We will get this debt down & the savings up

EssexHebridean

That's an excellent deal on that salmon - well spotted! I really with we had a Mr M nearer to us - it's the one supermarket we don't have in the town and it's the one I'd really want ideally! 

I do most of my general clothes washing on 20C these days - bedding and towels get a higher temp, and sometimes if I have a load that is basically MrEH's rugby stuff then that might go through on a 30- I'm not convinced it makes much difference to the wash, just that odd 10 degrees though!

Makingabobor2

Gosh I'm getting very lax about updating my diary. Been so busy lately and a few things going on/family issues, but trying to get on top of things now. 

So what's new in the MSE world?  Well, Monday was pension day, so the start of my new 4 week budget period. all transfers sent to savings pots etc and budget book updated. A 15 underspend on housekeeping budget last period...lol. Had a few expenses to sort out, so not looked at the extra mortgage OPs yet, but will definitely be doing some, even if only little ones this month.   Need to have a good look at savings pots as well, as I'm not convinced I am putting the right amounts in right pots and may need a bit of a tweak. I think until you've let it run a few months, you can't decide it its right for you. 
Been very lax on my MSE challenges this week as well, with being busy. So they all need looking at and signature updated. 

Went out with DH yesterday morning as he had a morning off work to attend an appointment and he treated to coffee & sausage sandwich on the way home, out of some money he'd made selling a couple of large items on FBMP. Seems some things are still easy to sell on there, but I struggle when I list cheaper things.  We went into Mr M cafe, as it was about the only place on our route home.  Didn't realise they actually do a deal for £3.50 each for hot drink and breakfast sandwich. So that was a bargain.

Washing currently hanging on the line, for 2nd time this week. Hoping it will be at least 80% dry by the time I bring it in. Forecast showed cold & sunny, but no sight of the sun yet.  I washed it on 30c as well and now washing some dressing gowns and fleece throws on 20c.
Still over £300 in credit with the tentacled ones, and next reading due on 17th. So hoping it will be lower than the last 2 months, which have both been just over £200 a month (current payment is £130 a month).  I'm keeping the thermostat a bit lower now & actually turning it off more, as it has been a lot milder. But now suddenly seems to be colder again.  I'm sat here now with hand/wrist warmers, 2 pairs of leggings and a body warmer/gilet over my fleecy top.  I am determined to save money. 

Friday we have our boiler/gas fire service and our lovely engineer/plumber is also going to look at our downstairs loo, as we have discovered a leak. I told DH ages ago there was a problem, but he kept telling me I was wrong and it was just filling slowly. Well, yesterday I finally scrabbled in there....very small space and not easy for me with my bad back/knees, and I lifted the floor covering.  Very wet underlay and mouldy. So cut the nasty bits off and put some newspaper down...didn't have much though. We think the leak is coming from the big pipe at the back, so not using loo anymore till plumber has looked at it. Hoping its an easy fix, but obviously will cost a bit and will also have to have new underlay and floor covering. Lucky its a small room....lol  But if DH had looked sooner when I first told him I thought it was a problem, we could have got it fixed before it got this bad.  But of course men have to think they are right! LOL  Luckily the plumber is a 2nd cousin of DH, so we know he will do a good job, but unluckily, he doesn't charge us mates rates.  But at least we have some money in the pots now, to pay for it, where as many years ago, we wouldn't have done. 

Just waiting for RM to come and pick up a parcel DH wants collecting, then I'm off for a walk down to the village and quick look in CS and the local C00p. They put their reduced items out around 12 and sometimes you can get a bargain, although a lot of the time their orange stickered items are still dear, even when reduced. 

So off to update my challenges and clean the kitchen floor.  Have a good morning everyone. 

EssexHebridean

Having money standing by to deal with unexpected expenses really is priceless isn't it - we still mind that we have to pay, but at least it's also not coupled with "£where is the money coming from" anxiety as well! 

Makingabobor2

EssexHebridean said:

Having money standing by to deal with unexpected expenses really is priceless isn't it - we still mind that we have to pay, but at least it's also not coupled with "£where is the money coming from" anxiety as well! 

So very true @EssexHebridean, back in spendy era, DH would just say, "oh never mind, I'll ask my dad for some money",  A lot of the time FIL would then say not to worry about paying it back, so that just made DH want to spend even more. Trouble was, FIL had no idea about the amount of debt we were in at that time. 

Makingabobor2

What a wet & cold day, don't think its stopped raining since DH went to work this morning. Good job I have my online exercise groups as there is zero chance of getting out for a walk in this weather.  So looking forward to spring now. 

So in today's money saving news. I have made an extra £100 OP on mortgage and think I may make an extra £40 and the odd pennies in a bit, if I can work it out to do it, as I hate odd amounts and really want to see nice round numbers and would really like to get it down below the £19K before the next proper payment goes out at end of month.  
Also sent some money to holiday pot and a few other pots as it was DH's pay day. 

Yesterday I had a nice letter from one of our creditors, C*b*t, who had been handling the L!*d* debt after we went onto self managed DMP and been paying minimum payments.  They offered me a lovely F&F offer to clear the debt by the end of April, so a quick work out of finances and what we had to to pay to who/when/ etc and my rise in pension in April as well, I went online and accepted the offer, paid over 3 instalments. So by end of April a good chunk, £1300 will be off the debt figure.   I know a lot of people might not agree with F&F deals, because as the end of the day we spent the money and got in the debt in the first place. But also, if the banks hadn't been adding on so much interest when we were in trouble and had helped us more when we first contacted them, the debt would never have got so high.   So I appreciate that some of you may not like this idea, but I am just noting it in my diary, as it may help others in the future. All opinions are welcome as long as you don't slate me completely for accepting these deals. 

Done a few surveys/studies and hoping P/fc hurries up and approves so I can cash out. Had a good day yesterday and spread the cash out around between different pots. 

Dinner is in SC and smells lovely, liver, potatoes and veg. Very unconventional as I had 1/3 jar of sweet & sour sauce in the fridge, so I poured that over it. 

Oh yes, yesterday afternoon I went in the local CS and found a brand new set of measuring spoons, you know the sort that go from 1/2 tsp up to 1 cup. Been looking for some for ages and thought they were very expensive on the big river site, so very pleased to have found these, at just £2.75

Been trying not to have the heating on too much today, but it is feeling a lot colder. I've actually put my little ankle/leg warmers on over my leggings in the hope they will help my feet stay warmer. Even a 4000 step exercise routine didn't warm my feet earlier.  

Well, think its time for a cuppa and a few rows of knitting. Still doing the blanket for DGS3, started it months ago, but then when I broke my wrist I couldn't knit for ages and even now it makes it ache if I do too much, so its little and often. 

Have a good afternoon everyone and stay warm & dry

foxgloves

Doesn't that just show how important it is to have Savings Pots/Emergency Fund, @Makingabobor2. We would have been just the same back in the Spendy Era & bunged any remedial works to the house straight on credit.
F x

Makingabobor2

Yes indeed FG.   Keeping those savings going is the way forward

Makingabobor2

Another wet and cold day, but I did find a dry patch to walk to the village and took advantage of a special offer the butcher had on chicken fillets. Seems I had the last pack, so the universe must be smiling on me. I have divided them up and frozen in pairs and TBH, they are so big that 2 fillets will probably do us 2 meals, or at least 1 meal and a lunch the next day.  
Then on to the C00p and some orange stickered courgettes and a nice bunch of orange stickered flowers. Quick browse in the "sell everything cheap shop" and found the last 2 packets of chocolate fibre bars, at 2pkts  for £1 as they were OOD. Don't normally buy that sort of thing, but for that price they are a very cheap snack. 

Got home and did some bank account checks and sent another £40 OP to the mortgage, just because I wanted to round it down before the end of the month. There was also an odd 34p on it that I HAD to pay off. Can't stand odd amounts like that.  So down to £19K and can't believe we are this close to paying it off now. Its been a long haul over the years. Was originally a 25 year one, then added a couple of years to have some windows done, then moved house and had to take a bit more....was a stupid idea really as we were already in debt at this time and I can't believe they actually let us do it. Although I had a good job at the time. Little did we know I would then get made redundant twice in the next 6 years!   But all is good now, and debts are slowly going down and savings going up. 

Plumber/gas engineer came today, servicing all done and we think the leak is fixed. He says to keep an eye on it over the next few days as we start flushing the loo again, and if there's a problem he'll happily come back and look at it. He's a lovely chap, and being distantly related to DH is a help. We're good customers though, been using him for over 20 years now. Now just waiting for him to email the bill, but I am confident I have more than enough in the pot for it. Can't believe I actually have a pot entitled "Boiler annual service & insurances".  Who'd have thought 10/20 years ago, I would have even thought of that. 

So just off to tidy up now and get dinner on. Then its Emmerdale and Susan Calman Cruising....I'm easily pleased....lol

Have a good evening everyone. 

LittleMissDetermined

Wish we only had £19k on the mortgage but the last move took care of that! We definitely needed the extra space though. Even though there are only 2 of us, with hubby’s hobby room and my home office there wasn’t room for guests at the old house.

Youre doing so well with the mortgage overpayments. Our circumstances have changed over the last few months so I’m not sure what our future plans are in terms of paying down the mortgage.

I never seem to find anything good with the reduced sticker items. It’s usually bits of blue cheese, which I’m not a fan of. 

Makingabobor2

Thanks LMD. I am pleased the mortgage is going down well, but do feel bad that the old credit card debts are still so high. We're working on it though.