Debt, Endo and Reno

twiggy86

I'm also trying to balance getting my house in order vs getting debt free! It's a constant internal battle where to prioritise utilising my money!!! Probably on a monthly basis (maybe even weekly!) I change my mind about where to focus!!! Although thankfully I only have one big/ expensive-ish area left to completely renovate, but there will always be something that needs doing no doubt!!! 

DrSpendingLittle

Hi Birds,

Just wanted to swing by and say hi! Your financial circumstances are frightfully similar to mine when I started out paying my debt off in 2017 - same separate finances, same salary, same-ish debt level, same student loan amount! Cost of living will be different mind you. 

The good news is you have a decent amount of cash spare per month to throw at the debt once you overcome those initial 'life gets in the way' expenses that always crop up when you have a well devised plan to start paying down your debt! Mine was a broken tooth / £500 dentist bill! 

Paying off debt is not linear - there will be months you go backwards and months you leap forwards, but your overall progress will be positive and you will get there with the mindset and motivation you seem to have. 

Don't feel like an imposter on here or that your diary title is wrong - everyone is welcome here and it's a really good way of staying accountable, responsible and having a plan of action, even if it does seem sometimes like you're talking to yourself!.

It was the endo part of your diary that actually made me click on it! I don't have endo myself but have friends who do and can appreciate how difficult it can make life. Health is so important, so don't feel like you have to excuse the spends you make on addressing the endo - see it as a health pension in the same way you would put money into your retirement pension. 

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and encourage you to keep on posting here! 

DSL

DrSpendingLittle

p.s. I also used to work in a male-dominated industry and can relate to everything you say in your last post! It got so tiring dealing with their egos and lack of self-esteem. Ugh. I always tried to see their behaviour towards me as a projection of the things that bothered them the most in life i.e. something about me triggered that response in them; hence it was about them, not me. I was a conduit for their insecure feeling and projected behavioural response. It sounds like your educational / professional achievements are a trigger for the uni of life chappie. 

dawnybabes

I’m from a male dominated field and the times I’d be told it’s hormonal or there there then sort of attitude - used to drive me bloody mad ! 

birdsfoottrefoil

Thanks DrSpendingLittle, Twiggy86 and Dawnybabes!

Really appreciate all your comments, especially about working in a male dominated field and getting houses done. I think it gets really frustrating at times as you feel like if you speak out about it that’s viewed as dramatic etc. 

Mixed weekend. Volunteered on Saturday which was lovely, if quite tiring. I help with a charity which does nature things and we were doing an activity day in our local city on an area of park land. There’s a few issues in the local area but the pride and interest in this bit of “nature” was great to see, I think you can become a bit spoilt living in rural areas and don’t appreciate things enough. Sunday was jobs around the house and garden. 

Not the best set off to the week as I’m sat in a lay-by waiting for recovery as my cars conked out and won’t re-start between meetings 🤦‍♀️

birdsfoottrefoil

Positive the car was fixable… negative missed a meeting with work and feel like I’m on catch up! 

Transferred my Santander CC onto my Lloyds as they a 0% for 12 months with a 6% fee. Worked out the fee was just under 3 months interest if I left it on Santander so as loath as I am to just keep moving things around I have! 

So after paying my loan this month I’m down to 15,031 and not yet under 15k as I was hoping due to the fee going on😕 I don’t think I would have paid off 1400 in 3 months so it was the best thing to do. 

Still have Lloyds and Tesco payments to go out so after them I should be under 15k.

I really wish I was paying off more per month, but I’ve tried that before and ended up dipping back into credit at the end of the month. So it’s slowly chipping away at things….

Going to crack on with some work at the house tomorrow night. Having a more relaxed night tonight, as I’ve been out for various things including work the last few nights. I feel like I’ve been drained of social ability, I love being social most the time and then I completely shut off and need to go and water the garden or stare at the tv. 

ShakeItOff

Hey Birds!

Thank you for sharing your diary.  I don't think that the title is offputting at all, and I don't think wanting to work on your house is a bad thing either, even if you are looking to rent it out.  We really need to do some work on our house too (big ticket item is the bathroom - I'm too scared to even get quotes ). 

I have absolutely zero advice to share, but wanted to say hey, you've got this!

birdsfoottrefoil

Thanks ShakeItOff!

Got in a bit of a pickle with the joiners bill at the end of last week, as it took longer for the money to transfer out of my savings then it took to pay the bill… So ended up using my CC for big shop, to buy some building supplies and to fill up my car as I was worried about any direct debits going out my current account and bouncing… so we are now up to £15,227 when should be about £14,900.

I know this is not advisable thinking generally… but as I should have more money coming in next month and I’ll have more house bills this month. Instead of paying the £327 back into my card now I’m going to wait till next month as it won’t add onto the interest for this month yet. I’ve put the money aside for house expenses this month as I really really need to get it done!!!

Did do work on the bathroom this weekend so old tiles are ripped out and taken to the tip. Went to look at some flooring on Saturday, was thinking of vinyl (as they seem call Lino now so it sounds fancy) but even the cheap stuff was over £20 per sqm and looked super cheap (plus I feel bad about using more plastic type
materials)!! What I was surprised by was how laminate was a similar price and looked sooo much nicer. Bf has laid laminate before and says he’ll help me do it… fingers crossed we’ll still be a couple at the end.

Bathroom wall tile choice was less bargain full and I couldn’t find anything I liked for under £40 per sqm… have worked out that if I panel behind the loo and sink it’ll hide the pipes and reduce the tiling area. The bathroom was previously tiled to half way up the wall so I need to cover the same area. I’ve added some photos stolen from Instagram of my bathroom inspo…. 

Had a stinking headache most of the weekend and like clockwork my period has arrived today. WFH with a hot water bottle and lots of cups of tea. I used to be prescribed stronger and stronger painkillers from the Drs but I really struggled with side affects including really bad vertigo, which was quite debilitating. It took a while to wean myself off as I was nearly taking them all month long. So now I don’t take any and instead do certain exercises to reduce my tension and cramps, sit somewhere really comfy and nearly burn myself with hot water bottles. I wouldn’t say it’s pleasant, the physio is expensive, I still get nauseous and lots of pain but I can manage work. 

birdsfoottrefoil

Need to change my signature too £15,227 which is a bit depressing. Feel like I’m chipping away slowly as it is so to go backward is rubbish. 

However looked at the calendar and realised august is getting quite close and I can’t keep putting back the house let out plans or I will forever be skint. So! I have about 20 days leave still to take, I’ve booked Friday and Monday off. Friday to get round the building merchants (they shut early on Saturdays) to compare bathroom fitting prices and get things bought. Then work on the house most of the weekend and Monday. BF has given me some money toward getting it sorted, finding this quite an odd experience as I’ve not been given money before from anyone and tend to view myself as quite independent. However beggars can’t be choosers or don’t look a gift horse in the mouth as they say! I think if previous BF gave me money they’d be some controlling strings attached so that’s probably impacting my mindset. First world problems I guess!! It should help pay for the bathroom fittings but still a tight budget. 

Have also sold a few things on Vinted, it’s less than a tenner but I think I’ll put that towards the credit card. Help me feel a bit less useless. 

birdsfoottrefoil

After being annoyed at myself for going back over £15,000, I have further spent on the credit card…. Aside from going to have two sessions of massage and dry needling as my shoulders/neck have been giving me tension headaches, I’m not entirely sure how I’ve ended up in this situation this month. 

I’ve managed to not spend on them for a good few months so I’m quite disappointed in myself. I probably should be more realistic though as it’s probably the hangover of my first proper holiday in years eating my savings. But even then that’s ignoring that I’ve been dipping into savings each month since Covid and now they are gone except the money BF gave me to help with the house (I’m keeping that in cash locked away so I can’t use it). I’m not a swiftie but feel the “I’m the problem, it’s me” song is me right now. 

I was going to not have a count up of the debt till after my DDs went out at the beginning of the month (pathetic attempt to mentally limit my acceptance of what I’ve spent). However BF brought up the subject of kids last night and “getting on with it” (I’ve been advised to get on with it by the Drs) which made me look at works maternity policy this morning… it is not great… it’s not just statutory but after 5 months I’d be on less then a third of my current salary and unable to pay my bills.  What can you say!!

So! I’ll post a better calculation of my debt and I should do a new SOA. 

On to the house and my hopeful (if at times deluded) debt future saviour. There hasn’t been a mass amount of progress this month. Have got quotes from two builders merchants for bathroom fittings which in one case was way worse than expected and in the other better. Random damp patch appeared and sent the new skirting mouldy which nearly tipped me over the edge… thank fully it turned out to be a gutter that had come off and is now drying up. 

Work is as peculiar and busy as ever, delightful comments about “school girl errors” (couldn’t find item on a site inspection which wasn’t at the co-ordinates provided and later found it randomly) and whether I’d consider it “a micro-aggression saying you dress vivaciously” in-front of the whole team so I can’t grump without looking a spoil sport. 

Feel I’m either infantilised or being told I need to hurry up with having kids.