2016: Health, Wealth and CCJ Demolition

Emzilla · 28 December 2015 at 12:49PM

Seeing as it's nearly the new year and this is my 3,000th post, I thought a new diary was in order.

2016 will officially be the year of health, wealth and CCJ demolition - at least for me it will be.

Health

If I don't have my health, I don't have anything. I suffer with Cystic Fibrosis and am a bit of an old-timer in terms of the illness (35 in April), so keeping my condition under control is critical at this stage in my life. It can all go downhill very fast if I'm not careful.

I'm not anywhere near as bad as some people with the illness. I'm fortunately not in and out of hospital every couple of weeks and I can still manage my day to day life and go to work part time (albeit much slower than healthy people and struggling for breath sometimes as I do things).

The key to managing CF is compliance. It's that simple. Having CF is like being a hamster on a wheel. It's the same every day, twice a day - treatments and medication. I will never get any better with these treatments, but they slow down the progression of the illness and prevent me from going downhill fast. So I'm doing 3-4 hours of treatments every day for the reward of being alive and being able to do what everyone else takes for granted - breathing!!

So compliance is the main goal for 2016. I'm quite good at it to be honest, but there are times when I skip a treatment because I'm tired, but as I approach the halfway mark of my 30s, I can't afford to do that anymore. I can't afford to get off the wheel.

Wealth and CCJ Demolition

These two are kind of linked.

As mentioned above, I do work part time, in a shop. Sometimes I struggle with this, but I don't want to stop working. Eventually, I'll have to and I'll know when the time is right.

Usually, I'm able to add £100-£150 to my wages through overtime, but there hasn't been any for the past few weeks (I'm hoping that will change once the Christmas temps have left). So I have to find other ways to make extra money. £272 a month to be precise.

I've stupidly gotten myself a CCJ, which you can see in my signature. One payment down, 35 to go. I need to be making £272 a month extra to pay this off. If I miss one payment, then they will contact my employers to take the money straight from my wages, and that is not happening.

I earn extra through various things - mystery shopping, surveys, article writing etc. I'll list it all on here and keep track of how I'm doing for the next CCJ payment. The payments are due on the 31st of each month, so I'm working towards January's now.

I'm going to pop over to the DFW challenges board now and see what I can join to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Happy New Year everyone

Emz xx

Bucket List

1. Watch a match at the US Open
2. Watch a match at the French Open
3. Watch a match at the Australian Open
4. Watch a Davis Cup match involving Team GB
5. Watch a match at a Masters 1000 event
6. Go to San Diego Comic Con
7. Go to a film festival
8. Attend a movie premiere
9. Learn to swim
10. Finish my cross stitch picture
11. Not owe a penny to anyone
[STRIKE]12. Get an Apple MacBook[/STRIKE] - Got an Apple MacBook Pro in April 2016 (typing this on there now!!)
[STRIKE]13. Go to Rome[/STRIKE] - Went to Rome in September 2015
14. Go to Ireland
15. Go to Venice
16. Go to Hawaii
17. Go to Washington
18. Go to San Francisco
19. Go to Las Vegas
[STRIKE]20. Go on a cruise[/STRIKE] - Went on a Carribean cruise in April 2016
21. Fly first class
22. Stay in a 5 star hotel
23. Order room service
24. Take Ellie and Kian to Disney World
25. Get my teeth fixed

[Deleted User] · 28 December 2015 at 3:21PM

I love the new diary, Emz:T. What a brilliant post to start it off:A

I don't tend to join challenges but this past year I've broken the habit and have been so pleased that I did:j. I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't do it sooner:mad:

The Make £10 a Day challenge has been brilliant, everyone is so helpful, supportive and downright nice:j. Like you, I need to keep on the extra-earnings treadmill but have very limited opportunities:(. I've amazed myself this year though on the £10 a Day as I've made £3756:eek: with a little bit more to come before the year-end. It has genuinely kept the wolf from the door on several occasions. I've very stupidly over-committed on my DMP and am paying more off each month than I can afford:o. The debt-payment isn't set in stone on a DMP, I could arrange to reduce it, but I just want to be debt-free. It will be late summer of 2019 before I am as it is:eek:.Plus, some of the £10 a day profits have paid for the car and vet bills that have been too frequent this year.

I was just over there and saw that you've joined for January:j. I know it will be a massive help to you as it always is to me. Here's to both of us:beer:

Emzilla · 28 December 2015 at 3:39PM

Thanks CBC

Well done on the amount you have earned over the year :T. I was going to join a few challenges, but think I might just leave it at the £10 a day one for now. It's roughly the same amount I need for my CCJ payments anyway, so I'll be sticking with it throughout the year.

Emz xx

Emzilla · 28 December 2015 at 4:10PM

One of my aims for 2016 is to not spend any money on presents. I'll be trying to get vouchers from surveys and other means to pay for them. This will include cards and wrapping paper.

I am, as a back up, saving for Christmas. I'm putting aside £10 a week into a Christmas club with my mum. However, I don't want to spend this and will try my hardest to use vouchers instead nearer the time. The money will be a back up, just in case.

By the time my mum withdraws the money (at the beginning of November), I'll have saved £450, which would be a lovely way to pay off a bit more of the CCJ towards the end of the year (and would cut nearly 2 months off the time).

I have made a good start with the no cash for presents rule. It's my friend's birthday on the 7th January (the only friend I buy for), so I've just ordered a set in the Boots sale for £6, which was half price. I've paid using my Advantage Card points, so it was free

Now need to get a card and paper for nothing. Might have something knocking around at home.

Next occasion after that is Valentine's Day, which I won't spend much on. Might try and get a Sainsbury's voucher or some Nectar points so I can get him some Red Square.

Emz xx

ETA - Just remembered that I've got an MS job on Wednesday next week with a £5 spend. If I can't find any paper or a card at home, I'll buy one then and get it reimbursed.

stressed.mum · 28 December 2015 at 8:54PM

Happy new diary Emz, you constantly amaze me with your determination to get this debt paid, you are probably a good candidate for bankruptcy, but you refuse to give in to both money and health issues. Remember to allow yourself a break every now and then to regroup, and take care of the important things ( your health) before anything else.
Look forward to watching your journey in 2016, if anyone can do it you can xxx

Emzilla · 28 December 2015 at 10:00PM

stressed.mum wrote: »

Happy new diary Emz, you constantly amaze me with your determination to get this debt paid, you are probably a good candidate for bankruptcy, but you refuse to give in to both money and health issues. Remember to allow yourself a break every now and then to regroup, and take care of the important things ( your health) before anything else.
Look forward to watching your journey in 2016, if anyone can do it you can xxx

Thank you

Happy New Year to you

Emz xx

Emzilla · 28 December 2015 at 10:36PM

I've got some tissue paper and a gift bag for my friend's present. I've also got 2 suitable birthday cards, but no envelopes :mad:. How annoying. I'll have to raid my mum's stash when I'm over there next on Thursday.

Just remembered I'm meeting a couple of friends from work (one of them has recently left) at Costa before I start work tomorrow. I won't spend any money though as I don't drink hot drinks. Just want to go for a chat and to catch up really.

Emz xx

Emzilla · 30 December 2015 at 9:13AM

Met up with my friend before work yesterday. Was nice to catch up with her and she even bought me a drink

.

Still doesn't look like there's any overtime at work for the foreseeable future. They've even let the Christmas temps go early. I'm a bit annoyed as I was supposed to be working on Monday but agreed to swap my days around so someone else could have New Year off so she could go away. Didn't realise it was a Bank Holiday on Monday, so I missed out on £20 extra :mad:. Doing 3-9 today.

I got 50 spins on the free JPJ game this morning, so have ended up with £11.20 in my account. I'm going to wait to withdraw it as I'm guaranteed some spins tomorrow as it's the end of the month.

Emz xx

MuffinTops · 30 December 2015 at 2:34PM

Hello Emz,

That's a shame about not working Monday now, but hopefully a rest day will be just as beneficial. Have a great New Year, whatever your plans are.

MTx