Flying gleefully into 2009 - One Fresians adventures in debt-busting

mooomin

Hi Sarah,

That's my combined total for electricity and gas. I don't think it's too bad as we have gas central heating and are constantly running our 3 computers :rotfl: (My laptop, PC for t'other half and flatmate has the control deck of the Starship Enterprise wired up in his room)

mooomin

Morning all

Well, I'm totally knackered and the coffee isn't working, so it must be Monday

Time for the news and plans for the day at Fresian Towers:

• Check online banking
• Make PAD - woohoo £1 :rotfl:
• Got free magnetic photo frame via the freebies board
  
• Take lunch to work with me
• Take flask to work with me - make my own coffee
• Washing hokey cokey
• Go to Asda and spend less than I take with me
• Read my book at lunchtime and don't buy a magazine

And for no reason other than I love this smiley, have some Tigger!


flying_fresian

tomtombeanie

flying_fresian wrote: »

I think for Audible you can cancel online - I am going to remain a member, but there is definitely a box that I can click in My Account that lets me cancel the whole thing. I did forget to cancel my Experian thing though, which annoyed me!

you DEFINITELY can cancel online - i went to cancel mine, it asked for a reason, i clicked the "need to cut back on spending" or similar option, it then offered me 3 months at half price! so i will keep it for the 3 months then review the situation. may be worth a try...

xx

tomtombeanie

well done on everything you have achived, fresian...i've said if before (and i know you thought it was amusing!) but you really are in inspiration.

sorry you've been feeling down, i don't think the weather & time of year helps either. you'll get there though - you seem a really strong & together person all told .

xx

mooomin

tomtombeanie wrote: »

you DEFINITELY can cancel online - i went to cancel mine, it asked for a reason, i clicked the "need to cut back on spending" or similar option, it then offered me 3 months at half price! so i will keep it for the 3 months then review the situation. may be worth a try...

xx

Ooh, guess what I'm going to try when I get home :rotfl:

I am still at work waiting for my pal to finish so we can get the bus home together. Update to come later!

Silaqui

Hiya!
Just a little thing I thought of after reading the cancelling Audible thing - If you sign up for the lovefilm free trial, or any of the similar ones, then cancel before you have to pay, a similar option comes up. It asks you 'would you consider rejoining' then you can say 'yes, maybe in 3 months' and hey presto after 3 months they send you a voucher for another 3 months free. Repeat as required, I've never paid for anything from Lovefilm and been with them on and off for about 4 years now! I know not actually relevant to the thread but beig as there is usually cash back available for doing the free trial...:rolleyes: obviously only works if you are not already a member.
xx

Raychee

OOOh! I'm picking up some faaaaab tips from here! :j

mooomin

Evening all!

Just thought that I would do a little update before I went to bed, which won't be far away, I'm flipping knackered tonight and can't stop yawning!

I have done everything on my list today except for go to Asda, and that was just because by the time I got in to the house after work (After skating down the street thanks to the snow!) and sat and had a cup of tea I couldn't face going out again! I had a very MSE pasta n sauce dinner, but I want something tastier!

So, tomorrow I think I will get the bus directly to the supermarket and get t'other half to meet me there!

I didn't read my book at lunchtime, but that's because I was browsing the MSE forums - this place is an addiction! - and calling Alliance and Leicester to activate my new shiny debit card. I had to refuse the offer of card cover twice - why pay £30 a year so that you don't have to cancel your cards yourself if you lose your purse?? It's madness

I sent off the forms to move over my direct debits to Alliance and Leicester as well (And have photocopied them with the date I posted them on them - who says I'm paranoid :rotfl:)

Apart from that it was a quiet MSE day for me, although it was another NSD. I think that I have now done a lot of "big" things in my DFW battle, and it's now about settling down for the slog.

For those of you who have been reading for a while, I was recently tempted by a new phone contract which I would only have been taking out to get a shiny new iPod Touch. I did manage to resist this (Yay!) but have been having other thoughts. Can I please have some advice on this??? Here are my thoughts in order:

1. This month is a no Council Tax month - £120 saved
2. I will be paying about £70-£80 less than budgeted for in terms of mortgage payment due to the drop in the base rate
3. In my eyes I have two options - use this extra £190-£200 to pay off some debts, probably off the overdraft
4. Buy me a shiny new iPod - not the Touch but the Classic, which would be £165. Put the other £35 towards the debts
5. Then sell my Nano and put the money made towards the debts
6. Next month when I am in the same position in terms of Council Tax and mortgage payments, pay the full amount towards my debts

It would be really nice to pay off another £200 and break through the £1000 cleared mark, but it would also be nice to have a nice shiny new iPod, and my Nano really isn't big enough in terms of storage for what I need. So, do I want to break through the £1000 barrier, or do I want a shiny reward? Should I wait until March when I will also have a "spare" £200 and buy it for myself as a reward for breaking through the £1000 barrier??

There is another option though - I work in financial services (I'm not a fat-cat banker, and it's not my fault the economy is b*ggered by the way) and may receive a bonus in a couple of months. My work is being understandably reticent about confirming this in the current financial/media driven climate. So I could wait and see but then I run the risk of having no bonus and no iPod, and I don't want to be in that situation :rotfl:

My little brain is aching, all advice would be awesome.

*note to readers* The question is not "should I buy an Ipod?", as the answer to that will always be to pay off more debt. I will be buying an iPod, the question is really either "When will I buy an IPod" or "How should I pay for my shiny new IPod?"

SarahNeedle1872

Buy buy buy! You've worked hard and deserve a treat... besides, you have just pledged next months council/mortgage money... and if you are feeling really guilty, put your bonus money towards the debt too!

[Deleted User]

Hi FF from one Edinburgh lass to another!!
Just a quick post from me to say well done with your moneysaving and debt repayments.
I will be keeping upto date with your progress.
Palema

PS: I would buy your shiny new ipod now while you have the money!!