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SparFuchs' Debt Free Double-Life
Well I'm finally jumping on the DFW wagon. Very long term MSE member (by not a frequent poster), but my old account revealed a lot about my 'old life' so I wanted a completely clean slate. My debt free journey is quite modest by DFW standards, with a grand total of £2037 on one credit card (14.88% interest), but the bloody…
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Giving Up/Cutting Down Alcohol Thread part 18
Welcome to the Giving Up/Cutting Down Alcohol thread, part 18! This thread is all about helping people cut down on their alcohol consumption, mainly for health reasons, but it can also help with saving money, because alcohol isn’t just bad for the health, it’s also expensive. This challenge has been running since February…
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Student loan should I repay?
So I have worked really hard to be mortgage free and I currently owe £3269 on 0% Credit cards I also owe £2250 on my student loan. I know you are advised not to pay these off but mine has interest on it compared to my 0% cards and it’s small, i am likely to pay it off as I’m just 50, I work in nhs job so fairly secure .…
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FINALLY getting rid of this debt by the end of 2025.
I've been half-heartedly trying to clear my debt for some time now, but never actually REALLY tried that hard. Due to a change in my circumstanes (my income has decreased by just under £500 a month) I REALLY need to tackle this debt ASAP, before my income goes down again at the end of this year. I did a SOA and on paper, I…
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Time to get this sorted!
Hi Everyone I've been burying my head in the sand for a while but it's time to get my finances in better order as I've just turned 35 and need to start paying debts down so i can save and get on the property ladder. I understand that realistically this will take some time. I've been reading several threads on this forum…
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Washing Away My Mortgage & Debt by 2035
Well, needless to say I am back with a part two! I cleared my original debt of £7401 (off the top of my noggin) last year where I stomped all over that balance until the cows came home in record time. I promised myself I would never get back into debt unless absolutely necessary. Whoops? Well, it was an 'on purpose with…
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Rebuilding my life.
I don't really know where to start with this, but here it goes. I am four months out of a 15-year relationship that I thought would last a lifetime.As Covid began, I had almost everything I wanted: I was nearly debt-free, had a loving partner and pets, a beautiful house, a new electric car, a camper van, and both of us…
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Dreaming of Disney
Hello there!! I haven't looked on here for a long long time but i think it's time that i did. January has been an absolute whirl wind of deciding what to do, how to do it and gathering my thoughts, bit of a practice start to the year, so im going to start from February pay day, which happens to be tomorrow. As of the end…
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Santander debt sold to cabot
Santander placed an interim charge on my property. Then sold the debt to cabot. I offered a settlement figure of more than half of the original figure. The solicitors said they will not put it yo cabot as they want the full amount because of the charge so I have emailed them direct awaiting a response. Anyone know how I…
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A Diary For After Debt
Hi all. I'm hummed and hawed for ages about starting a diary. I was pointed in the direction of this forum about 12 years ago following the break up of my marriage (and the resulting financial mess!). The help and support offered was invaluable and allowed me to get out of debt and give myself and 2 teenage (at the time)…
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So Ashamed but hoping sharing will help motivate me.
I am terrified to even write this but hoping it will prove a turning point. On New Years day I finally sat down and looked at all my debt and was horrified to find I owed £29,995 in Credit Card debt. It has accumulated over many years except for the last £10k which I accrued within the last year from mad depressive…
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Moved back to UK from Australia - pension
I moved back to UK in 2023, so this is the first time I completed a Self-Assessment (SA). I receive a personal Australian pension (monthly). However, I am confused with the tax issues related to my pension. I have received a K tax code and really need to know how to reduce the tax implications legally. The pension was not…
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Minimum wage, is petrol allowance an expense or not?
Hi I am an employed photographer for an estate agency. I am trying to work out if I am on a minimum wage or not. If I include the money I am allowed for petrol (which incidentally doesn't cover my costs) I am just over minimum wage if I don't I am under. How does this work? Thanks
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Loan options or lack of…
Hello all, Ive currently got a series of credit cards which I’m paying more than the monthly repayments on, unfortunately some of those cards are sitting with a 49.9% APR. Unfortunately despite not missing any payments and paying more than the minimum my credit score doesn’t seem to be rebuilding and I do use these cards…
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Don't Dilly Dally Dolly - 2025 and Beyond
So it's getting close to the new year and I've decided it's time for a new diary! Why not eh! I've got big plans and can't dilly dally any longer, I want to be; * Debt free in 2025 * Goal weight in 2025 * Mortgage free in 2030 Once I've managed to sort all that out I've got changes to make in the flat. New bathroom,…
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Mimis money makeover
I am sharing my journey to become debt free to hopefully keep myself accountable. I have been in and out of debt for the last 15 years and although I can pay everything every month I don't want it hanging over my head anymore. I have in total £28509.95 in debt. Some of these are front loaded interest so if I can over pay…
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Starting Over...
Hello, and thank you for reading. I have wanted to start a diary for a long time, but part of me has held back because of fear/shame/life/overwhelm...the usual, really. I read your diaries and posts and find a lot of support and comfort in them, so thank you for that. Essentially, life feels like a bit of a mess right now.…
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Feeling Motivated
Howdy and welcome to my DebtFree diary. (which I hope very soon will be a savings diary) I have been a long-time lurker on this forum and have learnt SO much, i just wish I had known about this site when I was £17k in debt in 2019 following a mixture of bad choice, bad habits and doing what I could to survive. But here we…
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Which to pay against first
Unsure where to post - lingerer but not totally au fait with posting. At the point of near breakdown with the extent of debt (15k) only fully brought to light through remortgage / monthly increases. Question is, what to pay first? Lots of 0% CC (£200 - £4K), but one has ended so interest is through roof and declined for…
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New Year, New Me
Right. I've got myself into a bit of a financial mess. Now is the time to sort it out. My current situation: * Credit card balances: £20,661.37 * ZOPA loan: £23,355.57 [took out this loan to consolidate previous credit cards... and then maxed them out again. Foolish in the extreme. Sigh.] * Pay in 3 loans: £1,129.16 Total…
