Turning Straw into Gold: Creating Long Term Security & A Solid Home

MillQueen

The cooking food in advance just hasn't worked at all, as even though I managed to force myself to cook something, I have taken it to work the past 3 days and put it in the shared fridge and then forgotten to eat it. So there's three meals in the fridge that I will be throwing away when I am next in on Tuesday.

I have concluded that this an area of acceptance rather than change 😂

MillQueen

Working from home today, which will save money on petrol.

MillQueen

It's time for free Friday night entertainment - a book from Borrow Box.

I'm on a mission to keep as much of my money as possible this month.

sunshineli

Which book did you go for?

MillQueen

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82024887#Comment_82024887

Another novel by Claire Douglas called "Last Seen Alive".

I will be spending the weekend reading, getting on top of emails and making 3 presentations.

Trying to make myself go for a walk but I have no motivation for it.

Hopefully a no spend weekend, as if I go for the walk I have a free coffee to claim from Greggs.

MillQueen

I just saw something that said "smile when you pay bills because it rewires how your brain feels about money". I have written "smile" on my spreadsheet to enjoy the bill-paying at the end of the month.

A small victory is that I did not order a food delivery today when I really wanted one. I ate pasta, toast and overnight oats, and now I've had a carb fix, the urge to spend money on junk food has gone.

That's saved me £25 right there.

MillQueen

As we are about at the half way point this year, I have calculated my year totals at the mid-point so far below, showing what I have paid off in 2026, It doesn't feel as much as I hoped, but better than nothing.

• Mortgage: £1,556 paid off
• Postgrad Loan: £1,106 paid off
• Personal Loan: £972 paid off

£3,634 of debt paid off so far in 2026.

MillQueen

I've just added up that I've got £18,362 of debt to go, so at the current rate I will have it paid off in another 2.5 years. I also read something that said "if your debt isn't gone within 2 years you're not being aggressive enough". So I've decided that once I have paid the tax bill, I will divert anything extra I can earn from self-employment straight into paying down debts, as I want them gone as soon as possible. I don't like them hanging over me.

I dislike debt in general as I find it stressful and worrying to have, where it's with me in my mind all the time. I have never had a credit card or anything (I'd feel stressed even just having one). If I had been sensible and aware about having an emergency fund, I could have avoided the loan to fix the roof, but I didn't understand finance at the time, so I didn't have anything saved up. It's been a learning curve to make sure none of this happens again. I still have nearly a thousand pounds to find for the tax bill though, before I can start overpaying more aggressively. It will be a while before the tax is sorted, probably by the end of the year, as I am having a few months off from my self-employment as I am very burnt out. I work at least 60-70 hours a week in my main job and I am struggling to do anything extra, as I am so tired. Complainy today 😂.

ArtyJ931

"if your debt isn't gone within 2 years you're not being aggressive enough". 

I don’t think that’s a helpful or useful quote. I’d certainly examine it and chuck it in the bin personally and defo not let it stress you out. If you’re working 60-70 hours a week you’re probably too knackered to tackle anything aggressively other than people spouting off unrealistic and silly things 😂

MillQueen

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82026698#Comment_82026698

I am indeed knackered. I didn't mind all the hard work when I thought my career was going somewhere, but as it's not looking like there will be any opportunities to move up, my energy has crashed. I would like it all gone in 2 years, though my forecasts have been saying it will be 3 at my current rate. I could do it in 2 if I work harder, but I am really quite stressed, so maybe you're right and I shouldn't listen to the quote. Thanks for being a voice of reason.

If I do overpay I'm going to focus on getting rid of my student loan. They are capping the interest to 6% on it for the 2026/2027 academic year, which kicks in for September. This is supposedly to guard against any interest rate shocks that might happen with world events. However, I do not trust the government at all not to whack it up after that, as for several years it was about 8% after covid and the interest rate was getting added on faster than I could repay it, hence still owing nearly what I started with despite paying it back for years. I am thinking to get rid of that as fast as possible in case there's any more funny business with that, as my bank loan is going to stay at a solid, steady and trustworthy 6.4% and be payed off within a few years no matter what happens.The untrustworthiness and ever-changingness of student loans is far more worrying.