Third time's the charm...

LittleMissDetermined

Today has been (and the rest of it will be too) a NSD.  I have made PAD's though, bank round down to CC4 and £4.50 cash into the sealed pot challenge.  I like to keep a track of what I have in there (some don't) and today's addition takes me to £260.49, it really does add up!

I have been wondering whether it would be better to start building my emergency fund again in January and keep the cc payments relatively low, or start making much bigger cc payments.  I guess if I add to the EF, and I can't get a 0% deal in May I can just use the EF to pay CC4 *insert shrugging emoji here*  And if I can get a deal, I can set DD payments to clear it during the 0% period like @RelievedSheff suggested. 

Nothing else to report money-wise, there should be enough left in the bank accounts to cover spends until 27th.  I have 1 more 'out with friends' meal to go to and then a few socials at close friends houses. Oh, and hairdressers on Saturday morning so I need to make sure I take cash so I can give her a bigger tip for Christmas. 

Hope everyone is keeping safe and well, the new variant seems to be rampaging through the country!
LMD x

LittleMissDetermined

Monday is here again so I'm popping in with an update on my weekend.  Not much to report really... I was at the hairdressers on Saturday morning which was planned spending, although it was £20 cheaper than I had budgeted so I treated hubby to lunch out as a treat for tackling the supermarket without me (he hates it)  

Today is December pay day for me... A full week early which is a pain, but I have transferred it all out to my savings and will pop it back in on 27th. So glad I do this as it really takes the pressure off of finances at the end of January.  Had a few cancelled plans so not much happening this week, just a bit of relaxation (and maybe Christmas movies) until the festivities start.  I am working right up to (and including) Christmas Eve, but then off until the NY so this week's evenings will begin with cleaning I'm sure! 

There are some outstanding presents waiting to be delivered (just 3) which should be here in the next day or so, once they are wrapped I can relax knowing that it's all done and dusted.  I also need to pick up some lottery lucky dips for Christmas eve to pop in some family cards.  Hopefully I will get those this evening or maybe tomorrow. 

Hope all are safe and well and looking forward to a fab holiday season
LMD x

LittleMissDetermined

So today I have added to my sealed pot challenge, made my PAD bank round down to CC4 and I've joined the pay all your debt by xmas 2022... I have joined with an £8000 target rather that the full £13.5 as I feel that it's an achievable challenge and I don't want to leave myself with no money to have a bit of enjoyment.

I do feel like the run up to Christmas has taken my focus off of reducing debts and it will be good to hit the new year with a new determination. The £8000 works out at £670 a month so it will be roughly £250 more than I am currently paying, including average PADs from rounding down.  My trusty spreadsheet tells me this is indeed do-able so we will see what happens. 

My remaining presents arrived yesterday and I wrapped them last night, so that's it.  All done. Christmas; I am ready for you  

Booked to have my Covid vaccine booster just as I go back to work, was either that or having to wait until 15th and I would rather get it sooner than later.  There are too many daily cases for me to feel safe at the moment, even though I don't go out much these days. 

LMD x

RelievedSheff

That's a long time to have to wait for your booster jab. Is there not a local walk in centre nearby?

Mind you if you get the side effects I had then I wouldn't want it so close to Christmas!

Well done on setting yourself a target for the debt reduction next year. I think I will do something similar as well. A bit of New Years resolution maybe.

LittleMissDetermined

There are walk in centres but they are very busy and it would mean queuing for quite some time in the cold. Plus, I don't have any time off before Christmas so I figured that 4th would be better than 15th.  Hubby had side effects for a week so I think the 4th would be better for that reason too! 

It's a challenging target but it should do the job of spurring me on due to it being realistic.  As ever, life gets in the way and some things come left field but I will give it my best shot! 

LMD x

LittleMissDetermined

It's a very happy Friday indeed - Merry Christmas Eve everyone!  I will be popping on to post my PAD in the morning but it will be a fleeting visit and I won't have time for a full update.

Actually, there's not much of an update to give. I'm awaiting my pay date to transfer my salary back from savings, today and tomorrow will be NSDs (except PADs).

I'm excited to be part of the debt free by xmas 22 and the encouragement it will give me to really make inroads on my outstanding debt total. My sealed pot challenge amount is all adding up and I am certain it will more than cover Christmas costs by the time we get to October. 

I was quite excited this morning that my bank round down took my overall balance to a satisfying £13450 exactly. I know that sounds really sad but it's the little things that make me happy  

I hope everyone has a wonderful festive period, whether they celebrate xmas or not. I am also keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed that we avoid lockdown until after the new year so we all get to spend time with our loved ones. 

Have a good one peeps!
LMD x

LittleMissDetermined

Hi all, I almost forgot that it was Monday… it’s been crazy since Christmas descended and I’m starting to lose track of the days.

I had 3 NSD in a row but today had to go grocery shopping. Since we moved house we no longer have a big fridge so we have to shop every 3-4 days now. I maintain it’s because the fridge is full of bloody sauces and condiments we don’t need but hubby insists they’re used. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I hope everyone had a good Christmas, ours was nice, spent with family and has been a blessing after last year. I see that the latest news states that there will be no more restrictions until after the new year which is nice, and allows family gatherings to continue. 

Moneywise, I have a good chunk of Christmas money that I don’t know what to spend on… plus vouchers.  I might pop some money in my SPC if there’s nothing I need, I can’t think of anything at the moment except the electric bill! 

Anyway, I have made inroads in my debt free by Xmas 2022 over the past few days so I am feeling proud.

Hope everyone is doing ok and staying safe 
LMD x

crazy_cat_lady

Hey LMD - it's taken me a while but I have caught up with your diary. You are a real inspiration and motivation - I wish I had even a tenth of that at the moment. 
Just wondered if you ever got round to crocheting. You don't need much - just the right size hook for whatever wool you have. You can build on that if you like it - maybe some scissors, stitch markers and a tape measure. I have more crochet stuff than I will ever realistically use but love having it, and looking at it

LittleMissDetermined

Hi CCL! I got a beginners crochet kit for Christmas but I’ve been quite busy over the festive period so I’ve not had a chance to get it started yet. I also got some needle felting kits so I’ll be having quite a crafty January. 

This week has gone quite quickly and I’ve been busy seeing family and hosting get togethers. It seems more and more people are testing positive for Omicron so we have been doing regular lateral flow tests to make sure we aren’t infectious.  I do long for the days before Covid when we didn’t have to second-guess everything, and everyone  

I’ve been making decent daily PAD’s and it’s great to see my overall balance coming down, plus I have already paid 3.5% of my debt free by Xmas 22 target. My Christmas money went into my SPC as there’s nothing I want or need, plus I also have some vouchers that I can use when I dance a spree. 

We have plans with friends tonight, but we are hosting so we won’t be spending any money. Yesterday was also a NSD and tomorrow will be the same as we will just be going for a family walk to clear our heads haha. 

I hope everyone has a good New Year, whether you stay up to see midnight or not. 

LMD x

crazy_cat_lady

Happy New Year to you as well LMD x