Reducing Debt - being accountable and taking responsibility
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Thanks Enthusiastic!
I spent some time this morning going over my YNAB budgets to the end of the year. Amazingly, I'd double counted for car insurance / servicing, so I 'found' £400! #winning
At a push, I could be debt free by October 31st, though I'd have to find £544. It would be a big push and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with it. I'd need to be a bit frugal on holiday and I'd also need to use some of my £500 'bonus' (a yearly fee I'm paid for some consultancy work outside my regular job). I'd like to use it for other things, namely a new work handbag (sadly the stitching is going on my current one, though it probably could be fixed) and some new good quality leather work shoes. I'm minded to take the extra 4 weeks, have my treats, and be debt free by 30th November. Will ponder.
The end is in sight.
Back to my second meeting.0 -
Bit spendier than planned today. Put £15 of fuel in the car, bought my lunch (naughty!) and then took the car through the car wash as it was sap ridden. Also bought snacks and fizz for the football, which is about to start. I'm no big footie fan but I love getting behind a sports team and, with this weather, I'm in a holiday frame of mind so why not!
How not to do MSE debt slaying 101 0 -
What an emotionally draining football game! Looking forward to Saturday now!
Today I'm WFH. I've been into town to collect some online orders for DF. I also had a parcel to collect - I exchanged to loose trousers I bought at the weekend for a size down and also picked up a cute little top to go with them, again in the sale. Total holiday clothes spends for this month confirmed as £31.99. Last month I spent £10.01 on three vests.
I also picked up some lettuce and rolls for dinner from Waitr0se and some strawberries in the hope of being healthy. We're having burgers for dinner. Our diet has been terrible of late. We must do better.
I've decided to spend some of my bonus on a new work bag. Inevitable, really I ordered two (I couldn't decide which I liked more) and they both arrived today. I'm torn between which one to keep. DF says he'll help me make the decision when he gets home from work. The old me is tempted to keep both, since they are 60% off in the summer sale and rather good quality, and the bonus would cover the cost and then some. But, as DF said, it is a bit indulgent and the new me agrees. But then the old me is still saying "I might as well keep it because it was such a bargain and I love it" and "but what if I never encounter such a good bargain again in all my life?!?!". Stupid debt cognitions 
I will self medicate with some Dave Ramsey videos - he'll get me in line 
I'm looking forward to using whichever one I decide on. I'm 70% sure I know which one it'll be. The remaining bonus money will be parked in my EF until September. No more treats for me.
Other than that, not much else to report in MSE world. The various holiday balances are due to be taken from my card / account soon, so I must remember to ask DF to transfer his contribution soon and pay the card off when its charged.
Back to work for a final push - I've a big document to read and digest before close of play.
DSL0 -
Bag crisis averted. One kept, one packaged up and ready to return. DF really likes the one we're keeping, which makes me smile. Happy bunny.
Heading south on the train tomorrow for a meeting. I've got my brekkie sorted and my water to hand. Will need to buy a coffee (or two!), lunch and a late afternoon snack. My budget is £15 for the day. Challenge accepted.0 -
Hope the train journey goes ok today, think plenty of water is essential.
I am impressed at you sending the second bag back :AMy mortgage free diary: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6498069/whoops-here-comes-the-cheese0 -
Thanks Redo. Train journey was fine, thank goodness for aircon!
Busy end to the working week. I was in back to back meetings all yesterday, so this morning was a wonderful lie in and running some errands before settling down to watch the match. England, like the weather, just keep going on and on! Looking forward to the semis.
Need to reconcile my ynab categories from the work trip on Thursday and some spends this morning in the C00p. Will do it tomorrow morning as its my friends birthday dinner tonight. Best get a dash on actually!
Need a quiet day tomorrow! Not sure what we're doing tomorrow. I fancy a walk, but I suspect so will most of the UK, and I can't be bothered with the crowds.
A dash of lippy and I'm out the door!
DSL0 -
Had a nice and fairly low spend weekend. Getting fed up of this heat though! It just makes me feel so lethargic. I am keeping up my hydration and drinking at least 2.5 litres of water a day, which is really helping.
Managed to reconcile my spends and various categories on YNAB. I've overspent in my work expenses as I went out to dinner with colleagues and had a few extra public transport expenses. I'll keep them yellow / red on YNAB and take from next months salary / budget to cover. I don't want to keep dipping into my Emergency Fund to cover these things as it will become normalised.
I also 'found' £69.54 of unaccounted for spends on my JL partnership card (which I use for monthly spends and pay off at the end of each month. Ugh. I didn't do a good job of reconciling my spends on this card in May / June. I think it was from some clothes spends (stocking up on merino wool sweaters for winter in the late spring sales). Anyway, that too has had to be accounted for in this month's YNAB and will have to stay amber / red until next month's salary hits my bank on the last working day of the month.
I'm having a duvet day today. I have no work meetings and had planned to work at home but I don't feel in the mood, so I will take a retrospective day's leave. Thankfully we have the flexibility to do this.
Not doing well on getting back into sport. I really want to get my fitness back and shift this stone of extra fluffiness that is coating me I think I'll try a spin session tomorrow and see how I get on. I know one I break the cycle of no sport, I will get back into it fairly easily. Its just taking that first step.
DSL0 -
A WFH day. It's a bit cooler and cloudier today, which is a relief.
The window cleaner came today and I always forget to budget for him. Doh. We owed him for 3 cleans and DF had more cash in his wallet than I did so he covered most of the cost
I placed an online order today for a sweatshirt using some reward money I received through work a few weeks ago. I'd been after this particular sweatshirt for a few months but even in the sale it seemed expensive at £65. Anyhow, the reward money covers it and it's still available in my size in the sale so I decided to bite the bullet and get it! A nice little treat which will fit well into my capsule wardrobe and had been on my A/W wish list. A had a few ££s left to spend so I also got a black leather belt in the sale too, which can also be ticked off my A/W wish list. Thanks to my workplace for the treats!
Not much else to report on MSE things. Will pay the final balance for the holiday cottage this week. We've already paid the full balance for one ferry. Just need to wait for the other to come out towards the end of the month. Need to think through other forthcoming holiday expenses like travel insurance and sun cream. I also need to get my car MOT'd before we go. I'm hoping it will be okay to pass. Its not too old.
I need to do my expenses claim for last week's work visits. Might do them later in the week when I'm back in the office and can send receipts in the snail mail. I also put a delay repay claim in as one of my trains was delayed which caused me to miss my connection and thus arrive 1 hour late at my destination. That'll be a nice £29 bonus if it comes through and I'll put it into my holiday fund.
Feeling like I have spent too much of my groceries budget on snacky things recently. I'm blaming the football. Need to be mindful of spends in the future and try to use the freezer. I might need to delay repay claim to top it up!
Back to the grind.0 -
Another WFH day. I don't really like them as I struggle to self motivate. But, they save on fuel and possible lunch spends. And they mean I don't have to work in the greenhouse that is my office. Oh, and I get a lie in and can avoid the commute. DF is also working from home. He's much more disciplined than I am.
Heading into town now to collect my treats, send back that other work bag I decided not to keep and also return a straw bag I bought for holiday last month. It's far bigger than I was expecting, so I've ordered a different one from M&5 which I hope will be perfect. They both £15 so no extra spends.
I ordered some packing cubes from Amaz0n yesterday in the sale for £9.99 which should be arriving soon. I'm going to use them for my summer holiday and thereafter to store out of season clothes. I love all things organisation (and stationary!) and I'm more excited than I should be at the prospect of using them.
Other than that, just a few more direct debits to go out of the bank and then it's the long slog to payday.
I'm looking forward to the next few months. By the time I come back from holiday, my debt should be down to £2,999.99 and I'm hoping to be debt free by November 30th. I might use my work fee (probably around £500) to become debt free a month earlier, though it would still be tight. But, I know what I want to spend that fee on already, so its a case of whether whether to defer gratification until January or not. Eek.
DSL0 -
Collected my treats and both are a disaster! Argh! The sweatshirt was actually knitwear, which is nice but not what I'm after, so it's going back. The belt was bent towards the buckle end which, to me, means that it isn't perfect and is therefore also going back.
Spent a conciliatory £9 in the M&5 sale on a nice lightweight striped jumper which will be perfect for autumn. Its oversized (got a size bigger than usual) and I can't wait to style it when the weather gets cooler.
Put a new online order in for a few other bits and pieces from my favourite brand, which should arrive soon. Hopefully something will fit / be nice / compliment my A/W capsule and I can finally spent my treat money!
Football time.0
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