GOAL:Debt free by 43! but how will I get there!!!!???

boxofpaws wrote: »

Loving your enthusiasm and energy.:T

I found, and read in many other diaries that the first few weeks were the rockiest, when we were getting to grips with the situation. For a lot of people the overall debt goes up for a while, whilst they do balance transfers and rejig their finances and the like.But it definitely gets easier once you get into the groove.

You've made a fantastic start, I've subscribed:)

Thank you.....yes, I think the first few weeks will be hard, I realise this, and today has given me a headache, but slowly I will get it sorted out.
What i have found hard, when it shouldn't be, is just a simple change of bank accounts and like Cap one this morning, human error, where someone hasn't changed the cycle date....its a good job I am on the ball - but what angered me even more was more about other people, hence my complaint, what about those people who cant argue or haven't got the confidence to argue, that could have really put me in a massive financial strain and for some, could be the last straw....very worrying and I made that very clear in all the complaints today plus threatened the financial ombudsman too!

As for my enthusiasm - I think once i have made up my mind about something, I just do it, since doing this, I cannot tell you how good I feel, where by before I dreaded pay day, or just lived wage to wage, at the moment I am just finding my feet a bit, I was always thinking about the money, without realising the effects it was having on me.
Now, all I feel is positive as I take control over something that was before controlling me.
Like my diet is my way of life, so will be my money, when I think of all the money I have wasted on rubbish I cringe a bit!!
I am a bit stubborn actually, which is, to some, a weakness of mine, but for me, its my strength....;) I am also an action person, when I give my word on something I stick to it, or my word means nothing, and i have promised my parents that i will try my best!
There is a lovely goal at the end of all this, I am currently growing into a person that will eventually be good with money, it wont happen over night but I will get there.
But what will be nice, is that i can take my daughter on holiday, I can just relax knowing that I have saved up for it and not borrowed for it and me and my daughter together as a team have worked towards it.
I also know it will be hard work though!!!!!!

have a great day, mine up to now, after my rant has turned out OK!!!!!

First snowball (this gets a highlighting)

So, a bit of a bumpy start due to the fact that various companies havent clicked on the correct things at their end, earned £35.00 off Cap One, £30.00 Catalogue and i have complained to another and they are now looking at the case - so goodwill gestures have gone into a set aside account.
I have now got everything sorted out - PHEW!
So just a very quick re cap on my history of spending, MAY, JUNE, JULY I spent a whopping total of £2,956.00 approx. I can only imagine if i went into this deeply exactly what i have been spending but it aint good! i also had nothing saved, and living wage to wage, felt very out of control and I didnt know where to start.
Spending diary usage since I logged on here and the advice has been amazing, and I know I have this weekend to go, but my daughter is still away, and that will make sure that I stick well under budget and i have budgeted for this month anyway, but up to now, i have spent £96.35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this has NEVER happened before and I am very pleased with this and super proud of myself and I have felt, honestly, this morning when I could see that finally the shifting of money into a separate bills account has now finally happened, I am really pleased with the positive outcomes this month.
So I started on the 7th August 2017
I have earned some cashback off Quidco of £28.95. Some goodwill gestures of £65.00 and I did some research for my friend and I earned £100.00 in vouchers. The vouchers, I have got some birthdays coming up and I will use these to put into cards. I have pledged no clothes till December so I am sticking to it and I dont need anything anyway!

As I am on my phone (apologies for all the spelling mistakes) it is difficult to list everything so will do it as soon as I get the computer.
The debts are now being held into the separate bills account!
My first snowball money into the bills account has left my wage account into the bills account this has happened today and all the DD are set up correctly - checked yesterday with my new bank
Money has also been put into the set aside accounts for car, mot, birthdays, shopping and christmas.
As I have started this in the August and I had no money set aside at all, my friend (the adviser) said that she is going to review my amount going into the bills account in December, so I am not paying loads into this for now although I wanted to, she did advise me that I have nothing in terms of money for things I do need and as I have to get all my MOT, services, christmas together into the accounts, then In January i start a fresh and I can pay in more into the snowballing and I will be straight to the set aside accounts for everything else, so I have paid a lot into the set aside accounts as she is saying that owe this money to myself - it doesnt make sense to me, but she said it will, when it comes to having my boiler serviced and I have the money there to pay it!

I now watch over this little project and make sure that it happens right!

I will email as soon as I can get to the computer, but guys, dont you think the spending diary is now super slim!!!
I also pledged no spending on clothes and I went into town with my sister, I thought, this is going to be a massive tester for me, and I never bought anything, I literally do not need anything, so didnt do it! I even made her walk from a rubble car park (free) because I refuse to pay the expensive car parking because usually I wouldnt have thought anything else, but to spend hours in town, shopping, spending money, eating, drinking, more shopping, and then my car park is well over £6.00 - but we had a wonderful time, I didnt spend any money, I gave her my full attention when she was trying on clothes, and clocked up my steps total by walking to the car park after which was all free for me!
I think 3 weeks into this and I think my habit forming is now well applied!

Will email once I have got this dd stuff done and I can see the figures on my spreadsheet.....for some reason I keep thinking its all wrong, but she is a financial advisor and she has worked it all out and promises me its all right! but the money is now in the bills account and i just have to trust its all done now!
thank you guys for the spurring on.....but I am ultra pleased with the diary...

LL x

redofromstart wrote: »

good for you on the parking and shopping, its so easy to slip when you go with somebody else.

Thank you - never happened before with the parking but i clocked up my steps and it was a nice day and it was different too. We had a really nice day and for me, not buying anything was a really good start!

SNOWBALL FIRST MONTH

hello all,
Its just easier to number these and then name them on the snowball.
Also please keep in mind, that this is being re done and recalculated in December, as currently, it is not including all my debts and also shows that it will take me a while longer than I have previously discussed.
This action plan, is just until December whilst i get myself sorted and this plan will be more sustainable, plus its feeling more like a short term goal and then look at it again in December.
Debts not added is two more, which is credit union which is currently just over 5 grand and my car which is around 6 grand. These are low interest and will be included in January when I have my finance review in December this year.

Currently i am only paying in 652.00 per month into my snowball account.
The reason we have done this, is because i have no money at all, in my set aside accounts, so I am just getting this sorted for now and paying into these until December then I will be straight with myself and it all gets reviewed.
I have my bills and my shopping budget out of this (all staying in the wages account) and these are just being paid as normal and once it comes to December I will be straight then to really go hard at this.
I meet with the financial adviser and re set it all, I will be given new spreadsheets then change to an amount of 852.00 per month to snowball, on the sheets from January 2018, it is saying that i will be debt free by December 2018...however, she said that she forecasts its more than likely be by November 18.
here you go......
DEBTS
Debt 1 = 983.40
Debt 2 = 719.50
Debt 3 = 4000.00
Debt 4 = 800.00
Debt 5 = 545.60
Debt 6 = 234.56
Debt 7 = 425.00

snowball today Debt 1 barclays loan. 76.68 payment + snowball amount of 321.20 balance now = 634.84!!!

Also my overdraft was 7400.00 and I have only ever used it up to around 150.00 to avoid and get rid of all temptation, I have now had this reduced to 150.00 - what I will say, is that this was not easy at all to do, the lady in the branch tried to talk me into keeping it, and I have had to really assert myself and politely ask her to reduce it, then I had to complete a form, and then I had to apply for it on line to be reduced and now I have finally got a 150.00 overdraft down from 7400.00 which looks strange on my bank.

This all feels really really good and I am just pleased and thank full for all the help I have had so far. Thank you x

To be continued.........