Champagne Lifestyle Lemonade Budget (My attempts to get debt free by April 2010)

Swinstie73

Brilliant SA, for getting the debt paid off my Christmas, just think you will be starting 2010 totally debt free. Well done on the ebaying too, ebay scares me, unless I am buying from it.

Sun_Addict

Well payday's finally here and I'm pleased to report I've paid another £400 off debt and now only have £399 to go!!:j I admit it's been quite difficult this month and has involved a bit of shuffling about with the finances but at least I've done it. Now just need to repeat this one final time! I know next month I'll be able to afford to pay off £293.74 so just have to accumulate £105.26 between now and my next payday.

Not sold anything else yet on ebay. I really hate selling on ebay - don't mind buying from it though! However, it's a great way to get rid of stuff in good condition that you no longer want but wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis.

This afternoon I'm off to another Boots Advantage Card Christmas Shopping Event. I'll get £12 if I spend £50 and they gave me a voucher last time which will give me an extra £5 as well, so in total I'll get £17 for every £50 I spend. Only planning on spending £50 though - will be on the lookout for something for OH for Christmas and DD's birthday (January). I am also getting to the stage where I need quite a few toiletry/cosmetic items but am going to try to wait and buy these with my advantage points. Should have around £40-ish worth after today. I'm also planning on being crafty and getting DD and OH's prezzies on a 3 for 2 deal and getting something for myself as the freebie. This should then be the end of my Christmas shopping - not bad as it's not December yet! :T

Claw_back_money

I love these 'themed' trees where the decorations all match, I think they look really classy. When will you put your new tree up and prove your OH wrong?! Its my OH's birthday mid-December, so we don't put up the tree until the day after; ours will be random tat, most of which I can tell you the story of! Last year we didn't have much in the way of room decorations, and I think I preferred that - just a tree, some card holders that I'd made, and a couple of ornaments from real foliage.

:T for ebay - and selling 2 things so quickly - I still can't face it.

A debt free christmas or NY sounds like a fab reason to celebrate!

Cheers
Cbm

Sun_Addict

Hi Cbm - we usually put up decorations the first weekend in December. It's DD who doesn't like the idea of a white tree, OH just goes along with my ideas! Like you we don't go mad with decorations just a tree and a few other bits. I've just noticed your debt total in January 08 and you've done so well in such a short time. It's taken me about 2 years to get to where I am from £5k!!

Well I've been to Boots, spent £60, had £25 worth of Boots vouchers from surveys so only spent £35 of hard cash and got my £17 in points. I got OH's prezzie, DD's birthday prezzie - both on 3 for 2 - and of course the free one was for me! Also had a voucher from magazine for free mince pie from Greggs so picked that up and enjoyed it with a coffee when I got back to work. I love getting free stuff!!

beanielou

Wow go you
Not long to go now.

Claw_back_money

£399 - last chunk of debt to go - well done you!!

Sounds like you had a really good - and profitable - boots trip

Cheers
Cbm

Sun_Addict

Well it's Monday again and I can't believe it's the last day of November! Christmas is fast approaching. Luckily I've bought all my Christmas presents and even DD's birthday presents for January so I'm ready and waiting (just the wrapping to do). Don't have much extra food to buy as it's just me, OH and DD with DS making an appearance on Christmas Day. No other family left I'm sorry to say.

Debt wise will be doing my best to clear what's left during December although I'm starting to panic it won't leave me with any "spare" money for Christmas. I know I won't need it for food or presents but we would like to visit the pub a couple of times over the festive season. I think I've over-committed myself with having to pay for the August holiday flights up front and the villa deposit plus paying off debt. At least I know if things get tight around the end of the month I still have until the end of March at 0% to clear the debt but I really really really want it gone by Christmas. Part of me is saying just pay off £100 a month and it'll still be clear by the end of the 0%. I'll just have to see how things pan out.

Swinstie73

Hi Sun Addict,

When does your 0% end? Why don't you pay it in two installments, £200 each month and that will give you a wee bit to play with (or go to the pub with)!

Sun_Addict

Hi Swinstie

0% ends sometime in April but best to think of it as end March for payday purposes. I will try my best to pay off debt this month as OH's work really falls off in January and February and I want to be paying out as little as possible then. However, if there's no money in the pot for Christmas treats I may have to do this but very reluctantly. It would be brilliant to go into 2010 debt free. I think I may be able to make cuts in a couple of other areas of my budget just for one month (starting to sound like a politician here!!). I don't think we'll spend that much in the pub (hopefully).

Claw_back_money

I read on someone's post about 'aim for the moon and you'll fall among the stars' which although cheesy, was my mantra for November. I was aiming to pay off joint overdraft of £940 - a huge ask as our outgoings were enormous in November, and put enormous energy into scraping together money to do that, delaying grocery shops, making do etc etc. The final balance was £180ish overdrawn, which is absolutely fantastic and I'm really pleased. BUT November was not a Christmas month when there are so many times it is nice to do things a little bit special and you have time off together. Do you have to commit all the money to the debt now, or would it be possible to pay off (say) half and leave the rest sitting somewhere you could get to it if you really needed it, but aim not to? I think if I had stated I would pay of £700 of the £940 I would have missed that target and paid off less at the end of hte day, iyswim!

Sorry to ramble on your diary....
Cbm