Mrs. P's Savings, Paying Off CC, being more organised diary

MrsPorridge

As I have been paid my pension today I just checked the CC balance - I had guessed before at £7.5k its actually £8,005.72.  I was horrified.  I have paid off double the minimum amount plus the interest, so it is now below £8k. I will update the balance in my signature each month.

Today the weather is very windy -we live in a very windy part of the country.  Its very dull too.  I have done a bit of machine sewing this morning and am just about to sit down with my morning coffee and do some hand sewing and catch up with the Hairy Bikers new programme.

Jobs later today are changing the bed  (although I may put that off till tomorrow as there is no way I can put it on the line to dry today), hoovering throughout and sorting my wardrobe.

Lunch will be pork schnitzel and veggies.

Our lovely neighbour who goes fishing most days dropped two lobsters off last night.  DH cooked them, so supper will be lobster salad (how the other half lives)!  We are very lucky with our neighbours as we get free fish and also free eggs from the man next door who works on a farm.  I make cakes & pies etc., in return.  Its a great barter system and stood us all in good stead over the lockdowns.

So another NSD for me!  I am looking at the various challenges on the forums as well.  I will be trying for as many NSDs as possible and also doing the PADDING (payment a day challenge) on the CC.  

another_casualty

Your doing very well mrs p 😼
You have a nice home , and very nice neighbours . Lots of pluses there . +

That's the thing with credit cards ..the interest is annoying . I know people sometimes ask the creditors to freeze interest etc but that could be a bad idea and alarm bells ringing , so I'd not advise that . What I'm getting from my card provider , is random periods where they want to increase my limit ..subject to checks etc. Not for me if I can help it .
The only thing I could suggest in the future,is when you get near the end of your mission to ask them to reduce the limit to £3k at the most . Less if you think you'd be able . 

Keep going ...

MrsPorridge

AC that is a great idea about the limit.  Yes, they upped it about a year ago by another £2.5k.  Its far too tempting for me.  You are right, as it starts to go down I will ask them to decrease the limit.  Thank you.

MrsPorridge

Did my bedding today and its now drying on the line.  Making the most of the windy sunny weather.

Batch cooked some spag bol which is now portioned and in the freezer.  Also baked some teacakes, so we will have toasted teacakes for breakfast over the weekend.

Tonight is always fish and chip night - so no NSD today.

DH spent most of morning fixing a leaking pipe under the sink - managed to sort it using an old piece of pipe he found in the garage.  He is a hoarder and at times like this I am grateful for that, also he's good at fixing things which is a Godsend when anything breaks.  

We both got texts from the Dr. offering flu jab appointments.  We will make them.

another_casualty

Fish &chips always good🐠🍟mrs p 😼
Glad you got leak sorted .🚰
I've just received some tools for baking cakes today, with more on the way 🍰
It was raining this morning 💧. Sunny ish now . 

Enjoy the weekend ..

MrsPorridge

Had a bit of a lazy weekend.  Did some sewing.  Today we had stew and dumplings for dinner, as usual I cooked more than was required and was able to freeze 3 portions.

Just paid off £5 off the CC.  Am trying to pay a small amount each day.  Did a bit of gardening in between the rain.

Meal planned for next week.

mark55man

good luck - its so easy to have a period where things just go backwards, but you know you can do it, because you have done it before.  and although your retired, your flexibility will make you very welcome at most retail outlets, especially supermarkets, although you need to be careful not to spoil your own holiday period.  good luck and I've subscribed for the duration

I too would err towards using the savings to take a chunk out of the debt, but depending on the relative balances and interest rates - the bigger the gap the more of the savings I would use.  in my case its 0% so I'm not that bothered.  The thing that worried me previously was being called out on the debt and not having enough to cover it, and I'm past that point now which is a relief.  if you are paying interest the chances are that you could do better be getting a 0% so that might be worth looking at, even as a retired person.  In many ways retired people have the safest incomes of all so its not impossible

MrsPorridge

I've got a fixed rate of interest at the moment on the CC so am going to keep paying off as much as I can whilst still leaving my savings intact.  Of course, I may change and decide to pay chunks off now and again.  But, I am loath to use my savings unless I really have to.

MrsPorridge

We went to see the James Bond film this afternoon/evening.  Normally for a big film like this we would have gone to a big multiplex cinema - a round trip of 140 miles, this would have involved lunch and dinner out as well.  Not this time, we went to our nearest town (round trip of 24 miles) and the local cinema, screen not as big, but not too many people in the cinema.  Its very small and almost like sitting in someones big front room!  As it was Monday it was 2 for 1.  We bought our own snacks with us so no eating out   It was good to support the local cinema as well. First outing to the cinema since lockdown and we really enjoyed it.  We loved the film although a few very unexpected twists and turns.

Before that we visited our local NT property and looked in the second hand bookshop.  I was tempted by a Sherlock Holmes book complete with the illustrations that appeared in the Strand magazine, book was £10.  I didn't buy it so I have paid another £10 off the CC instead.  Little steps I know, but will get there in the end.

I am pleased with my new mindset - just have to keep going!

another_casualty

Glad you enjoyed the Bond film mrs p 😼
It sounds more like an expedition the way you were previously going to do things 
Sitting there for around 3hrs ? I'd be doing lots of twists and turns ..