Debt free and staying that way while I re-evaluate life and keep blood sugar levels down

foxgloves · 1 November 2024 at 7:38AM

Bah! Have just typed a response to your words of wisdom, @Humdinger1, then lost it. Will try to remember to pop back later to re-type.
F

foxgloves · 3 November 2024 at 3:04PM

Some good points there, @Humdinger1, about perspective & change of mindset around consumption. For me, it all comes down to sustainability, both financial & environmental. My old approach back in the Spendy Years ran contrary to what was needed. Despite being in full time work since graduating (despite graduating in the Thatcher years when unemployment was high), I outspent my income every month without fail. As I made no attempt to budget, I would have to say that I outspent my income deliberately. In other words, it was a choice. In terms of environmental sustainability, I would have described myself as being 'green' in outlook back then, but this was based largely on reading material & purchasing green products, rather than cutting my consumption in any way. Of course, I now agree very much with the adage that the most environmentally friendly product is the one we don't buy. I love a bargain as much as the next person, but would now choose quality items built to last over bagfuls of tat from burgeoning bargain emporiums. I am genuinely much happier with my post-LBM lifestyle than I was when I was living such an unsustainable lifestyle & I can tell that it is the same for you, @Humdinger1. My debt total was a lot lower than yours, but during the Spendy Years, I met & married the even-more-endebted Mr F & how interesting it was to be confronted with someone who had exactly the same poor attitude to sustainable finances as myself. Yes, his debts were greater than mine, but I had received many years of parental bail-outs, whereas he had not.
I think if I had to pick a single word to encapsulate the change, I'd choose 'resilience'. It is important in all aspects of life, but financially, our change of attitude & the lived practical changes stemming from that have brought about a financial resilience which with hindsight, I would have liked much earlier in my independent adult life. I think that like us, plenty of people on these forums have come to their big financial wake-up call later in life & we are a good example of 'better late than never'. And I am very happy not to be creating so much tat for future landfill - unnecessary crud which will be hanging around in the substrate pretty much forever because I was one of millions of people who 'had to have' an inconsequential shiny little plastic wot-not on my mantlepiece for a few months.
I sometimes feel I am looking back on the actions of a different person, but the truth is that we are all of us works in progress, are we not?
Keep going with the non-spendy calm,
F x

Humdinger1 · 3 November 2024 at 8:31PM

Thanks @foxgloves! Yes non-spendy calm is exactly how it is. I've done debt coaching for people living in Georgian rectories with Porsches (yes, plural) in the drive. They are maxed out on mortgages, credit cards, overdrafts and loans because nothing bad was ever going to happen to them; until it suddenly did. Without a penny in savings, their resilience was zero. One case sticks in my mind; the parents were terrified of their situation including 'but what will people say.' They had based all their debt on dad's temporary promotion which would not be made permanent and they knew that. They'd doubled their mortgage, maxed out car and other loans and their 3 children were all in private school with a combined 30 years to go till they'd finished A levels. I asked them to consider stating to anyone rude enough to ask that they'd had a LBM and had decided themselves to live in a simpler way that gave them more family time. It had literally never occurred to them before. You can't put a price on sustainable stress-free living. Thanks for your wisdom and indeed to everyone commenting or reading. Love Humdinger xx

savingholmes · 5 November 2024 at 7:26PM

Glad you have a few irons in the fire for £ making. Sounds like you are creating a balanced life.

Humdinger1 · 8 November 2024 at 5:49AM

Good morning everyone! So, the hot news here is that I have a lovely new project starting next week! Just when I'd decided that my only real earning options lay in politics and local gov't and was adjusting my mindset accordingly, I heard from the client that they'd like to go ahead! So I will take one more small payment from my pension and then not take more till I need it. It's such a relief. I've also not touched the EF for the first time in months, which stands at just above £3200. The withdrawals were small, but it's never a comfortable feeling, no?Planning to add to it now.

DH also has news of more work probably starting in Feb. Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx