Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves · 5 June 2018 at 11:43AM

Grrrr.....I think that gardening post was the positive one for today, as I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to use some of our Loan Pay Down Fund to pay a soon-to-be-forthcoming legal bill. It's infuriating, as I've been busy building up the LPDF but it does seem silly to pay this bill on a CC when I have money available which I could use. I'd intended to pay the bill using my CC, the benefits being that I'd get some loyalty points for vouchers, which are always useful, & I would then be in control of paying it off in large chunks over the next 2 or 3 months. Anyway, this plan has been stymied by discovering that we can pay by bank transfer or cheque only (I don't know why....can only assume that they don't bother with card readers & doing actual financial transactions on reception at the solicitor's). Well, I'm sure we all know about the size of solicitor's bills, so I don't have a sufficient 'cushion' in our bank account to pay it all in one go. So the best option (as I don't want to use our emergency fund) is to transfer the amount from our Loan Pay Down Fund into our bank account, then write a cheque.
Well, I've had a proper grump about this, but have now come round to the idea that it's the sensible thing to do. If it were to take 3 months to pay off the same amount on my CC, I would be adding interest to an already large bill. Both of us now only use our CCs for planned purchases before paying them off in full every month, so using them for credit would go against the grain, really. Also, instead of being annoyed about using a few hundred of our Loan Pay Down Fund, perhaps I should be positive about the fact that we do actually have the money there to pay this bill without recourse to credit. I know there will be plenty of people having to use credit to pay for necessary legal services & instead of moaning, I should be thankful I am not, in this instance, one of them.
So, at some point in the next 2 or 3 weeks, there will be a big noticeable drop in my LPDF tally. And it will be because we have taken the responsible decision to pay this bloomin' bill in full from savings, not because I've had a big spendy la-la in the wool shop, garden centre or 'Monsoon'!
Ok, I've stopped moaning now.
Except about my poorly back.
I'm still proper bloody cheesed off about that!
F x

wishingthemortgaheaway · 5 June 2018 at 4:02PM

Oh now foxgloves, that is all very sad, but assuming the legal bill couldn't be avoided you are in a much better position that if you hadn't been saving. If it could have been avoided, then, lesson learned and avoid any further costs.

foxgloves · 5 June 2018 at 5:08PM

Yes, WTMA.....you are right. It's an essential legal bill, not the result of any silly (or dodgy) shennanigans on our part. I know that saving has put us in the position to pay it outright so I shouldn't be moaning. It's just that I had earmarked that pot for something else.
Never mind....back before the LBM, I'd have stuck it on a loan or mr f would have used up some more of the enormous credit limit on one of his cards.
Will try not to moan any more.
It could be so much worse.
At least we do have the money to pay in full.
On that positive note, I'm off to finish making pizza. Thanks for helping me get it in perspective.....the big bill, not the pizza!
F

crazy_cat_lady · 5 June 2018 at 6:18PM

Ah, lovely legal bills...
I had to pay mine on debit card as well (£650) and have to set up a standing order to cover future costs. Just keep telling yourself it'll all be worth it in the long run. That's what I'm doing.

foxgloves · 6 June 2018 at 4:11PM

Phew, CCL, that's a big one. Our bill is not that big, but is quite big enough. You're right though, sometimes this legal stuff just needs to be done. Without going into personal details on here, ours has come about because of a longstanding family rift, which is unlikely to heal. I know I'll feel a lot better when the legal stuff is sorted, so where the bill is concerned, I'll just have to suck it up! I've put it in perspective by telling myself I'm effectively paying for fairness & peace of mind.
Good luck with all your forthcoming legal stuff, mortgage, etc. Lots of people on here will be rooting for you.
F x

wishingthemortgaheaway · 6 June 2018 at 5:44PM

Hey Foxgloves,

Pizza definitely requires perspective - the bigger and tastier the better.

How has your day been today? Much gardening done?

foxgloves · 6 June 2018 at 6:37PM

Lol, WTMA....agree wholeheartedly re pizza! Although these were my low calorie home made version & not the kind (& size) I would like to have been stuffing my face with!
No gardening today. Went out this morning (I support a local charity) & when I got back, it felt a bit too chilly to plant the climbing beans out, but I watered & checked everything. First tiny cucumbers & tomatoes are appearing. Have cut our 1st homegrown lettuce of the season, plus more watercress & a bunch of coriander and that's gone into a salad to serve with home made chickpea burgers - a Delia Smith recipe which is cheap & freezes great. Maybe some gardening tomorrow when I've done everything else on my list. How are rhings going for you in the world of money saving? Good, I hope.
F x

wishingthemortgaheaway · 6 June 2018 at 9:04PM

foxgloves wrote: »

How are rhings going for you in the world of money saving? Good, I hope.
F x

Not bad thank you, I've had three no spend days in a row, so that's got to count for something right? Need to sort some bigger amounts of money out to stay on track with 'the plan' but the pennies are doing really well.

Have a lovely evening.
Wish.

foxgloves · 7 June 2018 at 4:41PM

Agree, WTMA - 3 x NSDs in a row = very good!

foxgloves · 7 June 2018 at 5:03PM

Hi Debtbusters,
Have this week bought one of those vintage-style enamalled kitchen compost caddies. Waitrose £10.
While I was stashing it upstairs ready for imminent very-low-spend kitchen makeover (more of a tart-up, really), I was thinking how this humble item is pretty much a symbol of my changing attitude to money.
I LOVE shabby-chic stuff - at some point I will do a Debtisode about my past toxic relationship with antique/vintage fairs - & I have been wanting one of these enamalled kitchen compost jobbers for the longest time. I almost bought one a few years ago. I was half way to the tills with it when I thankfully had a stern word with myself. It was beautiful quality, a high-end garden brand, a rather fetching duck-egg blue & had a price tag of £39-99. Back in the Spendy Decades, I'd have skipped off to the till & added that £40 to my debt with never a thought.
But this was post LBM & I couldn't do it. I tried the old justification tactics.....especially how 'green' it is to compost, but I am now Mrs Sensible & couldn't justify 40 quid on something to collect kitchen scraps in. So, dear readers, I took this Object of Loveliness back to the shelf & later that week, I bought a small lidded plastic bucket from the 99p shop.
That did sterling service until it went brittle, cracked & needed replacing.
Still being an exemplary frugalista, I replaced it with an old plastic freezer container. This has now also cracked.
Then a visit to Waitrose & they were selling enamalled metal ones of the shabby-chic sort I like for £10. Well, that's better than £40, isn't it? So the now UNspendy Foxgloves used a tenner from the CORRECT budget pot, lol, & bought one......while simultaneously gaining a free coffee & a free newspaper. And I'm calling that a result!
F x

Put away your purse & become debt-averse

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