Releasing finance into my life in 2006

delirious_geek

Hi everyone.

Thank you to Martin and everyone who has posted here. Your information is very valuable and will be a great assistance as I move forward this year in financial discipline. :A

I’m still paying off a total debt of approximately £7,330.90 and have an annual income of £13,000 gross. One of my debtors stopped charging me interest on the balance and another debtor consolidated 2 loans into a single loan and cut about £400 off the total (so when it’s paid back it will be the original amount that was borrowed).

My largest debt outside of my £4150.31 student loans is my Egg card which sits at £1,488.37. I made a series of very bad decisions and…well, I’ve learnt an expensive lesson. Someone recently said to me that the only true mistake is one that you don’t learn from. It has taken a while for me to learn to discipline myself with money. My parents HATE debt with a passion and have never borrowed. So it was a BIG step today when they helped me with my Egg card and applied for a Halifax One card with a 0% interest rate on balance transfers for 12 months (2% fee). This will save me a good deal of money in the interest payments alone on the Egg Card - I have a bad credit rating and can't play the credit card tart game on this one. Starting with my salary at the end of Feburary I’ll start paying in £150 a month and that would mean the balance would be cleared by the end of the year. :j

I don’t know how long it is going to take me to be debt free because there is a big change on the horizon. I got engaged on Christmas Day. Spent £190 on the ring at 50% off the original price - but don’t tell her that ;-) We’re getting married in May this year and it’ll be a wedding on a shoe string. Some very good advice from these forums from you guys – thanks again! Everything is coming along nicely and affordably. By the way, if anyone knows a not too costly way to accommodate 15+ guests, I’d like hear.

We have talked about my debts and I feel bad about loading her with my past baggage. But she’s been really strong and says that we will pay them off together. So, perhaps 2 to 3 years to pay everything off.

However, a better paying job would also help. I do feel it is time to start looking for new work in my field.

Mark

skintchick

Hi - about your wedding. For my 30th birthday, I had a party in my local Conservative Club. It cost £80 for room hire, and I paid £80 to hire decks and got a mate to DJ.

Have you got something similar round your way? The Conservative Club was sooo cheap compared to other places, and it was a lovely room AND really cheap booze!

If you then do a buffet it shouldn;t cost you too much.

Oh, and I am dahn saaf before anyone says I must be oop norf for it to be so cheap!

Bargain_Rzl

Hello delirious_geek, great username

There's lots of advice about getting married on a budget in THIS thread on the Marriage, Relationships and Families board.

HTH

Rzl