Prosperous soul in the making

savingholmes · 17 October 2019 at 8:43AM

Thanks Tahlullah and Dancing in the rain

Been trying to add more social stuff back in our lives. So DH and I saw friends Tuesday night and I met another friend yesterday for lunch. It worked out well as I ended up working until 7.30 due to being asked to do something after gone 5 so that more than cancelled out my long lunch. I asked DH to make tea and it was ready for when I got home.

DH is getting paid £200 more than normal tomorrow - from the overtime he did last month. We could just whack it off the debt but we decided to replace our fridge freezer. Every day currently we are stepping into a small pool of water snaking across our kitchen into the utility room because the freezer seal seems to have gone around the door... The one we've picked is £289 but we should be able to 'cashflow' it.

DD has gone to school each day this week on her bike so that's positive. She seems to have caught up a bit - partly helped by some of her teachers cancelling lessons due to their illness. I'm currently in my familiar battle of needing to force myself away to finish getting ready and out. I am hoping that today is a better day in that I have an off-site meeting this pm that will take me around an hour each way so that will give me some much needed alone time and some expenses to claim for next month. ATM it feels like things are slowly improving.

It's great too that we are now under the £27K mark and next month I hope we will drop to less than £25K.

[Deleted User] · 17 October 2019 at 9:48AM

You're doing really well SH, how exciting that you'll be debt free next year

xx

hugglemonster · 17 October 2019 at 10:26AM

Fantastic plans and progress, hopefully we'll both be debt free about the same time next year.

Annoying to have to replace the fridge freezer but glad it's being covered by the extra income.

Hope you have a good day, H x

enthusiasticsaver · 17 October 2019 at 4:06PM

Exciting you now hopefully have just over a year of repaying these cards. You must have had a massive mindset change to have cleared so much. Well done.

StripeyTightsSpottySocks · 17 October 2019 at 8:14PM

Hi savings

How are you? Making time for friends sounds good and you are doing so well on the repayments :T

It is good your DD is up to date at school - i bet it makes all the difference to how she must feel about going as she is in and being in the same 'learning space' as others - rather than feeling behind or not knowing what the teacher is talking about having missed things. & her independence going in on her bike must mean a lot to all of you too :T

Good news on the fridge freezer not causing a set back. I would love the opportunity for overtime but realise it's not possible in this job.

Nearly Friday and i hope you have some nice plans for the weekend? If not, and you fancy a mini-challenge we could aim to clear 10 items from our home in a very mini declutter challenge?

savingholmes · 17 October 2019 at 9:43PM

Waves to doing it anyway and Lucielle!:wave: and lurkers and commenters

Deleted_User wrote: »

You're doing really well SH, how exciting that you'll be debt free next year xx

Yes - it will be fab not to just be clearing CC debt and instead to have more money for fun as well as mortgage clearance and investment.

hugglemonster wrote: »

Fantastic plans and progress, hopefully we'll both be debt free about the same time next year.
Annoying to have to replace the fridge freezer but glad it's being covered by the extra income.
Hope you have a good day, H x

Thanks hugglemonster - we can cheer each other on and celebrate together.
Grateful that we can replace the fridge freezer debt free the month after buying a cheap car! Seems unbelievable to me too!

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

Exciting you now hopefully have just over a year of repaying these cards. You must have had a massive mindset change to have cleared so much. Well done.

Yes 13 months of paydays and we'll be CC free - perhaps sooner if we get any payrises or if DS repays us what he owes / we dock it.

I've had a number of diaries in the past. I think this time is my real LBM. I never got it before - and other people said that - but I didn't understand what they meant. I think the gazelle intensity recommended by DR is key - as I know I can only normally sustain things for short periods - so thinking of it as a burst of effort then its done is really helping. The other thing that is helping is that we are starting to understand our why - move somewhere more rural - and ensure we have decent incomes in retirement etc. With DS at 21 considering emigrating and DD 2 years away from being 18 - new options are opening up for us which we could take if we were CC free a lot easier than now.

DH has hated his job for years - in a year's time he could potentially leave if it got bad enough even if he didn't immediately have a job to go to - that too is helping him stick with the programme. This is the first time he has truly joined me - and is checking the bank accounts too. We are agreeing any deviations for the month and he is checking before spending even on things like fuel. He always used to buy things just before payday or fill up with fuel not considering it could cause a problem. We used to operate to a £3.4K overdraft!!!

Even in this debt free journey - I'm not really at a 'scorched earth' level. We've kept a cleaner, Netflix, small clothing allowance, holidays and personal spends. However, we don't drink much alcohol - I don't drink any - I buy DH £2.50's worth a week at most. Neither of us smoke. The pets costs are accounted for - but we don't do doggy daycare or anything like that so not too extreme. After June next year - all of DH's salary is due to be going towards debt freedom... They are doing a review at his place anyway so he's not sure what his long term job security is... I often wonder if they would be doing him a favour letting him go. He has applied for other roles but not with the energy he would if it came to crunch time.

In other news DD struggled again today so really hoping she goes in tomorrow. It would be only her second full week if she achieves it. I'm gutted as next week they are doing 'curriculum enrichment' and changing all the lessons - which is something I think she will struggle with all over again.

In better news DS has a job. 20+ hours per week on top of a demanding third year schedule so hope he hasn't bitten off more than he can chew. He starts Monday. He hasn't told them he's away for a month - however it is a job that can be done remotely - so its possible he could continue to do some work in Oz - depending whether he could sort his phone etc out so it didn't cost callers extra. Failing that he's hoping to earn at least £500 before he goes away.

savingholmes · 17 October 2019 at 10:04PM

StripeyTightsSpottySocks wrote: »

I would love the opportunity for overtime but realise it's not possible in this job.

I don't get overtime where I work - but I get flexi which is fab and can usually work from home one day per week which is like gold for me.

When DH does overtime its kind of compulsory usually and he finds it extremely tiring. He was on the on-call rota but when he got his payrise someone else wanted that money so they are doing his slots and getting paid for that. To have our evening and weekends back was well worth it. However if that person was to leave it could all change again and for what worked out about £100 in your hand a month - the restrictions weren't really worth the money.

StripeyTightsSpottySocks wrote: »

Nearly Friday and i hope you have some nice plans for the weekend?

I have the really exciting job on Saturday of taking my car for its MOT. The first MOT is included in a car savings plan I have with the dealer. They should also fix my seat belts under warranty. I am thinking of caliing them tomorrow as my brake pads might need doing- I wonder if I would be cheaper getting them done locally tomorrow or at least ensuring they are ready in case the brakes (separate budget pot) do need doing Saturday. I potentially get 10% discount at the dealer on the pre-payment plan I have. The downside of the dealer's location from MSE's point of view is it is right next to a shopping centre. So my dilemma is - do I go for a wander...? I have £40 of personal spends left - or do I just drink the free drinks and eat the free biscuits... I think we know what I'm likely to do... Thinking maybe both... :rotfl:

DH is going to visit DS at his request. I think DS is trying to bond with his dad - which is sweet and I hope it works out but I'm worried could leave them both frustrated. I am thinking of taking the day for myself - even if it is literally going and sitting somewhere - having a meal out (separate £ pot) and writing in my journal or even writing my story on my laptop...

StripeyTightsSpottySocks wrote: »

Do you fancy a mini-challenge we could aim to clear 10 items from our home in a very mini declutter challenge?

:T I accept your challenge. I will declutter 10 items - plus at least 1 per new (non-food) item entering the house. Look forward to reading about your progress too :T

MovingForwards · 18 October 2019 at 7:26AM

OMG SH it's great to see you will be debt free next year! It is strange trying to find a new routine of actually being able to do things that cost, compared to finding free things, being able to go out with friends rather than meeting up round a home of one of the group. All the skills you have learnt since starting your diary will be there with you for life and you will never be back in the situation you were before.

It's never nice being stuck in a role you come to hate and when you are debt free a decent float can set your DH free, unless nature steps in and makes the decision. As much as your DH wants to go, to a certain extent it's comfortable for him and in a way a fear of the unknown. I hope this works out well as we do spend too much of our day in a place just to earn money.

Hopefully with DD it's just a blip, she is human and going through a lot. Whilst I do not know what the back story is, perhaps there are things she can do at home to stay up to date with her work? Maybe an agreement could be put in place that she can get some bits emailed to her. I know educational institutions are so much more adaptable than they were years ago. Or maybe it just isn't to be and a different route to achieve her end aim is better. I do hope you are now getting somewhere with the appointments and your own research into DD's health.

Congratulations to DS, any income is a bonus, even if he can't remote work. Shows he is a determined lad and will go far!

You do deserve some me time, if that tea and biscuits at the garage followed by lunch somewhere, then so be it. Go and have some fun x

savingholmes · 18 October 2019 at 10:53PM

Well DH got paid today so I immediately moved huge portions out of our main account so it isn't staring at us to tempt us. I need to finish setting up the N account - not signed the paperwork yet.

I met with DD's Youth Support Worker today (after work) who is writing up some kind of assessment on her (and indirectly us). Hopefully some good will come from that. She is going to email me it in draft before it goes elsewhere. Today was like a catch up after 6 weeks so was quite intense and exhausting. DD has completed her second full week at sixth form.

For tea - got DH and DD some K*C from the eating out budget. I ate macaroni milk instead but as MF suggested plan to eat out tomorrow. I nipped out earlier to pick up a prescription and bought DH 2 shirts and a pair of jeans in a 25% sale at Mr As for around £27. Was really chuffed with that and hoping that they look good on him. They are unusual colours and I think will make him look smarter and boost his confidence. I really need him to buy some boots - but want him to go in a shop and try some as we are rubbish at sending things back on time.

Looking forward to peace tomorrow. Pooch has only got about another week left on her season and then hopefully we can get some longer walks in again.

StripeyTightsSpottySocks · 18 October 2019 at 11:01PM

Hi savings

Hope all goes well with the MOT - no idea what the waiting room is like where you're going but i ran 6 miles home after taking my car in - it would not have been pleasant sitting there - the guys are nice but the waiting room wants for a goodly bit of tlc. I got home to a phone call to say MOT was done and had to go back :rotfl: So this is me saying i'd go for a mooch if i was you

Good DD has done her second full week :T

I hope hubby's new clothes fit and he likes them. Also hope your hubby and son have a great time together

Urgh £100 month for all that extra strain is not worth it - i bet this has added to your husbands dislike of his job and hopefully he won't need to do those shifts again x

Sending positive vibes for your MOT and hope you have a lovely day

Prosperous soul in the making

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