24 months to debt freedom

Blackcats

I love saving little and often too.  My last debt was a loan and I was just letting it tick over (I think that I was actually scared of becoming debt free after so long).  Anyway I was able to set up online payment and paid extra when I could.  The first time I paid £25 extra I got a letter saying I'd saved £6.25 in interest and both the amount of interest saved and the pleasure of a letter being generated saying how much I'd saved was really motivating.
I still use the tactic now to add to savings - I've got a grandly titled Accumulation of Marginal Gains pot where I put rounding down amounts from the current account, voucher savings, £co earnings etc.  In the summer it paid for ferry tickets for our short break and this week when I reach £200 I'll be adding it to my ISA account (still seems strange to me that I have an ISA and that I have saved up money to put in it). 

CL21

I absolutely love the name of that pot 🤣 That’s definitely going on the list of pots. Think it was also your diary where I saw the idea of paying extra off debt when you don’t buy something frivolous - it really makes me think about what I’m spending money on! 

I know what you mean about being scared of being debt free although I’m sure it’s amazing. I’ve been in debt for so long it’s just normal! 

EssexHebridean

That is indeed a splendid pot name Blackcats! My favourite of ours is "The Account formerly Known as..." which used to be the mortgage overpayment pot - we decided we couldn't leave it called that once the mortgage had gone though! That is the one that gets the monthly payment made entirely out of savings over the years on utility bills and similar. 

CL21

I’m loving this EH - you’re who I want to be when I grow up! Being mortgage free seems like an absolute pipe dream at the moment but I will aspire to my own ‘The account formally known as’ in time 🤩

EssexHebridean

I haven't managed to grow up myself yet CL! (Mind you my Mum still says that, and she's in her late 70's now!) 

10 years ago, we couldn't see us getting to a MF state either, but had started plugging away....and once you start, you're on the path, and it will happen! 

CL21

Well, yesterday was a bust. Had to go and fetch DD from school - again! - but she was just tired from the weekend. Came home and had a massive sleep and woke up absolutely fine 🙄

Yesterday was a NSD and hoping to get a few in this week. All Christmas shopping is done and started wrapping yesterday for mum and dad and various friends that we buy for. Just small things this year that they can do together as a family rather than all individual presents which really adds up! 

I’m still nervous that we’ll be going back into lockdown and may yet not get over to see mum and dad. It was so last minute last year and did think it would be better this year until Omnicron showed up to the party! Will wait and see. 

Today I’m interviewing potential new starts at work. It’s been a massive struggle to find people who are experienced and not looking for absolutely ridiculous money at the moment. I know this is an issue everywhere but fingers crossed today will prove fruitful!

LittleMissDetermined

Glad DD was just tired and not poorly again.  I know what you mean about Omicron and the risk of another lockdown, it's really worrying me.  I don't want another sh!tty Christmas away from those I love.  But whilst we still have people who aren't taking it seriously and following the rules (and we now might include the government in that!) then we aren't going to get ahead of it.

Good luck with the interviewing, I no longer have to do that and it's not something I miss!  

EssexHebridean

Right there with those who are worrying that Christmas is going to get disrupted again - we were *just* able to stick with our travel plans last year as due to a last minute change of plan on our part we had already left home by the time the rule changes were announced. Had we left when planned we would have been in Tier 4 and unable to go anywhere!  Got disrupted on the way home though (and technically weren't allowed out of Scotland!) as the hotel cancelled our booking so we had to do door to door without a break. Not ideal, especially allowing for sub zero temperatures and lots of ice making things interesting!  Fingers crossed things will be OK for us all this time round. Ultimately, at some stage we do need to start living with this thing, it's not going anywhere, that much is clear, and we can't keep shutting life down forever. As said though, while there are still so many people who don't think the rules should apply to them, that complicates things! 

Hope the interviewing goes well! 

CL21

LittleMissDetermined said:

Glad DD was just tired and not poorly again.  I know what you mean about Omicron and the risk of another lockdown, it's really worrying me.  I don't want another sh!tty Christmas away from those I love.  But whilst we still have people who aren't taking it seriously and following the rules (and we now might include the government in that!) then we aren't going to get ahead of it.

Good luck with the interviewing, I no longer have to do that and it's not something I miss!  

Thanks - think I’d be happy never to do it again! We only got one done and the other was a cancellation 🤷🏼‍♀️ 

Lets keep everything crossed that we can be with people we love this year and not locked down again! 

CL21

EssexHebridean said:

Right there with those who are worrying that Christmas is going to get disrupted again - we were *just* able to stick with our travel plans last year as due to a last minute change of plan on our part we had already left home by the time the rule changes were announced. Had we left when planned we would have been in Tier 4 and unable to go anywhere!  Got disrupted on the way home though (and technically weren't allowed out of Scotland!) as the hotel cancelled our booking so we had to do door to door without a break. Not ideal, especially allowing for sub zero temperatures and lots of ice making things interesting!  Fingers crossed things will be OK for us all this time round. Ultimately, at some stage we do need to start living with this thing, it's not going anywhere, that much is clear, and we can't keep shutting life down forever. As said though, while there are still so many people who don't think the rules should apply to them, that complicates things! 

Hope the interviewing goes well! 

Gosh that sounds like quite an epic drive! Definitely hope it’s better for you this year  and totally agree that we do need to just get on with it at some point. Don’t think we’ve reached that stage yet unfortunately but fingers crossed it’ll be back to some sort of normality soon. Hope you have a wonderful trip!