No more credit.... no more debt

nomorecredit · 8 February 2019 at 10:49AM

Morning Friday

Just popping in before I head off to pilates.

I need to tally up my 1p savings challenge NSD's and LTW this week. Today will be a spend day but hoping for at least another NSD this weekend.

I need to review my budget and how its administered!! Not sure that is the right work but I have been using cash then as I have had some money in my bank account been very sloppy and using my card tapping here there and everywhere. I tried thought I had done only a couple of debit card transactions but the results are eye opening and shameful with a some madness on my own stupidity in there too. I would of paid for my daughters new bedroom bedding and curtains.

Boots: £17.22
Subway - £7.37
Corner Shop £9.63
Pizza (takeaway) - £9.05
Home Bargains - £6.90
Ald! - £3.29
B&M - £11.54
M&S - £4.32
Morri$ons - £17.37
KFC - £14.45
Sainsbugs - £5.35

Total £106.49

I am just so cross with myself

Better get off to Pilates

Wishing everyone a lovely day.

NMC x

nomorecredit · 8 February 2019 at 1:09PM

Results are in

Steps
Wednesday - 13,485
Thursday - 15,019
Friday - TBC currently at 5,392

Spends
Wednesday - £3.39 (lunch) I did take soup but had a longer lunch so didn't want to start heating it up when I got back!)
Thursday - NSD
Friday - Pilates - £5

On Wednesday, I bought some new underwear with my birthday vouchers, my favourite bra wire had broken it was uncomfortable I was so embarrassed getting measured wearing it! I have £120 left in birthday money and just over £20 in vouchers. I am doing the 3 peaks in June for charity and have no walking boots so I am going tomorrow to get some and pay for these with my birthday money and get training.

On my walk home from Pilates I was thinking about my need to over indulge having no regard for my health and/or finances lets be honest. I have spent the week eating chocolate, sweets and biscuits and after my check of what I have spent on my debit card over the last 3 weeks in addition to my cash spends I feel rubbish both physically and mentally. I need to break this need to self destruct.

Over the years I have accumulated thousands and thousands of £'s of debt with credit cards, loans, overdrafts, catalogues, store cards I've had them all and I have absolutely NOTHING to show for it except deceit. I actually feel nausea typing the above.

Right better get on with my Friday which stands at

Cash - £55
Current account balance - £33.65
Savings - £0

I am out for a few drinks later with work. I have my travel to buy next week which is £12.40 and (fingers crossed nothing crops up) that is it.

To do list is as follows:

1. Polish and Hoover
2. Kitchen worktops and floor
3. Wipe down of bathrooms
4. Ironing at least half the pile
5. Tea prepared (Chilli and Rice)
6. Lunch from home

The budget for 15th Feb - 14th Mar is done I am giving myself an entertainment budget of £35 per week - its tight but necessary.

Happy Friday
NMC x

enthusiasticsaver · 8 February 2019 at 1:30PM

nomorecredit wrote: »

Thank you Tea much appreciated x

I find it so hard to be consistent I have a couple of good weeks then have a wobble then back on again then off etc....I am the same with my eating habits all or nothing ... I need to find the balance

I do find that getting it down on here does help its very therapeutic. I don't think I will ever be perfect with money and reading other people's diaries I am just shocking in comparison, you are all so focused I love reading all your diaries never miss a day even on holiday.

Have a lovely Friday too and thanks again x

NMC x

Just quickly flicked through your diary and it seems as if takeaways, quick shopping trips etc are your downfall. I find keeping a food diary on an app helps with my eating habits (less snacks as I don't want to put them down) and it makes me think before eating. Maybe a spending app would help with your spending habits? It might make you think twice about buying Lunch out? One thing I did when working if I did not have time to make lunch in the morning was pop to local supermarket near my office and just pick up a box of cup a soups or something or buy ingredients to make a salad and leave half in the office fridge for following day. Much cheaper than meal deals or subways.

Good you got rid of the credit card to avoid temptation but don't leave a balance on your Next as the interest rate is awful.

enthusiasticsaver · 8 February 2019 at 1:33PM

Also you are doing great with exercise classes and steps etc but buying chocolate and takeaways negates all the good you are doing. Can you limit yourself to say one takeaway a month on payday or something and one chocolate bar a week? I struggle with avoiding unhealthy food too so not getting at you, just a suggestion.

teafor2 · 8 February 2019 at 7:33PM

Hi NMC. I'm much better off with cash rather than bits going out of the bank - ask me how I came to this conclusion

Didn't help that I never kept/asked for receipts either and couldn't remember what I'd spent.

I suppose if you're exercising you're working off the sweet stuff etc. but I agree with ES, you're putting a lot of effort in only to undo it with your 'treats'. That's not a criticism by the way, you're better than me as I do the treats but not the exercise.

Don't be too hard on yourself, at least you're on here trying to sort things out. It's not easy to change habits that we've had for years so there are bound to be good and bad days. And at the very least it makes us think about why we're doing things.

Hope you have a lovely weekend. xx

nomorecredit · 10 February 2019 at 9:23AM

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

Just quickly flicked through your diary and it seems as if takeaways, quick shopping trips etc are your downfall. I find keeping a food diary on an app helps with my eating habits (less snacks as I don't want to put them down) and it makes me think before eating. Maybe a spending app would help with your spending habits? It might make you think twice about buying Lunch out? One thing I did when working if I did not have time to make lunch in the morning was pop to local supermarket near my office and just pick up a box of cup a soups or something or buy ingredients to make a salad and leave half in the office fridge for following day. Much cheaper than meal deals or subways.

Good you got rid of the credit card to avoid temptation but don't leave a balance on your Next as the interest rate is awful.

Thank you so much for stopping by enthusiasticsaver much appreciated and yes you are right its mainly food I spend mindlessly on. I am a WW gold member so have the app to track my food and its fab I have no excuse I always get the tea ready for the day in the morning I have no excuse to not make something for lunch either as the meals I do take no more than 5 mins to prepare and 30 mins to cook. Also we buy lots of fruit for snacks and hardly ever waste but end up buying the dreaded sweet stuff.

I will look into a spending tracker app great idea thank you and yes the Next account needs to go asap and close the account.

Thanks again
Hope you are having a lovely weekend
NMC x

nomorecredit · 10 February 2019 at 9:30AM

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

Also you are doing great with exercise classes and steps etc but buying chocolate and takeaways negates all the good you are doing. Can you limit yourself to say one takeaway a month on payday or something and one chocolate bar a week? I struggle with avoiding unhealthy food too so not getting at you, just a suggestion.

I know its so true, I am my own worst enemy, I have got some low calorie hot chocolate and count this in my daily points (WW plan) its really nice too so will satisfy my sweet tooth after dinner or in the afternoon.

Unhealthy food always seems good at the time then I feel awful and sluggish don't know if its the same with you.

I do need to limit the takeaways and home cooked food is so much nicer too. I have some lovely recipes for "Fakeaways" style meals would be much better for my health and purse to do this.

Best wishes
NMC x
Thanks again x

nomorecredit · 10 February 2019 at 9:39AM

teafor2 wrote: »

Hi NMC. I'm much better off with cash rather than bits going out of the bank - ask me how I came to this conclusion Didn't help that I never kept/asked for receipts either and couldn't remember what I'd spent.

I suppose if you're exercising you're working off the sweet stuff etc. but I agree with ES, you're putting a lot of effort in only to undo it with your 'treats'. That's not a criticism by the way, you're better than me as I do the treats but not the exercise.

Don't be too hard on yourself, at least you're on here trying to sort things out. It's not easy to change habits that we've had for years so there are bound to be good and bad days. And at the very least it makes us think about why we're doing things.

Hope you have a lovely weekend. xx

Hi Tea

Thank you I agree cash is easier to keep track off and makes you think twice - this cash is the way forward for me for my "entertainment budget" and weekly shopping. Travel I will keep on the card as they are odd amounts e.g. £12.70 per week.

I could kick myself when I realised what I had spent on the little trips to the shop here and there. Proof in the pudding the £2's here, £3's there soon adds up/.

I am going to try find something about changing habits to listen to but reading your diaries is also good too and how you have all been through the same thing and changed the way you think about money.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend too.
NMC x

nomorecredit · 10 February 2019 at 10:15AM

Happy Sunday

Can't believe its Sunday already hope all having a lovely weekend so far..

Weekend Round up

Steps
Friday 18,370
Saturday 4,368

Friday spends
£5 - pilates
£0.89 - pain killers
£30.00 (ish) - drinks with work colleagues
£12.40 - train tickets for week ahead

Saturday Spends:
£1 - Crackers
£4.95 - Chip butty, curry sauce and diet coke

Emptied my purse of silver and copper and sent £1.82 to 1p challenge so I have a nice rounded £20 cash.

1p Savings Challenge - £1.82 (£26.40)
Bank Account - £21.25
Cash - £20.00

Really good time on Friday with my work pals although this resulted in a complete right off of a Saturday :doh:. I had a rather bad hangover which was shamefully spent for the most part on the couch sleeping and catching up on TV. Spend wise not too bad £5.95 yesterday, £1 on crackers and all I wanted was a chip butty with scraps (I am so Yorkshire), curry sauce and diet coke but £4.95 :eek: but I ate every bit. The girls went to football with their dad so it was me and the dog until 6pm. But I hardly moved did absolutely nothing, no washing, hoovering, food planning, nothing. Well I did go to WW (I am a helper) and drop and pick the girls and OH to and from football but other that I can safely say it was an extremely lazy day.

However, today's to do list is

3 loads of washing
Sweep and mop kitchen floor
Hoover and polish
Wipe sinks and toilets
Weekly meal plan
Food shop list
Walk to A!di and do weekly shop
Catch up on diaries

My little ladies have swimming and then we are off to my mums for Sunday dinner.

It's my OH turn for the food shop so should be a NSD for me.

Weekly challenge (Monday to Friday)
1 - 15,000 steps per day
2 - 2 ltr's water per day (slipped a bit on this and feeling it to)
3 - Couch to 5k - start week 2 (again!)
4 - Lunch to work - 2
(we have a lunch planned on Wednesday at a lovely cafe its gorgeous home cooked food and very reasonable e.g less than £5 for soup, sandwich and drink)
5 - NSD - aim for 3 (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday)
6 - Track food
7 - Research spending app
8 - NO chocolate, sweets or biscuits

Right time to get this show on the road hope its more successful than yesterday's shambles.

Have a lovely Sunday
Best wishes
NMC x

nomorecredit · 10 February 2019 at 10:01PM

Sunday nearly done .....

NSD for me 3/15
Bank Account : £21.25
Cash : £20.00
OH gave me some silver and copper for 1p saving challenge -£5.46 now standing at £31.86
Steps: 11,236

Today's to do list is

3 loads of washing - done
Sweep and mop kitchen floor - done
Hoover and polish - done
Wipe sinks and toilets - done
Weekly meal plan - done
Food shop list - done
Walk to A!di and do weekly shop - done
Catch up on diaries - done

Work tomorrow need to be up to earlier do a quick blast of ironing and sort girls school bags.

Bring on the weekly challenge.

Best wishes
NMC x

No more credit.... no more debt

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