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Debt free diaries

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

Advice on Parent taking out Personal loan and implications?
Hello all I am in the position where I have had to approach a parent to help me with some debt consolidation. The family member would be looking to take out a loan of £25,000 to pay off my creditors directly, we then have a monthly payment plan agreed between us to repay what they have borrowed over 5 years. The reason I…
First time Mum's debt journey
So, this is far from my first diary on here, but so much has changed since I last posted I thought I might as well start a new diary alongside this new chapter in my life! I'm due my first child in early October and I'm determined to pay off all my debt and save for a house before this baby will start school so we can be…
Time to stop running away
Hi I am a newbie joining after years of lurking and after listening to a podcast about running away from your problems (via drinking, facebook, tv, going out) and instead using that time wisely to solve your problems. So I've decided to take small daily actions towards a few worries I have...debt being one of them. I've…
Third-Life Crisis
Hi everyone, So it would appear I am having a third-life crisis. Although we've been aware of our massive debt for a long time (having been in debt since being offered my first credit card by the bank at 18) it has really hit home this week how much we owe and how long it's going to take to pay off. Throw in the looming…
Over 30K in unsecured debt SOA
Hi, My SOA is below. I am a recovering gambling addict which is how I got myself into this mess. I am 29 years old. I am fortunate enough to have a great job so am hoping I can dig myself out of this without having to resort to anything too drastic. Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet Monthly Income Details…
Battling Debt and Mental Illness — and (hopefully) Winning!
Hi everyone :hello: I've been lurking on the Debt-Free Wannabe forums for ages and thought it was high time I joined in. I'm also hoping that having my own diary will motivate me to keep going — I've been reading some of the other diaries on here and feel inspired. About me: I'm 31, single, unemployed and living with my…
N245 help
Hi there, Could someone please help me. I am about to file form N245 to reduce monthly payments to CCJ. The debt has been transfer from Employment Tribiunal. In the section income I have declared my salary, Universal Credit and Child benefit. Shall I put my daughter's maintenance there as well? It's very unclear on the…
Mobile phone debt
Hi not sure I’m in the right place but looking for any advice really, my mum was paying my phone bill and my contract ran out Oct 2017 so she cancelled the direct debit etc. In Jan 2019 she had a letter from Lowell portfolio stating she had a £39 debt for this old mobile phone so I quickly paid it off because she’s upset…
Unsecured Debt Free by 2021
Hello All. This is the start of my journey to becoming debt free (not including mortgage) by 2021. No more loans, credit cards or catalogue purchases. Smoking stopped, car sorn so no more tax or insurance. internet tv and magazine subscription cancelled. Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet Monthly Income…
Lantern text messages but no debt?
Hi, I’m not sure if this is the right place to post. However I need some advice. Since April I’ve been receiving text messages from ‘Lantern’ first asking me to access my Lantern account (I’ve never owned one or even heard of Lantern) or call them using a reference number. I ignored it. I received a second text two days…
New challenges for OrangeFairy 😝
Hi all, I haven’t been on MSE for a while but it has really helped me in the past. We cleared all out debt to save for a house- we have achieved that goal but now have a bit of debt due to the house move and purchases. It isn’t unmanageable but hoping to concentrate on it over the next few months- it will be harder this…
I'm debt free!
Hi everyone, it wasn't much of a diary as I cancelled my broadband to keep costs down which meant I couldn't log in. So I now have to let everyone know, a) because I'm pleased with myself and b) because I'm hoping to inspire others, that I am now debt free. :D I was credit card debt free on 30/05/18 (had started with about…
Clean slate
Hello diary land. I am a thirty-something stay at home single mum. Also, long time reader of this particular part of the forum. I am not in debt at the minute, but feel my money is getting away from me. I think I would benefit from somewhere to log my thoughts and keep myself accountable. This seems like just the place!
Starting my diary again...
A bit about me... I'm 25, still living at home & have a decent paid job with a bank. I have been a member of MSE for a while now, and did used to be a regular poster but haven't been on for a good year or two (maybe more :o )! I currently have outstanding debts of £8,828.86 which consist of a loan from my Grandparents, a…
The Final Few Months of Debt
Hello, this is my first post in this forum so please be kind. I just wanted to share a little bit of my story in the hope it might resonate with one or two people in the same position I was. I'm a single 35 year old male who's been in debt for most of my adult life. There was a brief period around seven or eight years ago…
Repaying my (old) life away!!
After being a long-time lurker I have decided to bite the bullet and start my own thread.:j:j I am a 28yo Mother of 2 boys, I am roughly in about 8K of debt (cc and bank of mum) I earn a decent wage, have spread sheets coming out my ears for monthly expenses (bills etc.,) but its what's left over that seems to vanish. My…
Getting Debt-Free despite Struggling with MH problems
I have quite a lot of debt: £7000 ''normal' debt' - paying this off at £335 / month £6000 'debt to a family member' (no interest on this one, and can perhaps vary the payments a bit' - paying this off at £50 / month £127000 'mortgage debt' - paying this off at £600 / month - not really significant to me at the moment, my…
Here we go again
We are virtually debt free but the purse is going to have to be padlocked, I need to build up a decent emergency pot pretty quickly. My OH is 86 and in poor health, should anything happen to him I would have to pay full rent and council tax until my financial situation is sorted out. Funeral plans in place for both of us,…
People keep on learnin’
Wow, here we go. Hi folks, and welcome to my diary. I am principally keeping this log as a testament of my recovery from a life of serial debt, lies and dishonesty. It may well prove to be educational, entertaining and useful for others if so, so much the better. I should note that a diary is an entirely alien concept to…
Saving and losing weight diary
I've been lookof for somewhere to log down my weight loss journey, so thought I'd stick to here (hoping that's OK) I weigh the most ive ever weighed. I told myself once I got debt free, I would crack on with losing weight and I've haven't! So deep breathe, I weighed myself today and I weigh 14stone.6.... Yikes!! The most…

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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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