From broke to better ..a journey

foxgloves

@Lilypoo - Ah, well I'm a '64 baby, so I absolutely recognise  those spending & borrowing traps. I do sometimes look back & want to absolutely kick myself for being so stupidly wasteful, but we can't go back, & self-flagellation is not helpful. Yes, I was a latecomer to budgeting but better late than never. We both agree that we are happier with our simpler lifestyle & know that we won't be tempted back to the debt route.
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lillypoo

Morning all.

Having a bit of a lie in this morning ... though I don't think the dogs will let it go on much longer. They woke me up at 3 this morning barking at the frogs in my pond who decided to become a croak choir. 

I'm having a cuppa and watching 'Malpractice' on catchup.

I'm working four hours later this evening. Not my usual shift but helping out and there's a bonus as it's a little extra pay being a bank holiday.

The only thing I need to spend money on today is a tube of superglue to do a tiny repair in my kitchen, but tomorrow's a shocker as lots of DDs will come out of my bank account. BUT ...they'll come out for the last time for a while as I am going to cancel the non essentials one by one and move essentials to my new basic account. 

Scared.com!

I am already in the habit of doing  a meal plan and have my main meals for the next 9 days already in the cupboards/fridge/freezer. But I shall be  doing a shop this Friday. I get 20% discount at the supermarket I work at on that day (payday) so have listed the items that I always use such as pasta, lentils, frozen veg, bread, tinned goods etc ...checked which are on offer ...and will bulk buy some of each so that I can save the 20% on top of the offer prices.  I am also going to buy the dogs food and biscuits when its big discount day. It'll be a big shop and more than I'm used to spending in a week but will reduce shopping bills for the next three weeks. I'll have to work out exactly how much I save and if this is the right approach at the end of the month.

Wanted to make my SOA more accurate today and post it on the main page but can't get a settlement figure on my car till the next payment has cleared ...its paid on 4th.  So I shall do it then.

I've cancelled the middle of my three Sunday meals out. I've got to pay my home and contents insurance this month so really wouldn't be able to afford both .... TV Licence is due as well. I considered going without the TV licence but realistically that would be a step too far and not sustainable.

Well. Time to get my groove on and start the day ... shall be back later tonight to read more on here and to update on my daily spend ...hoping its only about £3.50

Have a lovely Bank Holiday. Hope the suns shining where you are. Dull and chilly here.

lillypoo

Spent today: 3.27

Saved today : £600 paid into emergency fund account instead of CC payments


£3. Put into loose change jar


Good shift at work


Didn't do a scrap of housework. Oh well there's a clean mug for my morning tea ...can do housework after that!

lillypoo

Got up at 6 this morning,  fed the dogs and let them out for a wee then took a cuppa to bed and promptly fell back to sleep till 9.30! 

Now planning to do two loads of laundry but to get the lawn strimmed and do some poo picking before I hang it on the line. ( the washing not the poo)

I'm not going anywhere today so aside from any DDs going out ..i shouldn't be spending at all.

Need to check APRs on my Ccs and O/d and thats all I'm doing about my debt today. I need one day a week free from thinking about that and Tuesday is usually my middle day off of three so I'm choosing it as my time for me day.

Having a frothee coffee ...going to read a few diaries then I'll spring into action. Well ...get up from the sofa moaning about my back and hobble into action anyway. 

It's just day 2 of my proper journey to default land but already feeling a sense of having a bit more control.

Ps  I've decided to stop vaping. £6 a week doesn't sound much but over £300 a year does! I'm not addicted ..I dont even know why I do it ...I think it's just because when I'm with my friends they do it ... so it's now not my habit any more!

Have a lovely day.

lillypoo

Strimmed the garden, did the laundry and it dried super fast on the line. Watched too much rubbish TV. Ate prepped meal from the freezer.

Got asked to fo another extra shift at work next week so obviously said yes even though the dogs will be a bit put out.

Didn't manage to have a no spend day ...didn't use any cash or buy anything but a couple of DDs came our of my account ...late because of the bank holiday.

Transferred a couple of them to new account but struggled to get hold of the dvla.

Think with pay from extra shifts I can pay home insurance in a lump rather than monthly ...same for road tax. Will see if that saves me much.

Had best friends daughter on phone for an hour this evening... I'm her honorable aunty ...crying over breaking up with her long term boyfriend. Sad as I realky thought they'd settle down. Hope they sort it out . At the same time it made me very glad I'm as old as I am lol.

enthusiasticsaver

Congrats on extra shift and sorry your friends daughter is sad about her break up. Good of you to listen to her.

shell16

Hi there, just found your diary. Just wanted to say good luck, its a hard road but if you have the grit and determination to succeed you will get there! Im 49 and have just paid off my debt so not as old as you but to have your LBM now is a good thing and you can now start to tackle things.

Will subscribe and follow your journey. (you asked how to subscribe on an earlier post). If you go the top of the diary you are reading so in your case From broker to better….there is a flag that is red outlined, if you click on that it will bookmark the diary. You will then be able to keep track of the bookmarked diaries you are following in your favourites.

Shell x

bigbeff

Good work on the extra shifts, every penny counts!

lillypoo

Two debit cards arrived today.  One for my new basic account and one for my account which will be used for my emergency fund and other pots. That one has already been frozen in a zip lock bag full of  water.

Have started a spending diary and learned a valuable lesson. When you go to the corner shop for just one thing only take enough cash to pay for that thing!!

Lovely , sunny  day so took the dogs a goid long run/walk. They came home so knackered I couldn't even get their harnesses off before they zonked out.

Made greek potatoes with lemon  olive oil  garlic, all spice berries and cloves for tea. Yummy tasty filling and cheap. Cut the little sprout bits out rather than chuck em in the bin!

Started to rewatch the sopranos as I paid for every episode years ago on amazon. Still brilliant. 

lillypoo

shell16 said:

Hi there, just found your diary. Just wanted to say good luck, its a hard road but if you have the grit and determination to succeed you will get there! Im 49 and have just paid off my debt so not as old as you but to have your LBM now is a good thing and you can now start to tackle things.

Will subscribe and follow your journey. (you asked how to subscribe on an earlier post). If you go the top of the diary you are reading so in your case From broker to better….there is a flag that is red outlined, if you click on that it will bookmark the diary. You will then be able to keep track of the bookmarked diaries you are following in your favourites.

Shell x

Thank you.feeling very motivated right now but realise that's because it's early days   .. a novelty.

I know when the default letters and phone calls start it will hit home more. Thanks for your support x