Digging My Way Out Of This Mess

diggingmywayout

had a night to muse on it / sleep on it and the decision is i just carry on - nothing changes.  keep to budget keep putting what i can extra away and slowly pick off the debts one by one by partial settlements.  OH is aware that the purse strings are currently tightly shut and i plan to keep it that way.  plan stands that i do the one settlement this month for the lowest bill taking my total amount owing down by 275 or a whole 1% of what i owe.   

diggingmywayout

payday here and I've spent the last hour paying off stuff - all the stuff on dmp has been reviewed and payment plans put in place for minimum payments to be reviewed either in 6 or 12 months and the plan is i build up a chunk of cash so i can offer some partial settlements and pick them off one at a time.  the debt with the dwp I've put a payment plan in place for 12 months so that is under control for now.  

budget working even if i have to jiggle some payments some of the time.  I've decided that i'm going to wean myself off the use of the credit card - its only used for petrol and shopping and dire emergencies (mot/ repairs went on it this month) and it is always paid off in full but it means that i don't have a proper feel for how much money i have left at the end of the month as i'm always in debt to that by a month.  this month I try and cut down the spend on it to just petrol and nothing else and then i feel a bit more in control.  

I'm splashing out this month on a rotary airer so i can get my washing dry outside instead of over airers inside then finishing off with a whizz in the tumble dryer as it has been over the winter.  that's money i wasn't planning on spending but it has come out of my emergency pot and will be topped back up again next payday so no harm done - plus it will save me money in the long run (and i love the smell of clothes that are air dried so that's a plus too). 

I will workout on 1st what my current balances are so I can keep a running total of them dropping - cant wait to see them go down even by a tiny bit its the little things in life that keep me happy  

WinterWarrior

Happy payday 🌟
Keep those purse strings well away from your OH. You are doing great.

diggingmywayout

£675 and 2 of the debts with one DCA cleared on 1st and finally I can start to see my figures dropping a bit.  Next month the plan is I do the other one I have a partial settlement offer on so looking forward to that.  Only other news I have is all bills paid for next month already, freezer full of food and leccie on the meter so doing ok.  sense of calm beginning to descend on my life which is good - and well overdue. 

WinterWarrior

Fantastic progress, well done digging. It will all come together, just keep plodding on. 

diggingmywayout

all payments cleared after the bank holiday and now i've officially paid off £710 or 2.5% off my debt - whoop whoop go me!!  all sorted for the rest of the month - top up shops will consist of milk and will need to put some leccie on the meter and thats it.  120£ in cash to last us the month (earned by OH by doing some gardening - he started doing his parents garden for free over the weekend and had all the neighbors ask him to do theirs - 6 hours later and he was worn out and £120 richer (which I promptly put in my purse for safe keeping) and £100 untouched in the bank account.  all going good at the moment

WinterWarrior

Well done grabbing the money 😁 It sounds like he’s fit to start some regular manual labour 😬

diggingmywayout

WinterWarrior said:

Well done grabbing the money 😁 It sounds like he’s fit to start some regular manual labour 😬

agree with that one wholeheartedly so ive sat there at his laptop logged into the job sites that he has set up profiles for and ive found and applied for 4 jobs that fit for him.  apparently he couldnt find anything that was suitable but he agreed they all fit his criteria so we shall see if anything comes of it. 

I've been offered a second earning stream and im currently working out how it would work / if it would be too much on top of the full time job i do and also if i want to do it.  I workout quite extensively and have built up a home gym over the years with bits n bobs of equipment, I used to coach my son when he was a teenager/ youth and his mates and got to use the facilities for free at the gym.  Ive been contacted and asked if i can do the same again.  its going to work out as another £300 pm and will keep me busy for 2 evenings per week for 2 hours (3 hours if i include the travel to get there and back).  I currently work 9am to 6pm each day from home so if i do it i would be busy for 12 hours straight and would eat en route to the session or not until i got back and had a shower.  im mindful that it maybe too much for me - my job is exhausting just that I have to think and keep my brain alive and I also currently enjoy exercise / working out because i choose to do it and what i do/ when.  I'm wary of turning it into a paid gig will cause me to hate doing it because it then becomes a chore/ obligation... 

OH isnt happy cos he says it will be too much for me and that we wont spend any time together... he's actually right about that for the days that i do it so another one to add into the consideration.   

Im going to talk to them over the weekend and will make a decision once ive asked all the questions that i have - and play it by ear, if it becomes too much for me i just scale it back and do what im doing now

WinterWarrior

Could you do your day job 8am until 5pm, so you’d have time to eat? I prefer the earlier start so am always at my desk by 8am. On the other hand, if OH gets a job you won’t need the extra….so well done on the applications. 

diggingmywayout

I work in sales so my hours are set unfortunately.  would love to start and finish earlier - but boss is old school and hours are set in stone. 

OH going for an interview - co walking distance away from where we live and working night shift for 4 nights per week - Mon-Thu inclusive.  Ive got my fingers and toes firmly crossed