Debt mutual support thread number 4 .... every journey starts with the hardest first step

[TalkinPeace]

This thread follows on from Nerf's incredibly useful
FIRST www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/1969188-Can-we-have-a-support-thread-for-people-who-are-massively-in-debt
and then SECOND
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2011878-Debt-support-thread-2?
and my THIRD
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/a2062902-Debt-Number-3-For-those-who-feel-they-are-drowning-and-want-a-way-out?msgid=48505428#48505428
threads about realising you are in and supporting each other out of debt.

I am not in debt, any more.
Here is a link to some spreadsheets that might help
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/1987219-SPREADSHEETS-for-Debt-Control-Budgeting-Mortgages-etc

and lots of people use this
YouNeedABudget

The important thing to remember is

• yesterday is as past as the Crimean War

( we will not judge how you got into debt, but we will support you on the way out )

• this is an anonymous forum

( we will not tell your employer, family or friends of the reality of your numbers )

• this thread is about supporting people through the huge mindset changes needed to come out of debt

( feel free to offload all of the feelings that drive you to want to spend, that make it hard to save and that generally make life crap at times )

Join in, bare your soul and come out the other end.
Its worth it.
You are worth it.
The long term results for you, your marriage and your children are worth it.

Badvoc, I've had good luck with We Buy Books for selling DVDs.

He does chop and change suppliers so I'm sure it's right.
I think the £30 is the just the cable, and the rest take it up to £60?
When my dad died last year it turned out he was paying £90 pm for his virgin package!
God love him, he did like his TV :)
Mum doesn't have broadband now so got her virgin bill down to £25.

I'm doing my cupboard challenge as we speak ....!

I'm no good with food etc but I am good with broadband etc. Have you looked at plusnet? We pay something ridiculous like £2.50 a month for our totally unlimited broadband (there was a deal - after the initial offer period it's still cheaper than elsewhere) plus line rental. We don't have sky or anything like that - we have free sat. And we have Netflix. Which is good value for 5.99 a month if you don't get out hardly ever and enjoy box series etc. And you can cancel any time if finances demand it (it's not contracted).

I could never justify paying for sky or virgin. Eek.

(She says spending ridiculous amounts elsewhere..... )

Thank god it's pay day tomorrow!
But I am going to the cinema - have loads of 2 for ten pounds vouchers and am going late so won't be hungry , never eat cinema popcorn stuff anyway and I'm really excited!
It's odeon - if anyone wants a spare vouchers (valid til 4 September, let me know)

We only watch catch up so I cancelled the tv licence.

The only downside is relatives telling us "you'll get caught you know".

It's so ingrained in people to have one that they can't believe it's legal to not have one but still own tv's.

It'd be easier to say we have one actually. I don't think this house even has an aerial in the roof.

Sky TV is non negotiable in this house - as in "have to have it for sport". I could ( and have) lived without it (pre DH)

I wouldn't even try and persuade DH not to have it. It wouldn't be fair.

I say this as he ditched his stoopid car (and he really wasn't keen), and he has REALLY changed his spending habits.

He also earns twice as much as me and works twice as long. And I brought 2 DC into the relationship that aren't his.

When I look at the bigger picture I'm very happy he has his sky even if I can't bear watching sports ever

Miss so you turned down Pizza Express because you "fancied the bean burgers off the meal planner." Should we be nominating your for an Oscar? I am in awe of your resolve.

Haha he's a lovely man and pretty much would give me anything I wanted - he falls for it every time!

I'm in the middle of a cupboard & freezer challenge too

Well..... my cupboard challenge is rubbish actually. since I've been shopping daily as opposed to weekly etc the cupboards are practically bare!

I have literally.... big block of cheese, milk, kidney beans (3 fucking tins and I don't even eat them - god knows why I bought them), 1 tin of sardines and 1 tin of spaghetti hoops. I have pasta and rice and some soya milk and tea and errmmm toffee popcorn, galaxy chocolate and toffee crisp bars. And some kiwis and 2 bananas. Oh and some ready brek and honey cheerios.

Told you it was shit

So I think i'm just going to have to muddle through to the end of this week... and then Sunday night plan for the following week and try and do a proper shop.

OK.
You need to go to Lidl and spend £20 on NOTHING from a chill cabinet.
Tins, packets, tins, packets

Tomatoes, more tomatoes, herbs, tuna, pulses
then start thinking dirt cheap curries and chillis

Fairy...the only thing in my fridge is the bloody light! :)

Worth checking the mirror newspaper tomorrow as they often have a £5 off Aldi vouchers on the last Thursday of the month.

Okay I could do a stock cupboard run tomorrow... I will have to physically restrain myself past the chiller and chocolates. I also have a massive problem buying finest tomatoes and strawberries. I need to stop that.

I now have £40 to last till Monday to stay on budget. Dh got paid today and we are £112 overdrawn already. But we get tax credits every Monday (that's what I need to stick to using for our food shop) and I get a maintenance payment for my eldest dd from my ex on the 10th of the month. So I just need to try and stay away from the perils that is Internet shopping and finest fucking tomatoes.

Sigh.

On a plus note through a combination of offers and an nhs voucher I ordered myself some new glasses today (which I desperately need) for the grand sum of £1.90! Yes not a typing mistake :) very chuffed with that.

Badvoc !

Oh that's good i will have a look at the mirror for offers. Thanks :)

I've just discovered Iceland - brilliant for some of the stuff I'd get anyway and really really cheap for acorn and oven chips. Just don't get sucked into the pepperoni calzone hotdog burger pizza (exaggeration but they develop have some weird stuff)

Why are you buying oven chips?
Make your own - more fun and much cheaper
Buy a BIG bag of potatoes
get small people to wash a potato or three, chop it into strips, pop into a mixing bowl with a bit of oil, spread on a baking tray and roast ....

Fairy
BIG bags of vegetables - onions, spuds, carrots, celery, parsnips, anything seasonal
are the stalwarts of a cheap varied diet

Yep, we are heading into stew season. I think it's cheaper to eat at this time of year. Goodbye salad, hello root vegetables .

Also, pearl barley - so cheap and goes in stews/soups to make them more filling.

"Finest fucking tomatoes"
That's my new name for them :)
Might pop to shops and pick up the mirror if it has an aldi voucher in.
Sold some DVDs on e bay.
So another £20.
Also sending a top back to e bay - should be another £20.
Ds2 very upset going back to school today so at least I wont eat...I feel to sick! :(

I think our farm shop sells 20kg of white potatoes for £6-7. It makes the supermarkets look really expensive.

Got the aldi voucher!
Will go either tomorrow or Saturday.
Having my hair cut next week which will be spendy but got a hair dye from tesco so will get mum to lob that on at some point :)
Will just need to add £4 to ds1s dinner money for next week.
Am going to ask to sit down with Dh this weekend and work up a budget for ds2s b day party food and the groceries for sept.
Also hair, dentist etc.
Oh, and it's his dad's b day too, so will need a gift for him.

those of you who like us have a liking for fancy tomatoes - we had great success this year growing them in large pots on the back patio and in the narrow strip of earth in the front of our house. We've had as many yellow, stripy, plum and normal tomatoes as we can eat for the past 6 weeks and the plants are still bearing fruit.

I just sat down to catch up on the thread then realised I hadn't taken my own advice about checking in the mirror for today's voucher

I literally ran to the corner shop and grabbed one of the last 2. Phew.

Badvoc how come hairdressing is so expensive? Can you do a model night?

Mine is £5 at local tech. Can only get it cut during term time, but so worth it.

Hello my name is flakeyfinancials

We are in a lot of debt 27.5k. I feel I am in a pit of despair having worked through a few bits. (started a thread and have had good advice inc comming here)

I dont think DH thinks it's too bad cos he earns a whack. I think whats the point our spending has us paralysed now - cant move, cant enjoy the big pay increases...

Sorry I'll try to read through and perk up.

Hi flakey and welcome :)
I live in a village....No local beauty college etc.
It costs at least £25 for a cut and blow dry. Haven't had it done for months...I look slightly like a scarecrow :)