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Debt free diaries

A place for MoneySavers to share their journeys towards debt-free living.

Muddling millennial - can’t keep on this way
Today is probably the 5000th time of sitting with my laptop and notebook while I’m home alone and going through all of my finances to see if I can do anything to make it just a little bit more bearable. I’m 30 now, but this is all started when I turned 18 and got my first job in a bank. Ironically, this is probably the…
Debt payment tracker
This isn't a diary really but I need somewhere to write this stuff down all in one place so I can keep track and see it all together. Will probably just edit first post as needed. Advice welcome (esp if I'm missing something obvious) Debts Priority - Tesco credit card - £1,567.02 (interest rate something like 20%) Priority…
Spendthrift Anonymous
People tell me the first step is to admit you have a problem! So here I am at a virtual 'Spendthrift Anonymous' meeting, I've just stood up and I'd like to say my name is ****** and I am a spendthrift and this has led to mounting credit card & personal loan debts. So as of today I have changed my bank account, cancelled my…
Future net worth millionnaire
Hi, As the title say, I want to be a net worth millionnaire. I'm french and leave in France. I have a dh, 4dds, 3bfs and 3 dgcs. Obviously, I won't put up a SOA as things are so different here. Every amount will be in euro. I'm not in debt at the moment, but would be soon if i'm not really careful. A little background I…
Time to be a grown up!
Starting a diary to keep a track of 2024. 2023 was awful in every aspect so need to get a hold of a few things. My debt is fairly minimal with an overdraft of £930 however this costs me every month so it’s time to knock it down. Hoping to reduce it by £10 a week minimum so end goal would be 13/10/2025. I’ve always been…
Kezzy's debt journey 2024
I've been a member here for a long time, but for the first time I am going to create my own debt free diary. A little about me:nhs nurse, married mother of 2, and 2 doggie children. I have a bit of a problem with gambling, but hopefully I'm addressing it now I have used gamstop to block myself from uk sites. Lightbulb…
My husband doesn't know...
Ok, I'm glad I got your attention. Unfortunately it is true. My lovely husband doesn't know about my credit card debt, and at the minute telling him just isn't an option. I'm very open with him on everything else in life - I'm just too embarrassed to tell him about this. So please don't give me any marriage advice. I am…
Dolly's Surviving to Thriving...............
I know, I knowwwwwwwwwwwwww - I've had many many diaries before but it's a new year and I want a fresh start with new goals! 2024 Pay off all unsecured debt Close credit card accounts Make 2 mortgage overpayments Restart LISA Save for Christmas 2024 2025 Make 10 mortgage overpayments Re-mortgage Add savings to LISA Save…
2024 - Let's go again
So I'm starting 2024 with my debt at a little over £31k - still sounds so bad but considering it was £50k when I had my LBM in 2022 it's not so bad. I'm paying £700 per month towards debt and all but one account has been defaulted. Which makes me think about how best to tackle that. Defaults will start dropping off in…
Taming £12k
I meant to start this diary on 1 January, but better late than never, I suppose. I plan to add to it every day, even if it's not the largest update in the world, just to keep myself accountable. As you can see from my signature, I have four credit cards: CC1 - £1,418.78 CC2 - £2,097.48 CC3 - £4,250.46 CC4 - £4,905.78…
Journalling my way to a debt-free future
Hi, I need your help.....I have made a decision, after years of mounting debts and financial struggles, I have to change what I'm doing. I want to be accountable, so I am going to use this platform to document my journey and learn from you all! I am determined to do this- future me deserves to benefit from a life of hard…
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…
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…
Ugly Debt Needs To Go
Hi, I am a long term viewer of this site but it is now time for me to jump in with a diary and start to pay down this ugly debt that has been hanging around us. Unfortunately in August I had to reduce my hours at work due to ill health. Finally I have a diagnosis but it is going to take sometime to get back to good health…
New To Budgeting And Clearing my 3 credit cards debt
Hi all, I've been reading on and off for a while and I finally took the courage to open my own Debt Free Diary, to help keeping myself accountable. It feels good, as I finally have a plan, but it's going to be a tough couple of years. I purchased a flat in 2021, so I'm repaying my mortgage every month, and at the time,…
Beating My Debt
Hello All - Short and sweet, creating a diary to keep track of debts following some very helpful advise in the Debt Free Wannabe section. Current Debt: PayPal Credit - £5780 Family - £4986 Lendable - £1445 Finio - £1312 118118 - £1285 Tech Finance - £700 Salary Finance - £564 Drafty - £545 Total - £16,617. Lord help me.…
Mid 30's, Single Mum, £30k debt and Moving back with Parents
Hey! Brace yourselves, because its a long one! I'm a long term lurker on these boards and thought I'd make my own debt free wannabe diary, purely to keep me accountable and having things written in black and white makes everything much clearer for me. I'm 34, a single mum to 2 boys (one with ADHD and Autism) and I somehow…
Getting back to frugal ways in 2023 and beyond to reach my future goals
Hi Have been away from MSE for a couple of years and probably spent a lot of that time frittering my money. Am wanting to get back on track so figured a shiny new diary was a good place to start. I’ll tell you a little about myself - I’m 36 and I currently live at home with my Mum and older brother. I work full time in a…
A New Beginning
I've been AWOL for a while and now seems the right time to start a new diary. A brief history - we moved to our forever home in 2021. Twelve months after moving in, I discovered that the children and I had been betrayed in the worst way possible. My marriage ended overnight and I was suddenly a single mum with a huge…
Chapter Almost 40
Hello to anyone who's dropping in... I'm almost 40, a single mum on a pretty low income, doing my very best to stay afloat. Juggling trying to get by, get paid, create a fun life for my boy, create memories, have a social life & not start every week in my over draft,,, it's all good fun right? :D The COL crisis has…

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MSE News

Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payments this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.
Which NatWest and RBS branches are closing from 2025? Here's the full list – and banking alternatives
NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which are both part of the NatWest Group, will shut at least 108 of their bank branches in 2025 and beyond, after the Group announced a further 52 NatWest closures.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
Winter Fuel Payments will be reinstated to all pensioners in England and Wales this winter – but will be clawed back automatically from those earning over £35,000 a year, the Government has confirmed. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis.
Car finance mis-selling update: regulator prepares for compensation scheme – and warns against using claims firms
Payouts for mis-sold car finance could be another step closer as the financial regulator has set out the factors it will consider if it were to introduce an industry-wide redress scheme – though we won't know more about how this will work until after a key Supreme Court decision expected in July. In the meantime, the regulator has warned that you DON'T need to sign up with a claims firm to be included.
Winter Fuel Payments to be extended to pensioners earning £35,000 or less – here's what we know so far
Winter Fuel Payments will be extended to all pensioners with incomes of £35,000 or less this winter, the Government has confirmed. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up.
Winter Fuel Payments extension confirmed for this winter – watch Martin Lewis' instant response and his message to the Chancellor
Winter Fuel Payments will be extended to more pensioners this winter – though not to everyone – the Chancellor has today confirmed. However, exact details of who will now qualify still remain scant. Watch MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis give his instant response, as well as his key message for Rachel Reeves.
Nationwide Fairer Share: Free £100 bonus confirmed for 2025 – here's who will get it
If you bank with Nationwide, you could get a free £100 paid into your account in June or July as part of the building society's 'Fairer Share' scheme. The bonus will be paid to millions of its current account customers who also have savings or a mortgage with it.
Forced onto a prepay energy meter? You may be due money back as 10,000s to be compensated
If you had an energy prepayment meter forcibly installed or your smart meter was remotely switched to prepay mode without your permission, you could be entitled to compensation of up to £1,000 and may even be eligible to have your energy debts written off.

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Debt free diaries

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