Fresh Start At Fox Towers.

wantabetterlife

kayannie said:

'get my furniture ordered"?  Do you not have furniture in your current home that you will be taking with you? 
KA

I agree with this post fox… sorry but you’re doing it again 🙈

foxandflowers

Furniture in this instance is a fridge freezer as ours is inbuilt. And a sofa, as ours is sold and we have been using camping chairs for the last two months. And a shed so I can get rid of the unit. 

17th has been confirmed. 11 days to go!

birdsfoottrefoil

Hi Fox, 

I've had my last few fridges, freezers and sofas off FB marketplace. They’ve all lasted really well and been better quality than I could have afforded to have bought new. As you’ve got the storage unit it would be worth looking now to see if there’s anything available as you’ll have somewhere to store them?

White goods have normally cost me under £60 each (including a really good hot point washing machine, it’s often people selling them where they’ve moved into a new house and they have their own so don’t need what’s been left). And the sofas under £150, I’ve had Habitat sofas and a Loaf one!! Which was £150 but would have been £1600 new. 

Also have you checked local charity furniture shops? Or furniture auctions, they’re both good and any electrics tend to be PAT tested. 

You could put the money you save on that towards some new clothes and uniform for Mini Fox.

londoner2019

Not long now until completion day! I totally get why you might be feeling a bit fed up, considering all your stuff is in storage. I remember when I first moved in and I was using camping chairs too - it's super annoying, but it's just temporary.

Echoing comments re: the unexpected sum of money, dog, and furniture. Should those funds come through, treat it as money to pay friends back / pay for your daughter's things, and don't put it anywhere else. For fridges and sofas, I'm sure you're on the lookout for the best deals already, and have a budget in mind.

foxandflowers

Have started to send out full and final offers at 50%. 
ACI have come back and offered 15% off the final balance, for our biggest debt (11.7k). I need to negotiate on that one, but not too sure how to go about it. 
PRA have accepted 50%. Last time I offered them a F&F in 2022 they wouldn't budge below 10% off. 

I can't believe it's only a week to go! 

edit: 

Capquest have settled at 60% off. 

Next week so far for £2,550 I will clear £5,468.32 of debt. What an incredible feeling! 

wantabetterlife

i really hope that feeling stays with you fox and spurs you on to get rid of it once and for all

24ta

Well done Fox

uralmaid

I truly hope that this house move will be the start of a better life for you.  Although even from the start of this year there have been one or two slip ups. Please, please take this move as the catalyst for new behaviours otherwise things will start to slide very quickly. 
 Regarding the sofa etc? Are there any local auction houses near you?  Only this last week I bid for a real leather sofa and 2 armchairs at our local auction house and won.  I got the suite for under £150 including auction costs. It is in mint condition and when I checked the make and prices for the same suite new it would be over £3000 so it was a bargain.

foxandflowers

There's some sofa outlet places near us - we are going to go hunting there as nothing on FB that's catching my eye. Gorgeous striped number in Dunelm at the moment, but I can't justify the price.

Have set up my savings pots in anticipation of Monday. It's a bit complicated, but I'm hoping it works!
 
As it stands I have 7 savings pots on Monzo (all earning 3.85%) plus an account with Chase with 1% cashback, an account with TSB for switching bonus purposes, and my Premium Bonds. 

Monzo pots are:

• Safety net - 1 month of bills, food and fuel costs. I will be transferring a starter fund to this on moving day of £500.
• Debt Repayments - to keep my money until settlements are agreed. This is going to hold the biggest balance, so is set up as an ISA so my interest is tax free.
• Holiday - Auto scheduled £85 a month
• Van fund - Auto scheduled £85 a month - will cover MOT, insurance & tax for a year. Starter fund to this on moving day of £1500. 
• Gifts - Auto scheduled £50 a month. Starter fund = £300 as we have birthdays coming up in April & May. 
• Investments - this is only for playing with, and I will put some of what is left at the end of the month in here.
• Mini Fox - £20 a month for pocket money, school trips etc.

PBs will get £200 a month (£2500 starter fund), Chase will have £650 a month for food, fuel & bus fare, TSB will have my "allowance" paid in for more frivolous spends - but capped at £50 a month. Extra money 'earned' can go in TSB, anything made on Vinted can stay in there until it's needed. 

Made a small list of "must buys" for the first week we move: Glasses (am wearing my last pair of contacts today), dental treatment (I still need my broken tooth pulled), and work shoes from Vinted. Mini Fox also needs new school clothes again, as she's had another growth spurt. 

I went through my credit file yesterday and my newest Default was October 2023. I spoke to Link and it turns out one of my accounts with them still hasn't defaulted? Weirdly it's reporting as "You always pay on time" and has done since January 2020. I think this one I will have to pay in full, otherwise I am resetting my Default countdown, and I won't be clear of them by my 40th, which is the goal. Annoying, but at least it's an £800 debt, not a £3000 one. 

kayannie

Are you still moving tomorrow? Good luck, hope it goes smoothly for you.
KA