My debt free diary...determined to do it for my girls!!

Forris

helnag wrote: »

To me it's just a bit of extra cash and as long as everyone pays for what has ended so far it'll work out to around £140 which will wipe out the remainder on my cc and go towards my Next catalogue.

I know these are small amounts to some people but getting rid of them makes me feel better about the bigger ones.

quote]

Like the advert says, 'Every Little Helps!'. I find that this is true both financially and emotionally.

Vets bills can be a pain. I know that it would be an extra monthly outgoing, but I've always found Pet Insurance to be well worth the premiums.

Don't worry about the odd setback. Stuff happens! If you feel like you're getting nowhere, just pop on here and there are plenty of people you will give you a virtual Kick Up The %$% to help get you back on track again.

helnag

Thanks Forris, I already have pet insurance...it costs me a fortune but I have £100 excess, if it's ongoing then I can claim which is nice to know but obviously I'd rather not have to.

Just having one of those hard times at the moment, managed to lose my keys this morning so spent the morning roaming the streets waiting for my mum to get over from 45 minutes away with a spare. Luckily someone had seen them and put them through my door. Can only guess I'd locked the door and left them in the door. Just grateful they put them through as I live on a main walkway into town so anyone could of grabbed them. Thank God!!!

I was planning a no spend day today...my first one but ended up finding refuge in sainsburys cafe with a cup of tea and toast for the little one...oh well,. will try again tomorrow.

helnag

I just can't get rid of this black cloud. I know my debts aren't that bad but I just have so many regrets about getting in this position and I feel kind of scared that this is it.

I don't think I feel like this because of the smoking cos I'm actually feeling really proud of myself for that, I just feel down.

Just hoping it's gonna get easier.

mum2one

Ur doing brilliantly, esp with the no smoking, thats the hardest hurdle to jump. Dont worry about the black cloud feelin, I know youve got regrets about the debts etc, but turn that black colud into a positve.

Yes I got into debt I made some silly mistakes - but u've realised that and ur turning that around

You feel scared - thats totally reasonable, ur hitting the point where youve turned around ur life, and its like entering a new chapter of ur life and in all honestly its scary, as its a new phase, but a new phase can be gd, it will open up opportunities for you.

We all have bad day withs debts, theres days where I've been in tears because of my debts wondering where the heck all the money went to, but then I looked back and in my case a fair amount of my credit card debts were the montly interest charges, over the years theyve added up.

Going back to my bargains, I hunt around the january sales for a few bits, look at sales throughout the year, espically Argos, as they have a sale on every month, just go online and click the clearance sections.

Without sounding daft sometimes look in the cheaper shops, we've got a catalogue surplus shop, its very hit and miss what u get, but last yr I picked up a dressing gown and matching towels, from Christy, the d gown - £5. the towels were £5. yet when I went to the Christy clearance shop at Clarks village (street in Somerset), the same d-gown was £25 and that was in the sale.
Last yr we (as a family ) got £50 of Boots vouchers from doing surveys so saved them and got a wack of stuff in the 75% off sale.

Dont know if ur mobile phone is contract or pay+go, but mines pay+go, I top up at Boots, as they give you 4p back in the £1.00, its the little things that add up.

It sounds like u got the debt busting well under way with all ur chain jars, ebay, and everything, honestly ur doing absolutely brilliant. xx

helnag

Thanks mum2one, guess I'm just having one of those weeks.

Thanks for the advice, I've heard a bit about all these survey sites and daily clicks but don't really understand how or what you do?

mum2one

helnag wrote: »

Thanks mum2one, guess I'm just having one of those weeks.

Thanks for the advice, I've heard a bit about all these survey sites and daily clicks but don't really understand how or what you do?

send u a pm xx

Forris

helnag wrote: »

I don't think I feel like this because of the smoking cos I'm actually feeling really proud of myself for that, I just feel down.

Just hoping it's gonna get easier.

Although you say that your mood is not related to you quitting smoking, this may well be having an effect. Nicotine is a drug, and the withdrawal of any sort of drug can have numerous effects on people. Of course you feel proud of yourself, and rightly so, but the lack of nicotine may still be having an effect on you.

Remember, put the bad days down to experience (but try to learn from them) and celebrate the little wins.

And don't give up on giving up!

helnag

I definatelt don't want to smoke again, I know that for sure, it's just all the debts, I felt so positive last week that I'd pay them off quicker and be free of them but now it feels like such a mountain!! I'm ok and you're right it probably does have a lot to do with the smoking.

I just feel a bit lost at the mo and I've had a couple of days of slipping back into my old spending habits and I feel ashamed I suppose, it makes me feel scared...how pathetic am I!!!

Oh well, will keep at it. Thanks for your support guys and thanks for the pm mum2one.

xx

YummyMummy20

Hi helnag,
Don't worry about a couple of bad spending days, use it as motivation! Whenever I have mega spending days I now end up returning half the stuff I've bought through feeling guilty (that and the fact i have no space for anything!) I'm pretty sure it annoys the shop assistants and the credit card people but I can deal with that

mum2one

helnag wrote: »

I definatelt don't want to smoke again, I know that for sure, it's just all the debts, I felt so positive last week that I'd pay them off quicker and be free of them but now it feels like such a mountain!! I'm ok and you're right it probably does have a lot to do with the smoking.


I just feel a bit lost at the mo and I've had a couple of days of slipping back into my old spending habits and I feel ashamed I suppose, it makes me feel scared...how pathetic am I!!!

Oh well, will keep at it. Thanks for your support guys and thanks for the pm mum2one.

xx

Glad u got the pm ok, shout anytime.......
Just remember the debts, yes the figure mat look oh my god, but that into account that u wouldnt of spent that much that a wack of that is interest, (doesnt actually reduce figure), but hope it makes sense.

Your going to be lost, giving up smoking its bound to throw you for 6, its like when ur havine a cig ur doing something, its just leabeing little voids.

If you have to odd oh my god I've brought clothes etc, then ok, its going to happen, none of us can go from spending what we want to spending nothing, our minds aren't use to that, like diets, if you give up everything u like and lived on brown rice for a week, ud go mad..........the bosy would want cream cakes, chocolate.......
Try and challenge urself to say 2 no spend days a week, then maybe nxt week 3 no spend days, set urself challenges, I've joined the spend £100 only on clothes this yr......... and its March I've only spent £27 or so, I think now do I really need it, do I want it, then go away and if I still feel the same a few days later go and get it, so far nothing has really tempted me.......... and this is the girl who brought 5 different outfits last yr just for one ocassion, I took a day trip on the Orient Express, and kept changing my mind!! now I have very posh clothes, btu dont know when I'll where them again, kept using the excuse oh but its the Orient Express.......
Dont beat urself up that u had an off day, we all them, but the trick is to turn it into a positive experience, and chalk it up to experience.

My debt free date isnt until 2013, I could in theory get myself debt free by 2011, but that would mean I would have no life, no going out, no cinema treats, so I've done myself a mental comprisime, my debts are 2 parts, 1st interest occuring - credit cards, overdraft, store cards, 2nd parents, replace savings etc, so my plan is get rid of the interest ones which is Nov 2011, then throw that money to the family debts. But if I want the cinema, I'll go on a wed 2 4 1, want clothes, then I will have one or 2 things, but shop carefully.

if I want a holiday I'm haveing it, taking dd to Tunisia in April, the annoying part is as its the 2 of us, she has to pay adult rate, so I shopped around, and got a gd deal. It will be dds 1st hol abroad, what Ive paid would be 6mths debt repayment, but I'm going to get more pleasure from that holiday and the memories and experience will last a long time, and whats 6 mths.

My debt scares the hell out of me, I have ocassions where I cry with frustration that i allowed myself to get in this mess, its not the 1st time I got into debt, twice before, but my parents bailed me out, I didnt learn from those lessons, I've had lightbulb moments b4, but not been motivated, my motivation - I want to go to Las Vegas and then see the Grand Canyon, I did want to go for my 40th, but unless I get my credit cards finished cant go. Thats my motivation, then when I finally get debt free, I'm going to buy a designer handbag. Maybe in some peoples eyes an unnecessary expense, but to me it would a symbol.

Apologies I babble to much, but I'm trying to say dont beat urself up, but look for something you want, something that may seem a distant dream, be that swim with dolphins, see the pyramids in Egypt, shop in New York, find that and get a picture, holiday brochere, and put that somewhere say inside a wardrobe, so when u open the wardrobe u see what u want to achieve. Your do it, xx