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.

Payday for me today...made it to month end with £68 to spare so threw that over to loan ac this morning as an overpayment. Household and petrol envelopes filled for month ahead...have dentist for DS and I on Tue and a trip before next payday-both budgeted for. So here's to a quiet and cheap month!!

I've done it - I've joined the gym. For the 4 of us including swimming and all classes it comes to £100 pcm I'm thrilled. We'll get good value for it. If anyone can be bothered to scroll back up it was me that was looking at £175pcm for all of us. I was worried we wouldn't be able to justify it.

To me this represents great value. I'll use it with/without kids. DH can go at differing times...

Yay for activities that are all budgeted for!

It was a different gym obvioulsy!

I'm sort of limping. Payday is Thursday and I have £210 left in the budget but I have DDs birthday, and party plus a big general food shop to do before then. I think we can make it. So so different to this time last year!

hello all. Have had such a stressful few days - was admitted to hospital on Thurs morning for emergency surgery but by time list started at 1 lots more very sick people had come in and I was starved for over 24 hours and ended up being sent home as they won't get to me today now and there's only a skeleton staff there at the weekend. I have a bed on Monday and have to go in starved etc but obviously there is no guarantee it won't happen again.
And every day that passes there is more chance of this problem flaring up again which could be life-threatening. But because it isn't life-threatening right now they can't put me at the top of the list. SO SO SO frustrated and sad and exhausted.

Oh bless you - that's awful.

Although iirc you'd some insurance pay out for your hospital stay so is that a silver lining? sorry if I'm way off mark. X

((((( MissAnnersley ))))) Look after yourself as best you can.

Nerf your brain chemistry has changed : now you get pleasure from taking control of your finances rather than splurging spending. WELL DONE.

To those still struggling : hang on in there. You are teaching yourself the new ways of thinking

• do I really NEED that thing?
• could I get it free on Freecycle or second hand on FAcebay, ebay or in a shop?
• do I really need to keep that tat in the loft or could I sell it?

that is the path to living within your means

TiP great advice! This weekend I'm going to be eBaying lots of clothes/belongings to free up more space in my life. Lots of my things aren't going for much but I like the idea of passing on old winter coats to other people who'd benefit from them etc.

I've spoken to DH about the electric meter, the importance of switching off lights etc so we're not running the money down too quickly.

I need to make fleecy curtains really as this is a single glazed flat but they will have to wait until the weather is colder/a later payday. This is a hot flat anyway and we have an electric blanket for when the winter begins.

Going to do lots of settling in this weekend, washing curtains and unpacking. NSD today and fingers crossed, tomorrow too.

trainers
I'll assume you do not have cats cos the little buggers shred it
in which case fit this to every window except the bathroom and kitchen
www.diy.com/departments/stormguard-plastic-secondary-glazing-film-l402m/26866_BQ.prd
it cuts a bit of light and takes a while
BUT
it cuts almost all draughts and makes a massive difference to the insulation of the rooms : its how DH and I coped until we were able to afford something more solid about 8 years

Oh missa.
I'm so sorry...this happened to me 3 times last year. I was in bits when they finally operated :( fingers x for Monday for you x
So...cake made for ds2s b day party tomorrow...it's not great but he seems pleased :)
Remember that job I applied for?
Well...I got an interview next weds!!! Am amazed! And slightly freaked out as it's the first job interview I have had for 7 years (gulp)
In sadder news my uncle died this morning so I will prob be going over to Ireland this weekend :(

Ooh well done on the interview Bad. Love the cake. I can't decorate cakes.

You're under the same council as me. Sorry about your uncle though.

TiP that looks great - would it work on sash windows do you think? Sadly don't have a cat, I would absolutely love one but it'll be our reward when we are finally out of the rental trap and have a mortgage.

I hope everything is sorted soon MissA.

Good luck with the interview Badvoc (and sorry to hear about your uncle).

Trainers, check you've got 270mm of insulation in the loft & nothing stored up there squishing the air out of it.

When we moved to this house out of our rental with the "we boarded the loft to store tvs up there" (WHY? Why would you need 5 old fashioned tellys up there? didnt who ever put them there get a hernia?) landlord it made such a difference to have an insulated loft.

You can get free insulation if you rent but the ll needs to consent to it. Lining curtains makes a massive difference. As does shutting them as soon as it gets dark and he temperature drops.

Thanks all we just got our quarterly electricity and gas bill - we pay by monthly direct debit so this was just a summary, but it was so interesting. £33 in debit for electric, used £94 of electric between June and 8th sept. £35 in credit for gas, used £39 of gas in same period. So I'm on a mission to get DH to turn things off, unplug chargers, turn off lights etc.

The gas is a bit high for summer. If you have a hot water tank set it to 60c for 20 minutes every day or every other day.

If there's heat coming off it fit an extra tank jacket. They shouldn't be throwing lots of heat out.

Hot water eats into bills.

How much gas do you use a month fluffy? I thought £10ish per month wasn't bad, but realise I have no context for that.
We have a combi boiler so no hot water tank, have no idea what thermo is set to tho will change it tonight to 60, thanks for tip!

Actual gas, £2. Standing charge £6.

But if you're using £10 without trying you can probably go lower than me. If we had an electric shower not a thermostatic one I'd just switch the tank off.

Check the immersion isn't on either, when we moved in here it was on and it took a few weeks for me to realise.

Oh it's a combi.

Do you have a mixer tap anywhere? Every time you run cold on a mixer the boiler briefly fires. Which consumers pay for of course.

When you buy you're own house look for a condensing boiler, they are really efficient.

How are you all paying so little for gas we pay 164 PCM dual fuel and I swap all the time.
My top tip so far is to sign up to prime and cancel all sky / tv packages except free view

Our gas and electric is also higher than others here - and we hardly ever have the heating on unless it's literally freezing! Our gas is £55 a month and our electric is £98. I swap constantly and can never get it any less than that. I guess it depends on where you live. And the type of house you have etc.

I agree with the tip re sky. We don't have sky. We just have freesat and Netflix which we enjoy.

Our yearly bill was double when we lived in the rental house & I was fucking freezing too. I hated that house.

Everything's insulated properly here and I wear thermal vests and tops plus I time things like the water or things boiling on the hob.

It's boring researching how loft insulation works etc but our monthly DD is £38. It was £75 before & they wanted to raise it to £100 but we moved.

I'm obsessed with led lightbulbs too. That and the tv are probably the only things you run for 6+ hours a day even if you work Ft.

We are four beds and detached. We do have a terrible lean to attached to the house and I'm going to replace it with a conservatory to save on fuel costs (this is long term post debt plan). Walls and loft are insulated.

I've a gas/elec bill due later this month. Currently £200+ in credit...I've had everything turned off and not needed heating for months so there should still be a credit when bill comes off,will ask for that back. Gas/elec is £70pm combined for me. I've done loads to keep bills to minimum...interlined all my curtains,track and curtains at both outside doors. Water heater off till I know I know I need it then put it in for an hour or less. Water tank temp turned down to 55 degrees. Heating been off for months. Have blankets for beds and sofa at night...

Payday yesterday, have transferred house and petrol budgets everything else DD/SO...NSD yesterday but need a few bits today

Back in the elec front, I tidied up all the TV cables and put everything bar the SKY box on an extension lead (DVD,Wii, and the freeview thing) which all gets unplugged at night si just Sky box runs (I record loads of random stuff lol), no alarm clocks (use my phone which I charge at work or in the car)...put oven/microwave off at plug when not in use too...