Debt be gone for realz this time, OK?

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Makinglemonade
Makinglemonade Posts: 6 Forumite
in Debt free diaries
Well I'm back again, not in the worst of places but I definitely should have been debt free by now! About 3 years ago I had £23,000 worth of debt on credit cards and an overdraft and was finding my feet as a single working parent. I did amazeballs (if I may say so :D) and got that down to £4k about 10 months ago, tantalisingly close to the finish line!!

Then some wonderful stuff happened and I lost my way a bit - about £5ks worth to put a number on it. My partner and I moved in together taking me and my DD from two bods to a family of 5, and we may have gone a bit crazy buying new furniture and taking our first family hols...

So here begins my diary of "debt be gone for real this time, OK?", and no doubt lots of stories of the insane life of a family of 5 getting to know each other and all the new tips I need to learn to budget for so many!!

xxx
Started at £23,000 worth of debt 3 years ago now I'm on what I hope is the home straight!
£9,000 to go

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  • Makinglemonade
    Makinglemonade Posts: 6 Forumite
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    Today was supposed to be a NSD but have been reminded this morning that DD and I are meeting friends after school for a dinner, it's a local restaurant's Divali celebration and its a buffet for £5 a head so pretty good as dinner out goes! Plus I love Indian food <3
    Will take some money from the days out spends envelope for it.

    Other things on my mind is a charity walk I am doing with some people from work this Friday, 50km along the Thames tow path gulp!! Food budget for this week has already been spent so I need to make up my own snacks and protein bars to keep me going - I have a large tub of almond butter in the cupboard - wonder what energy magic I can make with that?!
    Started at £23,000 worth of debt 3 years ago now I'm on what I hope is the home straight!
    £9,000 to go
  • timetobefrugal
    timetobefrugal Posts: 77 Forumite
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    Just wanted to pop in and say good luck and congratulations on all of the positive things that have happened this year! I'm in a similar amount of debt to your original amount and also a mum to a lovely DD so it's nice to see it can be done. Any tips would be great :rotfl:

    All the best!
    Debt Total October 2017 £20,511.27 :eek::eek:
  • Happierdays
    Happierdays Posts: 154 Forumite
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    Good luck! X
  • beanielou
    beanielou Posts: 90,268 Ambassador
    Academoney Grad I'm a Volunteer Ambassador Mortgage-free Glee! Name Dropper
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    Happy shiny new diary :)
    I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.

    Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
    "A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.
    ***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb.     ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
    One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.
  • Makinglemonade
    Makinglemonade Posts: 6 Forumite
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    Busy old day so far, I had booked a man with a van to pick up the last of the stuff from the old house to go to the charity shop and then the remainder of the boxes to head over to the new house. It's looking v empty! I have been trying to de-clutter as much as possible in this move but at the last minute grabbed a few more of the boxes to do a car boot sale this weekend - thought I should try and get a few pennies! If they don't sell i'll hand them over to the charity shop, not keep them in my loft as I normally do...

    It's food shopping day today, the meal planner has been done and the list is down - DP has strict instructions not to deviate from the list :D He always does with something, let's see what it is this time!
    I'm going to unpack the last of my boxes while he does that this evening.

    and... I need to do some baking and sandwich making this evening ready for this walk tomorrow, am absolutely bricking it now - such a long way!!!

    Not a NSD day today because of the man with a van, but it was budgeted for so that's something!
    Started at £23,000 worth of debt 3 years ago now I'm on what I hope is the home straight!
    £9,000 to go
  • Makinglemonade
    Makinglemonade Posts: 6 Forumite
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    timetobefrugal wrote: »
    Just wanted to pop in and say good luck and congratulations on all of the positive things that have happened this year! I'm in a similar amount of debt to your original amount and also a mum to a lovely DD so it's nice to see it can be done. Any tips would be great :rotfl:

    All the best!

    Ah thank you :-) It's a very happy move, though it's funny sometimes when it was just me and DD wishing I had someone else to share it with - and now there is someone else I sometimes miss it just being the two of us! typical!

    How do you work your budget out every month? I have started doing cash in envelopes again, I find it's the only one that makes me stop and think. I get too contactless happy with my debit card!
    Started at £23,000 worth of debt 3 years ago now I'm on what I hope is the home straight!
    £9,000 to go
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