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LBM in 2003.. What have I been doing since??!
Hello I have decided to start a diary. Have lurked on here since early 2009, subscribed to loads of threads, loved all the camaraderie and found it very useful for getting shot of debt, starting savings and all that kind of good stuff but then have slipped and skidded into more debt, especially as I left a FT job this…
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One eye on the future ..one eye on the past
New Diary think I got lost in space. Debts are slowly reducing,I sort of have a three year plan ongoing which should mean we are very comfortable in the middle of the year 2023. I'm resigned to this being my abode ...hate my house ..hate my neighbours For that time I want to be in a good place financially to move at that…
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A Ditherer's Diary (again)
I'm baaaack. When I started my original diary "A Ditherer's Diary" My kids were littlie's aged 5 and 15 months. Nothing except their age and the amount of debt has changed, it's all got higher! They are now 11 & 7. Having had a quick read through, a lot of it was me coming and going with a few months/years in between. I…
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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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Seasidegal's Scrimpy Retirement Diary!
Hi there!😀 Having finally retired from work last Friday as my State Pension kicked in, I have decided to start a new diary as I begin the next stage in my life. I began my first diary on these boards in 2014 when I was 58 and in £31,000's worth of debt!😱 I realised time was fast approaching to retirement and that I needed…
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Stronger, Smarter and Saving
Time to face my debt head on and I thought this would be a nice little corner of the internet to document it. I have about £10k on a 0% card and just under £5k at 5.9%, so I'll start with that smaller card. OH has about £10k across 2 cards too - they're both on 0% deals so we've set them up to pay min payments only at the…
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I can do this...step by step
Hi all, I've been lurking on the forums on and off (mostly off) for sometime now and had "that moment" when I have come to realise I'm really over my head and hiding behind yet more loans and further debt won't help. I feel I have got to this stage by each time taking a new loan to consolidate the last while spending more…
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Cards Be Gone !
joining to get rid of my credit cards no other debts apart from mortgage which doesn’t have long left will list my cards, balance. Interest rates etc shortly
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After Advice Please
Hi, Me and my wife have been stupid with money over the last few years. we earn decent money but have big outgoings. looking for advice & ways around it please. nursery fees will be stopped in January which will help Income a month (after tax) Me - £2190 - Wife - £2500 = £4690 Outgoings personal spending - Me - £300 - Wife…
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The Sea is Calling
Hello there fellow wannabes! Starting a brand new diary for my lofty ambitions. It's me, my husband, our cat (plus an extra one who eats his food and sneaks in to sleep in our house but won't let us go near her) and we live in a Victorian terrace of an East Mids town. We are bookish and musical, and very social peeps, and…
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£2,576.79 to clear by March
£956.15 on one credit card, interest free period ends 16th March £1620.64 on the other, interest free until the 1st March It's entirely possible that I can't quite manage and end up doing a balance transfer, but this diary is to give me the accountability to try my best. We've had a tricky year financially after my husband…
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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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Spinning a New Story
I’ve been lurking for a little while, reading and learning. After far too long of burying my hand in the sand and telling myself that I’m just not very good with money, I’ve decided that I need a new story. I can learn to do things differently. I don’t have to hide away from my bank balance. I can save for the future (one…
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A healthier way to chase dopamine
Hi everyone, I’m newly registered to the forum but have been reading these diaries for a few weeks and it’s inspired me to start my own one to keep me accountable and hopefully get the debts down! My problem is that I currently have a large amount of credit card debt through what I now realise is chasing dopamine. I get a…
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Reset 2026
So 2026 is going to be my reset year. Started September 2024 with 32000 in debt, cards & loans. By the end of December I will be down to 8995 - gotta add the extra just to get to a figure starting with 8! Hoping to clear the lot by the end of September 2026. I have a tax bill to pay by the end of Jan and the car MOT at the…
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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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Digging myself out of debt
Hi everyone, This will be a bit long, please don't feel obliged to read - SOA will be posted below when I can make the time. It just helps me to think 'out loud' in writing, and hopefully to get some moral support as I go along. Introduction Well, it's been a long time since I was in debt. Maybe 15 years. My first ex got…
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Three Steps Forward
Starting a fresh diary. I don't really have a plan - I mean I do, but every past plan has failed, so I'd like to style this one out better. That's the plan. Budget is good. Will save a bit of electricity if I turn lights off. Am considering cancelling the TV License. Is it worth getting lifetime subscription to Microsoft…
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Living Large, on a Small Income, by the Sea.
I am living by the sea in a beautiful house. (I can’t believe that sentence is about me) I have spent two years living in other people’s homes. I ended up on a sofa for several months. The joy of my own home, my own key, my own bed…it is indescribable. I had to go to the top of my budget to buy the house, but it is exactly…
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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…