Does anyone actually enjoy it?

karren

this site has changed my spending habits for life, i now have a spending diary and save up for things like hols with extra money like car boots etc.
I have a main ac with spider acounts comeing off it for uniforms car bills etc so there are no nastry suprises, and it really helps.
Days out with the kids are fun but uasually free, ie the park etc but one a year we use the tesco points and do something exciting. but combine it with camping, they enjoy more i think.

Cazzdevil

I suppose I enjoy it to an extent. If it weren't for this site I wouldn't have decided to try and pay my mortgage off early, I wouldn't have discovered free cinema tickets, I wouldn't have discovered cashback sites and the thought of having money in a savings account would be a far off dream, but now all of these things are real or about to happen. The thing that occasionally bugs me is that I'm constantly thinking about money and am sometimes scared to spend any!

I could definitely try harder in the money saving game though but I'm finding it easier on myself & the boyfriend to try and implement one or two ideas at a time

Hurrah for MSE!!!

Trailertrash_2

When I came to this site, I had some debts which were causing me concern.Through early [medical retirement] from work, I was able to clear them and start afresh. Quite a task at my age. I have always been fairly organised with spreadsheets for everything. I set up a programme to calculate the Gas/Elec and pay them weekly via the internet. All banking is tracked through the spreadsheets on a daily basis. Now I find we are indeed debt free, but also have a vastly reduced income. So which would you prefer or enjoy? We could service our committments although the old, ' minimum payment not reducing the debt ' ploy was a reality.
The original question was "Do you enjoy it". Being debt free..yes. Being on a basic income..no. Having to watch each and every penny now..no, and its gonna get tougher.
Most of you are well into your recovery from the dark side, and looking at your signatures I admire what you have all done, but being debt free isnt the final chapter.This will go on long after the DFD. I know. Our test is just starting!

Verbatim

maz1964 wrote: »

:rotfl:
Hiya all, your posts have inspired me to ask for your help, how does everyone do their sums, and the spreadsheets pls, any tips appreciated.

i have started my daily spending diary but as my husband gets weekly wages and i monthly im finding it hard to find a system to suit my payments.

what i want to achieve is put certain money in different piggybank accounts, am thinking of internet type accounts i then can transfer out on pay day each week. The rest towards my normal bills and blitz the debts.
Im in the middle of organising all my credit cards and overdrafts onto the snowball calculator, still getting my head around that. Ultimately want to clear my debts as soon as possible.

so if you have any suggestions or tips would appreciate it, as i guess its a bit of trial and error but someone else's idea i might be able to use and then i can start with more confidence.

Many thanks and have a fun evening ciao MAZ

Hi Maz,

To get any replies you really need to srart a new thread with this.

Cheers

maz1964

Hiya Verbatim thanks for your post, i understand what you are saying, still new to all this and didnt think, ive found a post that ive downloaded a spreadsheet which im just updating and will give that a trial.
If in the future i need similar advice will post a new thread, appreciate your help.

Have a good evening ciao MAZ

Scribble

I've always been able to cut back, but spend too... it's always evened out but everything's always stayed the same - I pay my bills but the debts just don't go down! Getting organised and planning for the future means that I'm not panicked by unforseen events and I can think about having a deposit for a house one day. I'm self-employed it adds to my security and takes a lot of stress away... maybe I can even take days off sometime!

And that gives me a lot more piece of mind than being able to buy branded food and spend money on indulgences I don't need or really want *that* much.

Maz1964 > I've found spreadsheets to be my main weapon! Even the templates in Excel are a massive help.

Marishka

Scribble, I've thanked you for the concept of "days off"! I'm also self employed and supporting the father who supported me for almost half my life and I love the fact that I can do this and I love MSE for making the money go further. I've only recently entered into a (carefully calculated!) large debt in order to do something really special for Dad, and just can't justify taking any time off. On one hand, I'm buoyed up by the fact that it's all coming together but on yet other hand I am quite genuinely exhausted - mentally more than physically. Days off, yes they must be budgeted for...at some point...soon...

Trailertrash, welcome, I hope we can help make things easier.