The ultimate incentive worked! Now onto phase two

Dinah93

I'm really chuffed with Martin's new surveys page. Now we were already registered with every company on there, however didn't know about the focus groups, so have signed up to all those now too!

Birdie85

Sam, mine's around the £6000 mark so we're in a similar boat! It was more but I downgraded my car last year to knock £1000 off the debt. I just don't know where it all came from, it's not like I've got loads to show for it!

Birdie85

I saw that this morning and thought that you'd be getitng yourself signed up pronto! Poor NIM will have even more to do on days off! LOL!

Tete_en_l'Air

I love my sig, even though I'm out of debt now It's my listomania I think, I like to make a note and keep track

You could always post a SOA Sam and let the good MoneySavers pick your life apart and suggest ways to cut back? I bet you feel better just for working out your total?

Ugh, just got off a conference call thing (does anyone else have webex or is it an in-house thing I wonder) and I'm gonna have so much work to do from next week onwards. I've got this horrible sense of foreboding, it's going to be manic but there's nothing I can do aboout it now while I'm bored. Having my week's holiday at exactly the wrong time too :rolleyes:

Dinah93

Start with whichever one has the highest interest rate. I broke down the different cards and debts in my sig when I was paying them off, then even if you just pay off £3, you can alter the sig and get a bit of a sense of achievement. Any extra income you make transfer immediately onto the debt to avoid it being gobbled up.

Realised cos of the bank holiday I actually get paid next Friday, although bank account will still look scary what with paying everything out, can't quite get used to this budgetting idea yet. At least next month I won't have to pay off British Gas, although I do need to get new contact lenses and kitty insurance (still!).

Dinah93

Yeah, gotta love the SOAs. Although there are two distinct camps, those who take on board the changes, face up to the situation and throw themselves with gusto into clearing their debt. Then there are those with £400 more outgoings than income, and say 'oh no, I can't cut that, life's for living' when you point out the £200 a month entertainment budget, the £40 sky, and £200 a month towards a holiday.... ARGH!

I don't make any bones that clearing so much debt in such a short time was hard work, but I'm proud of clearing it, and my life is a lot better for a short amount of discomfort.

samedwards27

I know Birdie thats the thing-i dont even have anything to show for it, and I just end up getting so frustrated with myself for allowing that to happen.

Hopefully we can make big progress then. It must have been hard for you the past few months what with buying a house? But I am jealous-thats mine and OH's main goal-to buy a house!

poddle911

I'm a bit scared of my sig, but I'm sure it's doing some good! I haven't updated it this month as it's actually gone up - it's a combined total for me and OH and I totally missed a new card that he transferred £4k to, eek! Luckily it's 0% until next July, but still. The prospect of updating isn't very happy at the moment But it is on my list for this afternoon and it will be better in the long run... right?

Dinah93

That was one of my big incentives, buying a house, I didn't think I could reasonably buy when I had debts, as I was stretching myself too much, so I wanted to do something to get myself in the position that I was as secure as I could be.

Dinah93

Ofc it is Poddle, and look how well you've done already, nearly 10k in under a year!