Finally debt free!

Sarah147

Hi all, I am a lurker who has been on the forum for about eight months. Finally, today, I paid off my last overdraft and paid off the last of my credit card and am finally debt free :j

Every year I say I will finish the year being debt free but have never managed it. I started the year with;

About 1000 overdrawn in my Natwest account
About 800 overdrawn in my LLoyds account
About 1000 on my credit card

Yeah, this may not seem like huge amounts to some of you, but it was enough to cause me a lot of sleepless nights, especially when I found out that I was to be made redundant early next year, a real light bulb moment! Plus, with the financial world being as it was, I knew the banks could turn around anytime and ask for me to repay their overdrafts. I had no savings, so knew I would be in serious trouble if this happened. I was just flitting money away on useless things that I didn't really want and certainly didn't need. When my wages went in I was in the black for a few minutes, until the direct debits started going out and then it was straight back into the red again.

But the point of this thread is not to gloat, it is to give the rest of you hope. It can be done! Start with the little steps, read what others are doing and adopt their good ways, take it slowly one step at a time and it will all come together for you. I could never imagine being in this position a year ago but this site has literally saved me and changed my relationship with money. Life is about enjoying yourself, you do not need to spend money to do it. I really appreciate what really matters in life now! Friends and family, not things.

Good luck to all of you on your journeys to being debt free and I will keep on enjoying reading your progress. The little steps really do add up and make a difference :T

blissfullydebtfreewannabe

Congratulations! Well done for making it, I bet you feel so relieved, and you are right the small steps do really make a difference. Hope it won't be too long before the rest of us are where you are!

Sarah147

You are right, it is such a sense of relief! Plus a real sense of determination that I am never going to go back to living beyond my means again. If I want something I AM going to save up for it and not just whack it on a credit card. That is the plan anyway

debtfreefuture

Well done. You are right when you say baby steps are the best way to achieve the long strides. It must feel great going into 2009 with no debts.
:T

JES_F1

Congratulations! Very best wishes for 2009!

dealwithdebtdot

Wow, that is awesome. Really insparational, thanks for posting aund uber coungratulations.

I keep reading the amazing things people have done, it has really helped me find my resolve and plan the way out of my debt.

I think that this is an amaxing warm community!:o

urg123

That's great news!!!!!!:j :j :j :j

YOu must be jumping for joy! Well done. :beer:

Bowski_1011

:j Congratulations Sarah!!

Wanna_Bee_Free

Well done and congratulations! I'm sure if you keep popping in here you won't undo all your good work. And if you can stick to a budget over Christmas that's one of the hardest times to get through of the whole year.

MrsAudus2b

Congratulations! :beer:

xxx

~evanesco~

yay! I love I did it threads. Really well done to you.