Teetering on the brink

EatingBeans

Well, I have come up with a plan. I don’t like the plan one bit, but it is at least a plan. 

In essence I am going to pay down a credit card in order to create space on it, take advantage of a 0% balance transfer offer, then use the credit card to buy essentials on. Other than essentials, spending is just not an option. Since the interest is crippling me, I have to do whatever I can to bring it down, even if that is just cutting interest on a few hundred pounds worth of debt at a time. Then, as I get more space, (and fingers crossed I continue to be offered 0% deals), I can recirculate the space through the credit cards and get more back on 0%, saving more interest (or at least stopping it from rising), and hopefully freeing up more to pay off debt.  I’ve done this before and it does work but it makes me sad that I am here again. 😞 

In order to not lose hope I’ve decided to do what I did at the start of the year (when things were going in the right direction), and just focus on the month ahead rather than stress over the bigger picture. So, other than getting dd2’s hair cut (which I actually promised her for her birthday), I am now going dedicated no spend with the exception of food and diesel until the end of September and then I will reassess. There may also be an odd charge for parking at work if they insist I come in but other than that, I am aiming for zero spend. 🤞 Aim high right? (Or in this case, aim as low as possible!) 💪

EatingBeans

Cherryfudge said:

I've had a look back at some of your early posts and noticed you'd completely got rid of the high interest rate overdraft (good move) although obviously things have moved on since January so the figures aren't the same. You did mention freelance book keeping, though you said that usually requires some weekday availability. It may still be worth trying to get some work on your terms, though.

Is there any possibility of increasing the amount of time you work from home, even just a little, as it would cut travel costs?

Back in those early days, there were lots of things like doing surveys and using Olio that you hadn't been aware of. I wonder if we could come up with some more?

Honestly, I daren’t risk taking on extra work atm as last week reminded me that I am not fully recovered and if I push too hard I will likely make myself ill again. I am going to go back to selling bits through vinted and ebay, although it seems a lot harder to make money that way nowadays. I am also going to try a bit harder with the surveys as it is something I can do in small amounts of time when I am up to it and I will be back on the case with Olio too. 

As I have been ill, I have actually been wfh 100% of the time. I know they want to have me back in the office a couple of days a week but I am just going to fight that for as long as possible. Not only will it cost me in diesel and parking to go back into the office, but it will also mean I have to buy new work clothes and that pains me greatly. So, not only do I need to fight the debt and resist going back into the office, I also need to concentrate on losing weight so I can fit into more of the clothes I currently have. In the medium to long term I think losing weight will help me with the debt in more ways than just not buying clothes. I know I feel better when I am slimmer, and that in turn gives me more energy and I feel both physically and emotionally stronger so I can take on more. 

Thinking about it, given that I know all of the above, I am going to set myself a new £5’s target for September (that will push me on the surveys and selling front), but also a weight loss target of at least 1lb a week (weighed everyday then taken as an average of one week to the next). It has been a while since I actively focused on losing weight, but the longer I leave it the more difficult it becomes, and hopefully, by committing to it here on my diary, it might help me stick to it a bit longer. 🤞 

Thanks for the nudge @Cherryfudge

EatingBeans

First weigh-in this morning and I am 206lbs (14st 7lb) 😱 No wonder I don’t fit in my clothes! To put this in perspective, the heaviest I got after I had kids was 13 stone and after that I got down to just over 10 stone, which is where I have always felt at my best. It has been creeping up for a long time, which I kind of knew, but I just didn’t realise quite how much as I haven’t weighed myself in a long time. Time to do something about it I think! 

Cherryfudge

That all makes very good sense @EatingBeans. Don't push yourself too hard - it's not an easy road and you are in it for the long haul, so, as beanielou says so wisely, 'keep plodding'.

If you have to go back into the office, I hope you're able to minimise it. Not only is that less tiring, expensive and time consuming, but also you can probably get away with fewer new outfits. If you are at a desk, just one skirt of pair of trousers might do it, paired with a couple of very different tops which will be the thing people notice.

I love the focus on the £5s and losing a pound at a time. Those can be done, even if there are weeks when it feels they aren't happening - still the trend will work in your favour.

Chrystal

Wise words from @Cherryfudge.  You can do this.  (((hugs))) 

EatingBeans

Well, I am not £71.75 lighter but dd2 has finally got her hair cut. I sat there slightly crying inside as I so desperately need mine doing too but it will have to wait until October. I am determined to stick to the no spend rule. 

It took so long at the hairdressers I left starving hungry. I was so tempted to get something out but I resisted. Then, as soon as I got back, dd1 roped her sister into a Tesco trip - I really wanted to ask them to pick up some chocolate for me but I resisted that too. Chocolate would not only break the no spend rule but it would not help the losing weight challenge either. So, I looked through the food I already have and opted for a sausage sandwich instead. Not the healthiest thing I know but it will satisfy my craving for something nice and filling and it requires no spending. 🙂

EatingBeans

Dog training class done for the day - already paid for. Turns out the class on the 10th Sept is being replaced by a mini comp. They encourage us all to join in but it’s £4 to enter so it looks like we will be missing it this time around - another thing resisted. As much as I enjoy dog training (and big dog thinks it’s awesome!), it really isn’t a necessity and right now I need every penny towards the debt. There will always be another time. 

ellenvan

Keep plodding along.
It's good sometimes anyway to eat up all the bits and pieces you have in the freezer/ cupboards.
£5 steps make it easy to make  progress with out too much effort etc.
Olio requires random use it up meals too.

Cherryfudge

Well done for all that restraint - make a note of how much you've saved today, to encourage you not to blow it tomorrow.  

Could either of your daughters do your hair? Or is there a training college that will do a cheaper cut in order to train the next generation of hairdressers? Of course that might not be an option especially if it's not straightforward, but remember lockdown and we all looked rather wild apart from the lucky few who had a hairdresser in their bubble! Then eventually people started to do their own or their family's hair.

Sausage sandwich sounds just the job by the way. One of those quick, comforting foods - make sure you keep a pack of sausages in stock for next time you need an emergency meal! I hope you had sauce with it?

EatingBeans

I actually cut my own hair into long layers during lockdown and it didn’t look too bad tbh. I did contemplate digging out the youtube video to remember how to do it again but realistically I want it cut much shorter and I am not brave enough to do that. I think I’ll just try and find someone cheap to have a go at it in October and between now and then I’ll just put it up. 

Rather disappointingly dd2 realised her hair had been cut uneven and I’ve actually had to dig the hair scissors out to even it off. Considering the cost, I am less than impressed.