“Debt is normal. Be weird.”

browneyed_girl

Thanks @WinterWarrior - I quite impressed myself with that shop!  Now it’s just a case of seeing how long it lasts!  

browneyed_girl

So, back with that list of goals.  I’m going to focus on short-term goals until the end of the year, then I’m sure there will be many resolutions in the New Year to motivate me!  

1. To pay off all credit cards and Very by the end of 2021.  This currently amounts to £3798.02.  With DH picking up extra shifts once kids are back at school and DS has started preschool, we should on paper manage to throw at least £1000 at debts.  However, with Xmas on the horizon, I’m aware we’re going to have to continue to budget carefully in order to make this a reality.
2. To have £400 in the emergency fund by the end of the year, all from surveys and additional income.  We’ve always struggled to build up an EF because of what seem to be never-ending unexpected costs (mostly car related).  This is why I’m focused on doing it from sources other than our main income, as that has to do the hard work of clearing debts.
3. To have a total of 50 NSDs by the end of the year.  This is obviously in order to help with goals one and two, but I’m also keen to break the habit of online shopping and impulse buys that have started building up again.  I’m going to join the NSD challenge each month and keep track of it that way.  Not naming any names, but I think DH might struggle with this one! 
4. To stick to Xmas gift budget of £775 and not to spend outside of normal food budget on Xmas food.  I feel I should apologise for mentioning Xmas so early, but after DD1’s birthday, this is the next big spending event in our house.  Even as I write that gift budget it sounds ridiculously high!  It factors in £100 for each of the kids (that includes all stocking presents as well), then gifts for parents, nieces and nephews and two Secret Santa presents which is what we do among siblings and partners.  If I want to achieve goal one, I’m going to have to be really savvy about how to manage this.  We also probably spend at least £200 on food over the Xmas period (compared to our usual budget of £80 a week) which seems excessive.  I’m going to start adding a few items to our shopping list each week that can be put aside - I think I’ll start with that free box of chocolates we received earlier! 

I’m happy with those goals as a start.  Obviously, there will be the usual daily goals of sticking to budgets and avoiding unnecessary spending by making use of what we already have.  Feeling properly motivated now so I’m off to look for surveys!

mark55man

Good goals, and achievable - which is half the battle to seeing them through.  My OH has already started planning to do the same, picking up odd xmas bits - partly for budgeting, but mostly to be organised as early as possible this year as so many outside events might conspire - supplies, another peak in the pandemic, supplies, and most of all other people panicking. 

So if there is going to be a panic, then panic early is a good plan.  But if you are only going to  buy what you were only going to buy then I don't see what's wrong with that. in fact its helpful to the supermarkets if we don't all wait until late Dec to do it 

browneyed_girl

Thanks @mark55man - I hadn’t even considered that outside events might have an impact as we approach Xmas!  I really dislike visiting the shops over the Xmas period anyway, but I dread to think what it may be like if the festive crowds start feeling the need to panic buy! 

mark55man

Obviously agree with that

PS I love your signature "A small leak ..." - I think that's what I have come to realise its about focus on ratcheting up all the gains you make in the small things. 

browneyed_girl

Evening all! 

Quiet day here which resulted in a NSD - hopefully starting a new trend!  DH has his usual shift today but is being paid double time so no complaints!  Laid out all the short-term goals to DH and he seems keen to help me achieve them.

DS has a settling in morning at preschool tomorrow.  He’s been really excited about it all day and even had a trial run with his lunchbox (which was really just him packing it with strawberries and then eating them whilst sat on the living room floor).  

Looking around the house, I can see it needs a good declutter and general spring clean.  Lots of people have started talking to me about Xmas plans and it just makes me think of all the presents the kids will get and how I can possibly make space for them all.  I don’t plan on asking for anything for Xmas, so I might try and sit down with DH and figure out the best way to approach gifts this year.  

Going to spend the the rest of the evening relaxing with a cup of tea and a film.  It’s very rare that I get the opportunity to do absolutely nothing!

WinterWarrior

I do hope you enjoyed your evening of absolutely nothing, it sounds perfect 😁
I also like to have a trial run of eating meals 🤣

CRANKY40

A small thought - my sister and I agreed many years ago not to do Christmas for each others children but to do better birthday presents instead. It was brought about by my sister's 4 children unwrapping a mountain of stuff one Christmas morning. She had no idea who had bought what to say thank you to them or where she was going to put stuff. Open a bank account for both children and say that small cash gifts or a slightly more expensive birthday present would be welcome. Nobody that I have suggested this to since has been offended. A lot of people have big families to buy for at Christmas and my son has never noticed a  reduction in the Christmas loot because we started young. 

BellaLasagna2018

That’s a great idea @CRANKY40. When my DD was little she would get tons of stuff at Christmas, especially as she has a birthday a couple of days just before. It was overwhelming. I also found she was given a lot of « filler » presents, which she rarely used. I’ve already told her I won’t be doing that with my new grandchild. I will buy a more substantial main present, but not provide lots of little presents. They have lots of friends anyway so this child will feel not they’re missing out! 

browneyed_girl

Thanks for the ideas @CRANKY40 and @BellaLasagna2018 - I feel as though we do need something similar in place.  All the children have accounts that could be added to, plus DD1 is very good at saving her pocket money for something expensive (it’s never too early to learn about saving and budgeting!).