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“Debt is normal. Be weird.”
The last time I ventured onto this forum was nearly 17 months ago. I started a diary in 2019 of the same name (now defunct somewhere and gathering dust) which really helped me focus on reducing our debt, whilst simultaneously being held accountable for even the smallest financial decision - there was nowhere to hide!…
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Claiming back my life
I’m a mid 40s Mum to an amazing 9 year old and need to make some changes! I feel like I’ve been coasting / existing for most my adult life. Over the last few years I’ve become increasingly aware of my mortality, realising that I’ve probably got more of my life behind me than in front of me (morbid I know!) and it’s time to…
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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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Mortgage Free by 50???
Thread closed
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Time to get the monkey off my back!
Hello! My first time posting here, have been a lurker for a long time, but after reading the most amazing diary over the weekend by @EatingBeans, I'm ready to start my own. I have spent most of my adult lift in debt. When I had hardly any money, I managed it brilliantly, debt free, staying within my means, but as the money…
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Do it for your future self
Hey all, Here i am again, my third diary and each time i come back with more and more debt. I have been feeling so hopeless recently, this debt has been weighing on me so heavy - was it 100 percent my own fault by living beyond my means (yes) but its making me not want to exist i feel so trapped to be honest. I’m not…
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Stopping the backsliding… a family of four no longer living beyond their means
Some of you may know me from my last diary, which was on Mortgage Free Wannabe. The truth is, I’ve not paid anything extra off my mortgage for years, I’ve not saved like I meant to, and I currently have £1,000 on my credit card 🤦♀️ 🤦♀️ 🤦♀️ I plan to have this paid off in under 3 months, so I could have stayed on my old…
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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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Debt-free by March 2026
Hello, I have got lots of excellent advice from people on this forum over the past couple of months and I now feel ready to start a diary. My budget might not be quite right yet and might need some ongoing tweaking, I am hoping this diary will allow me to hold myself accountable and reflect on actual spending each month so…
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There is always tomorrow
We live on a smallholding in rural Wales. We don't keep any other animals than horses that are oldies now and it is only me and DH at home. Compared with a few years ago there is a lot less to be paying for although the costs of previous years have caught up with us and we are paying loans and credit cards. The purpose of…
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Champagne supernova’s debt free to savaholic diary
Hi all , Im going to start documenting my journey to financial stability and security. I have a post about my DMP here : https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6509459/at-the-end-of-my-2nd-dmp#latest My story is as follows: Debts at their highest - £11, 274.34 Debt-Free Date (projected) - July 2024 Debts March…
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2020++ - smiling and waving and looking so fine
Hello welcome to my shiny new 5 years (I hope) diary. The title is based on my favourite lyric from the Bowie song 5 years - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bcnO3VQ_fc - I commend you to go and have a listen - its the live Old Grey Whistle Test version and is hauntingly beautiful. Why a 5 year diary - well its is…
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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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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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Evasive action! Stop the trench becoming a hole.
I need to take evasive action, and I need to hold myself accountable. I'm not going to call where I am a hole. It's still a rut. A trench. I've got savings, but they are in accounts where they earn good interest rates so I hate touching them. I've just moved house, and I've been doing a money shuffle every month, borrowing…
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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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Breaking through the £37k of debt
Hi everyone, I read a number of diaries here and I figured it's time I should start a diary of my own as a means to help track my progress on getting rid of the debt and possibly help me vent and unload some of the personal and family life struggles and challenges. Our position isn't bad but I'd like to clear the debts to…
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Baby Steps to a brighter future
I'm one of those boomerang DFW. Was on here previously having cleared 10k of debt post marriage breakdown, divorce and moving on. Was debt free for a couple of years and due to some pretty rough set of circumstances find myself back here with an even bigger debt. This debt is not from being frivalous, far from it. Life has…
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Debt Free at 63... What next?... [Equity release on mortgage free house 2025]
Hi, I need some sage advice from our fantastic hive-mind :) I am considering equity release on mortgage free house in the next couple of years. Sadly my son died a couple of years ago so I now have no family I want to leave my inheritance to. * I am single, 63 (still work teaching 3/7 days and reach pension age at 66) * I…
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Spent 4 years pretending it's all OK
Bewildered, confused, terrified that will lose everything we have worked so hard to build up. Over 70 K unsecured debt and 28K owed to family. Have been self employed for 10 years but business gradually gone down hill in recession. partner went back t o work, on good salary 47K but not enough, plus some money still coming…
