Flying out of debt (Hopefully!) One Fresian's adventures...*Now with SOA!*

mooomin

Hello!

I'm having what feels like a quite lazy day, but I have actually done quite a lot. I have scrubbed the kitchen and made yummy bolognaise, and enough of that to freeze or do for dinner tomorrow. I've done a lot of online surveys as well - my normal Onepoll, and I have joined Toluna and Dooyoo as well, although I think that Dooyoo might be out of my league for the moment.

I've done my online banking and my PAD, and am trying to work up the energy to put books for selling in a box. I've been putting it off for ages because I'm a ridiculous bibliophile, I love every book I have even if it's trash. I love books and I am trying to get away with selling none of them :rotfl:This isn't an option though as I have four bookcases in the house, all of them with books sitting two deep on the shelves, and with books on tables and the floor all around the house. It's madness I tells you!

I can make money from these books. I can reduce my debt with these books. I can use the money from these books to save up for the birthday treat I want to buy my other half that I won't be able to afford otherwise. These books can get me better things.

I'm going to do it.

I'm going to get a box and start right now. Aha! Onwards onto action!!

/talk yourself into getting off your lazy *rse blog

pixiechick99

Aaaah I know how you feel - I love books too (bought 3 more today:eek: ). But I was good and sold a lot on Amazon in the summer, even though I didn't like doing it!! Some I know I won't read again, so may as well sell, but some I really will never part with.
I do like selling on Amazon, nice and easy...may have a look for more to sell (my girls have loads too....might go see what they've finished with!)

edinburgher

I appreciate how hard it can be to sell/part with books Fresian! I graduated with a good Honours degree in English Literature and was forced to sell 50-60 books just to break even as I struggled to find full time work after leaving University.

I then lost another 40-50 to my younger brother when I moved to England, although he is studying English too, so I like to feel as if I'm making his future that little bit brighter.

100 or so books might not sound that bad, but I feel as if I've lost the better half of the last two centuries of literature

It's worth it if it moves you closer to that DFD.

mooomin

Hmmm....have raided only one of my bookcases and I have about 25-30 books to sell.

Two shelves on that bookcase are still two deep with books. I'm not ruthless enough...

edinburgher

flying_fresian wrote: »

Hmmm....have raided only one of my bookcases and I have about 25-30 books to sell.

Two shelves on that bookcase are still two deep with books. I'm not ruthless enough...

What my parents did once they discovered Amazon marketplace and went nuts may be worth considering for you. They listed all their books (the collected detritus of five adult kids, 3-4 degrees, a 10 year career as a teacher and the contents of their sadly deceased parents' bookshelves!)

Remember that they won't all sell and the larger your 'stock', the more likely you are to get regular payments coming in

Books make a home and are just about the best entertainment there is.

Being free of the bank leeches is better.

mooomin

Started my diary on 12/12/2008, having been doing PAD since 28/11/2008, so one month's progress update from me.

On 28/11/2008 my debts stood as noted below (Shameless copy and paste!):

Barclaycard - £1,131.90

Overdraft - £1,007

Personal Loan - £6,973.73

My new totals are:

Barclaycard: Was [strike]£1,131.90[/strike] £936.24

Overdraft: Was [strike]£1,007[/strike] then £728 the day before payday and I have an additional £141.13 in my Overdraft Begone Account. So that should be £586.87 balance now.

Personal Loan: Was [strike]£6,973.73[/strike] now £6,884.52. I am snowballing the other two, so this has just reduced by the monthly payment minus interest.
*****

So, total debt was £9,112.62 and is now £8,407.63. Total paid off is £704.99. Holy carp. If that isn't motivating, I don't know what is....

*edit* According to the snowball calculator, I have now taken my DFD to February 2012, assuming an allocation of £250 per month for debt repayments, obviously if I can do it earlier I will!!

pixiechick99

That really is fab, you must be very pleased with yourself!!! I'm desperate to get going on January's overpayments - will see how much I have left to overpay once the dds have all come out on the st, then the rent on the 8th-ish.
It must really have you motivated now to see such a massive sum paid off in only a month - keep going!! And I love your diary, makes me laugh! I often feel I'm talking to myself in my diary, but it's great to look back over the months and see progress (though mine has been minimal recently!!)

Anyway, starting to ramble now - but well done:beer:

mooomin

Good morning all!

Time to prepare my usual "Copy and paste" list for the "What Small DFW Things..." thread Before I do that though, I was amazed yesterday at how much less debt I am in compared to this time last month. About £300 of that is down to PAD, £120ish is my normal loan repayment, and the rest was just living frugally throughout December. I am under no illusions that this amount will be paid off every month, but it's an excellent start, and seeing my DFD come down by four months is incredible.



Anyway, on with the list-making! Today I have done/will do:

• [STRIKE]Checked online banking. All is well.[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]Made my PAD to the overdraft account[/STRIKE]
• Take out £30 cash (Ebay sales) and put into a pot for t'other half's birthday fund
• Take out £20 cash to last me for this week.
• [STRIKE]Emptied cat litter.[/STRIKE] Not DFW in any way, but t'other half forgot to do it yesterday, we have two cats and I wanted someone else to know how I had suffered this morning. Eek.
• Make lunch to take to work
• Take flask to work
• Have leftovers from yesterday for dinner today
• Check Onepoll after work (Nothing this morning)
• List more books on Amazon tonight
• Go to supermarket and buy my slow cooker. And more flipping cat litter
• Call my mum and let her know how much she owes me for the stuff I bought her in the sales
• Washing hokey cokey

I think that's enough to be getting along with. Have a lovely Monday!

[Deleted User]

Morning flying fresian,

Sounds like a do-able list and well done on the debt-busting.

Have a good day at work.

Tea
x

Jolly2009

Morning Fresian,

Gosh just read through your post for past day and it's so motivating! You are doing/done so well :j

I only hope my attempts can be as good. Haven't posted on my diary today as not much to say apart from bored at work. Still at least if I am work I can not spend any money - got to be a good thing?

I do however have a notepad sat next to me with a list of 101 things to do and it's ever increasing! Will have to pop back later and post on my thread.

Feel for you with the books, I am just getting back into reading and asked for quite a few for Christmas so should last me a while. Although I think I would be reluctant to sell them after I have finished them, there is nothing quite like a good bookcase to turn to now and again.

Right, enough yapping must get back to work. Have a good day everyone.