off.

In money news it’s all ticking along ok at the moment. Although law suit is rearing its ugly head. We will be paying £195 to our solicitor this month but it’s necessary.

Must update signature!

X

crunchy_time

Signature update:

So sofa loan is now £537

we have also managed to 0% the overdraft onto the credit card so the two combined are now £1797.

Crunch x

ohdearhowdidthathappen

What about full time supply teaching?  Good salary and more flexible.
Did I miss the law suit situation?

crunchy_time

ohdearhowdidthathappen said:

What about full time supply teaching?  Good salary and more flexible.
Did I miss the law suit situation?

I can’t seem to bear the idea of teaching anymore. I’ve just been diagnosed with a hormone issue which will affect how much stress I can take so I don’t want to put myself through it again. I feel I have done my bit for society now and it’s time to move on and start something new.

As for the law suit, I won’t go into too much detail but it’s something that we need sorting if we want to move house. Unfortunately we are having to pay for a solicitor to help us with it. It could go to small claims court but we don’t want it to really. Hopefully it won’t get that far but we do need a solicitor to write letters and handle things at £195 an hour.

At the moment we just have a pot of cash savings from spare money as a contingency fund that we are using for anything that comes up that hasn’t budgeted for until we get to September, we have been on our big holiday and hopefully I will have a new job.

Crunch x

ohdearhowdidthathappen

I understand your viewpoint on teaching, I'm getting the same with Radiography (have been for years actually!).  Hope you find something that suits.
Law suit sounds a mare, hope you get it sorted and it's not too expensive

crunchy_time

ohdearhowdidthathappen said:

I understand your viewpoint on teaching, I'm getting the same with Radiography (have been for years actually!).  Hope you find something that suits.
Law suit sounds a mare, hope you get it sorted and it's not too expensive

I actually feel quite excited about a completely fresh start in a different industry and starting from the bottom again. It’s a chance to reinvent myself and use all the skills I have acquired over the last 20 years to a new area. 

I just want to keep learning and growing and I’m not going to do it where I am so it’s time to move on.

I applied for a job the other night and they rang the next day offering me an interview next week! I feel really excited about it. I won’t get school hold anymore but I will get about £200 more each week and hybrid working. I asked my kids if they were happy to go longer at after school club and go to sports camps in the holidays and they were really excited too!

Ive got to start thinking about what I want to do rather than what is best for everyone else, what other people will think etc because if I am happy they will be happy.

Maybe you could wait until your youngest is a bit older and then make a change? I went to see a life coach and she was really helpful and asked me questions I wouldn’t normally ask of myself.