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The Cutting Down Alcohol challenge for April & 2025 :)
Welcome to the Cutting Down Alcohol challenge for January and 2025! This challenge is all about helping people cut down or even give up on their alcohol consumption, mainly for health reasons, but it can also save a lot of money, because the cost of buying alcohol really mounts up over time and sometimes you don't even…
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An in-between phase
I am largely starting this thread so as to not rudely put a long whinge on the lovely @foxgloves and @EssexHebridean threads! I will talk a little more about my slightly unsettled life situation in due course, but for now, just whinging 😂 Today I have been trying to switch to a more money saving phone contract. It has been…
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Daisy's Debt Free Diary [29F/Autistic]
Hi everyone! After spending some time lurking and reading other DFD's I've decided to start my own to track my journey to becoming debt-free. Right now, my total debt sits at £3,124.06, spread across two CCs: * Card 1: £826.70 (0% interest until 8th September 2025) * Card 2: £2,297.36 (0% interest until 17th January 2026)…
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Progress not Perfection
Happy New Year! I thought it was about time I started a new diary. I've been on these diaries since 2008. My last diary is here Things
can only get better My first diary is here Champagne Lifestyle Lemonade Budget and the one after that here Looking for the Silver Lining. That's a hell of a lot of waffle over the years 😆…
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Stop the Splurge
I'm starting this diary because I need to get on top on my spending and some small debts. Background: DH was in charge of finances for the first few years, only he was dreadful but I wasn't much better and together we built up debts over 50k. In 2007 he had 6 CCJs and we were on the brink of losing our home. So I joined…
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Back again
Morning everyone, I closed my DF diary a few months ago for various reasons at the time. However on reflection I think I haven't been myself for months , but I feel myself coming out of the place I've been and wanted to be back here. The last two years have been very testing with RL things going on in the back ground but…
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Long Road To Pay Off Debt
Wanted to make a thread to hold myself accountable. Also to see if there is any way we can make savings. Took out loans and credit cards due to a wedding and debt consolidation really. Not taking out anymore credit and working off paying all this down. Thanks for reading. SOA below. Income (Me & Wife) - 4696.08 Life…
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Retirement wannabe
Hi everyone Not sure this is the right place to be posting my diary but can’t see anywhere dedicated to retirement diaries, I do have some debt too so hopefully you won’t mind me posting here 😀 Been thinking about retirement for quite a while now. I am only 50 but definitely don’t think I could do another 17/18 years so…
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The Mental Debt Struggle...
I've known that this diary needed to be started... But I've run away from the idea as the accountability made me nervous and I didn't think anyone would want to read it. But then I realised it would be financially and mentally therapeutic for me, and that's the whole point after all. I've read other diaries and gained so…
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Target December 2026
.I don't have debts so that is a good start. I have added up commitments for the coming 20 months and this includes presents (basically my 4 kids, their partners and the GC, all 8 of them, for Christmas and birthdays.) On top of that I have some commitments I've made, some of this is some expenses for grandchildren that…
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Fresh Start At Fox Towers.
(shiny new diary and the title makes me feel like I am in an Enid Blyton book) For those of you who are new, and those who are not, quick life re-cap: Household consists of me, Mr Fox, and Mini Fox. Regular visitors are the 4 stepkids, 2 of which are now adults. I work full time and Mr Fox is currently SAHD'ing to Mini…
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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
Happy New Year to readers old & new! Well, it's time for a new chapter. My old diary ("Put away your purse & become debt averse") achieved pretty much what I intended. I shared the story of how I got into debt at the age of 19 & stayed that way until a pretty enormous lightbulb pinged on during my early 40s, I've shared…
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A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni
I've been on these boards for many years and a long time ago did start a diary when we'd had a windfall and cleared some debt and I'm not sure what happened but 'life' got in the way. Today starts a new chapter of my life as my youngest has just left home (albeit temporarily) for her to access a drama course in a different…
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How thrifty can a thrifty forumite called ThriftyMissus be?
I’m starting a diary…I’m good at stating the obvious. In January 2024 my debt was £19,546 to HMRC after massively messing up amid repeated and intensive trauma, I may feel more comfortable sharing at some point. I also owed £4,000 to Amex. As of today, my total debt is at around £5,600. For the last little over 12 months,…
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10 years later yikes
Hello all Here again for round 2… my first diary https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4529627/can-i-do-it/p1 I’ve just looked back at this and as much as I really thought I knew what I was doing, it’s crazy to now see 10years later here I am. I was in my 20’s and ambitious and honestly looking back on it now how…
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My long overdue journey to becoming debt free!!
Hello, I've been lurking on here for a good few years now, and I have decided its time to finally, and for once and for all, to sort my sorry financial mess out! I wont bore you with all the gory details of how I got here, it would just be a list of excuses and justifications, when the hard reality is I spend more than I…
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All change for 2025
I thought I'd start a new diary to have a fresh start. After almost 21 years in my job, I've recently been placed at risk of redundancy. I'll find out for sure in the new year. If I manage to successfully challenge the redundancy, things will be very different at that employer next year, and if I do go, there will be a…
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We will get this debt down & the savings up
Several years ago I joined MSE with a different user name, but then it all went a bit wrong with losing job and other things, so I sort of fell by the wayside. Now I have created a new profile and am starting again with more determination. I have read so many people's diaries and can see that it helps you focus and it is…
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Let's get this sorted then!
Hey everyone, I went back to uni just before I turned 40, so have quite a lot of debt from that, and from generally trying to live whilst working and studying. I tackled a bit before the end of 2024, but that was mostly getting on top of things, doing some 0% balance transfers, and I paid of two small debts of about £250…
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Flying solo
I previously had a diary (well actually I've a few) but in June I had a big life shift which meant I disappeared for a while! I've had a few attempts at trying to pay off debt, made great progress and then progress stopped and the debt increased again. But this time I seriously mean business and I am determined to get this…
