Debt and Budget (Reset) plan

IndiJonesi

Hi @shell16 just caught up on your diary and you are doing really well on the debt busting.  I know how you feel with the cost of living rising and continuing to rise so much.  We have single glazed windows in our house so our heating bill is eye-watering.  I am currently tilly tidying to try and get some pennies together for secondary glazing in the hope of reducing the gas/electricity cost.  Indi x

shell16

Hi @IndiJonesi thankyou for reading my diary.  I have had wobbles as you may have guessed but im totally focussed now.  

Oh wow, I hope it wasnt too bad for you during winter with single glazing?  At least with the (hopefully) warm weather to come and the tilly tidying you will have that cash together in no time at all!

Shell xx 

shell16

Morning All

Whats happened to the glorious weather?  Its very dull and dreary!

Quick update from me, Paid usual payment to Sainsburys CC today of £51.75 (slightly over minimum payment) and an Overpayment PAD to Lloyds CC of £13.17 (from Prolific and save the change).  This has taken me into the next thousand bracket and im super happy!  I have my Virgin and Lloyds usual payments coming out first week of April, so my balance should finish between £8700 and £8800 for this pay check period.

I cant believe I have managed to pay off just over £5900 since my LBM only 7 months ago, I only wished I had started my journey alot sooner but 'It is easy to be wise after the event'!  Debt has a way putting things into perspective, what you want in life changes along the way, priorities are different to what they used to be.  My outlook now is to secure a future worry free of debt before I hit my 50s (eek), to teach my children about my mistakes when they leave home in the future and to hopefully guide them onto a path different to the one I have taken.

Thats about all for now, have a great day!
Shell x

EssexHebridean

You've done so well - and don't worry, we ALL wish we'd fund the "MSE way" sooner regardless of when we did find it! It still  makes me cross now to think of the total amount we must have lost to OD interest etc over the years, not to mention loans that were just paid off in the planned timescale rather than overpaid! Oh well - we can't change the past - we can definitely keep the lessons from it for the future though! 

shell16

Morning!

I had a smart meter fitted yesterday for the Electric so we can keep a visual check of usage and to also have something that my daughters can see to get them helping with reducing costs too.  Only hiccup is they need to come back out beginning of May to fit the Gas one as they didn't have the correct equipment for our gas meter?????  I've always resisted due to the non transferable nature if I moved supplier.  Been watching TV and all about the rise in the cap from 1st April, so think I am still going to take readings tomorrow and submit even though the Electric should transfer automatically due to the new smart meter.  Its scary stuff!

Working from home today so my usual expense of train and car parking will be saved and also from next week for 2 weeks I'm also working from home due to school hols, so I'm saving a total of £34.80 on Travel this pay check month. Prolific is being very generous at the moment, just cashed out £6.40 and I have another £5.40 pending.  Made several PADs in the last few days, long may the surveys continue so I can continue to keep chipping away at the Lloyds balance.

With schools finishing on Friday, I'm itching to get away for the weekend in our Motorhome, I know weather is turning from today but we have all we need to keep warm, with onboard blown heating etc.  It will get us out of the house for a few days and I have my 'weekends away' pot stuffed nicely to pay, with enough for a game of bowling too.  I think I will check on the site in my break to see what is available! 

I have also run down all our freezer food too been using up mostly everything.  My last good shop was payday on 18/03 so nearly 2 weeks of no food shopping (with exception of fresh - milk, bread etc).  Will try and nip out during my lunch today and restock.  My food bill has been steadily rising with cost of Living increases so I'm hoping I finish this pay check month in credit for my groceries....watch this space!

Have a great day!
Shell x

EssexHebridean

The meters they're fitting now should remain smart even if you change supplier Shell. That's the theory, anyway! 

Interesting you mentioned Prolific - I've just been through a lean patch but picked up a few oddments during my lunchbreak yesterday. 

shell16

Hi @EssexHebridean my supplier confirmed they were smart and interchangeable with suppliers.  Id just resisted before as I knew they didn't used to be and if I changed supplier it would mean another fitter coming out to do it all over again.

I've booked our weekend away this morning, like I said I know the weather is turning but we are off to the sea side for a long weekend, booked Monday off. Fully paid for from 'weekends away pot' and still have around £30 left so will book a couple of games of bowling for me, OH and my girls.

I have just got back from shopping and to say it was quite a big shop, not too bad spend of £78 for 4. Have around 4 main meals, stuff for packed lunches and some other essentials to refill the freezer.

I have volunteered to be counter upper on the Payment A Day thread for April, Im hoping I can make more PAD payments myself with survey cash outs and save the change.

Back to work now. 
Shellx

shell16

Good afternoon

Wow its super chilly today and a dusting of snow too.  Im glad I am at home in the warmth and enjoying some sun through my window.

The smart meter is doing its job in that my daughters keep looking at the arrow on the electric making sure its staying in the Green colour!  My youngest came into Living room last night noticed arrow pointing in Orange and quickly started to turn off lights in the house!  Long may it continue 

I've sent my meter readings to my supplier today as recommended by Martin, D day tomorrow...yikes

No PAD payments today, Prolific must be thinking I have had enough surveys and its a little dry on the new survey front today.  I have cleared £1.47 and have around £7 pending, so as soon as cleared I should be able to make another PAD to Lloyds CC before my usual payments come out next week.

1st tomorrow and my mortgage payment is coming out, so will be a huge hit on my bills account, along with some other bills due, not looking forward to seeing my bank balance reduce!  Payday is early for April in view of the bank hols so will be getting paid on 14th of April instead of 18th.

Nothing much more going on today.  Will update again soon.
Shell x

shell16

Morning all

Its D day today, tried lots of times yesterday to submit a gas reading (electric is now smart meter) but BG website crashed!  Kicking myself as I didn't take a picture of the reading only wrote it down.  Im still going to try and submit today though.

Big bills day today so my current account is looking very sorry for itself, paid over £1100! My other Pots to my online account are still looking ok, £158 in Grocery, £55 in Fuel and 2 weeks left until payday which is early this month due to Bank Hols on 14th April.  There is £28 left in the school pot but my girls finish today, nothing spent from my Work Travel Pot as I agreed to wfh whilst girls on school hols, that's another £50 so those amounts  will be going into my 'buffer' pot, where there is already £39 from last month.

I think I will start to do a monthly overview  to check-in how I have done.  I don't have any figures from February due to signature updates but going forwards will post.  I can see how much has changed, which isn't that much at the moment due to Cost of Living Increases and only PAD's are from surveys and save the change in addition to the usual DD's taken for Loan and CC's.

I am counter upper for April on the Payment A Day Thread where the total for March was a fantastic £5951.21.  I have been keeping a total of the months so far and the pinch is being felt by all as although a fantastic amount, is down by approx. £1800 from February and January Totals. 

I'm away for the weekend tomorrow and although it is going to be extremely cold, it will be sun shining all day on Saturday and Sunday with rain forecast Monday when we return home.  I really cannot wait to get away, been over 7 weeks since we last went away so will make sure we all have some fun, with fresh air walks along the beach, will wrap up!  A couple of games of bowling on Sunday and some budgeted clothes shopping for the girls as they have grown so much during the last 3 months!

My Totals for end of March were

Virgin CC1 - 0% - £1408/£1170 (17% reduction)
Lloyds CC2 - 3.9% - £3095/£2541.66 (18% reduction)
Sainsburys CC3 - 0% - £2300/£2196.50 (4.5% reduction)
Loan - £6001.33/£3058.95 (51%  reduction)
Total = £8967.11 - Paid £5923.59 off debt (40% Reduction) 

Have a great weekend everyone!
Shell x

dg1019

Keel trying with the meter reading - I heard Martin Lewis on the radio yesterday saying a couple of days either way won't make much difference. 

Enjoy your weekend away.