over spend and over eat

Bargainfinder_3

:T :j :T:j :T:j :T:j :T:j :T:j
Well done crazy!
I'm very proud of you having your sarnie, and you will feel much better after it!!

Sounds like a fun job!!!

Icka, I know what you mean about dress sizes:eek: I too just started buying bigger, then when I started dieting, I bought I pair of work trousers and 1 pair of jeans in my bigger size, and vowed it would be the last clothes I bought in that size - and it has been. I'm chilled at the moment, because I could definatley lose lots more, but am happy I've managed to maintain and not go back up to that size!

My favourite motto is 'Keep on Keeping on'!!

icka

The reason I need to go to the gym is for my mental sanity. I can get a student deal for the year it works out at £30 per month which is £1 per day.

I would have spend way more than that on crisps and chocolate and jellies are my downfall anything sour and Im gone.

But I find going swimming at 8pm in the evening breaks that horrible part of the evening when its the "Hot Spot" for bingeing. FOr me its between 7.30 and 9.30. So if I can manage to get my !!! to the gym at that time. And spend time when I finish, moisturising and blow drying my hair I dont get home until 9.40 ish. Then its straight to bed with a book or big brother. Sorry Im addicted.

So over all I need to get fit for my mental sanity, I really do believe a healthy body is a healthy mind. And Im dwelling too much on everything at the moment and not feeling very well. So Im trying to turn my life around.

Bargainfinder_3

(Icka) Well done you I think if my gym had a pool I would have used it a lot more, as I love swimming... maybe when we are debt free I will join one with a pool... I would join my local swimming baths, but like the cleanliness of the gym pools!! Where abouts are you icka? Are you a student then?

When is your (everyone/anyone??!) debt free date - do you have one in mind? Ours is July 2009.. but then we want to move house and might have to put fees on a credit card and then pay them off again, so I've got December 2009 in my mind for our fresh new start...

icka

BF its kind of hard to say when my DFD will be. I decided to go back to college two years ago to do an honours degree. But its for four years and I am going into third year. Its a part time degree two nights a week from 6pm - 10.30 pm and every second weekend. Its so tough going back as Im now 30.

My college fees are £4500 per year. Which is due in September (no idea where Im going to magic that out of). I was working full time but got sick in January and was out of action for 6 months hense the debt. Trying to get a job at moment but its tough. So I definately wont be out of debt until after uni in 2010. At least. But dont really know.

Its hard to be a student at this age but I needed to do it for me. I dropped out of uni the first time around in my final year and regretted it ever since.

So Im trying so hard to make something of my life and not be a failure at everything I touch

What about you. Whats your story?

Bargainfinder_3

Hi Icka, good for you; at least you have a reason for your debt, and you're making important lifestyle changes.

Me? Well I've always been 'okay' with money, spent what I had, hopeless at saving, occasionally dipping into an overdraft or credit card before my conscience smote me and I paid it off my scrimping for weeks (helped living at home!!)
I got married 2 years ago, and OH always took care of the finances, I worked part time earning £700 per month, and I said I would pay for food shopping, he everything else (he has a really good job). He would never talk to me about finances, but always bought me stuff, we went on holidays, takeaways 3 nights out of 7... deep down I wondered if we could afford it - but I was completley naieve about how much bills were, and so thought we could on his salary - we earned more than our parents ever had.

In March this year, we had a bust up when I opened his post and found out there was a credit card I had been giving him money to pay off, but he'd been spending on it.. after rowing for ages, and my mum coming round to 'mediate' we sat down and worked out he/we were in £18,000 worth of debt

Technically, he is the one in debt, but I should have seen the signs (unopened post, refusal to talk about money with me, constant spending) and also I should have taken more responsibility with things. I have been let down a lot in my life, so I guess I just wanted to trust someone with something. I also couldn't blame him, because he just cried and said he had just wanted to give me everything I wanted, and shower me with gifts... no excuse I know.

Anyway, long story short, after a few days off work sick and some really tough conversations with OH about how we were going to work as a team in the future, we decided to pull together and pay it off... we have a loan of £7500 which is a monthly outgoing, the rest is all on cards. I went full time at work, which is bringing in an extra £500 a month which is all going on the credit cards. Once we've paid off the cards, I'll have a look at the loan and see if I can get it reduced / paid off quicker? But I just dont have the energy at the moment.

We really want to move house and concentrate on having a baby (Ive had 2 miscarriages), but I dont feel we can do either until we are debt free - so hence the debt free date of July 09/Dec 09, which is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment!!!!

Once we are debt free, OH is on a fab income, so I plan on giving up work and becoming a housewife (even if I cant be a housemom:()

Sorry, that was really long! x

cmcconnell

Bargainfinder you sound like you've got it all figured out whic is very encouraging, no what you mean about not having the energy to argue with loan companys about loan repayment contracts, and hey July 09 is less then a year away which is exciting!!! ( doubt ours will be clear by then! ... infact im sure it wont we're looking at summer 2010)

TESSCHA yes going to all 12! we were invited to nearer 25 weddings this year but said no to half of them as Traveling all over the contry is expensive!(as are wedding gifts and outfits)

Have been REALLY good with day one of my eat less challenge!! will post menu later!

crazychatter

Icka, it's brilliant that you've gone back to studying! Well done!

BF, that's a tough situation but it's great that you're working through it together, I really hope it all works out well and you get your dream of kiddies!!

My debt is just from stupidity, I've overspent ever since my first saturday job and it has just got worse as time has gone on, I never consider how much I earn and just buy anything and everything I want! Terriable I know and I have no excuse!! but I'm trying to cut down now and hopefully I will be out of debt by 2011. I'm not counting my student loan of £16,000 though, I'm waiting til I have a better paid job before I battle that one, I just want to pay off my loan and overdraft of £9000.

I had my pate sandwiches thanks to BFs support, I had four slices of bread and three hobnobs which is bad but now i'm all full up which is important as I prob wont have dinner til late if at all as I'm out for drinks tonite.

Bargainfinder_3

well done cm! Am pleased for you. Yes I know less than a year away is absolutley fantastic, so I am keeping cheerful Summer 2010 is good though!! Time will fly and you will be there before you know it. I love the 'What small DFW things have you done today' thread - encouraging! Today I am charging up my mobile at work lol!

25 weddings! I thought I was doing well with 4!! You can get some great gifts from warehouses and such, we got some forever friends mugs for £3.95 which were special wedding ones - bargain! (hence my username, lol)
Do you do cross stich? They are great personal wedding presents which cost very little, but take quite a bit of time

ciao x

Bargainfinder_3

Well done crazy - better than the p****i (it's a bad word, I wont say it!!! lol)
I am all too familiar with just buying what you want when you want and 'blowthe consequences'... I love it that mse is full of non-judegmental people who will support not condemn. I am lucky that I had my wakeup call through oh, otherwise if we had had kids, I probably would have done what lots of others on here have done and carried on spending despite having no income!! At least now I know that once we're debt free, I can leave work and we can start saving, thanks to me getting into the idea of frugal living!!

Poor Jo, you'll have loads to read when you log on tonight - all due to me being bored and alone at work and just sitting on here typing all day!! xx

cmcconnell

BF sadly no i am not very good at cross stitch, Have found that exploiting my daughter ( who is 2) to create very colourful pictures is a cute way of getting out of the present buying problem, or as my Husband is a musician he has payed at some of them which he wont charge for so that counts as a gift. (saves the bride and groom lots of money in terms of entertainment!)