Virgo In Pursuit

Hazelnutty

PS Inspired by @MissRikkiC 's thoughts list I've started a 'Parking Lot' page to park those random thoughts until I can deal with them

MissRikkiC

When i was a little more prolific with my journaling, it started when i was so busy at work and i found it helpful and so i  recommended it to my team as they were falling into habits of forgetting things because they couldn't see the rest of the week so to speak. 

I found then that having the weekly spread on a double page but split down the middle of each page, for work and non work worked for me. That said, i too only used a small book at the time and found moleskin did a slightly larger version which helped @Hazelnutty

The daily thing for me helps keep focus, i have had a much more productive week this week at work (so far) although i have only started journaling my personal stuff; but its the principle and the motivation in me that it spikes. 

As i mentioned, i really dont have a creative bone in my body so my daily habit tracker is literally a list of things with small boxes which i color in or pop a cross in.

I realised today that i had a few things on there which i actually didnt care so much about whether i did or not so today ive cleared those off and have now just got the things im bothered about.

These are:
2L of water a day
No spending 
Exercise
Medication
Breaks from work

anjyeah

I go to work one day and this thread have blown up I didn't realise that there was a thing on bullet journalling on here, I remembered searching for a thread here once but not a lot mention it. Unless I'm wrong... 

@doingitanyway - Thanks! I use Moleskine too, tried a different before and then I still ended up just going back to it. It has actually gave me something to do and at the same time giving me that mental health check.

@Hazelnutty - My habit trackers have changed for June - I now have a NSD, overpayment, journal, read a book / write, pray/meditate, exercise, diet and skincare. The daily log is just a one-liner on what may be significant that day that’s all. I have a similar thing for your "parking lot" which is basically a "brain dump" and just put it in whatever on htere. 

@MissRikkiC - I started very minimal too and then I discovered colour markers, stickers and washi tapes. Although, I tend to keep it very monochrome and neutral. Believe it or not - I actually have a separate one for work now with a simpler layout. The new role was overwhelming when I first started but this one has kept my tasks, team and personal audits in order. 

The OC-ness in me is also considering a homebuyer’s filler as I prepare to make my first time buy (fingers crossed). A social media acc I followed has given tips and I like the idea of having to log mortgage brokers advice, deposit tracker on that one, what went well or needs improvement, etc. I’ll keep you posted once my craziness have gone that route.

anjyeah

Since it's the last day of June - - let me quickly bore you with a quick recap. I'll be at work tomorrow, so easily a NSD, however, might be until the evening until I'm all caught up on here again. 

I used to track my CC spending for the month but have went against that and focused on NSD as well. So far, I did a good 12. I also managed to make two overpayments all thanks to the two extra shifts that I have. I have one more coming that I will allocate come Friday. 

Debt when I started this diary: £9201.57 on 22.4% APR 

Monthly payments: £600 monthly 

Current balance: 

CC1: £ 248.92 - Will be paid off this month - direct debit to hit next week - yeyyyy! 

CC2 (0% balance transfer card) - £8610 - Remaining £350 to be paid here. 

Total CC debt once debits have gone through: £8,260 

Savings: 

£5300 - not including pots - mainly emergency fund / future house deposit 

I'm attempting to allocate my pots soon and will tally it on here for advice and accountability. 

Hazelnutty

Congrats on imminent clearing of CC1!

anjyeah

Thanks @Hazelnutty - I am just waiting for the funds to clear and I can officially celebrate

Been a bit quiet on here since I came back from two shifts at work and completely exhausted the day after. So spent today catching up with everything else outside of it. And since it’s the beginning of the month - I had to set some layouts for my journal. Just the fresh start I needed. Hello July! 

It being Friday means I have money allocated from my last extra shift. It wasn’t as much as the weekend shifts but every little helps. Part of it went to my credit card overpayment and another to my “me” fund. I have another shift coming this weekend which should go to my usual overpayments - credit card and savings.  

Have a good weekend everyone!

MissRikkiC

Well done on clearing the credit card! 

I sent an old mobile phone off last week and got £75 for that so it went straight off the credit card. Along with the monthly payment for that this month, there will be about £75 left to pay which I’m certain I can whittle away to pay.

Sharing your excitement from here 🥳

anjyeah

Thanks @MissRikkiC - the excitement is mutual. Almost there! And funny enough, I am in the process of selling my old phone too. I'm still thinking between sending it back to the official retailer or not. 

Anyhow, I may not speak for everyone but to me June was a struggle. It was exhausting physically, mentally and fair to say, even financially. I’m glad that month is over and can move on to another month.

You'll be pleased to know that I have just made my last payment on CC1 and it has been cleared. 

CC1 is officially £0. I took a screenshot today to celebrate my success. *happy dance*

As I’ve said before, I am still planning on utilising it on little spends and pay it back every end of the month (as part of my budget). I’m declaring that on here for accountability as I can easily go into the spiral of free money and “spend” the available credit limit. No can do! 

That said, I have been more motivated (eager, desperate, you name it) to clear CC2 as soon as I can. I previously calculated that with this balance transfer and monthly payments that I’m making currently, I am due to clear the debt by at least 16 months. It’s a long shot but the idea of clearing it within a year is seriously dancing in my head. 

I am having a proper think if it’s something I can realistically do while still having a life. I’ll let you know what I come up with. 

Anyhow, got another extra shift booked tomorrow and should cover overpayments for next week. I don't think I'll plan booking anything after that and will just focus on being extra careful with spending instead. 

Hazelnutty

Awesome! Congratulations!

MissRikkiC

That’s so good, well done! 

I too find it hard to find a balance, I know I could clear a sum probably 5 times what I pay each month but would be paying for it otherwise, whether that be Christmas being tighter, anniversary’s/general spends, life really. My mental health (or my hubs anyway) would suffer even if I was meeting my goal faster. 

I’ll just keep ticking away. 

You’re already doing a great job and 16 months isn’t a long time really, keep up the good work