Becoming debt neutral - a long haul!!

leftatthetrafficlights

Transferred more into the fund today from a combination of sources so I've moved into the next 1k 🙌

£345.69/£1000

leftatthetrafficlights

£200 moved over today

£545.69/£1000

1stTimer

Over 1/2 way well done 👍 

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks @1stTimer 😁 I have many more 1k's to get to but it's definitely better for me breaking it down one at a time!

The pots I have (and the main account the bulk of the savings are in) pay interest on the 1st of the month so I have a few points within the month where I can increase the fund with decent amounts and in between those I put in a few pennies here and there from shopping 'rewards' on my grocery and petrol spends 😉

It's definitely going to take a very long time to get to where I have the full amount saved but as there's no real need to clear the debts (no interest on them and the house is paid off so there's more than enough to clear them once we've popped our clogs and still leave a decent amount for the kids/grandkids) it's more of a 'peace of mind' thing for me.

I have a savings level that I'm happy with at the moment and that is totally separate from this debt fund - obviously, if the poo hits the fan I'd have no qualms in using this debt neutral fund to bolster those savings so whatever happens its a win/win situation....

When I look back at how dire our situation was at one point, I'm incredibly grateful that we're in the position we're in now - we've worked hard to fix our finances and I have a totally different attitude towards money and debt than I had back then - I just wish the light bulb moment had occurred earlier! 🙄🤦‍♀️😂

Anyway, rewards money moved over today - not much but something is better than nothing! 😁

£546.59/£1000

leftatthetrafficlights

Paid in from interest on 'pots' & a bit from 'rewards' 😁

£646.92/£1000

leftatthetrafficlights

Decided to transfer the leftover grocery and petrol money from November today - we don't need anything else until Sunday so may as well get a couple of more days interest on it! 😉 I had a really good month grocery wise despite buying quite a few 'bulk buy' items and household stuff so a decent amount to transfer 😁 I'm very close to my third 1k now - this thread has really helped me keep my focus! 😁


£989.12/£1000

Sarahwithlove

Very close now to that next £1k well done 

leftatthetrafficlights

Money moved over to DNF today - through the 3rd 1k mark now so happy with that! 🙌 

Pots are all looking okay too - I have a lot of annual insurances due to renew in the first few months of the year so I'm hoping to reduce/maintain the costs of those which would mean a few more pennies to the fund once they're paid.

I pay my water and council tax bills over 10 months so I'm intending to add those amounts to the fund when I get my 'free' two months - hopefully getting a good first quarter in will help motivate me for the next three!! 😉😂

£292.15/£1000

leftatthetrafficlights

I've had a few days of budget reorganisation and spreadsheet making - with the interest rates dropping again, it makes sense to have my 'pots' all in the highest rate account and to track them with a spreadsheet again. It's more work for me but it also means that I'll be keeping a tighter eye on things so that will be a bonus 😉 

I'm going to make much more of a financial effort in 2026 - I've done pretty well in the last few months so I want to build on that momentum and give it much more focus. 

I need to regain my frugal ways, think more about where I can reduce costs (without giving up on ethical buying), look at all our outgoings and make sure I get the best deals on our forthcoming insurances etc, keep a much closer eye on expenditure and budgets, meal plan weekly, make better use of the garden, concentrate on using up stocks etc.

I really want to add a decent amount to the DNF in 2026 - I may have to get some work done on the house which would deplete it somewhat but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it 🤔 

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great 2026 - may peace, happiness and love be in your every step 😁

leftatthetrafficlights

It's weird but I'm feeling a bit wobbly about having all my pots amalgamated and put into the main savings despite having the spreadsheet and a paper copy of totals etc!! 🙄🤦‍♀️ It's been a long time since I've had everything together and it just feels uncomfortable at the moment! 🤷‍♀️😂 I'm sure I'll get used to it.....

I've decided that I'm going to use this thread for all things frugal - I'm very much concentrating on my finances in 2026 and want to get a minimum of £50 per month on top of what I expect to be able to save. 

My 2026 target is to save 6k in the debt neutral fund. I'd like to have 10k in total by the end of the year so it's actually £6700 - that's a challenging target! 

Money plans/actions:

1) I've decided that I'm going to monitor my bill  account and move any excess from there into the DNF from January. I'll keep a buffer still bit a smaller one than now.

2) I've had a look at my renewal dates for various insurances and put reminders in my phone based on the dates Martin suggests.

3) I've put the dates my dd's come out into my phone to make sure that I check the actual figures against the budgeted amount and move any surplus 

4) I've checked dates for all events/expected expenses and am deciding on budgets for them - I don't have much planned in 2026 thankfully 🙌

5) I'm having a low spend January - I'd like to keep it to £100 on groceries from the normal fund and £50 from the bulk fund (I need more cashews and butter beans)

6) I'm cooking from scratch 99% of the time - we do have UPF's in the freezer that will need to use up but I won't be having them more than once a month)

7) I'm making the most of my garden/growing space in 2026. The more food I can grow, the better! 😁 

8) Reduce/reuse/recycle - that's definitely going to be my overall mantra in 2026. I have everything I need - I genuinely can't think of anything else that I want. I am going to spend the bare minimum this year; I'm using up what I can from stores, I'm going to start making my own laundry liquid again, I'm going to use up any commercial cleaning products I currently have and then make my own, I'll do a weekly meal plan and I'll look at the 'sneaky ways to save the pennies' thread for other ideas. 

I have to do some work in the house in 2026 (windows changed, plastering and decorating sorted) but I have a different fund for that and a budget to cover it. I'm hoping to have the work completed by the summer solstice.

Garden wise, I've got a lot of work to do, but I'm looking forward to that and it's not something I need to spend money on (I do have a load of mushroom compost and bark to buy and be delivered in a few weeks but the money is already put aside for that),  just a lot of time and effort!! 😳😂 I've broken it down into 21 sections to make it more manageable so I'm hoping to have it sorted around the same time as the house. 

Right, I'm going to update my signature and keep a running total there - my posts will include the regular updates so I'll be able to keep a close eye on my progress 😉 

DNF: £300/£1000
DNF 2026 target: £0/£6700
January grocery challenge: £0/£100
Garden sections: 0/21

Here's to a frugal 2026!! 🥂