Debt free journey

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

@MissSensible, I've just found your diary and will follow with interest, you seem very organised and driven.

I was in a very similar position to you 4 years ago.  Ex announced he was leaving after being together for 15 years, left me with loads of debt (about £25k on cc plus loan of about $14k) and a credit rating that was through the floor, all because he too was an over spender.  Our daughter was 13 at the time and desperate to stay in the family home so I sorted out my credit rating, paid off as much of the debts as I could and managed to secure a mortgage to finally buy him out at the end of last year.  We have done loads of home improvements since then, including a garden makeover and my credit cards have crept back up so I'm refocused and addressing that and overpaying on the mortgage.

MvTMM x

savingholmes

Good that you are coming out the other side MvTMM. I carefully cleared most of our debts before asking for a divorce

MissSensible

Hi Everybody,

I hope you have all had a good weekend up to now.

I have had a few more sales on ebay over the weekend and as a result have made another payment to my c/c bring the total down to £20999.00 so into another bracket which  feels great.  So the race is on to get into the £19's now. 

I have listed another few things over the weekend and have another bag of stuff ready to go.  So I may sit tonight and draft up some listings whilst watching something on the tv.  I am loving sorting out all the stuff and seeing the totals go down.

Food wise I am sticking to my game.  Made Spag Bol last night usually I would have put any extra in the fridge then in a day or  two put it  in the bin.  Not now I put it in a storage box and it was put in the freezer ready to use for dinner one day next week.  

savingholmes  -  I am still reading your diary a few pages at a time and still need to catch up.  Sending you lots of positive thoughts and hope you end up really happy.  Not quite sure were you are up to at the moment as I am still behind.  Thank you once again for your comments it really does mean so much.

MvTMM  -  You sound like you have done amazing.  It is hard but as long as you end up happier that is all that matters.  I feel like I am in control now which is a fantastic feeling.  I know I will get shot of this debt then I can start to really live again.  I think it has made me stronger and have more self control over my life and my spending which I will take into my new life.  

Take care everybody and have a great weekend.

Chrystal

You are doing brilliantly so stay positive and you'll get there.  XXX

savingholmes

Just keep plugging away and one day you'll look up and wonder how you ever did it - but you'll get there - and you'll have this diary as a reminder of exactly how much effort it took. 

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

MissSensible said:

MvTMM  -  You sound like you have done amazing.  It is hard but as long as you end up happier that is all that matters.  I feel like I am in control now which is a fantastic feeling.  I know I will get shot of this debt then I can start to really live again.  I think it has made me stronger and have more self control over my life and my spending which I will take into my new life.  

@MissSensible you are so right, being happy means everything and I have honestly never been happier in my life.  I too finally feel in control of my life and my finances which is so liberating.  Keep up the good work, you will get there!

@savingholmes you did make me chuckle with your comment about clearing your debt before asking for divorce.  If I had known what he had planned I would certainly have done the same!!

Sending positive vibes to you all

MvTMM

EssexHebridean

What astonishing progress you've already made Miss S - well done you, and even more so for keeping so much focus and drive as you near your half way point!

On the food/grocery front, I've found that the "reverse meal planning" approach really helps me - there is actually a thread on the forum called exactly that where people share ideas and inspiration. Basically before I meal plan for the week I start by looking in the fridge, freezer and cupboards and assessing what we have that needs using - then  I then plan meals for the first few days that will make inroads on using those items. Once I have a meal plan which will *mostly* be made up from stuff we have anyway, I write a shopping list for anything else that is need to make those meals plus the usual weekly fruit, veg, milk etc. Keeps me focused when I go to the supermarket as there is a list there to buy from, and means that I keep food waste to an absolute minimum too. If you have something in the fridge which you really can't incorporate into a meal plan then have a think about how it can be preserved - we've been roasting and freezing home grown courgettes recently, or blanching and freezing things like runner beans (home grown) and cabbage (a glut from the veg box) - just remember to freeze things loose on baking parchment lined trays then tip into bags or boxes otherwise you end up with massive lumps that are a nightmare to use! 

There is so much help and support available on here - it's a wonderful community! 

MissSensible

Good morning everybody,

I have been so busy over the last few days, but I have not strayed at all during this time.  

Food is all still going well, lunch today is sandwiches and tea tonight is leftovers that was frozen so all organised for another day.  As I have said before the leftovers would have gone in the bin so I feel like it is a free dinner tonight, which I know it is not.

I have sold another six items on ebay over the past few days .  As the payments hit my bank I paid it straight off the c/c.  This month I have paid £841 off the c/c which I am really pleased with.  

The balance now is £20,959.00 .  I have got another £342 to pay and then I will be at half way.  So during November I will hit this mark and I cannot wait.  

Chrystal thank you so much for your positive thoughts I really appreciate it.

savingholmes  thank you once again for the encouraging comments.  Each night I sit and read a couple of pages from your diary and it really is pushing me a long.

MvTMM  Thank you, I need to go and have a look if you have a diary as well as we seem to be in a similar situation.  

EssexHebridean  Thank you so much for stopping by.  I have started doing the reverse meal planning and it is working so well.  It is making me use up all the items in the cupboard and freezer that really do not cross your mind that you have.  I have two freezers and my aim at the moment is to get one emptied and defrost it.  At the moment this is working really well and I think I will be at the end of one by next week.  

I cannot believe how much it is saving me by doing this.

I still have not done anything about all the rings I have found, but will get around to that in the next week or two.  I am still concentrating on sorting out all the stuff in the loft at the moment.  If I try and take on too much I end up doing nothing so I am focusing on one extra task at a time.  This seems to work for me.

Any way back to work, hope you all have a great day and roll on my 50% mark which is going to come around very very soon.

EssexHebridean

Allowing that sorting the stuff in the loft is also creating an income stream then that seems like a sensible (see what I did there?) plan! 

Bring on the 50% party! 

savingholmes

Congrats on being almost at 50% complete. That's fab news. You've cleared a great amount this month too.