Head Up, Keep Positive, Eye on the Prize

ThisLife

In other news ...
I've decided that I don't want to continue to do my commute, even part time any more, so I'm currently looking for jobs nearer home. A weight feels lifted just to have made that decision and to be doing something constructive about it.

LookingForPeace

Hey @ThisLife! Glad to hear you haven't "fallen off the wagon"  The decision about your commute sounds really positive - I've often surprised myself with how easy it is just to take control of a problem like that, when it felt like a mountain before.

Forgive me for psychoanalysing, but I'm wondering what prompted you to post an update  Did something cause you to think you didn't have your "eye on the prize" anymore?

I've found it extremely motivating to know what payments I'm making on the debt each month, and to dream of what I'm going to use that monthly income for in the future when it's all disappeared 

Merry Christmas and HNY by the way! 

ThisLife

How strange @lookingForPeace, I was just reading your diary! 

I think it's that 'End of Year' reflection and looking ahead thing, I think. Like I said, I've been plodding on, but then it's taking so long and I just want it done now. I need to be more focussed. It's so easy to spend just £1, feels like nothing, but every day over a year that's £365 gone. For me this year, it feels like I've slipped on the small, seemingly insignificant things, which actually add up to a lot. 

Also, deciding to look for another job is a massive decision for me and it's taken me a few years to reach this point, with a possible change of career too. It's a big change, but it feels very positive now I've decided that's what I need to do.

I suppose it feels like I've been wandering around for a bit, heading in the general right direction, but now I'm back on the path again 

Good luck to you too, you've made a great start and you sound very motivated!

outoftheviciouscircle

I can definitely relate to the reflecting on the year gone by. I tend to do this every year, but something feels different this year. I love your quote of how £1 a day is £365 over the year. This something I need DH to work on so that we can achieve our debt free goal. 
Good luck on bringing that debt down in 2023.

LookingForPeace

ThisLife said:

How strange @lookingForPeace, I was just reading your diary! 

I think it's that 'End of Year' reflection and looking ahead thing, I think. Like I said, I've been plodding on, but then it's taking so long and I just want it done now. I need to be more focussed. It's so easy to spend just £1, feels like nothing, but every day over a year that's £365 gone. For me this year, it feels like I've slipped on the small, seemingly insignificant things, which actually add up to a lot. 

Also, deciding to look for another job is a massive decision for me and it's taken me a few years to reach this point, with a possible change of career too. It's a big change, but it feels very positive now I've decided that's what I need to do.

I suppose it feels like I've been wandering around for a bit, heading in the general right direction, but now I'm back on the path again 

Good luck to you too, you've made a great start and you sound very motivated!

Ah I appreciate you taking a look! 😀

The end of year feeling makes sense, and I love your £1 -> £365 thinking. 

Is the December 2024 DFD in your signature up to date? If so, I hope to be cheering you along the way! 🙏

ThisLife

Thanks @outoftheviciouscircle and @LookingForPeace Yes, I updated my signature. I'd hoped to be debt free by April 2024 originally, but I've moved it to the December to be more realistic. 2 years is a good target and if I achieve it before, then all the better. 

ThisLife

Out of the following debts, I'm going to throw everything at the Nationwide balance as that is the only one charging interest at the moment. Plus, I had gone 5 years without spending on a credit card and I'm annoyed at myself that I didn't plan well enough over the last few months that I had to spend on it again. I will be very pleased to see that down to zero again.

Also, when I first started, I followed a lot of Dave Ramsey's advice to knock out smallest to biggest debt in order and that really worked for me. So, minimums on everything else and the rest to Nationwide.

Nationwide - £1,117.81
HSBC         - £1,710.00
M&S           - £4,265.00
MBNA        - £11,968.75

Total - £19,061.56

ThisLife

Mr TL boiled up the carcass of the turkey yesterday and has made some lovely soup out of the stock. I've sectioned it up and put it in the freezer, so that's a few cheap lunches ready for the next few weeks. 

I got a diary from the Design Trust last year. It was expensive, but its all about making goals to build your business (I have a little side business I need to work on building up) and splits the year into 4 quarters where you have to set goals and say how you will achieve them. I didn't do much in it last year, but am determined this year to make changes and work on the things that will make positive differences in my life. I was tempted to order a new one, but instead I went through it and changed all the dates to this year instead.

Change of job news. I am waiting on the outcome of an interview I had a few weeks ago. It was a launchpad interview, so you just clicked 'start' and someone on screen read out the question and then you got recorded giving your answer (with a countdown timer at the side!) A very strange experience ... so will see what happens. I also have 2 other applications in the pipeline. 

Have just entered our gas and electric readings, so will see what the bill for that is tomorrow. We pay on the receipt of the bill, as the DD they wanted was ridiculous given the credit we had and our usage. We are with Bulb so no difference in the tariff for DD or pay on receipt of the bill. I put what I had estimated our monthly DD should have been into a savings pot each month, so we have a fund for it, but it's still a shock to see the change from last year to this. 

It looks like it's stopped raining now, so off the take the dog for a walk. 

ThisLife

Energy bill for December has come in at £286.54 and that is being really careful as to when we put the heating on. We have an electric throw which we make good use of too. We did have it on a lot for that sub zero temperature week mid December. Last year the December 2021 bill was £136.45. Dread to think what it will be next year, with a further increase and no Government monthly subsidy.

We're both back at work in a few days, so no need for heating to be on in the daytime and under the throw in the evenings

Happy New Year everyone!  

ThisLife

I have bought a money box which needs to be opened with a can opener to get the money out at the end. This is to put any cash in that comes my way and is to save up for spending money for our Summer holiday. It will be interesting, come end of July, to see how much is in there.

I have got back into the Prolific surveys and have transferred out £7.55 for December's takings. I was up to about £20 per month mid last year, so need to keep doing them. £240 for the year isn't bad and I find most of them quite interesting to do. So the target is to make at least £20 per month.

The budget for the month has a bit of a surplus for a snowball payment to the Nationwide card. I'm holding back on paying it until the end of the month just in case we need it for something unexpected.