SOA

kimplus8

Thanks to everyone that have replied with constructive comments.I will get my bank statements and overhaul the whole thing and see where I am going wrong.
The reason I posted here is because I may well be debt free but the slope back to it is an easy one and I feel myself going there again. I want to buy a house and can't afford to get into debt again like I was before. 
I hope this helps clarify.

StepChange_Patience

kimplus8 said:

Thanks to everyone that have replied with constructive comments.I will get my bank statements and overhaul the whole thing and see where I am going wrong.
The reason I posted here is because I may well be debt free but the slope back to it is an easy one and I feel myself going there again. I want to buy a house and can't afford to get into debt again like I was before. 
I hope this helps clarify.

Hi there Kim

It's great to hear you're debt free, but I understand it can be a bit tricky afterwards to keep yourself on track. If I could take a moment to tell you that you're doing a fantastic job.

As others have mentioned, you can start by trying to build a realistic budget for your household, you can find some useful tools here

Check through bank statements to see areas where you may be spending more than you think, typically this could be things like the food shop and clothing which is understandable. 

I hope this helps. 

Patience

fatbelly

Kim - I'm sure there's room for improvement on the car insurance. When your renewal is coming up, take an hour or so (I know that's not easy but it's worth it) to work through this guide

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/car-insurance/

The sweet spot seems to be 23 days before the policy expires so don't leave it too late.

One of the things you might want to consider is whether you have a squeaky clean friend who could be added - you may find the price comes down.

Toonie

kimplus8 said:

The reason I posted here is because I may well be debt free but the slope back to it is an easy one and I feel myself going there again. I want to buy a house and can't afford to get into debt again like I was before. 
I hope this helps clarify.

I hope you are feeling better Kim.

Once you have your figures you can start looking at what numbers can be worked on. I understand the wanting to keep yourself debt free. I came to this board when as I didn't want my debt to increase too much whilst /injured/unemployed. We all have personal starts to our tales but whatever the reason for being here we all need some compassion and kindness.

KxMx

I found a spending diary helped me identify where my alleged surplus was going, and it proved so useful overall that I still do it years and years later. 
Being on a low income it keeps me on track and helps me make the best of the money I do have. 

EssexHebridean

A lot of folk also find that even when debt free, the accountability of a diary on here can really help them, especially when circumstances also mean that money generally will always be tight. Kim - you don’t have to return to your old diary either, you can always start a new one.