Diary of Kitleo a Debt Free Wannabe.....

Kitleo

Hi to All :wave:

I have been a member of this site for several years - first started when I got my lightbulb moment :idea: realising that I had ordered some furniture from a catalogue to go in the newly decorated bedroom and that come the first payment I would not have enough money to pay for that and all the other things like credit cards, bills etc etc. That was circa November 2005!!!!

After a day or two of sheer panic of what could I do - I phoned the catalogue and asked to cancel the order - which they were far from happy about :mad: they said it was a special order and I had to have it. Didn't care that I couldn't afford it.... I lived in fear of them delivering the stuff. I stopped answering the door when I was home and stuck a note by the bell saying don't deliver to neighbours. Lucky for me they never delivered or called. But it was a very worrying time not knowing what I could do if I had to pay for it.:eek:

After the delivery date came and went and I realised I was free :jI then went about working out my expences and budget. Fell in love :happyhear with the snowball site and being a bit of a wizz on excel did my own complex spreadsheet for my bank accound and credit card snowballs. (A page for each month and a page for snowballs and a page for savings - all linked with macro's so nothing could change without it being altered where needed). I still use it today and have given template copies to my daughter when she went to Uni and a friend who declared themselves bankrupt after their business failed and needed to sort their finances out. :cool2:

(Snowballing is great [infact one of the best inventions :T] - mine works out a running total of figures in a spreadsheet rather than having to keep entering them and changes the amounts so the totals automatically change too.)

This has been the biggest benefit of all because I can see into the future like a crystal ball of how long it will take to clear, what efffect each payment makes and can budget when I have more or less money. :beer:

Then I went about getting 0% transfer deals on card balances and when those deals expired I got some reasonably deals on very low balance transfer for lifes at 2.9% which are still being paid off now at 2.9% - Just wish you could still get these rates now.

I watched :search: every program on TV about money and financial advice which showed people in situations which were a lot worse than mine - but the principal was the same : getting in control of finances and it helped to change my view on money. :money: Also I save my very precious £2 coins which have been life savers in times of trouble and need. :drool:

I will be debt free hopefully in 2011 :j - would have been quicker (this year 2009) if I had not lost my job :mad::( - that happened last December - but with my spreadsheet I made adjustments to minimum payments and now the date is December 2011 if I don't go down with the minimum payments as payments are made. That will of course depend on getting work via the temp agencies. I expect you will hear my progress and thoughts on this at a later date.

Well thats enough for now - will continue to write as time goes by. Good luck to all that are becoming Debt Free .

:wave:

Fire_Fox

You sound like a fully paid -up MSE addict! :beer:

Kitleo

:hello:Hi to All

Well have just updated sig to take into account a credit card payment. :T I have noticed from my spreadsheet that my overall monthly total of payments should be £65.19 :sad: but I have managed to keep to £100 this month - paying more to my Goldfish/Barclay card as the special rate of 3.9% expires on August 2010 and I must pay it back by then or it jumps to heady heights. If I maintain the payment level at the current amount it will clear the month before this happens - I always get confused about the last interst payments and how they always manage to charge you interest on the last payment even when it clears the account. Banks!!!! :eek: a world class act all round. :rotfl:

I have a job interview on Tuesday - a temp role covering maternity so could last between 9-12 months.:j This would be really good as I am having trouble getting a permanent role. I have been temping for the last 3 years and find it amazing that now I am interviewed for temp roles. Years ago you just jurned up did the job and moved on - now your interviewed - shows how the world is turning. Also temp jobs were usually easy but I have only had one 3 month contract this year so things are getting tight. :sad:

I am getting really fed up with the agencies and how they seem to play with lives :wall: I was told about a job two weeks ago. This was a permanent role at a really good place where I have worked before on a very long contract. :dance: I am told this would be a real benefit as they know me. :grouphug: The money would be excellent and the location perfect and of course I know lots of people. He said he would forward my CV in the morning (Thursday) and get back to me with feedback Friday. When I never heard anything Friday I phoned. Got an answer phone :think: I emailed - got not reply :whistle:. So resigned myself to the inevitable. :silenced: Decided Monday to give it one last shot and phoned again - he answered :j- told me he had been off sick _pale_. Would chase and forward a couple of other CV's - My hopes are raised again :cheesy:. Hear nothing back :huh:. Phone the next day only to be told they are already at last interview stage. :question: He then tells me that they informed him they did not look at my CV so could not give me feed back as to why they were not interested...... :think: So what's the score on this I wonder :question: .... I recon that he either forgot to send over the CV as it had been so late in the day when he contacted me in the first instance. Then going off sick - it never got there - or the poor lad did send it but they couldn't reach him as he was off sick that they gave up trying to reach him.

Either way I am on constant highs and lows.

Well thats enough for now - will continue to write as time goes by. Good luck to all that are becoming Debt Free .

:wave:

Primula

Awhh, that's a shame about the job, but fingers crossed for the maternity leave cover one, that would be good too. And ooohhh, a lovely new shiny diary for me to follow, I love reading all the diaries, so I will be back!

Kitleo

Hello to all :wave:

Well here I am in front of my computer - having spend the last 2 hours going through the job sites (again) :rolleyes: have applied on line for 7 jobs this morning - not that I expect much will come of it. Having been doing this now for many months I have got to learn the ways of the agencies.:rolleyes2 Sorry if I sound a bit belligerant today - but that's how it goes sometimes.....:rotfl:

The latest is an agency that I emailed my CV to over two weeks ago actually phoned me yesterday. :shocked: Now I admit I was rather surprised as it had been so long and their auto reply did say within 24 hours - but hey - come on now - I know that agencies are a rule to themselves. However, the conversation started to become really encouraging as they have a job that I would be more than suited for :T . Things are really improving I feel.:j They want to meet me so we arrange to meet today in the afternoon. Yippee I think - and spend all the rest of yesderday pulling together information that they want to see along with work history - well I spent a good couple of hours at least and a further few hours trying to work out every job I have worked in since my working life started :think: - please note that this is over several years to say the very least. (I'm too vain to actually state the number) :whistle:

But - well you knew it was coming didn't you :question: - they phoned at 8.30 this morning to cancel and the job :question: - well they have spoken to the contact and they don't want any more CV's - so hey I don't need to see you - so hence here I am in front of the computer again.

Well its a nice day out there and the washing is getting dry so looks like the ironing will be done and up to date by this afternoon. :A Then I can spend my non-existent money phoning up the agencies checking out their stories to see if they match what they told me on Monday. Hey Ho and not off to work I go....

And just to top it all, the email saying my Goldfish card payment it now due, so I can spend some more virtual money keeping them happy. :doh: But at least the spreadsheet shows me that I can survive until the end of September when I will have reached my £2k overdraft limit provided I spend nothing on anything except household bills _pale_ so fingers crossed and the maternity cover job comes up for me. They seemed nice people and I answered all the questions really well. But they have other candidates and so it's a waiting game now. At least it is for 9 months which would tide me over, pay off the overdraft and then hopefully the climate out there will have improved on the job front.

Will continue to write as time goes by. Good luck to all that are becoming Debt Free and thanks for reading my scribbles.....

:wave:

Kitleo

Just wanted to say a special Hi :wave: to Primula and Fire Fox -
Thank you so much for reading.

Best wishes and enjoy the sunny weather

Kitleo
:grouphug:

Kitleo

Hello to everyone out there :wave:

Well its a lovely sunny day and the washing is out on the line. (Sad that this is the highlight of my days now - getting washing dry!!!:rotfl:) Have just been online to arrange the monthly Goldfish payment of £44.00 that I was told about two days ago - money I don't really have at the moment and as I have not got the temp maternity cover job don't feel very positive again. I phoned the agency on Friday about 3pm to see if there was any news. As always they come out with the same line as all the others ...that I'm the next person on the list to call - mmmmm heard that sooo many times......

As I said - never got that job :sad: - again the same old line - they have gone with someone who has a similar personality to the person who is presently in the role. :rolleyes2 This I have come to believe is the new way out of being told your too old or too young or not enough experience or too much experience or your the wrong shade of blue etc etc...:rolleyes:

Discrimination is still out there just packaged in a more presentable way.

Allowed myself a few moments to feel cross :mad: and then to make myself feel better and to save them from making me the next person they were going to call .... I phoned all the agencies that I am registered with (17 at the last count! that includes the far off ones that occassionally advertise jobs in an accessible area) and reminded them that I am still alive and kicking and available for immediate start. Temp Perm Contract - don't care - just want to earn some money. Just enough to pay my bills and keep my head above water. Is this such a difficult request??? :question:

My bank account is now £645.22 overdrawn :embarasse so Monday will be putting my precious £2 coins in there - at least the £2 savers club will be jumping up and down as they will be able to round them up. :j However my terrumundi will be empty it will not clear the overdraft but will at least halve it. Most of my bills this month have now been paid by direct debit so the virtual money will only trickle out until the end of the month. Fingers crossed that I will be lucky with only of the jobs I have applied for online.

Will continue to write as time goes by. Good luck to all that are becoming Debt Free and thanks for reading my scribbles.....
:wave:

*Jellie*

Hi Kitleo!
Fingers crossed that you get a new job soon. Your spreadsheet sounds great- wish mine had whizzy macros!

Kitleo

Hello all :wave:

Well I have not got to the bank yet to pay the £2's in - as my day on Monday was taken up with running errands having to go the the job seekers offices and signing on (horrible place and hate doing it) and the excitment of going to the council offices to see if they will help me with my council tax. :embarasse I am such a fool though because I burst into tears and the guy dealing with me was really shocked. :eek: It was not really his fault - I had not filled in part of the form and he just snapped at me and I was not expecting to be spoken to like I am 10 years old. I had not expected to have to do this and was feeling vulnerable as it was. He was more concerned that I will report him. :huh: I said I wouldn't and that I was just feeling sensitive but he was far from a sympathetic person. I have to take a couple of other bits of paper back but will leave it til Monday next week I am in no mood to see him again. May be foolish of me but they have the forms and I am sure the coucil are just waiting for me to go back. Part of me is hoping I get a job and will not need to go down this route.

I spoke to the agencies also on Monday and have been told that one will send my CV to a Medial company. :j A perm position which is a lovely thought - but have been told not more. So took the bull by the horns so to speak and phoned this afternoon - but am told they have not heard back to say if I have been selected. So there is still hope for them to say yes :T Also this afternoon I have received an email about a job I have applied for today on-line and that I have been shortlisted :T and will I please ring the agency - so I did - but they are too busy to speak to me and will be in touch. Didn't seem to know anything about the email!!! :think: I have tracked down the job this refers to and its a temp position not so local but the rates are good. I hope they call back - wouldn't it be nice to have a choice.

Today I have decided I have to sort out the last credit card as I use to pay this off every month but have not been able to for the last two months and the interest rate is HIGH. _pale_ So I have applied for a card with a 0% balance transfer option. I did phone two other card companies that I had an account with and nothing on the card but one was really snotty and said no deal so I closed the account and a second said phone back at the start of the month when new deals are issued. I don't think I can wait that long so applied via this site for the longest term on 0% and as I say have been given me the thumbs up - when that comes through I will transfer my Visa card over to it - that will stop a huge amount of interest being paid.

Not the best way to sort it but at least I will not have a rising amount to pay back each month and when in work I can hit it hard and clear it.

Will continue to write as time goes by. Good luck to all that are becoming Debt Free and thanks for reading my scribbles.....
:wave:

*Jellie*

I hope the job news is good and well done on sorting out the 1% on the credit card

Kitleo

Hello All :wave:

Well it is good news of a sort - I have got a long term sick leave cover job. No end date but have been told I will be there until 28th September when they will update me. Its not fun not knowing but at least its bringing in some money which will help out. :j

All came about really quick - was on a job site when the screen updated and the job appeared and ticked all the boxes I needed eg location, experience etc so I was the first to apply. It was not through an agency but direct from the employer. They called that evening and I had an interview the next day and started last Monday.:T

Have fitted in really well - the people are really nice and friendly and I am doing well which all helps.

I wrote the the council and told them I was not pursuing the claim and the reason was two fold - firstly I have got a temporary job - but also because of the rude unpleasant person who interviewed me. I received a very short letter saying they will look into it but I doubt anymore will come of it.

Not heard from any agency as to work - so I will leave them for the time being. If they know I have a job they will stop looking for a permanent one for me. So will leave them be.

I have to work a week in hand before I am paid which is a pain but just keep thinking I will be paid and it will be more than signing on money when it comes through. Will do as many hours as I can and only take the minimum half hour for lunch that way I will get another half hours work.

Such a relief tho will save as much as I can and still pay off the amounts that I need to.

Will continue to write as time goes by. Good luck to all that are becoming Debt Free and thanks for reading my scribbles..... :wave: