14
Jun
2019
A question about : Forever home fund (Take 2)
my little targets/challenges by 1/1/15
make Ј10 a day Ј129/Ј1280
No Spend Days 0/128
Weekly spend challenge
27/08/2014
hi im opto-mum
ive had a diary before (i think) but got abit well lost? but my head is now screwed firmly back on. and well we have a small amount of debt left to pay off and then its saving every spare penny so one day we can buy a forever home for our little family
me and my partner are in our 20's we have 2 kids and a kitten
myself and my partner have been together since yr 10 in high school
we currently live in a little flat (our main reason for wanting to save and move)
we would like to get married some day (sooner rather than later)
i have been trying to workout a do-able budget (long term)
but between now and january (when our main saving journey will begin) im just going to keep a note of every spend to see where our money goes and help us work out how much we can cut back and where we are on or under budget
my original aim was too follow the 'live off Ј4000 a year' idea but to be honest i dont think it would be possible so for now this is my aim
financial breakdown
debt
credit card Ј700 @ 10% (28/08/2014)
catalogue Ј468.31 (28/08/2014) Ј292 interest free period ends 7/11/14
Ј175 interest free period ends 2/06/15
income weekly Ј360 (Ј18,720 yr) (rent and council tax i have already deducted)
outgoings weekly Ј230 (Ј11,960 yr)
breakdown of outgoings
weekly essential bills
Electric Ј20 (trying to reduce this)
gas Ј13 (trying to reduce this)
water Ј9 (on a metre 
)
tv licence Ј6 (on a payment plan but hoping to change to annual for next year)
direct debits
partners mobile Ј9 (will reduce when contract is renewable)
my mobile Ј8.25 (will reduce when contract is renewable)
childrens disney books Ј2.25
Guide dogs Ј1.25
other outgoings
food/household and baby formula Ј80 (would like to get this down to around Ј60 before Christmas)
petrol Ј20
partners motorbike Ј5
clothes Ј5
xmas/birthdays etc. Ј20
other Ј30
Total Ј228.75p per week
we are not here next week so my journey will officially start on the 8th of sept but i am going to use the next few days as productively as possible to read across the boards on here and gain some knowledge on living frugally long term so i can save as much as possible as quick as possible
we have been very fortunate in recieving a gift of Ј1000 off my nana bless her heart. i never fail to smile when i go and see her and shes been my rock in recent years. we could pay off our debts but as my father doesnt know we have debts and hes the one looking after the money for me, i have decided to use it as a small stepping stone to our dream 
anyways...
here goes ... wish us luck 
Best answers:
- oh i forgot to mention. our cooker blew up again today (only 6 months old) ... i was going to do my own little version of the store cuboard challenge but going to leave it till when we get back from holiday now so i will hopefully have a working cooker and can cook more meals from scratch ...
off to bed now will be up at the crack of dawn with kiddies
got drs tomorrow too - I wanted to say hi - am always so impressed with young people (well younger than me!) being so financially savvy - I wish I had been like that when I was in my 20s! I look forward to reading your diary.
- hi pushkin thanks for stopping by.
hi everyone
i think being careful with money is something i picked up off my father from a very young age, i was reading back on my diary i found from when i was working at 14 and even then i would budget my money and always overbudgeted etc but nowerdays with the kids my budget can sometimes be hard to stick at and we end up having unexpected expenses etc (hence the debt) we just get ourselves sorted then the kids suddenly grow and non of there clothes fit etc etc it always seems to happen all at once. this is the main reason for building up an emergancy fund before anything else so i can break the rat race debt cycle once and for all.
i know i can do it .. ive done it before i can do it again
i use cloth nappies to help stretch the pennies. and i used to (when i last battled my way to debt freedom) account for every penny what came in and what went out. but once the debt was paid this slipped and hence we ended up not budgeting so well and ending up back in debt.
i want to do this for me and my family to better our future.
DP Hopes to one day set up his own business which i aim to help make as successful as possible
im also starting a course in October to help better my carrier prospects and hopefully give us a brighter future
im forever optimistic although i never used to be i used to be a worrier i have gone through some !!!! times through my teenage years and early adulthood but me and my partner have stuck together through thick and thin and hopefully finally things are looking up for us
anyway im off for now thats enough from me
speek later once ive scrolled even more threads and web pages for inspiration and tips
take care everyone have a lovely evening - hi again.... sorry for all the posts
right so as of the 8th of sept i am going to sell as much as i can to help make a start at paying off the debt a bit quicker
we have a fire which is in the shed
a pram we no longer use
a fridge we no longer use
loads of kids clothes and toys
a baby swing
a coffee table
a shelf unit
a baby changing unit
a carseat
it needs to go ... i have listed some stuff already sold 1 item today for Ј10 so that has gone in the holiday tin
also been looking at the food threads so i have a plan to try and cut costs in sept for that
i need to do a stock take see how many meals are covered and will ust buy the remaining items we need for the month
off to make a cuppa night all x
following the Ј10 a day thread ... im hoping to aim for Ј10 a day between now and xmas ... most will be put towards debt some towards xmas
going to start now counting yesterday and catch up after the holiday for the days i have missed - Sounds like you are on a mission. I really need to sell some stuff but never can find the time. Will need to get my finger out.
Good luck. - we had a day out today at a zoo and also had tea out total spent Ј55 we haven't done much this summer holiday as haven't had much time (lots of appointments) or money ... so i didnt feel at all bad for this
i havent even started planning christmas yet ... i feel so unprepared as i normally have xmas at least half done by now but i always go over the top and this year and in the future plan not to do this.
xmas presents so far : (person and budget in bold)
father in law Ј30
watch - RRP Ј50 i paid Ј20
DS2 Ј50 + main present of Ј150
vtech book RRP Ј15.99 I paid Ј4.30
leapfrog alphabet thing RRP Ј14.99 I paid Ј5.30
megablocks piano RRP Ј29.99 I PAID Ј9.99
Hippo toy Ј16.99 i paid Ј4.99
2 trucks Ј14 (should of been Ј8 each)
DS1 Ј100 + main present Ј200
Monsters university throw RRP Ј12.99 i paid Ј4.50
arena RRP Ј29.99 i paid Ј1.99
arena monsters x4 TOTAL RRP Ј39.96 i paid Ј3.96 IN TOTAL
gun RRP Ј29.99 i paid Ј1.99
magic tricks RRP Ј20 I PAID Ј4.99
GARAGE RRP Ј29.99 I PAID Ј4.99
Lightening mcqueen car and plane RRP Ј49.99 i paid Ј19.99
remote control car Ј25 (was suppost to be Ј50)
Partner Ј100
dad Ј30
brother Ј30
grandmother Ј10
nana Ј10
mother in law Ј30
total RRP Ј340.87p spent so far Ј86.99p
also we have managed to put up Ј320 spending money for the holiday which considering 8 weeks ago we had nothing i think is pretty good.
now i have noted all that down i will most probably sleep better i hope.
morning all or in my case as i toddle back to bed night all x - hi all. we're back and im raring to go,
we didnt use our cards on holiday and have a small amount of spending money left which im going to buy DS1 some trainers with
my open university stuff has come - so excited to get started
***runs to see to restless baby will update shortly*** - hi everyone I wrote a post last night twice and both times got distracted so here goes attempt 3
I have sold two items on ebay making around Ј50 after post and fees
I have organised DS1's stuff for school
I will list 5 things for sale tomorrow
DP starts college Tuesday (currently working 2 jobs part time and evenings after a long struggle to employment) but may have a plan for the new year which may mean he can leave 1 job while at college
for the next 30 days as of 8/09/14 (grocery challenge)
food shop for Ј120 + Ј2 delivery
formula Ј42
toiletries/cleaning (household) Ј36
total Ј200
my brain is going mad got so much on my mind
will update more when I can think better - hi everyone
been trying to do a food shop since last night but its taking forever to load and everything keeps saying out of stock going to try again tomorrow for delivery weds morning. I have enough to last for now
I really should do a stock take and meal plan around that to keep food costs to a minimum
on the plus side I have put Ј60 into the savings account and hope to pay some off the credit card this week
ds1 needs a pair of trainers and 2 new school jumpers but other than a large food shop somepoint this week and paying the bills nothing else is needed I don't think
going to do a large food shop so other than fresh stuff hopefully I wont need to do another food shop till end of October at a push .. plan is lots of baking. batch cooking meal planning and portioning correctly to help with minimal waste
baby will be back in cloth ones sposies are all used up
don't think there is much else to update on at the moment
I am going to list 5 things for sale tonight minimum and hopefully can pay more off the debt / put in savings
I really want to get the debt gone to start saving properly as soon as possible
its fully back to reality tomorrow so hopefully that will help the financial side of my brain work better
anyway im off for now
take care all - Hi,
Gosh, you are well organised. I am impressed!
Looks like you have picked up a few Xmas bargains already.
I wish I had been savvy in my 20's!
What course are you doing with the OU? - hi thanks for stopping by ..
i'm studying health sciences. (degree) really looking forward to it.
baby is asleep. ds1 has just had a bath so im going to grab a cuppa and find my new 'frugal' budget that starts tomorrow for us so I can update you all. - hi all. sorry i havent posted lately been so busy what with family life and studying, i will try and update more later it just seems to be non stop.
we are trying to be as careful as possible but things keep cropping up like un expected school expenses .. DP's exhaust has had its day ! its just never ending
will update more later off for a bath x - Good luck on your journey, wish I had such a wise head in my 20's, it would have saved many sleepless nights and money troubles later in life.
Hope the studies are going well
I'll keep dropping in to see how you are doing - hi everyone,
having such a rubbish day. been crying for the last hour. im so frustrated. ive been trying to save up for a while. with no luck. things keep cropping up all the time we are just in a vicious circle. i dont know what to do. our debts arnt massive but our savings are empty
i hope this feeling will pass and we can clear the debt early next year still. im going to take some paracetamol and try and get baby down for a nap as ive decided to split any repayments 50/50
50% in savings
50% on debt
and try and post daily to keep me focussed.
ive cleared Ј2000 in 5 months in the past and our income hasnt changed altho we have added a baby since then but he doesnt cost much. are we just going through a bad patch ?
i cant even reduce out direct debits as we are tied into contracts
will update with a summery asap and a action plan
if anyone has any tips it would be much appreciated
we have so many plans but without savings none of it is possible we try so hard to change things to better our families future and tbh i ask myself sometimes why im bothering
i know so many others like us but they are not working at all and they are always spending money then theres me scrimping cutting costs as much as possible and we still struggle
sorry everyone ... feeling sorry for myself
gonna have a cuppa and 5 miniutes to take a deep breathe and hopefully i can shake this feeling off
and i promise i will be back.... i keep saying that and then get distracted but this time i will be back - quick income and outgoings update
income 4 weekly Ј1446 after rent and council tax
outgoings (realistic but tight) Ј640
difference before debt repayments Ј806 - this has just shocked me massively
i knew there was a difference but didnt realise it was this amount every 4 weeks
i am going to post daily with every spend / amount saved / debt repayments update and see where we are at the beginning of October. - as regards to debt ....
credit card Ј1000
catalogue (see below)
Ј292 interest free period ends 7/11/14
Ј175 interest free period ends 2/06/15
savings is a big fat Ј0
all of the above needs to change the sooner the better - 5 financial things of the day :
1. listed some stuff for sale - no sales yet
2. other than DP buying the extras me needed to fit his exhaust and paying the bills is been a no spend day - or low spend day
3. i have wrote out a clear budget and found a book to keep track of any expenses
4. i have managed to get the boys a bunk bed like we wanted with delivery for Ј50 preloved instead of the Ј400+ they are at RRP
granted this isnt needed yet but its the one we want and its the lowest price ive come across
5. ive recieved a ppi application pack - thinking of filling it out just incase ... you never know
*toddles off to find painkillers* - Sorry you are feeling so blue. Sometimes this financial control thing can be tough. Goodness knows I've had my moments along the way but hats off to you for starting young. Wish I had done so, but, hey we are where we are and those folk around you are spending, well, they are just spending their way into problems, that's the way I look at it anyway
That's a fair bit of a difference between outgoings and income. Cool. You should get on track quickly once you have a clear picture.
Would you feel better if you had a savings cushion? I couldn't have overpaid without a safety net of savings. I think of it as our 'emergency fund' and it really does help me feel safe. That's just me though.
We all find our own way Hope the painkillers have done the trick. - hi thankyou so much for your reply
yes definatly having an emergency pot is first on the agenda
its because we dont have a 'safety net' that the debt keeps creaping up. with this difference in income and outgoings the debt could be cleared in 2 months with december left for xmas but im going to give it till new year and try and get some in savings too anf re evaluate after that
need to pick up my LO from school soon so will update you all again later after a good chat to DP later
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