Nichola's get out of debt/get confident diary

Nichelette

Hi Yukki .

I got some good news yesterday, I've got an interview for the job I applied for a while ago. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much but it would be great if I were to get the job, particularly as it would start around the time of my temp work ending.
My consumer pulse voucher arrived today which is good as my sister is going to give me the cash for it. I'm doing quite well at the £1000 in 100 days challenge at the moment, but I doubt I'll be able to keep going as well as I am currently. I've had another two no spend days since my last entry. In fact, I got my prescription charges refunded today so I'm actually up by £21.30, though I'll probably have to use that on petrol tomorrow. I'm going to take a top back over the weekend though, so that will be a bit extra back too.

I really need to get more jewellery made and photographed in time for the christmas rush, but it's hard at the moment as when I'm not working I seem to be in Brighton where I can't do anything. I might have a day off or something so I can make & photograph stuff, it should be worth the wages I'll lose in the long run. Just before I go I've been playing with the snowballer thing. This is what it says: http://www.whatsthecost.com/DebtSnowballs/nichelette/details.aspxbut I'm hoping to be debt free earlier than that if at all possible.

SmlSave

Morning

Good luck with the interview, I've got my fingers and toes crossed for you.

yukkibear

Good luck with the interview. I'm sure you'll manage to bring that date forward too

Nichelette

Thanks you two , I'm crossing everything too.

I'm in Brighton now which usually means spending money for me, though my boyfriend bought me dinner and a bunch of lillies last night because I haven't seen him for a few weeks (he was at a festival a couple of weekends ago, then in London on Friday and Saturday last week). I'm very lucky to have him.

As he bought dinner I was a bit naughty last night and spent £5.17 on a bottle of wine and some crisps, which with the chinese has just pushed me over my £10 a week. I also got the train to his house instead of walking as I was running late which was another £1.40. He lives right in the center of Brighton so there is nowhere to park which I hate because it often ends up costing me more when the weather is rubbish or I'm in a rush. My options are to either park three stops away from Brighton & get a train, or walk the 30 mins. Normally I'll walk but I didn't have time last night. I did get paid yesterday though. I got just over £200 after tax, so I've put £200 in my ISA towards paying the car off. I have a bit over £1300 now, and with the car payment that will go on Monday I'll be almost half way to paying it off . I still have about £80 in my current account but that will be £90ish after I get a refund on that top today. As I'm trying to live on as little as is humanly possible that will be plently, and I'll get paid again next Friday.

I have a tax question if anyone knows the answer... I was paid £240 something, of which about £25 was tax and £15 was NI. Now, as even with my full time summer earnings, being a student I haven't paid income tax before, so my question is why have I paid less than 10%? I thought the minimum was 20%, so is this something to do with the tax people averaging out my income if it were to stay at this level for the rest of the tax year, and my personal allowance? Or is it just wrong and they're going to come after me? I hope not...

I'm going into town soon. I need to buy toothpaste but other than that am hoping to show some restraint. I'm going to get my sister one of these http://www.next.co.uk/shopping/gifts/giftsforher/3/11 for the ipod I'm giving her for her christmas/birthday present. She has a big leather purse that colour so I figure it will match. Plus I can put it in that when I give her it so she won't know what it is.

I want this for myself http://www.next.co.uk/shopping/gifts/giftsforher/4/1

It is money saving in a way lol.

SmlSave

It is money saving, I agree . Think I should get one too to help me save.

I'm glad you had a good time in Brighton. Keep it quiet but I had a 'good' time ths weekend too! :rolleyes: you could say that overspent a little...

Nichelette

Ugh, I just wrote a huge long post and lost it . I'm going to summarise now..

Last weekend was a write off money wise, but this weekend has been much better. When I got back from work on Monday my dad said that he had paid off the remaining balance on my car. He said he wanted it to be a gift but it's my debt so I want to pay him back. He wouldn't take any of the money from my ISA (which I've been saving to pay the car off early) and said that if I really want to pay him back I should sort myself out financially first.

Work is rubbish but I'm not going to explain why again!

As I'm not paying the £155 off of the car every month now I'm able to work on my overdrafts. I've managed to reduce my Abbey one from £2000 to £1800 this week. I can't wait til I get it cleared so I can close the account, as in my experience they're completely incompetent.

My attitude towards my debt has changed too. I did want to be free of my student loan, but I've come to my senses. As it is (near enough) 0%, I'll be making more by having the money in my ISA than I'll be paying in interest. Now, as I'll have a big lump sum in my ISA I I'm unlikely to want to use it to pay off a 0% loan (especially as if I get the job I want I'll only be paying it off on a whole £500 of my earnings as I'll only be just over the threshold). Insead I've decided to use the money in my ISA to save up a deposit for a house. I'm aiming to fill my ISA every year which I should easily be able to do. Currently I have another £3000 I can put in my ISA this tax year, I'm not sure if I'll be able to quite get the whole amount by April, but if I am working full time for 5 months I'll give it a good go. Even if I can only get another £2000 it's something.

Oh, and before I go I've done a new snowball. For some reason my computer won't copy & paste properly now so I'll post it in my next entry.