Three years to get debt free

Willowtree222

Sun_Addict said:

Hope you get compensation for the flight delay. We’ve been very lucky in all the years we’ve traveled to never have a delay longer than an hour. Good news that the return journey was fine though. 

Sorry to hear about your aunt x 

Me too. It says £350 each, but we will see. I thought of you a lot at the hotel we were at. It had a lot of disability friendly things and even a hoist to support people getting in and out the pool. It even had specific spots for scooters on the sun loungers. X

Willowtree222

DD is being dropped off soon so I can really get into the drawers in the house and fill.the skip completely. 

I've been through the medicines cupboard already this morning and the pasta and rice bits and a ton of unused things are now gone. I've also binned my old covid testing kits. They'll be out of date. Now anyway. That cupboard now has lots of room. I'll be listing some free bits as well this morning on a site that recycles things. That should create a whole shelf of things. 

I'm going to build some bits of DDs furniture but not the bed as the flooring is being fitted on Thursday and that will be something huge to try and move.

I've had a look at money and although it's not great, I will be out of my overdraft by pay day (summer money pay has come in). That should be additional but it's been swallowed up.  It will allow me to start the month on 0 though and get DD her last school bits. 

Willowtree222

I've had an email to say they're going to pay the compensation. Just got to wait for it now x

Willowtree222

Morning,

Still lots going on. Not able to grieve properly at the minute. My auntie is ok, she's managing well at the minute.

In money news, I was gifted some money from someone and also about to get the flight refund so that's £1200 in that was unexpected. Again, it's given me a little bit of leeway with things.

I'm more on top of spending at the minute. I've been looking through and DDs new school uniform has come in just over £500 including trainers, shoes, school bag etc. This is not me being extravagant but all kit, including PE kit was school branded, and I've needed to buy everything from scratch. 

I'm also looking at my car. My heart ruled my head last fine, and it's just too expensive. I'm going to really think about reducing costs and possibly swapping it. I would lose money initially, but the cars I'm looking at are considerably cheaper on fuel, servicing and car insurance is 60% cheaper, so within a month, I'd be making up what I'm losing. 

I've got some bits booked in with DD as well over the next few weeks. There's always a cost to that in the holidays, but it's fine.

Dd's room is now complete. It's a proper teenage girl room now. It's come in slightly over budget, which will also explain some of the money loss as well. I used some of the gifted money to complete this. 

We have plans to go to Iceland in October. The refund and gifted money will also allow this to happen. 

I'm also going to take £250 of the money and go shopping for me. I'll wait for DD to be with her dad for the day as she's not a huge fan of shopping and will spend the say having a coffee, visiting shops, and having a little splurge. 

My head is back thinking logically, and having really evaluated where the money has gone, I can see that a huge chunk of it was nothing I had done recklessly. Most of it was quick supermarket shops between the hospice and work so lots of little pick up quickly, which always costs a lot more as I was also using the most expensive supermarket as opposed to the cheaper one I normally use, DD's uniform was another ridiculous amount, slight overspend on DD's bedroom. Eating in the airport as well came in quite expensive as they kept giving us vouchers in dribs and drabs after I'd already bought bits. That actually cost over £100 for the delay as I also needed bits to entertain DD. 

I feel annoyed that my summer work money has been swallowed up, but grateful that it's not my overdraft I'm trying to get out of. 

Hope everyone is OK x

Willowtree222

Still waiting for flight refund, but know its coming now so have booked Iceland in for DD and I.

Also booked her two ski lessons. I'm there now with her. She can ski, just lacks confidence in her ability so I pay for her to have a lesson to build her up. Just watching her smiling away coming down the big slope. She's got a friend possibly coming round later. 

Due to swap cars as well this week. Savings will be incredible monthly with fuel and car insurance alone. Looking forward to it!

My dad is having an operation today, which is obviously another worry that I'm trying to manage. I'm keeping busy by doing some work in the house. There's nothing I can do but wait to hear how it went. 

Pay day is Thursday. Not in my overdraft so that's a start as i find that hard when my wages disappear into that. 

Christmas is almost paid for. One more payment and I have £350 in vouchers. Iceland will be covered by the refund and gifted money so no cost to my bank. It's come in under £1200, which is perfect. Money I wasn't expecting had paid for a trip I was saving up for. 

I'm hoping to end the year in a much better position financially than I started the year in. 

Phone contact is also due up as well in January so that will be a switch to a sim only deal. Currently paying a ridiculous £50. Found one for £10 so that saving, along with fuel and insurances, will make a difference 
X

Sarahwithlove

Sorry for your loss, sounds like you've had an awful time. Try and cut yourself some slack, is it worth having a month or two off overpaying the car and building yourself a buffer? Can DDs dad help with the school uniform? I'm going to guess not if he isn't even paying maintenance on time every month. 

I too am am emotional spender and it's so easily done as well, in 2018 we had 4 family bereavements that year one of which was my mum. I know you want to get the debt gone but I'd give some serious consideration to paying the minimums and giving yourself some breathing space. 

Willowtree222

Sarahwithlove said:

Sorry for your loss, sounds like you've had an awful time. Try and cut yourself some slack, is it worth having a month or two off overpaying the car and building yourself a buffer? Can DDs dad help with the school uniform? I'm going to guess not if he isn't even paying maintenance on time every month. 

I too am am emotional spender and it's so easily done as well, in 2018 we had 4 family bereavements that year one of which was my mum. I know you want to get the debt gone but I'd give some serious consideration to paying the minimums and giving yourself some breathing space. 

Thanks, Sarah,

No, DDs dad believes that the £200 a month he gives me covers everything. 

I'm considering that option as well just to reset myself and not worry about what I'm overpaying and what I'm not. Payday is today so I have the time to think about it. Normally, I've overpaid already, but I'm holding off this month to see where I am at the end of the month.

I'm making positive steps again. 

My dad should be home today, which is reassuring. My auntie is plodding along. She's not well, but still fighting it. 

X 

Sarahwithlove

Could you put the money in a saver and then it's there if needed? Do you have option of having a weekly budget to make it easier to manage and rest sits in a saver until the next week. That way if you rub out of funds you know you don't have many days to go for next weeks spending money. How many accounts do you have, could you maybe try one like monzo or starling where you have pots. 

Willowtree222

Sarahwithlove said:

Could you put the money in a saver and then it's there if needed? Do you have option of having a weekly budget to make it easier to manage and rest sits in a saver until the next week. That way if you rub out of funds you know you don't have many days to go for next weeks spending money. How many accounts do you have, could you maybe try one like monzo or starling where you have pots. 

I've tried that and I can't seem to make it work for me. After work, I'm usually too shattered to start crunching numbers. 
DD has clubs pretty much every night, I'm doing a doctorate so studying and working full time so this is also part of the problem. Monday we have band and instrument lessons, Tuesday is my uni night, Wednesday she has a class, Thursday is a class, Friday her Dad collects her so I get maybe an hour, Saturday mornings are clubs, Sunday I drop at her dad's and study or get jobs done.

I also tutor a couple of times a week! 

I used to have an app that tracked each category and this helped me see, but it became quite expensive so I stopped it. 

I do have several bank accounts and have also tried keeping one as a bills account, and one as a spends account, but that didn't work either as I am forever losing my cards and then always spend out of the wrong account. 

I'm not good at all at this money business.

daisy_1571

Its really hard when everything is so busy there's no time to sit and plan.  Its sounds like some of the issues would be helped if you could get a few hours to yourself to try to simplify some things.  Automation is definitely key to an easy life. 

A bills account should have all your standing orders and direct debits.  No need to use a card for that account so pop that card in a drawer and don't carry it about with you.  That account should be filled either by wage or by a monthly standing order from where your wage goes into, it just chunters away.

An account that is filled weekly is the main card you would then use.  That one should always be in your purse/handbag or, although I hate this when I see people do it, with your phone.  Whatever you usually carry about with you.  You take it out to pay something, it goes back into wherever it came from at the till or cash point, dont shove it in a pocket and walk away thinking you'll do it later. 

Its just a habit.  You need to try a few options and once you find what works for you then it starts to be easy to do, so you do it and it then it makes life easier.

Plus, please stop saying you're not good at this money business, thats telling yourself every time you say it, type it or read it, that you can't do it so it allows you to subconsciously think' oh I cant set up systems, id be rubbish and get it wrong', then when you are working in a muddle which leads to making mistakes, this 'proves' to yourself you are rubbish at money stuff.  Start gently, slowly and soon you'll have a system you like and works for you.

Perhaps you need to wait till you have a couple of days off to do it.  Maybe 2 days, first day rest and do nothing, absolutely nothing, no 'catching up', give yourself a day off completely.  Then second day have a little list of things to look at.

I wonder if you read the above sentence and thought fat chance !  However,  its time very well spent.   If you had the flu and were stuck in bed life would carry on around you for a day or two.  If you broke your leg and were in hospital for 5 hours getting it xrayed and plastered, the world wouldn't end.  Maybe just use one Sunday, split the time in half and rest first half, look at a task next half.  I'm assuming you get breaks from having to put assignments for your studying in, also your daughter must get holidays from her clubs at some point, give yourself a holiday from tutoring the same week.  Use onr of your overpayments to 'pay' yourself for this time or to take an unpaid day from work if you don't get paid sick leave or have no annual leave left.  It sounds like you genuinely need some time off somewhere 

All the above might seem pie in the sky and I apologise if it glosses over some issue I haven't taken account of, you just seem like you are running full pelt all the time and I know how that feels.  Looking back I wish I'd had a minute where I just stopped and said to myself the above advice.

Take care, no need to comment,  just trying to help

Daisy xxx