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Strap in - we're going on a trip!
Hello lovely moneysavers, I have tried to start diaries many times and have struggled to stick with them, but .... I really want to try again, because life is getting on top of me and I feel like I'm wading uphill through some very sticky honey at the minute. I've posted under a different username in the past about my…
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Winds of change
So here we go, I've been a long time lurker on these boards (over a decade since discovering MSE while at uni). I've had various levels of debt and have thought many times about starting a diary but never have (perhaps I didn't really want to be accountable?) Now it seems like the perfect time, today is the first day of my…
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New thread, new me - hopefully!
I think it's time for a new thread. The last one I started in January 2018 after coming to the realisation in late 2017 that I was in a much bigger hole than I thought. Five years later things are better but I haven't made nearly as much progress as I'd hoped. I started with just under £40k debt and I'll be entering 2024…
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Trying to keep on top of it all.Busy,crazy ,life!
Thought I better start a new diary since its been a decade. I look back at my last posts on here and laugh and wish I could be that debt free even though we were on so much less money! Crazy how before you know it you have debt....and kids and become a full blown adult. Anyway, hello! I'm Cat, iv 3 kids ages 4,7&8 it's…
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Tiny steps towards a more meaningful life
Morning all I’m editing my first page with up to date figures (2 December). Debt NatWest - £4,325 (annual bills & 2024 holidays 😊) Personal loan - £5,300 (car) Reality I have 7 months before I hit 50 to clear £9,217 but realistically it might take me to the middle of next year. I’m an all or nothing person, very impulsive…
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Leaping from debt free to self employed
I have finally managed to clear my personal credit card debt (£3393.22 in around 13 months). Regardless of the amount, paying off debt is like going on a diet, until you realise it's your lifestyle (and behaviour) that you need to change, you'll end up going in circles. DH is on board with blitzing the remaining debts (a…
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Wannabe debt free - just starting out
Hi all. Totally new to this although I have been reading people’s threads for a while - really inspiring me. I am looking to get debt free, mainly to reduce outgoings and build a pot for nicer things in life. Current debt Loan - Monzo - £22484.57 balance, 15.4% APR. (Wondering if it’s worth changing this to a lower rate -…
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Tipping over the edge
Today for the first time in my life my bank card was declined due to lack of funds and I had no alternative method of payment, I’m skint and had to leave the shop empty handed. I’m fortunate to earn a fairly decent salary and money has never really been a problem. That changed 18 months ago when I bought a house right on…
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Trying to Hide a Secret £20,000 Debt is as Tricky As it Sounds! (:#)
Hi Fellow DFWs and Casual Lurkers with lots of advice! :D So, I'll try not to make this post too lengthily, but it's difficult to explain how I managed to wrack up £20,000 of debt (not including the car finance or mortgage). Long story short - I'm a nightmare with money. I'm such a general nightmare that at times in the…
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Starting on the Debt-Free Journey
Hi All, I want to take accountability for the debts that I've built up over the last 10 years through a lack of budgeting and a "Sod it, I'll just get it" mentality, along with animals which had issues which weren't covered by their insurance. I've done my SOA and the biggest area I need to cut down on is buying lunch at…
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On a journey to becoming debt free
Where on earth do I start, im so bad with money its disgusting! I never used to be from very early age it was me sorting out my parents finances always promising to myself I would never end up like them but I have, now I'm on a mission to get as close to debt free in a year as I can! I have 5 x credit cards 4 x catalogues…
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Time to get serious
Hi everyone, I am creating this diary to keep myself accountable on my journey towards being debt free! It's difficult to talk to anyone around me about this journey as they simply do not understand why I want to do it or what I'm worried about lol. A little bit about me Current debt: MBNA Card: £3981 - 0% interest Loan 1:…
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Would you class this debt free?
Hi So I've been a careful user of credit cards and never paid interest and never took out a balance transfer. I recently used my Barclaycard rewards abroad and paid it off in full to avoid interest. I also have an m and s card that my husband and I have used for when we needed it. So we have worked out in December we won't…
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First DMP Journey
I posted this in the debt-free wannabe section the other day: I got some really good replies and one of the reasons I’ve joined this forum. I’ve given notice to MW and I’m going to do it all myself. I’ve already requested CCA and had replies. I’ve set up a new bank account. I spent yesterday changing direct debits to come…
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Time for change…..
After many failed previous diary attempts, I’m back again. I find I’m at my most focussed when posting regularly, so I need to commit to keeping this one updated 😊. I’m very conscious that I haven’t really moved the dial on any area of my life when reading through my previous diaries. I’m also very conscious that I’m not…
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LB gets debt-free
Hello all. Today is the day that I realised I need to get my !!!!!! together. I have a significant amount of debt from the following; - extending my house (went over budget of course) - being fired and not having a job for 3 months - spending too much money on !!!!!! I don't need I have a great salary (£95k), but I've…
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Together
Doing this together as a family. We were finally debt free a few months ago. We just had. Small morgage left. It felt really good our past debt had been from renovating our old home. We went without for so long to get it paid off. Then........ We bought an electric car £21000 loan. Now we are back in the land of worrying…
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Old debt - advice please
My husband has received a letter from a solicitor- Nolan’s- requesting payment of an old loan that had defaulted 5 years ago. We don’t recall getting any letters before this - this letter is quite forceful stating if we don’t pay (£12,000) within 7 days they will issue a decree which will last 20years! The previous week my…
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Old debt- how do I manage this?
My husband has received a letter from a solicitor- Nolan’s- requesting payment of an old loan that had defaulted 5 years ago. We don’t recall getting any letters before this - this letter is quite forceful stating if we don’t pay (£12,000) within 7 days they will issue a decree which will last 20years! The previous week my…
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13 - Unlucky For Some
Not a DFW diary but a budget spending challenge diary for 2023/24. For the next 366 days I'm going to try and thrive on £13 per day which gives me an annual budget of £4,758. I hope to achieve this by going back to basics, growing my own vegetables, purchasing items secondhand, spending cash within the local community,…
