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Next steps; grip-relaxing bimbling, and avoiding the temptations
Time, I think, to start a new diary. My first was about removing our debts, paying off our mortgage and working towards, and through, the first few years of not working. I don't call it retirement at that point, because a wealth of volunteer activities were taken on or continued, and a number of hobbies aspired to or taken…
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Need fresh eyes on my budget!
Hi all! I'm starting a brand new diary to break down my current situation and take a fresh look at things - what I was doing isn't working 😳 About me... I'm in my forties (late forties but we'll not dwell on that!) and live alone in a rented housing association house. I've had a very unstable period in the last six years…
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The Little Cottage by the Sea
Hello my loves, I've wandered these threads for a few years and old versions of myself have had different user names and different diaries. I feel like this is a new chapter. One where I'm content and capable and I hope to bring you along for the story. The diary title is me manifesting the dream. I have come a long way,…
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Hustling My Way to Debt Freedom. - Take 2
Hi, I'm a semi-regular who has created a new account as the thread I started this morning on my old account got locked and I didn't appreciate that. So here's take two on my new account. Hi everyone I'm back again, still trying to clear the debts. I won't go into a long explanation as to where I've been (no excuses - I've…
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Hopefully cruising, with focus, towards retirement
hello and welcome to my new diary. I’ve been kicking around here for a fair few years and dealt with debt for a lot longer. I am however happy to declare that I am debt free and mortgage free. This is despite my last mortgage starting at £160k on the same house where my original mortgage was £38700. Multiple consolidations…
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Divorce debt be gone!
Newly divorced but with big debts to clear here - moving and divorce legal fees, furnishing and essential repairs on the new place for me and my 2 teenmonsters who live with me 50/50. I managed to secure a 0% 15 month purchases card a few months ago when I moved to pay for furniture and have just secured a 0% balance…
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Small Business, Big Debts
Hello all Debt free wannabes! :) I posted on these Forums over 10 years ago, and it made such a huge impact on my (successful!) attempt to get debt free, but a LOT has changed in the last 10 years, so I’m back again! The accountability and kindness I received back then was invaluable to me, so I hope to bring some of that…
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Starting the journey...the road is currently bumpy.
My debt has always been there, nothing major - the odd holiday on 0% which is dutifully paid off then rinse and repeat. Then things changed, 5 years ago I lost my mum to Cancer - she loved life and was taken too young. From this my attitude changed, holidays booked, things bought, paying for friends - I wanted to live in…
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Everything changes
As my old lecturer at university said to me once when we were discussing the topic of my second year dissertation. Anyway I’m sitting here at the start of a long weekend, I owe about £2000 and I’m going to need to put food on my credit card to get to the end of the month. I think I will still end up forward at the end of…
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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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Debt Free Diary Newbie. Post 1
No clue where to start but hoping, like others, that tracking my situation will not only hold me more accountable but help me see some progress in my thinking, spending, saving and what not! Total Debt to date 9th July 2025 Student overdraft from 2015: £1550 now at £330 Credit card from 1999:£5615 now £2068 (0% Interest on…
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Finally taking back control after a decade of debt
Hello, Long-time lurker, first-time poster. I've had CC debt ever since moving to London after university around 9 years ago. Coming here for work on a very low wage, I quickly ate through my savings and started racking up debt on credit cards, without any real means to pay it off. Came to a bit of a head when I ended up…
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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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Time to Face The Music
We have decided as a couple that it is time to face the music and start paying down some of our debts. We are lucky that we are both in jobs that pay ok but we have at times been living beyond our means and now it is time to start reining in the spending and making a concerted effort to cut the debt. Moving house last year…
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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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Moving on with things
I have debated posting this for a few days or so. One of the main reasons I wanted to post an update is because recently I said goodbye to my car for good having made the decision to lease another electric car through my business. A decision I simply think I wouldn’t have made without having been on here. My wife and I are…
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15months to debt free - I hope
Well I thought it was time I started a diary having put my two pennorth into several others. Brief bit about me. I am a retired careworker having done other things as well. I have a husband who has mental health issues and 3 old dogs. A 15 year oldJack Russell X who has heart and kidney failure so I am not sure how long we…
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And so a new journey to being debt free begins
Hello, I have lurked on these pages so long, carrying the shame of debt, never quite being able to get on top of things, finding myself spending in times of being down, trying to impress, trying to exist and because really during most of my adult life not having a very good relationship with money. I now find myself…
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taking responsibilty to get me where I want to be
Good morning MSE'ers I have been reading diaries for the last few months and have found peoples stories so inspiring that I am hoping for some company on my own journey , this will be my own log which hopefully will motivate me at times of bleakness so I can look back on any progress I have made My sitituation is quite…
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Plodding Along
I've been on here for a good few months now so it's about time I start my own diary. I have been in debt since I was 18 when I got my first credit card and I'm 41 and a half now. The debt has fluctuated over the years with the highest being around the £20k mark, but my head was firmly buried in the sand then. I started to…
