Debt free by 40

sashybo

I was actually surprised I got the deal jokono. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

Great news on the allotment, that will be exciting. I do some growing in the garden but have run out of steam the last few years with the kids being so young and having no time. I’m hoping to get back to it properly next Spring when DS is at school & DD is in nursery.

jokono

I used to grow some veg in pots in the garden with various levels of success but stopped after Boy2 turned 1. It was ok while he was a baby and I was still on maternity leave but after going back to work I just didn't have the time and energy. We could make some space in the garden but I'd like to have a proper plot.

I took Dog for a mindful walk this morning in the field I sometimes run in. In the last couple of weeks since I've been there the wheat turned from deep green to golden, it was beautiful to watch. The grass around the field has been trimmed and the sweet smell of it drying was gorgeous, took me back to summers spent at my grandma's in the countryside. I reflected on the good life  I have  - a loving husband, healthy kids, a nice house and a good steady income. I don't need anything else.

I also feel much lighter, the no bread/rice/pasta/potatoes is doing its magic. My stomach is flat and my lower abdomen is smaller, if still round and a bit  hard but that's always been like that. The only time I had a flat abdomen was the summer of 2005 when I was going to he gym 5-6 days a week in anticipation of my first beach holiday abroad. 😆

Yesterday, after a large salad - red (gem?) lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, a ball of mozzarella (all free from olio or the larder) and a tin of mackerel in tomato sauce - I decided to have a small bag of taralli. I thought having it after a meal wouldn't spike my blood sugar so much but the second I finished it I could feel the cravings coming in, I wanted more of everything. I managed to stop them by having a fruit, a large glass of water and keeping busy, but I'll try to avoid getting there again.

I'll keep up with this for as long as I can, I can see it's doing me good. I lost a bit of weight, my resting heart rate went down by a significant amount and my heart rate variability shot up, more than it does when I exercise but eat whatever. This has all been the effect of the eating, I haven't exercised at all for a couple of weeks.

jokono

Money wise - I messaged capital yesterday asking to close my account and this morning I woke up to confirmation that the balance will be transferred to my current account and the CC will be closed.

I had a minute thinking how I could've BT more and covered my flights without using the Sainsbobs card that comes with a fee, but decided not to dwell on it. Actually, the milk is not spilt! It's good S have been so slow, I might not even use the card at all. I can pay some of the flights with the refund from capital, then wait for a while to see what nat west decides on my claim. If I get the flights refund before the end of the month, then I won't need to transfer at all. I might even be naughty and BT from S to my new no fee NW to pay some of the loan 😈😈😈

jokono

Oh, and I just realised how things have changed! 12-18 months ago I would've been happy with any BT offer, now I turn up my nose at 1% fee. 🤣 Last year in March I closed a Fluid CC which had a 4% fee for only 9 months with a very low limit, I think I started with £500 and went up to £1500-2000 after a few moths.

MissRikkiC

This is all so positive. Money, and health. 

I’m really interesting in your eating habits and how it’s affected you, but also your exercise and health changes, HRV in particular. Do you monitor this with a whoop band? 

jokono

Hey @MissRikkiC - I have a fit bit charge 4 that monitors the HRV, I'm not sure how accurate it is but I can see it changing and I think that's the main thing.

My exercising is very irregular. I get very painful periods so I stop for a few days when that happens, then it gets me a few more days to get back into it. I can't remember the last time I went for a run, I had my period not long before our holiday and now I came back and had it again 16 days after the previous one!!! I hope this is a one off. I need to do more, including some weights, especially now it looks like I'm very close to perimenopause 😒

The biggest changes I see in HRV and RHR are after several runs or when I start eating less - ETA more mindful and less snacking, I'm not starving myself. I've been intermittent fasting for about 5 years, since watching 'eat, fast, live longer' on iplayer. I've looked a lot into fasting and its health benefits since then and I can see it working for me. I've been interested in nutrition since getting pregnant with Boy1 (I was a very fussy eater before that, didn't have almost any veg!) and I tried a lot of different ways of eating, I've even been a raw vegan for a couple of weeks. 🥴 There's an author that summarises his work (which I haven't read, but liked the summary 🤣) in a few words - eat food, not too much, mostly plants - and that is what I'm trying to do. Doesn't always work, especially around chocolate based holidays like Easter 😁 or when I'm very tired or stressed out. 

On the other hand, the HRV goes straight down the day after a drink, even if it's only a small beer or glass of wine. I rarely drink so it's easy to spot the difference and know why it changed.

jokono

NW has 'temporarily' refunded the cancelled flights! 🎉🎉 I guess it's temporary because they're allowing the company to come back with something which I don't think will happen, but it's good they did it now so I don't get charged interest on it. They moved really fast, I'm really happy with them. They also sent me the new card which I've applied for last week. The sainsbobs one is still not here.

jokono

The refund from capital one went into my current account yesterday, both sets of flights are now covered bar approx. £100 which I'll sort on payday. I couldn't login into the capital app this morning so the account must be closed already. The Sainsbobs card is still pending. 🥴

jokono

I finished the week with just over £50 left in the budget 💪

Eating less and mostly free helped! The almost 50 spent were in Leedl and Sainz, fruit and food for the family, parking when in town with Boy1 for his eye test and air for the tyres. (Sainz used to have free air 😏) Some squirrelled in the round up account. 

The Sainz card has finally landed, 3 weeks later. I don't think I will use it to BT to it, I'd rather keep that 1% 😅

WinterWarrior

Amazing budgeting there, well done!