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Currently clueless...aiming for awareness
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You are so welcome. It sounds like you've made some great steps today to making change. That's upsetting your mom had covid and 2 there's an added cost involved.
I hope your Mom isn't suffering too much with it.
We went out today and were surrounded by people spending and amazingly we didn't spend anything. I was hard seeing kids with ice-creams but I knew we wouldn't go without as we have ice-creams in our freezer. As soon as we got home we all sat in the garden and had one and I felt a sense of achievement.
How about buying a box of ice-creams from a supermarket on the way home from the book shop. I guarantee it will be cheaper than a single and you can share with the others or have one at home on another day.
Keep going xxx1 -
canvascamper said:Oh, also some good news, I've been waiting for ages for a refund for some ferry tickets I booked for our summer holiday (camping in Jersey) that had gone through twice in error, so I got a refund on my co-op credit card of £421.25 which is a nice chunk of the balance and brings it down to £2185.76.1
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canvascamper said:Oh, also some good news, I've been waiting for ages for a refund for some ferry tickets I booked for our summer holiday (camping in Jersey) that had gone through twice in error, so I got a refund on my co-op credit card of £421.25 which is a nice chunk of the balance and brings it down to £2185.76.0
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So brilliant I've posted it twice 😃3
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Plan for the day - (working from home)
Long hot bath - already done ✅
Take eBay parcel to post officeList 3 more things on eBay2 loads of washing and hung outDo actual jobSort some more paperwork and figure out how many old 0 balance credit cards I actually have and put them on the spreadsheetUnsecured debts total -
May 2023 - £30355.65 🤢
June 2023 - £29161.76
July 2023 - £28595.065 -
Hi,
I've just read you diary!
A few things that maybe you haven't considered, which really helped me get out of circa £20k of debt a few years ago! I am now in the black and feeling so much happier!
Council tax - you can spread this over 12 months not the normal 10 (this made each month around the same amount going out) I know people like the two free months, but they are only free for the council - just call them up to change it.
Interest Free Nation Wide Over Draft (needs approval) - I had a £2k OD with them that had to be paid back with 12 months - this was a huge weight lifted as my DH was paying about 34% with his HSBC OD, we just trafered it over and gave us breathing room, we split the 2k over 12 months and it was gone.
BANK SWITCH FOR MONEY - Do you switch bank accounts for the extra cash? If you DH is good with money suggest he switches and the extra money could come off one of your cards for example?
Good luck with the debt busting!
Bizzy
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Hi @Bizzywizard 👋 thanks for the tips! Sounds like you've done brilliantly!
I had a no spend day today! I posted my eBay parcel but as postage was paid for by the buyer I'm calling that as not counting! I needed some groceries but OH went for them, so that was a winner!
I've not, however, been at all productive in all other areas of life 😐. I'm hormonal and tired and want everyone to leave me alone. Unfortunately the chances of that in this house are zero so I am irritable. I can't be bothered to organise anything at all. I did put 2 loads of washing on and hung out, and that will have to be my victory for the day.Unsecured debts total -
May 2023 - £30355.65 🤢
June 2023 - £29161.76
July 2023 - £28595.065 -
canvascamper said:
Took the kids to the park today with snacks and drinks, all was going well! We were there about an hour and a half, just thinking of heading back and 10yo friend from school arrived and they wanted to play longer. It was really hot and they'd had all their drinks so I got them each an ice lolly. 10yo friend then wanted to come and play, she has a special diet for medical reasons so I nipped to the shop on the way home for some snacks she could have. Total spend for the day £6.800 -
@TheAble, I don't disagree with that at all, in principle. However I think that general statement you've made completely epitomises my struggle with money.
I completely agree why, all things being equal, just "don't buy stuff" is the answer. But all things aren't equal. For context, my 10yo is autistic and very rarely has friends over because he gets easily overwhelmed. The friend we met in the park is also autistic and has AFRID, which is a very restrictive eating disorder. The boys happened to be both having very good days and me and his mum felt they would manage a playdate (which, incidentally, they did and had a great time which is completely priceless to me). A condition of the friend feeling comfortable in my home is that I have his accepted foods available, so I bought a pack of biscuits and the brand of juice he will eat.
So, with apologies for the rambling explanation, I absolutely want to get rid of this debt but if it is at the cost of those little bits of happiness and 'normality' for my kids that might not seem important to other people, I'm more likely to jack it in and stick my head back in the sand, because that's just too hard for me.Unsecured debts total -
May 2023 - £30355.65 🤢
June 2023 - £29161.76
July 2023 - £28595.0610 -
My best friends little boy died last year, he was 13. He had been very poorly for the majority of his life but his death was unexpected at this time. My best friend had put off doing certain things because of the cost and last week they went somewhere he would have loved without him and she cried the whole day.
It does sound like you're currently in a bit of a hole, but you and your partner both have good jobs and an education, which generally will allow you to increase your earning should you really be required to.
To me, it sound like you have it right, don't be frivolous if you don't have to be, but also don't waste these precious years with your children fretting about every penny. Could you up your hours just a little? This would be make a bigger difference than refraining from sausage rolls ever could.5
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