2018 is an amazing year!

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to my 2018 diary - on a more positive note than the first one! I'm not posting a link to my old thread, you can find it if you're curious

I'm determined to make 2018 a great year overall and also reduce my debt significantly in the process. The year has started with a good mood, following a Christmas/NYE break that was low spending, high energy (a lot of yoga and running), no overeating (!), and filled with wonderful moments together with family and friends. Credit card debt is currently at £12K, down from £14.2K in Sep 2017. I have not used credit cards and overdraft since then, and I intend to continue the good practice.

I'm healthy, I have a job, one fabulous child, some good family and friends (even though some are overseas). I have no reason to be unhappy. I'm still single but not much I can do about that one - but to enjoy life as it is. I do have a Bumble date on Thu though

So this is my 12-step plan (slightly revised from the first draft, because I buy groceries online so I had to allocate some money to that):

1. Spend less than £100* per week - all in cash, save the rest in a savings account. This is for daily spending only. It excludes bills, regular expenses (childcare, clubs, gym etc), and it also excludes online/main grocery spending which is budgeted for in Halifax.
2. Pay £400 each month towards CCs debt. Do NOT use credit cards and overdrafts.
3. Find a great remortgage deal (look in March for deal to start end of July).
4. Limit eating & drinking out to IMPORTANT occasions only. This includes coffee breaks.
5. Packed work lunches most days.
6. Less screen time on mobile and computers.
7. Be more active - at least 3x per week - yoga, 5k runs, long country walks, park walks, cycling.
8. More reading & hobby time. These are mostly free
9. Low carb diet during weekdays. Carbs and sugar as normal on weekends.
10. Declutter more: wardrobes and all storage cupboards.
11. Get professional certification and/or change jobs (nb. job change only after remortgage completed).
12. No holidays until annual bonus time Dec 2018.

Monthly budget:

• Keep in Barclays for bills & regular expenses £2,050
• Pay CCs Sainsbury's & Barclaycard1 £400
• Keep in Halifax for groceries & daily spending £613 (about £200 for online groceries; rest for spending)

Each week, take out in cash £100 from Halifax and don't exceed it no matter what. The £100 should cover all weekly spending including groceries top-ups (but excluding main online grocery spending, which is reserved in the Halifax acct). At the end of the week, whatever is left in cash, save in an envelope. Repeat each week until the next pay date.

Then, on the 24th of each month, just before pay day, all money from the cash envelope, plus money left in Barclays and Halifax - if any (there should be!) - deposit to an "Emergency Savings" account. Emergency savings can only be used if anything in the house breaks down and needs repairing or - touch wood - for any medical problems.

C'est tout! Hope I manage to stick to this and to see old and new "faces" around - to kick me if I don't.

May we all have the best year to date!

:dance: