My magical debt diary!

littlepinkstars44

Ok, so i have decided to start a debt diary, i see so many on here and they seem really helpful to keep everything in one place, which is really what i need! I am so disorganised!

Firstly, I'm Emma 22 and a full time tourism/language student at college, and going to uni in Sept!
I live at home with my mum and 12 year old brother, i have lived on my own previously both in Glasgow and Dundee, but had to move home to to a number of mental health problems.

I am a shopaholic, and have a very addictive personality, so giving up/cutting back on certain things is going to be super hard for me, but thaks to some lovely ladies on here i'm sure i can do it with some support.
Right now my biggest vice is make up, mainly MAC. I have just managed to spend a whopping £300 on the latest collection, in my defense it was the Hello Kitty collection, and i had been saving up from October 08 for it!

Anyway i am going to bare all in this diary, spending, saving, ebay sells, feelings etc. So be warned!

I currently have no idea how much debt exactly i am in, i've been in debt since the day i turned 18, when i was offered my first student overdraft and credit card. I have never had another credit card since then, as i only finished paying it off last year! But i do have 3 store cards, one of which was my staff card from when i worked in Topshop, i had to get one in order to get my staff discount!
So two catalogue accounts, a student loan and another student overdraft later here i am!
Hopefully i can set myself a weekly budget, and stick to it! Of course i will be budgeting for some of the MAC collections, not all! But thanks to the power of the internet, and the fact that the collections come out a month before the UK in America i can see the products exactly and decide what i want/need and budget appropriately. I know it doesn't make much sense at the moment, i do want to slowly cut back on MAC, but i just can't go cold turkey until i find something else to replace the buzz i get when buying make up.
God i must sound so sad.
So on that note i'm off to figure out just how much debt i am in!
And if you got through all that, well done!

mooomin

*subscribes*

Oh, and don't feel like it's the end of the world to be in debt at 22, I have been in debt since I was 18 (Got my first overdraft on my 18th birthday!) and am only now sorting it out at 28.

What I will say though is that you will be far better to pay off your debts now than to wait until you're heading for 30 :eek::eek::eek::eek: like me...*sob*

littlepinkstars44

Ok, so here is the dreaded debt....drum roll please!

Arcadia Staff Card: £214.48
Dorothy Perkins Card: £224.43
New Look Card: £85.00
Additions Account: £120.56 (£100 of which is on a buy now pay Feb 2010 deal)
Kays Account: £150.00 (on a buy now pay later deal, starts next month!)
Bank of Scotland Overdraft Account: £953.98
Royal Bank of Scotland Overdraft Account: £1400.00 (always at the limit, as is my bank account i use for everything)
Student Loan: God only knows, i am guessing it could be round about £3750.00 without intrest, as i have no idea what the intrest is, or if it's even been added on. Plus i have another year left, bringing to £5000

littlepinkstars44

flying_fresian wrote: »

*subscribes*

Oh, and don't feel like it's the end of the world to be in debt at 22, I have been in debt since I was 18 (Got my first overdraft on my 18th birthday!) and am only now sorting it out at 28.

What I will say though is that you will be far better to pay off your debts now than to wait until you're heading for 30 :eek::eek::eek::eek: like me...*sob*

thanks, i am hoping to get it all paid off, or most of it by the time i finish uni in June 2010

GrammarGirl

I would really recommend you open another, basic bank account (no OD facilities) and transfer enough money to live off for a whole month into that account. Then you can leave your BOS OD account alone to take care of the bills, DDs and so on, and any excess will go towards paying off your OD balance.

This is what I do. It doesn't quite work out perfectly every month, but I try to live off £300, which includes food, petrol, toiletries etc, as well as treats like make up and clothes. However, I always just have £300, so my first priority is feeding myself and filling up the car so I can get to work. Luxuries come afterwards and that's the way it should be. It has completely changed my outlook on my money and how I spend it. I think doing something similar could really help your budgeting.

littlepinkstars44

GrammarGirl wrote: »

I would really recommend you open another, basic bank account (no OD facilities) and transfer enough money to live off for a whole month into that account. Then you can leave your BOS OD account alone to take care of the bills, DDs and so on, and any excess will go towards paying off your OD balance.

This is what I do. It doesn't quite work out perfectly every month, but I try to live off £300, which includes food, petrol, toiletries etc, as well as treats like make up and clothes. However, I always just have £300, so my first priority is feeding myself and filling up the car so I can get to work. Luxuries come afterwards and that's the way it should be. It has completely changed my outlook on my money and how I spend it. I think doing something similar could really help your budgeting.

Thanks, thats a really good idea!

littlepinkstars44

So i am not that long in from work.
Was in college 11-2.30 today, i bought my lunch from Boots, paid with points!
and picked up S&G I Foam and Wash Almighty, also paid with points!
Then i ended up buying a Hello Kitty mirror from H&M £1.99
and a Starbucks £3?
Then i was working 5-9, was a nightmare! Have a new boy in and he is so slow at getting things done, he was really p*ssing me off!
Got in about quarter to ten, put a washing on and had dinner.
I have 2 ebay listings ending in like 15-20 mins, so hopefully they make me some money, transfered £13 into my bank account last night from paypal.

Also went to see my head of course about getting my £100 deposit for Spain back, as i'm not going anymore. We were meant to be going next week, and its been put back to May now! Plus i've fell out with everyone in my class, so i'm not going to not enjoy myself! So will hopefully get that by the end of the week. Will need to keep some for the Funeral For a Friend gig next week, then the rest is going on the DP card!

littlepinkstars44

Today has not been the greatest of days.
Was in college 1-4:15, was just that bad, that i don't even want to explain it!
So i went into Boots for some retail therapy (planning on using my points of course)
bumped into my ex's friend who works there, just did not want to talk to him, as i can't stand him! He kept coming back and trying to chat to me, THEN the ex walks in!
Has been texting and calling me and my MUM for weeks now! Really been p*ssing me off, and then he follows me around the shop?!?!

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

So i paid (with points) for the two things i had in my hand and ran out of there as fast as i could!
I didn't even get to look for clearance stuff, see what the ACM had to offer, or even use up any of my vouchers! I am so annoyed!

So when i got off the bus, i was starving, i hadn't had anything to eat all day! I had no money on me, as i was planning on lifting £10 out the cash machine, but forgot to with all the drama!
So i was forced to lift £10 the cash machine at the bus stop, which charges £1.75, then spend £2.80 on a chippy!
I'm just so angry right now, he completely ruined my plans for today!
I had a skirt to take back to Primark and everything!

littlepinkstars44

Today has been rather productive so far, day off college! yay!
I have tidyed and hoovered my room, helped my mum do alot of washing and hang it out the back, as its nice and sunny for once!
Have a load of stuff to take pictures of and put on Ebay, and have even organised mine and my mums goodies in the bathroom, and threw out all the
nasty empty bottles!
And have managed to find some goodies in my "Boots Drawer" for my little brother to give my mum for mothers day! He is only just turned 12, and is off sick today, aww!
I am very chuffed with myself.

Am working 4-10 tonight, which i am really not looking forward to!
Then in college 9-12:15 tomorrow
So no spending at all today for me yay!

A girl from Spain won one of my Ebay auctions, for the Neutrogena Wave. Now my listings state i only ship to the UK, and i didn't know she was in Spain until she won the item, which was now a week ago!
She sent me a message today asking do i ship to Spain!!!!!
I replied saying, well no i don't but since you have already won it, i don't have much choice!
Just as well i speak Spanish really, but shes really annoyed me by not paying for it yet! I have £7 odds in my paypal account, and am waiting for her to pay the £7.50 for the item, plus £4 postage to i can transfer it all into my bank, cause i really need the cash!
Have some more things ending tomorrow though.

YummyMummy20

Hi,
I don't have anything helpful to say really just a quick question; What's the neutrogena wave like?? I'm slightly obsessed with products and that and practically live in Boots too! I soooo nearly bought one the other day but was being good and got the new herbal essences shampoo/conditioner (BOGOF), new Dove body wash (BOGOF) and a whole tonne of other basic products and wiped out almost my entire points balance and really wanted a NSD so resisted *claps to self* I've heard the Wave isn't that good anyway but i like new things!
I started eBaying stuff a few weeks ago too and had the same sort of issue but with a German, I had to get somebody to explain the concept of airmail to me since until a few weeks ago i was Post Office virgin.

Good luck with your debt free-ness!!

littlepinkstars44

YummyMummy20 wrote: »

Hi,
I don't have anything helpful to say really just a quick question; What's the neutrogena wave like?? I'm slightly obsessed with products and that and practically live in Boots too! I soooo nearly bought one the other day but was being good and got the new herbal essences shampoo/conditioner (BOGOF), new Dove body wash (BOGOF) and a whole tonne of other basic products and wiped out almost my entire points balance and really wanted a NSD so resisted *claps to self* I've heard the Wave isn't that good anyway but i like new things!
I started eBaying stuff a few weeks ago too and had the same sort of issue but with a German, I had to get somebody to explain the concept of airmail to me since until a few weeks ago i was Post Office virgin.

Good luck with your debt free-ness!!

I didn't really like it, i bought it on Ebay when it first came out in the US. I don't think its anything special, and it certianly doesn't foam up like it does in the advert. A bit gimicky really i suppose.