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Dreaming of being Debt Free
Hi. Like many people, I've been lurking in and out of these rooms and the main website, dreaming of being debt free. I've been living in debt since I went to uni. To put that into perspective, almost half my life. Ive tried many times, and come close, sometimes a run of bad lucks set me back, children being born, or…
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14 months to go!
As moneysavers go, I've never been in the depths of being in debt. I'm more of a 'there's always something' at some point in the month that happens, that messes my beloved budget up and I predictably feel down on myself for either not being prepared or not foreseeing something that I should! I live on my own (apart from my…
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Three Years of Tears to Yippee I'm Debt Free!
Hello All... This week I have finally faced my debt demons and I know I have to do something about it. I am 59 years old, married and financially, to the outer world I look like I am doing well, I have a good income, I go on nice holidays, drive a nice car and live in a nice house but I have been for the last few years…
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Find the SecondStar and soar, and then straight on till the morning…
This feels like an appropriate time for a finance thread. Story time: My ex partner and I broke up 2 weeks ago. We had been together for 4.5 years, we bought a house together as joint tenants 2 years ago, and had been combining incomes and savings for 2 years. We have separated our savings, and he is exploring options to…
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Redemption - The journey of a recovering gambling addict.
Ok. Here goes. This is my journal on my journey to redemption. First post is to outline my current situation. Salary- £75k + Married Two Children Personal Debts Bank Loan 1 CAR - £20433 - £352 4.3% Debt Consolidation Loan £10,344 £153 5.2% MBMA - £4300 - 0% 14 months NatWest £3000 - 0% 12 months I have told my wife…
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Walking into another chapter ...
Welcome one and all ... to those of you who have managed to avoid my diaries until now as well as those loyal ones of you who have stuck around over the years, thank you :) So another year is about to begin and now seems as good a time as any to start a new diary. This will be my 11th (I think?), I've been around here…
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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…
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The Frugal Hearth: Stories of Simple Living and Living Well
Hello, and welcome, one and all to my new debt free diary! My Journey I started my old diary at the beginning of 2020, a couple of months before the pandemic hit the UK and we went into lockdown. That diary can be found here…
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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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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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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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The Three C's - Coffee, Clothes & Credit Cards
I'm back again and I thought I would start a new fresh diary. Life has been hectic for me in the last 6 months with some unexpected expenses that have sadly led to me getting into some more debt. Fortunately it is all on 0% credit cards and I plan to tackle it £1 at a time. Technically I do have enough in savings to cover…
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A new chapter is ....... FINALLY HERE
So i'm sloping back in with a new diary, been missing (but still reading) for 10 months, MH took a nose dive in October, all work related and quite frankly horrid. After lots of chats with DH,crying and not really knowing what to do with my life I spoke to my manager and as of September I will be working less hours with a…
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Road To Financial Recovery
Ah, time to get back into the race so to speak, can’t believe I am doing this again.It is time to start taking finances seriously again. It is a rubbish feeling to be back in a position where I feel my finances are back in a mess. There isn’t any major debt so that is a positive of course but feel like a plan is needed…
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Mummyto3boys crawls out of the mire mark 2
So it's been years. So much so my old diary is closed, shut up like a long forgotten relic. The baby I last had is almost 12 😱. I still have debts but great things have happened. Such as I have paid off our mortgage, then moved home and still have no mortgage! I haven't been in my OD for years. I have a job I adore which…
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Must try harder…again!
Well, here I am, back again! I have missed our chats, your worldly wisdom and opinions on biscuits! After losing my old dog in January I took a while to sulk, wallow in sadness and grump quietly…you know how it is 😖 Anyway we quickly cracked on the dog front and I have a 17 week German shepherd sleeping against my leg. We…
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Here's to the Fools Who Dream
I will be 60 on March 2nd 2026 and I am an old fool who is dreaming that the best is yet to come! I loved the film La La Land, always felt this song was about me ....... The Fools Who Dream (Abridged Version) "She captured a feeling A sky with no ceiling, the sunset inside a frame .... A bit of madness is key To give us…
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Onwards and the debt goes downwards!
Hi All Old diary is here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1000559 I can't do the posh linky things. Things are all changing in the Lucielle household. DS1 arrived back from New Zealand and has moved out to start his new job. Spent most of last week building flat pack furniture from the well known store. DD1…
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Keeping afloat till I can get round to the debts!
So here goes with a brand new diary. With the financial situation across the country as it is I'm going paycheck to paycheck and debts seem to be going up not down. It's time to take stock. Focus on the money actually lasting the month and forming a new plan. I've never been one for following the American debt fella but I…
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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…