Tiny steps towards a more meaningful life

Mliz

Morning all

I’m editing my first page with up to date figures (2 December).

Debt
NatWest  - £4,325 (annual bills & 2024 holidays 😊)
Personal loan - £5,300 (car)


Reality
I have 7 months before I hit 50 to clear £9,217 but realistically it might take me to the middle of next year.  I’m an all or nothing person, very impulsive and massive fritterer. I do have positives but it is those 3 that keep taking me back into debt and recently with my emergency savings shrinking to a molehill I feel anxious that if I or a friend/family needed support I couldn’t help.

Goals 23/24

• debt free by or in my 50th year; - end of my 50th year
• Embrace minimalism and frugality by being satisfied with what I have;
• Sort my disordered eating (not going into detail but I recovered from an Eating disorder but still have little issues that pop up’;
• Build up a sinking fund and emergency fund; and
• Make life about experiences.

I saw a lovely quote that resonated with me

‘You need to be content with small steps. That’s all life is. Small steps that you take every day so when you look back down the road it all adds up and you know you covered some distance.’

 I’m trying to be more mindful and show appreciation. I have some lovely events lined up for the year ahead and am in a good headspace. It would be good if I didn’t have this debt stalking me and that is why I’m back to diaryland - it’s a lovely motivational and supportive community - which I shouldn’t hide from when I see shiny things and buy them.

thank you 😊

Mliz

So Coronation Saturday - I will dip in and out of the coverage but knowing me I’ll end up watching it all 😂.

Plans today

• Small shop for Uncle
• Do vat 
• Bake banana bread to use up some ripe bananas
• clean house
• meet sister and friends later for pizza.

WinterWarrior

Good luck. 

lillypoo

I posted earlier but for some reason it's not showing.
Just wanted to say how much I love that quote and good luck.

CRANKY40

Instead of being in such a hurry why not take a little bit longer and build yourself an emergency fund and a "soddit" fund as well. You know that you are likely to build the debt up again so plan a bit more. How long will it be before you need a new car? Maybe start putting away a deposit or a fund towards a new one? If you put your heating oil on a card then you need a fund for that too. Make sure you give yourself an entertainment allowance. If you can't separate the money in your bank account than a couple of savings accounts will do. 

Sit down, make a realistic list of your expenses and plan how much to stash away each month. There's no point doing without for 7 months say if you go mad on month 8 and spend a load of money that you don't have once again. The soddit fund speaks for itself - that's for that moment when you get an unexpected invitation and think oh soddit I'm going to do that. If you've been here before you know all this stuff anyway I guess?

I recognise that "all or nothing" vibe though, I do it myself. Good luck 😊

Mliz

Thank you all for your support. 

Cranky - very helpful and all true …looked at my budget today and I’ve been guilty of avoiding it recently but today I looked at what I have left this month and separated it into categories (found a free budget app). I also set up a ‘soddit’ fund 😊. 

Mliz

Hi diaryland,

Last week has been nowhere near as bad as before.  I am keeping a record of all my spending and I will shape next months budget around what I realistically spend rather than my idealised budget that I keep busting.

I did 3 hours overtime yesterday which is the first time we have been offered overtime in years.  I will put it towards upcoming events.

I have a friend coming to visit next weekend and I’ve just finished deep cleaning my kitchen. I have the entire house to do but baby steps this week will get it all done by Friday. The spring weather really shows up the dust.

week ahead - nothing exciting until the weekend 😊

Mliz

Hi Diaryland,

friend has been and gone and we managed a relatively fun but cheap weekend. It was also nice to go to things that are on my doorstep but I never go near eg The Dark Hedges.

I have a car service due this Friday and I’m so hoping it is less than £300 because that is what I have in my sinking funds. Once the car service is done I know what spends are due out of my sinking funds the rest of the year. I will also clear and close my Klarna account.

With this months pay I’m going to put aside £50 for my emergency fund - I want my safety net back - it’s not a huge amount but it is a step in the right direction.  I have reduced my debt repayment slightly to build up some savings (debt is interest free) - so my new goal is to be debt free by Dec 24.

In June I have 2 big birthdays and a week away but still in the country and I’m also popping over to England to visit my sister.  

daintydaisy

Hope your car service goes well, fingers crossed for you.

Having some money in your EF is better than none at all so well done for prioritising that. 

Looking forward to keeping up with your diary  

Mliz

Morning diaryland,

I’m back and I’d say my debt is no worse than it was but no better. My plan was to clear it by my 50th which is this month but now the plan is to clear before my next b’day.   So let’s hope I’m more consistent with this diary this time round.

I have a lot of plans this month as well as next year - I’m only 50 once 😊. My friends and family are amazing - I’m going out next weekend for my birthday party and then the following weekend my mum, sisters & I are going to Prague - it was going to be a surprise but they needed to let me know to book leave and decide what to wear. 

Next year while clearing my debt I have 4 trips away which I’ve partly funded but need to save up some more. I’m going to Rome for the marathon in March, then to Greece in April for a yoga retreat for another friend’s 50th. May is a trip to Germany for a rambling break and last on the planned holidays is Majorca in Sept. I’ve got a trip to Donegal somewhere in the mix but as I live in N Ireland that’s just a local trip. So all the money for these trips could have gone to debt but it didn’t and I’m ok with that.

I’m doing cash budgeting for spending (not bills) and it has really cut down on my frittering - finally something worked. I’m planning on putting £700 to debt from January and then increasing to £1,200 once my annual bills are saved for and £1,000 to an emergency fund. I should be debt free by November 2024.

I’m back here because it makes me accountable (so subconsciously I’m avoiding reality when I disappear 🫠) and I love catching up with other diaries. Hoping to post more and be debt free in 12 months. Thanks for listening to my ramblings.