Disco Dolly V's Debt

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  • Happy New Year DFW's!

    I haven't updated this in soooo long. Confession time, I fell off the wagon for a little bit back in March due to unexpected bills & secondary school & confirmation bills and unfortunately I ended up using credit card again which I promised myself I would never do :(. It was only a short-term blip though and I have stopped beating myself up over it now. I'm back on the wagon ages now and have managed to get my debt below €13,000, 41% of debt paid off, almost €9,000 off debt (I love statistics, sorry!) so I am determined to keep going.

    I have more income due to a few budget changes and small payrise and no childcare costs so I am hoping to make a bigger dent in the debt this year. My first priority is to clear smaller credit card over the next few months, I reckon I can have it gone by March, so I will be up €200 a month once that is gone too. Now I know this should go off debt but I am worried about have zero savings at the moment!

    My main concern is I will have to upgrade the car soon, its older than my DD and she's 13, it passed the MOT back in September but I dont think I will get another winter out of it. So I have to come up with a contingency plan for that. Plus my emergency fund of €1000 took a big hit at Xmas (yes I know thats not an emergency but its done now) so I need to get that back up. And we haven't been on a holiday since DD was 7 and would really like to bring her somewhere this year, it doesnt have to be abroad though, really not sure if that is possible but I am going to try and put a plan in action.

    So my new year resolutions are:
    - build back up emergency fund
    - pay off smaller credit card
    - start saving more
    - carry on paying off debt!!

    Hope you are all doing well and had a nice Christmas and New Year! I'm really hoping to be debt-free next year and I hope a lot of you guys are debt-free soon too :D
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • Disco_Dolly
    Disco_Dolly Posts: 196
    Debt-free and Proud!
    Forumite
    edited 17 January 2016 at 2:08PM
    Afternoon all,

    I got paid Friday and made all my debt payments so debt has now decreased by almost €9,100, the smaller credit card is down to just over €600, I really want to get rid of it by end of March. Emergency fund now stands at €100 so 10% funded.

    I'm having a lazy day but trying to tackle the large laundry pile and all the housework in between cups of tea! I still have Xmas tree box & decorations sitting on the landing, I really need to get them up into the attic but its difficult to do it on my own. DD is at her dads but is back later this evening so she will help me then.

    I had an enexpected bill on Friday with a trip to A&E with DD with suspected broken ankle, luckily it was just a sprain. €145 out of my budget though that should have went to emergency fund but I guess thats what this was, so at least I had the money for it. I can claim it back on medical insurance too. I also have school bills to pay of about €200 for DD this month, she has just picked her optional subjects after doing taster subjects in everything since Sept, so now have to buy the books and equipment. Plus her school is finally bringing in a uniform so that cost is included in the €200 above. I hope to get it all sorted next weekend, but then I'll be completely broke. But I have grocery shopping done and everything else paid so we should be alright.

    This debt paying is like a never-ending mountain, I'm almost 2 years in now and really expected to be above the 70% mark but I'm at 42% which is slightly depressing, all my own doing though. I have a budget spreadsheet and am obsessed with it, constantly looking for ways to pay more, its getting me down. I really should be making a bigger dent in the debt now as my outgoings have decreased with no childcare and my income has gone up slightly, but it just never seems to get easier :(
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • 3rd load of laundry in the machine, still another 3 to go eek! Should have started earlier. I have changed the bed linen on both beds and hoovered upstairs, having a cuppa now!

    DD should be home by 6pm. She is in her first year of secondary school and has exams coming up next month. She really doesnt know how to study and didnt do as well as she should have on the last exams so have promised her I would help her with some study tips this evening.


    I was feeling a bit down about the debt this weekend but decided I am going to focus on the positive, I'm doing something about it and its going in the right direction and thats the main thing. It took me years to rack it all up so it'll take time to get rid of it all I guess. I know I can do better though so thats the plan for now, just keep going!
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • Happy Tuesday DFW's!

    Not much to report apart from some Spring cleaning, finally got to the bottom of the laundry basket and actually put the Xmas tree & decorations back in the attic :D

    DD is feeling much better, she is managing with just one crutch now and starting to put a little weight back on the ankle, good to see her on the mend.

    I'm having a mental time at work at the moment and absolutely exhausted by the time I get home every day. I thought January would be a quiet month but its quite the opposite, absolute mayhem. On the plus side the days are flying by, I live for payday!

    I did a new snowball calculator on my own spreadsheet version and if I push it I could be free from debt by end of this year, its a tad agressive though so I'll see how it goes.

    This weekend is going to be an expensive one, we have to buy DD's uniform and school supplies. I think I'll just about make it but next week will be tight but I have grocery shopping done and enough for petrol so fingers crossed it'll work out ;)

    Hope everyone's week is going well :j
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • Hi DFW's,

    Hope your weeks are going well?

    I had 3 NSD's in a row this week which is great for me! I have avoided shops after work and brought lunch in every day. I have to buy petrol and milk today so that will be the end of the NSD streak. But I don't intend to buy anything else, purposely only have enough cash with me for both things and nothing else, and left bank card at home so I wont be tempted!

    Have to get DD's uniform this weekend which is €144. I was so looking forward to her school finally having a uniform and now I feel different about it. It was so handy with her being able to wear her own clothes, no having to have uniforms washed & dried. I didnt realise how handy it was.

    After uniform purchase I am left with €85 until payday but I dont think I have any other bills to pay so that will do me for petrol & ad-hoc groceries, fingers crossed. I'm going to try and have as many NSD's as possible and hopefully have some of this money left to pay off debt! Roll on payday next Friday.
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • Hi DFW's,

    I can't believe the weekend went so fast, I hope Friday payday comes round as fast!

    My weekend went ok, I put €50 deposit on DD's uniform as they won't have it ready until 2nd week of Feb so there was no point in paying it all. I also spoke to DD's dad about paying half of the uniform and a few other school fees that are coming up and he has agreed so that's a result. He's usually not as agreeable so I am so glad I asked. I'll just have to see if he coughs up now!

    On Saturday I filled car with petrol & bought groceries and had a NSD day yesterday. So now I have approx €110 left in my account til payday on Friday. I shouldn't need to buy much else this week so hopefully will have most of that money left to put towards debt at the end of the week.

    Nothing else to report really, roll on Friday til I get this snowball going again!

    Hope Monday is nice to you all :D
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • lcc86
    lcc86 Posts: 2,318
    First Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    Hi Disco Dolly, just read through your diary, I think you've done really well. I agree that debt busting seems like a neverending mountain at times, but like you say, look at the positives, you have paid off so much since you started this journey. :p I've subscribed.
    Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £1,728 as of 03/24
  • Thanks lcc86 for the sub! I hope I don't bore you to death with my ramblings :o. I dont update here near often enough. One of my resolutions should have been to use this diary more!

    Today went ok, had another NSD so thats 2 in a row. Living for payday to make some payments, I love seeing that snowball going down. I'd really like to get rid of smaller CC by end of February, it will be a bit of a struggle but I think I could do it. That would free up €200 a month to pay off something else. If I put my mind to it I could be down to 2 debts by the summer, fingers crossed! Torn between that and building back up the emergency fund though :cool:

    Aiming to have NSD's all this week til payday, really need to use up all the food in the freezer before I start buying more groceries. Fruit & veg & milk are probably the only things that I really need to buy but we'll see if I can make do :D

    Just got the form back from the school to claim back the money I spent on A&E for DD week before last so have to get that sent in and hopefully will get the full amount back from school insurance.

    Going to have an early night, its been a long Monday, night all!
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • Hi DFW's,

    Not much to report today, had another NSD by avoiding shop after work! DD is driving me mad with her history project, she has to make a Motte & Bailey castle so we are up to our elbows in papier mache this evening.

    Off to have a cuppa and to watch Stella, then I'm off to bed!

    2 days left to payday, can't come quick enough :D
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
  • Morning DFW's,

    Happy Hump Day! I hate Wednesdays, really busy at work and still 2 whole days to payday. Plus its a miserable rainy day here in Ireland and I have loads to do but not much inclination which is probably why I am here on MSE :p

    Hoping for another NSD today, I have lunch with me and will avoid shops on the way home. I have the grand total of €64.78 in my bank account til payday, I thought I had €110 but totally forgot about a direct debit for a utility bill that came out, at least the money was there I suppose. I dont think I have anything to buy til payday, I just have to give DD money for dance class tomorrow but I think that's the only payout needed!

    I've been rejigging the snowball a bit this morning and think it will take me slightly longer than I thought to get rid of smaller credit card but it will definitely be gone by March as I get work bonus then. Also booking a mid week trip to London for myself, DD and my mam for early summer when DD is finished school, none of us have ever been and myself & DD havent been on holidays anywhere in years!

    So I am torn between doing the following with my work bonus:
    - Smaller CC will be clear but I could also clear smaller loan in full. This would leave me with only 2 debts and an extra €400 disposable income per month which could either go towards emergency fund saving/holiday savings and then back to snowball.
    OR
    - replenishing my emergency savings in full, some towards holiday fund. And then after holiday the extra disposable income could go towards snowball.

    Either way I have to get Emergency fund back to €1000, I have to pay for holiday to give me sanity and then get back to debt snowball. I'm just not sure what order to do it in. I'm leaning towards doing the savings first.

    Decisions decisions ....
    LBM Jan 2014: €21,746.34
    Total Dec 2017: €0.00
    (Debt Free 29th Dec 2017)
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