My Debt Free Diary

littlegem174

Hi all,
Been looking through this wesbite for months, and its brilliant.
At first I honestly thought there was no way out and I was going to be swimming in debts for what seems the rest of my life. But after reading other peoples diaries and posts there actually is a light at the end of the tunnel! Its not something that will happen over night which is something I will struggle with as Im one of those people that like things to be done straight away!

But its time now to take control of these debts! today is day one!

I was just hoping for a bit of support, hints and tips from fellow debt wannabe members! I would love t hear what little changes have worked for other people

One of the major things im struggling with right now is Im struggling to afford healthy meals as Iv found salad is quite expensive and as i am single and live on my own, the salad goes off before i can finish it. Has anyone got any healthy lunches I can take to work (I cant reheat anything though) or any healthy tea's I can make for myself which are cheap.

My debts to date is at a staggering total of £19785. And would love to see this figure to come down. Things seem a little bleak at the moment.

Thanks for reading, a new debt free wannabe!! xx

littlegem174

After posting this thread earlier today, I have joined Slicethepie website! been scouting for just under an hour and already earnt myself 60p, ha.
Doesnt sound like much I know, but the number of times im sat at home doing nothing, when now I could be doing this, and earn just a little bit of money, every penny counts dont they say???

xx

racer256

Hi Little Gem, Welcome to the forum! Can you post a SOA so we can help you save money to go towards the debts. There is loads of good advice here so if I can't help you then someone else will. Big Hugs x

littlegem174

income is £1200
rent £390
water £29
car insurance £28
Council Tax £72
loan £150
Home phone £17
Cat insurance £7
account fee £7.50
contact lenses £15
Electricity £51
mobile £60
visa £40
internet £7.50

i am aware that my mobile is very high, but the contract doesnt run out till december so once that runs out I can switch that over.

Quick question i was looking through other posts and people were saying they have two electricity rates, I know I do, but how do you find out when your night rate comes into play?

xx

slig

Hi littlegem! Just wanted to say good luck with your debt free quest. If you put the info above into the SOA calculator at http://www.makesenseofcards.com/soacalc.html it'll make sure you're not missing out anything important, and show how much you have spare each month (in theory!).

For lunch I tend to either take stuffed pitta breads (I do cheese and tomato which works out very cheap, but I'm sure you can be more imaginative with fillings!) or cold pasta, often made up of leftovers from the night before. I get the Tesco's basics caramel wafers (5 for about 40p) and have one with my lunch to get my chocolate fix and keep myself away from the vending machine. I also sometimes have a yoghurt and (maybe not often enough!) some fruit. Try the MoneySaving Old Style board as there are often good food ideas on there.

dancingfairy

Hi Littlegem - would def do a full SOA as you seem to have missed off quite a few things - petrol, food, car mot, car repairs, tv licence, insurance, presents etc. Then you will get a better idea of where you stand.
With regards to the electric question I would have a quick check on your energy companies website or make a quick call to them - they should be able to tell you quite easily.
Good Luck with the debt busting.
df