My new and MORE DETERMINED diary

saver03 · 26 June 2008 at 10:33PM

I have decided to start a new diary, I hope you don't mind?!

Here are also my previous diarys if you are interested:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=328237
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=387518
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=624869

The reason I have started a new diary is due to my mum. I was talking to her last night and told her that I wanted to have paid her back before I was 30 and she laughed! Well that just made me want to achieve this goal more.

I WILL PROVE HER WRONG AND BE DEBT FREE BY 30

I know that it is doable I just need to become more focused and stop spening money on things that I [strike]need[/strike] want! It will mean making some sacrifices but it will only be for the short-term, well 15 months to be exact. It will be worth it in the long-term and will also give me a real sense of achievement.

I will use this diary to vent from time to time so I hope you don't mind my self-indulgent rambling

I will also be keeping track of "free" money and ebaying. I will also be setting mini goals to keep me focused and allow me to pat myself on the back occassionaly!

1st mini goal
Pay off £5000 by 31st December 2008
£0/£5000 :eek:

I also need to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, which is pretty scary. I really do want to go to college but I have to think about the practicalities ie. money. The course, exam and trip fees will be around £1500. Then there is travelling expenses, which will be a some walking and a bus. The major thing will be work as I will have to cut my hours as I will be in college 3 days a week, maybe sometimes more, and also will need time for assignments.
Do I apply for this September or wait a year when we will be financially in a better position

The problem is that I cannot stand my job and the thought of being there for another 15 months, just doing that is unbearable. I know I can always look for another job but I work at a supermarket and that would offer me more flexibility with the hours.

Well I think the 1st post on this thread is long enough so I will close for now but I will be doing my budget tomorrow for the month so I will be back then. :wave:

Snaggles · 26 June 2008 at 10:40PM

Hi Saver, just wanted to wish you luck - ignore the people who laugh and try to tell you that you can't do it. If you put your mind to it, and really want to do it, you can achieve anything (actually, as I have so far failed to marry Ewan McGregor, that might not be strictly true, but you know what I mean

).

saver03 · 26 June 2008 at 10:48PM

Snaggles wrote: »

Hi Saver, just wanted to wish you luck - ignore the people who laugh and try to tell you that you can't do it. If you put your mind to it, and really want to do it, you can achieve anything (actually, as I have so far failed to marry Ewan McGregor, that might not be strictly true, but you know what I mean ).

I guess it does seem like an impossible task as it means paying nearly £1000 a month :eek: but with the help of the lovely people on this site I do feel anything is possible

saver03 · 27 June 2008 at 4:30PM

It's official I am poor! I have been working out my budget for the next 4 weeks as I do it from OHs payday until his next one. Quite a few of the things are just estimates at the moment, eg. presents and nights out and I have put in the maximum I would like to spend, so hopefully I will have a bit left at the end of our "month".

Budget 27th June 08 - 25th July 08
Rent £425
ISA £300
Mum loan £500
TV licence £11.63
02 mobile £30
Virgin £29.49
Contents Insurance £21.86
Council tax £91
Water £16.98
Centre Parcs spending money £120
1st birthday £15
2nd gift £15
misc. £100
TOTAL £1675.96 :eek:

We are right to the wire with that budget leaving us £9.06 extra, now what will I spend that on :rotfl:

I also have payments due that aren't accounted for until they are in my bank, they are:
Quidco £167.44
Wink Bingo £46.27
TOTAL £213.71
What I will do there if they are both successful and my amounts are correct use £220 to add to my Centre Parcs spending money.

Regarding Centre Parcs, we have booked and paid for a mid-week break there in September and we plan to take £1000 spening money, I know it's a lot but I always say I would rather have too much than not enough and we don't have to spend it all. Think I will set saving my spending money as a mini goal.

There is a problem though as I am really interested in starting college in September and I wouldn't really want to take a week out to go away. If we were unable to go then we would put our Centre Parcs tickets on ebay and try to get a bit back and use the spending money for the course fees. My OH is very supportive of this as he knows how unhappy I have been at work recently and how much I want to do this course and as he says, "We can always go to Centre Parcs again."

Now on the topic of college I applied today before I thought about it for too long and then left it too late to apply for this year, procrastination is my downfall :mad: I figured I don't have to take the place, well if I get in, if after weighing up all the odds it will be impossible or too much of a struggle. I know my mum would take less off me per month but I really do want to pay her back before I am 30 so maybe waiting until next September would be best as I would be in a better position financially.

Mini Goals
Centre Parcs spending money by 22nd September
£320/£1000
Pay £5000 off debt by 31st December 2008
£0/£5000

I will have to knuckle down to my ebaying too because at this rate I won't even get my spening money let alone pay off £5000. I am also doing my daily clicks and surveys and I have a sealed tin that I put £2 coins on and I WILL NOT open it until it is full but as it is quite large it will probably take a while. I also collect 2ps and 1ps and have nearly got £10. I try not to think about things in the short term and sometimes I start to think, "Is it really worth it?" if it is only worth 4p so I have to think about it over the year to keep me motivated.

saver03 · 28 June 2008 at 1:49PM

I am just watching Wimbledon COME ON VENUS :T Judging by the way her opponent is playing she should walk it!! :rotfl:

As the title suggests, well blatantly states, we will be spending a bit of money today :mad:

Hair £37
OH hair £5
Party £30 (hopefully as don't really want to spend more)

Much to OHs dismay we did not win the Euro millions but we have a lucky dip on tonights lottery so fingers crossed.

I must try to get back into ebaying as I haven't done any since we have been back :mad: I have so many boxes and they do seem to be taking over the house so I will really have to get stuck in as we could probably clear the debt with all the [strike]junk[/strike] treasures we have :rotfl: Which currently stands at 22 boxes :eek: all full and some overflowing :eek:

At least I have been doing my daily clicks and surveys :A

Well I must dash as have got LOADS to do today and there just aren't enough hours in the day!

saver03 · 30 June 2008 at 2:38PM

I must get motivated with my ebaying as I haven't done any for so long :mad: I have so much stuff to put on and it would make a huge dent in the debt so I must get busy.

Today I have / will :A

Done washing on 30
Drying on clothes horse
Surveys
Daily clicks
Free bingo
Check online banking
Ebay listing
NSD (hopefully)

I am going to the cinema with my mum tonight to see the "Sex and the City" film. I have 2 free tickets for the Odeon and I am hoping that my mum will get the popcorn so that would mean I will have a no spending day :A

Well I must go now and get cracking with my ebay and fingers crossed everything will sell and for a very high price

ANY ADVICE IS GREATLY RECEIVED AS I NEED THE MOTIVATION

saver03 · 1 July 2008 at 2:37PM

I am so bad as you can tell from my title! Even though I said I would do some ebay listing yesterday I didn't :mad: and there was no good reason as all I did was sit under laptop and faff! I should have used my time more productively and started doing some listing. Please feel free to slap my hands as I know I deserve it. Not too hard as I need to be able to type to do ebaying :rotfl:

I am still off work and I am back at the Drs next week so I have a whole week to do ebay so in theory I should get LOADS listed but as I have said before procrastination in my downfall. I need my motivation back.

I have already done my daily clicks and surveys today, and I do manage to do them every day, so at least that is something. I have also received my bingo money and looking at my Quidco account I see that has been paid today so I look forward to receiving it. So that is an extra £200+ to Centre Parcs money.

Well I must dash before I spend all day on here and don't do any ebaying. I will write tomorrow and [STRIKE]hopefully[/STRIKE] I will have scheduled some items to start on Thursday.

New mini goal
Have 20 things scheduled on ebay to start on Thursday
0/20 :eek:

Adventurous I know but it is probably the kick up the backside I need if I set myself weekly targets on here.

ANY advice is greatly received as I am sure I could be doing better

saver03 · 2 July 2008 at 12:08PM

I scheduled 18 items yesterday :A but I kind of cheated as I technically relisted the items so it wasn't too much work but at least I have made a start.

Should be a very low spending day for us. We are going swimming later but we have already paid in advance so we will just need money for the lockers. So fingers crossed we should only spend 40p :j

We have meals planned until 25th July and pretty much all the food we will need until then. The only things we should need to buy is fresh foods such as bread and milk. I must stay strong and not give in to all the great deals in the supermarket :rotfl:

Well I must dash as I have hours of ebaying ahead of me. I hope to get at least 10 items scheduled and there is no more relisting so I will have to stay focused and work hard :eek:

HELP, TIPS OR JUST A GENERAL KICK UP THE BACKSIDE NEEDED AS I AM LOSING MY MOTIVATION :mad:

dancingfairy · 2 July 2008 at 2:52PM

Rent £425
ISA £300 what is this for? do you need to be saving while in debt?
Mum loan £500
TV licence £11.63
02 mobile £30 - can you negotiate a better deak - even if you get it down to £25 a month
Virgin £29.49 are you paying for virgin tv? downgrade if you can.
Contents Insurance £21.86 check this is the cheapest on renewal.
Council tax £91 can you pay over 12 months to help with budgetting?
Water £16.98
Centre Parcs spending money £120
1st birthday £15
2nd gift £15
misc. £100
Food?
Clothing?
Car expenses?

I thought I would go over your SOA and have a pick through for you. Also centre parcs money- that is an awful lot to be saving - do you really need to take that much money? Can you take some food with you and make packed lunches and treat yourself to the odd meal out in the evening?

You also seem to have missed an awful lot of your SOA -have a look back at the post for newbies and make sure you include everything so you have a really good idea what's going on.

It looks like you have already paid of quite a bit though so you must be doing something right. In a year and a half you have paid over £7000 which is not bad going. Anyway back on track - this year you are going to really make inroads into this debt - think positive.

Hope this helps a bit.

saver03 · 2 July 2008 at 3:22PM

Hello and thank you for the reply I was getting a bit lonely :rotfl:

That is not my full soa it is just a budget over a 4 week period so there are some things that are not due to be paid within this period. I have applied for college so I will be doing an up to date soa when I know what will be happening. For the time being I will be budgeting on a month to month basis.

My most recent full soa
Outgoings
RENT £425
ISA £300 (birthdays, holidays, Christmas and pay off debts sooner)
MOBILE £30 (can claim cashback so will work out at £1.99 a month)
VIRGIN £30 (broadband, tv and phone)
WATER £16.98
CONTENTS INSURANCE £21.86 (just changed cheapest I could find)
GAS £20 (hopefully as it is winter so no central heating)
ELECTRIC £30
FOOD £120 (2 adults, 1 cat also cleaning products and toiletries)
SAVING STAMPS £10 (for Christmas)
COUNCIL TAX £91
TV LICENCE £11.63
MUM LOAN £500
OH FOOTBALL £20 (an average of 2 matches a month)
HAIR £19.46 approx. (have it cut every 6 weeks and coloured every 12)
MISC. £100 (just a buffer)
TOTAL £1745.93

Incomes
OH £1450
ME £606.66 (approx. as I get paid every 4 weeks and sometimes I do extra hours)
TOTAL £2056.66

Difference £310.73 ???? (I can only assume this is when we buy 'bits' like the lottery or a takeout etc.

In regards to the mobile if I send back 4 of my bills on set dates I will get cashback which means it will effectively cost me £1.99. I must remember to send off bills though.

Virgin is £30 a month for phone, broadband and TV and I ring up every 12 months and threaten to leave to see what other deals I can get.

I have only just renewd my contents insurance and unfortunately it was the cheapest we could find. It is due to having my engagement ring insured away from home and it adds about £8 a month to the policy :mad:

I will look into paying the council tax over 12 months but I do like having 2 months free! As long as I put the extra £182 straight off the debts and not just blow it.

I have been saving extra money in my isa for special occassions, holidays and to pay off debt sooner.

I know the spending money for Centre Parcs is very high but I want to do a lot of the activities whilst we are there and I would rather have too much than too little. Also, if I get into college we probably won't go to Centre Parcs and the money can go towards fees.

saver03 · 3 July 2008 at 1:09PM

I have got my interview for college on 22nd July :eek: I know it is nearly 3 weeks away but it is for a drama course so I have to audition :eek: I have to learn a monologue and also write a 500 word appraisal on a performance that has influenced me :eek:

A lot of shocked faces I know but I really want to do well and get in so I will have to focus and really knuckle down. Maybe if I am preoccupied with my interview/audition then I won't be spending money :rotfl: However, I do need to buy a book today as they do not have it in any libraries in the borough :mad: I want to buy the whole play of the monologue I am to perform for my audition. They only actually send you the piece you are to perform and I want to be fully prepared so I will need to read the whole play.

I will still be ebaying as [STRIKE]if[/STRIKE] when I get into college I won't be able to work many hours and I still want to be debt free by 30.

Well I must dash now as I have lots of ebaying to do whilst also trying to learn my monologue!

My new and MORE DETERMINED diary

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