Happier Nat's debt free diary

natlie

Parkyp said:

My sister is in a private let, pays a lot of money for rent and she gets scared to report any issues as the landlord always says he’s thinking of selling up when she does 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

That’s terrible, we didn’t have a working shower for 6 years they’ve finally fixed it recently, they still haven’t come to fix the toilet 

natlie

I did it! Sub £20k debt, in 6 months I’ll be half way in my debt free journey it’s been 17 months so far and it really hasn’t been too bad 

Naomim

An amazing achievement @natlie That's my next goal but might not be til this time next year.

Parkyp

Well done 👏👏👏

Lifestartsat40

Just caught up with your diary @natlie - Well Done, you really are an inspiration 

natlie

Hi
thanks to everyone who sent messages since I last posted.

I’ve been focussed on selling this week and have made over £50 need to get motivated to list more things, I was really surprised how well kids books sold. I was going to put them on music magpie for £3 but I sold them for about £16 and still have a few left.

ive sold some items in Vinted too one more to post that’s another £12 

yesterday I did a bit of a food audit and we have plenty here to eat, probably for a couple of weeks, need to get bread, 

will be popping to my father in laws today to talk to him about his bills and saving some money, he’s paying £180 a month for a TV, Broadband and phone package!!!! Seems very wrong to me.

I have been thinking a lot about Christmas this last week which is really stressful, my workplace offers an interest free staff loan and I’ve been thinking about applying, it’s set as a max limit of £600 and then monthly payments are taken out of salary to repay it. Would appreciate thought in if this is a good idea.

Going to get up out of bed now and clean the kitchen and do laundry before everyone else is awake

have a good day
nat 

Parkyp

Well done on your sales. 

£180 omg, I pay £42 a month for all 3 with Sky not sure how much extra you’d pay if you wanted free calls with telephone package.  You could definitely save him a fortune changing his deal. 

If you have no savings for Christmas then I think an interest free loan is a great idea. We would all like to have Christmas paid in advance but it’s not always possible. As long as your loan is used for essentials and not just to fritter away (which I don’t imagine you would do) then it might just be a weight of your mind. 

Enjoy your day 

joedenise

Far better to borrow interest free than on a credit card paying interest with the added bonus that the money is taken before you get your salary.  Over how long a period will the loan be taken?  Would it be possible to pay over say 6 months and then for the following 6 months you put away the same amount so come next Christmas you'll have £600 saved up to pay for it.  It really is worth putting some away each month.  I do this for everything which is paid annually, even things which are only about £20 or £30 a year (DH's fishing licence and the car tax!).

natlie

Hi

Thanks @Parkyp and @joedenise really helpful, I think I can pay over 6 months and saving the same over the next ) months is a great idea!

This week has been immensely stressful at work, I’m exhausted and I still have work that I will need to pick up over the weekend. 

I think I made about £20 this week selling things didn’t list much last week need to make more effort but finding time is difficult.

I’ve been stretching out the groceries I bought at the beginning of the month and  so I’ve only spent half my food budget and we still have plenty left, today we will be having our usual soup Saturday with bread I had free from Olio. I am going to make Dal and rice for dinner.

I am taking my son out skateboarding this morning bright pop back via the community fridge, we can pick up free food from there. 

We’ve been managing this week with layers and blankets instead of the heating  which is great 

Weekend jobs will be cleaning mainly and  laundry - fun! 

Off now to enjoy a coffee in peace before sitting in a cold skate Park 


Enjoy your weekend 
Nat

natlie

Morning, 

I can't believe I haven't posted since November! It's been really busy and I suppose I have been distracted from debt free journey by costs. Christmas was expensive followed by some major dental bills of around £600 and some major car MOT bills of around £500 but we've been ok, we've been meal planning again which has really helped out food costs. 

My total paid off my debt is around £13k now and that includes one debt cleared, I have around £17.4k left to pay. I reduced my monthly payment as the cost of living is so high, my elec/gas bill has gone up £117 since November which is ridiculous, but we were eligible for the £200 grant from the Council to help with fuel costs. Looking at options for keeping the house warmer like putting better sealing on the windows and using door curtains. We've also been using the oven less for cooking.

My dishwasher broke down and they replaced it on the insurance so I have a new A++ dishwasher now which is fantastic. 

I've got a bit more catering work coming in now as people are returning to work, that is really exciting and I've sold a few things on Vinted recently. I owe my mum and dad £100 from Christmas so I really want to get that back to them. 

Work is ok, I am recruiting into my team and we have a bit of a restructure going on which will mean a promotion, should take 4-6 weeks at that point my UC should stop. I will appreciate not having to fill out the claim every month. 

I am taking my husband to an open day at the University today, hoping we can get him on a course in September, it will be really good for him. 

Nat