The march to financial freedom

A question about : The march to financial freedom

Hi all,

Here I am again after getting debt free through the wonderful inspiration of MSE and many posters back in 2007, but life has thrown too many curved balls and I'm back. I hope you'll have me

I still do lots of DFW things and I'll add those as I go along, importantly I've kept up my spreadsheets of budgets and spends, shopping around and sure I'm now OCD with it. Online bank account checks when I fall out of bed, a 'x' against my spreadsheet when a DD goes out...sure you get the picture.

So, here's where I am at:

Left work back in 2009, health/stress issues and single parenting pressures all took its toll holding down a senior job. Started up my own business which has been going reasonably well for over 3 years now, but income fluctuates.

Here's what I'm tackling:

CC 1 - Ј1470 - 0% until March 14. On target to pay off by March
CC 2 - Ј6250 - 0% until July 14.
Loan - Ј6527.67 - 0% til April 14, then either use MBNA CC bank transfer (4% fee to 0% CC) or bank loan for the remaining Ј5800. This is for my car (long story for another post).

Total Ј14,246.67.

There's an urgency too. I moved my mortgage to interest only when I left work as Ј9 a quarter Income Support didn't really stretch very far and that sits at Ј133,444 with 14 years left. I want to get big overpayments onto that as soon as possible.

So I'm marching onwards and upwards and hope to pick up lots of hints and tips as the little money earners and savers are what are going to make the big difference I think.

First DFW thing that I'd not done before is even though I've got energy saving lightbulbs in our lounge, there are 2 lights each with 3 bulbs. So I took one out of each.

Then I had a lightbulb moment and switched the lights off and had candles on for the evening - genius - temperature on our smart meter went up 2C and usage went down.

I should say I also have a just-turned teenage son as well. I told him girls love candles - got a grunt response. I'll turn him into a romantic one day

Will write again soon with some of the little things I'm doing and will be avidly reading others diaries and the boards to keep motivated and inspired. I need to write down what I achieve or I slip away from doing the small things and that's not good!

Please pop in and say hi
Ali x

Best answers:

• Hello
  I'm a former-DFW who has returned to the fold to be kept on the straight and narrow too I'll be tuning in to your updates with interest.
• Hi moomin
  Thanks for posting and great to know I'm not the only returner to the fold! I shall pop onto your diary too.
  Today has been a good work day so not much free time at all. DS travels by school transport so I walk to meet him (he has some SEN). It's near a shop so my purse stays at home.
  Tonight I am taking a rare trip to Sainsburys to get the Xmas turkey for the chest freezer. I have Ј47 in points and I think they are Ј32 for the big size (it will be feeding 19). I'm not sure how I've accrued that many points, as my weekly shop is in Aldi. I do go to SB for Basics teabags and tomato sauce though... we must get through alot of that then!
  I'm in the midst of a declutter/clothes sort through. I decided to take them to the clothes4cash place we have up the road at 60p per kilo. Came away last Friday with Ј9.78 that I rounded up to Ј10 and paid off CC1 on Saturday. I've got 2 more bags (@ 10kgs) ready to go and yet to finish my wardrobe, shoes and DS's clothes.
  Have kept the heating off again today, bar first thing this morning and one of the dogs (we have 2) thinks it's a cat, so he will keep me warm curled up on my lap tonight. At 25kg and medium sized I am pinned to the chair so no putting the kettle on every 5 mins and using unnecessary electric
  Usual checks made on bank account and everything is fine there. It does contain an emergency fund of sorts, just in case I have a bad work month and need to draw on that to pay bills. I have an overdraft facility but haven't used that since ooh about 2002.
  Haven't sorted out tea yet and I do need to get back to meal planning. Job for this week.
  I also joined Nectar Adpoints this week after an invitation email landed - 300 point bonus plus racked up the maximum 250 between paperwork and phone calls on Friday. Must check for new ads today.
  Hope everyone else is having a good day.
• Almost forgot that I also put aside change and bank as I go along and then pay off CC1 by a bank transfer.
  Last Friday, I finally got to Ј10 in 20ps and somehow Ј10 in 50ps so I banked that on Friday and Ј20 was transferred off CC1 today.
  It's included in my opening post so nothing extra to come off the balance sadly.
  I was given a bottle of wine and nice box of choccies by a customer last week, would it be bad form to recycle into the Christmas present box?
• That's 2 more presents in the box then, I shall not feel bad about it!
  XL Turkey now in the freezer to feed the 19, also picked up a specific Xmas pudding as my mum can't have one with nuts (that's for Xmas Day though when I cook for only 4 of us).
  Two more boxes of Basics teabags and 2 tomato sauce - total spend 54p cash, Ј30 in Nectar points, Ј2 off voucher and 100 points voucher added for the Xmas Pud purchase.
  Not quite a NSD. Should have one of those tomorrow.
  The next big moneysaver - to stop smoking. I've given up before and I shall do it again. I finally bought an E-cig kit on Saturday and started on it today. It's pretty good, though quite technical for me with batteries, atomisers, cartridges and buds. I do like simple!
  Using candle light again tonight - it's lovely.
  Chicken curry taken out of the freezer - one from a batch cook, so we'll have that tomorrow night with rice and Naan bread.
  AdPoints clocked up today - 117.
• Good luck!! I like your comment about the lights.....last year, before DH lost his job and we could afford it, we replaced the lights in our dining room. The centre light went from a five arm to a three arm, and the three side lights went from doubles to singles. All helps. This winter, DH has no job and things are very different but I'm looking on ebay for a coffee table for our living room so we can have a load of candles on it, but also use it for playing board games with the children and stay in one room more.
• BTW, if ever you want it, I have a FAB recipe for xmas pud.....no nuts!!! Takes a while to cook, but it's the best pud I've ever had, and you have the advantage of being able to adjust the recipe to suit your taste.....I don't like figs, for example, so I don't put them in! (I do like the brandy though.......but you could leave this out......I couldn't.....but you could!!!)
• Hi MM
  How funny we cross posted on each others diaries!
  Absolutely agree on the lights - the bulbs started out at 60w each, moved onto 30% energy saving ones at 26w each I think - now to none at all! There must have been a time when it seemed like a good idea to have fancy lights instead of a single flex and shade!
  Luckily I have an electrician friend who is coming over next week to remove my 5 x 50w halogen mega-burning dining room light for a flex and rose. I'll be putting up an old lampshade that has sat in the garage for some years - it never sold at any of the car boots I've done. But I still quite like it. Does that say something about my taste
  A great idea to get a coffee table - or I see lots of the Ikea Malm Ottoman/storage boxes on eBay, that'd make a great coffee table plus with the sliding top, good storage for board games and magazines.
  Would love the Xmas pud recipe - yes please! My Mum can't have nuts, alcohol and alot of other stuff, so I like the idea of being able to make quite a basic one and put in the few things she can have. And maybe a different one with yummy things (and alcohol) in for me!
• My hubby whinges if I buy candles, gonna show him this thread and he may just change his mind
  Good luck on your debt busting!
• Good evening.
  'Candles on the go tonight - 14'
  We've had every candle on tonight we can find, at this rate it'll be up there with the leccy costs with buying new candles. Like your reasoning MM and kind of glad I'm single
  Ragstoriches - good luck with hubby!
  Not done any AdPoints today, too busy with work (good as all billable). I read on the 'Up Your Income' board that there seems to be less points available the longer you do it?
  I see Amazon purchases no longer attract nectar points as well - I was intending to get a couple of Xmas presents through there as well. Damn.
  A NSD here, but running out of mints so need to get some tomorrow - I'm a bit of an addict and have a packet in the car, a jacket pocket, handbag and kitchen windowsill. I usually buy Tic-Tacs in the local shop or a multi-pack of Smints online as they work out cheaper.
  Thanks for the reminder about Gumtree, Moomin. I've never used it, but have got a brand new boxed up office chair sat under the spare bed that we need to get rid of.
  Small DFW things today:
  - Home at lunchtime briefly, so concocted a brunch of toast, bit of cheese, last few mushrooms, last qtr of pepper and a side of sour cream and chive. Interesting, but need to use up fridge bits as away this weekend.
  - Having the radio on rather than the tv for background noise whilst working at home - seems to use less energy on the smart meter.
  - Double dipping tea bags. I don't like strong tea (but I drink quite alot of it), so re-using the tea bag. Is that too disgusting?
  - Checked bank account - We have Sky which has just gone up to Ј22.50 a month. It's less than 12 months since we upgraded our first box (from 2000) to a Sky+ one, but come Jan think I might try and get a half price sub deal if I can.
  DS is history and military channel mad and doesn't do alot of activities. Modelling Club is Ј2 a fortnight and swimming we have a discount card for. He doesn't like clothes or shopping either so has precisely 2 pairs of bottoms and 1 top for the autumn that fit. He's very money-saving that way!
  - Pork steaks out of the freezer in readiness for Somerset Pork (packet mix) tomorrow night with mash, carrots, broccoli and yorkie puds. That'll finish the broccoli up.
  Think that's it for today. Tomorrow the biscuit tin will deplete at a rate of knots, as my bro will be here for the eve. I hinted at him bringing some last week, so he did but expected me to pay him back
  Hope everyone has had a good day and I'll be over to catch up on all your diaries.
• Hope you had a lovely time with your friend too and a great idea with them bringing pudding.
  Bro has dinner with his family before he comes here (drops his son at evening college which is 40 mins drive from their home and 5 mins from us, so it saves alot of extra time/miles for him).
  Thanks for the pointer on the hob nobs recipe, if I've got time and the ingredients in the cupboard I might have a go at those tomorrow. Definitely will try them out anyway as DS loves biscuits.
  Possible back up plan is some Aldi rich tea in the cupboard and some plain cooking chocolate, I might melt and dip or drizzle on - almost chocolate biscuits
• I second the homemade hobnobs!! They don't last long in this house. I usually have to double the recipe. (More so when dipped in chocolate)
• Evening all
  Mad busy day so didn't have time to do anything about biscuits. Bro devoured half a pack of ginger nuts that my Mum gave me at the weekend. At least no cost involved.
  MUST find the hob nob recipe and one for choc chip cookies, I can knock biscuits off the weekly shop then.
  Popped into beauticians and had my eyebrows threaded to get rid of the stragglers in time for the wedding - Ј3 and bought 2 packs of Tic Tacs at Ј1.30 and a box of matches - 15p. Annoyed as went past a supermarket today and completely forgot to go in. Could have got those cheaper than the little corner shop. Total spend today Ј4.45p. Not too shabby.
  Bagged up another 5kg of clothes that DS has outgrown tonight and he was remarkably helpful in trying on. So 3 bags ready to go and should get @ Ј10 from that.
  Candles on the go tonight - 12. Another 30% energy saving bulb has blown in the dining room light as well - not even going to bother replacing that with the fitment coming out next week.
  Have had to increase the number of nights the dogs are staying at the farm/kennels to 3, as they are only open until midday Sunday and we won't be back in time to get them So that's going to be a Ј90 bill in total (budgeted for).
  Wedding outfits all sorted - DS is between boy and man size, so he is wearing his new black school trousers with a black jacket he had for another do fairly recently, white school shirt and I got him a tie for Ј3 in Matalan last week.
  I bought a dress reduced from Ј99 to Ј29 in the summer which is fairly classic and can dress up or down. Teaming with a jacket I already have in my wardrobe. I needed new work shoes, so bought some that will get their first outing at the wedding then will do for work. They were Ј25.
  We're car sharing for travel so there's petrol contribution to pay, but hotel and breakfasts (Travelodge) we got on a good deal months ago and already paid for. Will be on the soft drinks so hoping to keep spends down whilst we're there.
  It's my month end this week, so will be paying myself my expenses and similar to being employed, I have a 'pay myself day' for the month (spreadsheet calculates tax, NI etc). Looks quite good for the month, so at the moment the plan is:
  Ј325 to CC 1
  Ј100 to CC 2
  Ј144.27 standard monthly payment to loan
  All are November payments as the statements don't tick over until early next month.
  I'm aiming to put another Ј75 to CC1 during November if I can. After all the bills and spending budget allocated, the emergency fund will be up at Ј2051. I might round that down to Ј2k and put the odd to CC1.
  I have 4 extra pieces of billable work (2 days during half term and 2 Saturday mornings) that I wouldn't normally get, so that will increase November's income and will mostly go into the Christmas present pot to finish that.
  Weekly shop is usually a Thurs or Fri eve, but this weeks won't take place until Sunday or Monday with being away, so that will reduce the cost. I still need to meal plan for next week as well. I usually spend no more than Ј20 a week for the 2 of us in Aldi but I pick up some bits in Wilkos (Stardrops for most of my cleaning) and Farm Foods (toilet roll and some frozen stuff). Budget for food/cleaning is Ј100 a month.
  That was a bit long, so I'll stop there! New post on the car saga to come!
• Purse clear out alert - 9p into the change bucket
  Bottom of handbag alert - 2 x Ј1 coins
  Coat pocket alert - a shiny 5p picked up outside of corner shop
  Found a choc chip cookie recipe on the Slimming World thread and the hob nob recipe too. All good for some half term cooking with DS.
  Going to bed a happy bunny!
• Hi great thread Do you sell on ebay? Childrens clothes go so well on there?x
• Thanks Beat the Debt. I used to sell on eBay, particularly when DS was younger but haven't done for the last few years. It always felt so complicated and time consuming I must admit. But there's a few things I will put on there for collection only - DS's drum kit (I bought from eBay) is one of those as it's just cluttering up the place and he stopped playing/lessons over a year ago now. On the one hand disappointed as he was doing well, on the other hand saved money in not needing to buy earplugs (for me and the neighbours )
  A task for next week - I shall go round and make a list of what needs to go. You can hold me to that one I'm supposed to be painting the kitchen and utility room, as well as alot of cooking and working 2 days. It's going to be a busy week
  I do like doing car boot sales and usually make Ј70-Ј100 a go - we have a few boxes building for the next one. There's a trunk sized toy box full of Lego that I think will sell well in freezer bag size chunks at Ј2 or Ј3? I'm useless at pricing and sure we under-price as table is often over half empty by time the initial swarm have been and left us with the dross few lovely used items. Always find toys have sold well and so many unopened gifts.