My Intentional Journey to Debt Freedom

Less_Talk_and_More_Action

I think it is a great thread @jwil.  I am also posting on the old style weight loss thread as I am looking to build consistency as I won’t get it off otherwise and all these things help that.  

Although it can seem irrelevant to my debt free journey, for me - eat when I’m bored, eat when I don’t lose weight (🤷‍♀️), treat myself to all sorts of things when I can’t lose weight etc etc etc. and that has involved a lot of money over the years.  First and foremost I want to be healthier and not have to limit myself and head to a healthy retirement in a few years time. 

L x 

jwil

Less_Talk_and_More_Action said:

I think it is a great thread @jwil.  I am also posting on the old style weight loss thread as I am looking to build consistency as I won’t get it off otherwise and all these things help that.  

Although it can seem irrelevant to my debt free journey, for me - eat when I’m bored, eat when I don’t lose weight (🤷‍♀️), treat myself to all sorts of things when I can’t lose weight etc etc etc. and that has involved a lot of money over the years.  First and foremost I want to be healthier and not have to limit myself and head to a healthy retirement in a few years time. 

L x 

I'm exactly the same!

Blackcats

It's amazing when a budget plan works isn't it?  Great idea to have your time off work budget and even better to stick to it.
I think that @foxgloves' approach of planning ahead really does help save money.  A few times recently we have delayed going out to the shops or for a walk until we have had lunch otherwise I'm fairly certain that we would have succumbed to a mediocre, over priced sandwich somewhere.

Less_Talk_and_More_Action

Agree with you @Blackcats. We delayed going to the garden centre yesterday until we had lunch to avoid being tempted by the coffee shop.  They have just put their prices up to extreme levels!!  I am all for paying a price that is sustainable for them but £10 for a toasted sandwich (bread nothing special) is a bit much. Our local independent coffee shop does lovely toasted sourdough sandwiches for £4.20.  So we helped both our budget and my weight loss and are at home. 

L x 

beanielou

Less_Talk_and_More_Action said:

Agree with you @Blackcats. We delayed going to the garden centre yesterday until we had lunch to avoid being tempted by the coffee shop.  They have just put their prices up to extreme levels!!  I am all for paying a price that is sustainable for them but £10 for a toasted sandwich (bread nothing special) is a bit much. Our local independent coffee shop does lovely toasted sourdough sandwiches for £4.20.  So we helped both our budget and my weight loss and are at home. 

L x 

That's extortion!

EssexHebridean

That is a crazy price for an average toastie isn't it - sure, if it was artisan bread, plentiful fillings, comes with a nice side salad and maybe a few crisps or chips, and everything is absolutely delicious and spankingly fresh, then perhaps, in some settings, it might be a reasonable price, but it really doesn't sound as though this is anything more than preying on folk they know will continue to do things they always have, through habit, and just because "they are there".  I refuse to play that game - and like you now make very conscious choices about what and where to eat when out and about. 

Cearl2024

Best of luck with it

Less_Talk_and_More_Action

@EssexHebridean.  I will concede that it came with chips (about 6 from what I could see 🤣).  You used to have the option to add chips so I also begrudge that they’ve included them and raised the price rather than giving me a choice.  I need to get a life….

L x 

EssexHebridean

No - I agree! Much as I dislike the nonsense of everything having to state it's calorie content, I also object to meals being made larger when previously, someone would have had the choice whether to have a portion that size with the additional items, or not! 

Less_Talk_and_More_Action

Too true @EssexHebridean.  It used to be the sandwich and add chips for an extra amount - at least there was choice then, this just feels like an excuse to whack the price up!!  
Totally agree @beanielou although (embarrassingly) I have always been willing to be extorted, so to speak.  Having said that, it appears that even I have reached my tipping point!!

Onto this week's update:

- Following on from my horror at the price of a toasted sandwich at the local garden centre, we make our own today at home even though we visited said garden centre.  This was a total cost of less than £5 for all ingredients and there is stuff left to make more should we wish.  
- Meal plan stuck to which has reduced grocery shopping - we have so far stuck to our £80 per week budget.
- No drive thru coffee shop horrors despite three days away with work.  I wouldn't 100% say that this habit has gone but it is definitely massively reduced.  The lighter mornings and evenings help enormously.
- I didn't spend any money on excess rubbish food whilst away - this has improved a lot helped by the fact that I am planning everything in order to lose weight.  I am doing calorie counting via the NC app which is really flexible and enables me to plan in some rogue options whilst away rather than just having them anyway and ignoring the impact on my weight loss. 
- Went on a day trip yesterday to meet some family for lunch - lovely day and did not have coffee on the way home.  We were discussing it when I sailed past the last remaining drive thru on the return journey and we weren't going to get out and get one so that solved that!!!
- Being strong about the central heating even though it is still chilly - have reduced usage by a lot this month so should see the benefit of that.  We took back all of our credit about a month ago so now have to build back up again over the summer. 
- I finally purchased a beautiful dwarf lilac bush - this has sentimental memories for me and reminds me of my late sister.  I am really pleased with it and had promised myself I would buy an equally lovely pot for it.  We were going to do that today when I saw one in the garden I had forgotten about and which I love - so going to use that.  That has probably saved about £40 (or 4 toasted sandwiches) at the garden centre.  Really pleased with that as I have been looking for the right shrub for a long while.
- I also invested in 2 new Phormium Jester plans (they are the pink and green ones).  Again, been looking for ages - we had two beautiful ones that died during that very cold winter the year before last.  The stocks have been really low (presumably because loads of growers also lost plants).  Found two lovely (and not too expensive) ones last weekend and am really pleased.  I have told Mr L that if we get similar conditions again I am going to put plastic on the floor in our back living room and bring them in - we lost several plants and they are really expensive to replace and they were mature plants.  We have another living room so don't see why this won't work!!!  Although this was expenditure that wasn't planned, I am really happy with it.
- I have finally claimed for some back expenses and they will be paid at the end of the month.

Nothing much else in the past week.   I possibly don't feel as focused on saving money but maybe that is because some of these habits are now ingrained and I don't have to think about it so much.  CC1 should be gone next month and that is on track, so the changes are bearing fruit I think.  We will do a big review at the end of the month (which will be the bank holiday weekend).  I have quite a bit of travelling in the next three weeks before a few days off in mid-May so that seems the first time my brain will be clear, so to speak.

Hope you all have a good week.

L x