Finally on the road to being debt free...

illustrateddame · 15 September 2016 at 2:02PM

Thanks DD, I have had a quick look at YNAB, but honestly I have hardly any expenses at the moment. It's less of a budgeting thing than a stop spending on crp I dont need thing.:rotfl:

illustrateddame · 16 September 2016 at 6:31PM

So had a no spend day today. Would like to keep it going tomorrow, but my mum, sister and I are going to the cinema to see the new Bridget Jones movie. I'll get sweets from the shops before since they are so expensive at the cinema! Will be heading to the bank too to finally put the £42 in change I have and get a top, with birthday vouchers from this year, for my next night out. I have no nice going out clothes really, but do have jeans and shoes I could get away with, so just a top it is. I'm a total lightweight, so hoping I can get away with just £20 for the whole night as well.

Fingers crossed.

illustrateddame · 17 September 2016 at 11:39PM

Well, trip to the cinema actually came out costing 0! My sister still had some vouchers left after the tickets, so was able to get juice and a hotdog for nothing

Also signed up for the free trial of YNAB today, 34 days to decide if I can figure it out enough to use and pay for it. Not going amazing so far but I'm sure it'll click eventually.

illustrateddame · 18 September 2016 at 8:18PM

Had another NSD today, lovely lazy Sunday in my pjs watching soppy movies. Why not!

My iPod also sold on eBay, and managed to make £74! Was only hoping for £50 since it's an older one, so I'm quite pleased with that. It will all be going to my credit card, but just leaving it in my main account for now until all the fees from both them and PayPal come off and I can see what I'm properly left with. Hoping for around the £70 mark as I think I signed up for a 'sell your first 3 electronic items for £3', but I don't know if it worked. We'll see.

Add that to the £42 I STILL have to put into the bank in change, and thats about £110 extra I can pay off this month. :T

Just want to see the balances start to go down now!

illustrateddame · 19 September 2016 at 7:17PM

Not a NSD today, but just getting supplies to last me for the week at work, like crisps and yoghurt, and it came to £2.50. Hopefully will just need some more milk in a few days and that should do me.

Sent my iPod away to its new home as well, but actually feel ripped off by the Post Office. Went asking for 1st class signed for which their website said was £4.45, and what I charged the buyer. They then refused to let me send it like that as since it was an iPod it was "extremely valuable" (£74!!) and that it had to be sent by special delivery. £7.25! I hate when unexpected things like that eat into profits. MusicMagpie also confirmed that they are sending me the money for my CDs....all £6.82:rotfl:

Anyway, managed to have a nice Caffe Nero for nothing since the OH paid :T I actually told him as well about my debts....all of them. Such a relief! I can't remember how we got into talking about it, but I remember mentioning that I was setting myself a budget to pay them off and he asked how much there was. Eep. He actually wasn't too bothered, glad I think that I have a plan to pay things off. He said that he had had about the same in students loans and was really relieved when he managed to get them paid off, since it's so stressful. It was nice to talk about it to be honest, and hopefully now when I say that I can't really afford x or y, he'll realise that it's true!

illustrateddame · 26 September 2016 at 11:44AM

Ok, so I've managed NSDs pretty much all this week, all that I have spent has been out of my groceries budget, or on vouchers that I had from my last birthday, so I think I'm doing well, for like the 3 weeks since I realised my mountain of debt. I do have a night out next Saturday, but that's budgeted for, so don't feel too bad about that.

I managed to put £120 ish to my debt this month, which was extra from selling things and finally getting that piggy bank change into my account. But then the final interest on my non 0% card was applied (it will finally be fully paid off on Friday when I next get paid) and that was a bit of a kick in the teeth as it was £60

so not as much towards my debt as I had hoped, but at least the interest didn't add to it. That would have been much worse.

I have spent a lot of time going through my budget and seeing what actually comes in and goes out. It seriously is just spending money on things I want, spur of the moment "oh that's nice!" things. I could actually have my debt paid off by December 2017 rather than May 2018, IF my calculations are correct, and IF I actually stick to my budgeting. I've done well so far with not buying things that I don't need, actually taking a minute to check if I want or need it, and whether I would prefer that money goes to clearing debts seems to be doing the trick.

It's going to be harder coming up to Christmas, as between now and then there is also my OH's birthday, our anniversary and my mums birthday, so every day at a time I suppose!

illustrateddame · 4 October 2016 at 10:57PM

Well I've been managing to stick to my budget, my night out Saturday past came in £1 under, which included a well needed chips and cheese at the end of the night :rotfl:

Been invited to a birthday do in November, which is nice, but there is a theme which requires a costume, or at least the purchase of a frilly skirt since I don't have anything I could magic into a costume. So there's that, plus food and drinks, before two games of bowling, then the birthday girl wants to head into town on the lash too!

Bit of a crisis as she is needing the bowling paid now to secure the booking, so I have taken it out of next weeks entertainment budget rather than this weeks, as I need to use that for my anniversary date night

It's been nice to sort of see my weekly budgets set out, and see that things can be affordable, I just have to be really careful. Before I would have just bought stuff on cards, christmas and birthday spending willynilly too!

Also, waiting to update how much I've paid off this month until all my statements get updated, so I can pay minimum to most cards and a whack to another.

Managed to clear the balance on the BCard tho, but I stupidly switched a 24 for a 42 and now I'm in credit. Can I just buy £18 worth of stuff on the card for essentially nothing?? Seems a daft question but I just want to check!

illustrateddame · 15 October 2016 at 12:08PM

Not been anything major happening lately, to be honest. I've been managing to stick to my budget, and also have most of my christmas shopping done, only need to get the OHs now

All within budget too!

I've gone through the likes of my apple and amazon account deleting my credit card from them. Don't know why I didn't do it before. I haven't bought anything with them, and don't want to, but just the thought that I could because the cards were still attached bothered me, so that's done too now.

I also went and changed my apple ID password, as I got an email about appointments that had been made for me, that I didn't make, and when I checked it was stored in my reservations! So a bit freaked out but hopefully sorted!

[Deleted User] · 16 October 2016 at 8:00AM

Morning,

You're doing really well, keep going x

illustrateddame · 16 October 2016 at 11:11PM

Thanks PMo2

:)

Just hoping I don't get derailed by the OH wanting to go a holiday next year, since now he knows the extent of my debt he knows I can't afford it!

Finally on the road to being debt free...

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