Buddiebabe's SOA / Debt Diary

hypno06

Hi hun, first of all you have not let anyone down by not getting this job you went for. It simply wasn't meant to be - that's all. There is something that is right for you out there and you WILL find it.

Regarding the gambling, is there some blocker that you can put on your computer that will stop you accessing gambling type sites? I do not know much about it but perhaps someone else will be able to help you.

Stay strong. Someone once told me - "tough times never last, tough people do" and it is something that I am reminded of many times over on these threads.

You ARE tough, you WILL get there x

buddiebabe

Thanks Hypno06 i know i shouldn't let not getting the job get to me but it does... im not really looking forward to going back to work 2moro but im just going to have to get on with it.

There is something i can get installed on my pc which would stop me from accessing gambling sites but i want to do this without having to do this, however, if i can't do it with willpower and determination on my own i will go down that route and install it.

I want this debt paid off asap. At the moment im listing on ebay and doing some cashback clicks (but i've not been doing them as much as i should)

Im going to post an updated SOA and see if there is anything else that you can all help me cut down on.

Off to sort out some figures

Buddiebabe x

buddiebabe

Incomings:

Main Job wages £1000.00 monthly paid on the 12th

Set Monthly Outgoings:

Mortgage £451.02
Sky £32.62 (tied into contract a few months left at reduced rate)
HSA £8.66
Norwich Union £13.91 (critical illness cover for mortgage)
Council Tax £89.00 (with single persons discount)
BT £26.00
Scottish Power £24.50
Savings account £25.00 (this is taken directly from my wages and im going to use for xmas this year will have £300 by end of year)

Total £670.71

Variable monthly outgoings:

Mobile phone £55.00 approx (contract for 18 months - i think about 8 months left)
Overdraft Interest £12.00

Total of set and variable direct debits £737.71

Credit cards:

Barclaycard £120
MBNA £82.00
Morgan Stanley £41.00
RBS Mastercard £222.00
Sky £70.00
Tesco £70.00

Total credit cards minimum payments £605.00

Total = £737.71 + £605.00 = £1341.71 less £1000 = £341.71 short

The above doesn't include my wages from my second job which i get paid for weekly. These wages range from £45 to £90 per week dependant on the amount of hours and if i get any relief money for running the shop.

Outgoings from weekly wages as follows:

Dunfermline account £10.00 (this is the account i use for my house. £10 per week will pay for insurance, tv licence and gas bill)
Halifax account £20.00 (this is the account i use for my car. £20 per week will pay for insurance, road tax, servicing and MOT)
Petrol £20 - £30 depending if i've worked all week

So most of my weekly wage goes towards the above. Any of the rest of it goes towards the minimum payments for my credit cards.

I also sell on ebay and get about £20 a week from that which always helps. The past few months i've also had some payouts from Quidco which have helped from buying my car and house insurance but to be honest im not sure how i've managed it for so long but i always manage to pay my minimum payments. I don't really spend any money on myself, just the occasional lunch out and the odd top out of the charity shop.

I've made a list of all the things in my cupboards and fridge and freezer and since i got my slow cooker im finding i don't spend much money on food at all which is always a good thing and im eating proper dinners for a change instead of frozen pizza and chinese.

I occasionally get overtime in my main job so that gives me some extra money to play with.

I have the following in savings:

Dunfermline £121.00 (for house)
Halifax £200.00 (for car)
Work Savings £120.00 (for xmas)
Other account £31.95 (which im adding 25p to everytime i post a parcel sold through ebay - this money im going to use for nights out and any clothes i need - i know its not alot but i don't intend to have any expensive nights out soon or need to buy any clothes )

I don't really want to use any of these, however, i was thinking about taking the money out my work savings and paying off my alliance and leicester overdraft but it is on 0% interest at the moment and i am using my money savings challenge money to pay it off before the 0% ends so don't think its worth it.

Any advice or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated
Buddiebabe x

buddiebabe

I received a letter from Debenhams two weeks ago which asked me if i wanted to change my store card to a credit card which would lower the interest rate from 29.9% to 18.9% but would have 0% interest for 9 months.

I kept my Debenhams card open and had a £8000 credit limit last year but when i found MSE last year i phoned and reduced my limit to £1000. Anyway i never use my card unless they were offering a discount for using it in Debenhams and always paid it off in full at the time.

I phoned them and they changed my card over no problem and they also increased my limit to £2500. I asked them if i could balance transfer and they agreed. I received a letter this morning confirming that my credit limit has been increased and that my balance transfer from my skycard will apply to 12.12.07 at 0% and after that it will go up to 18.9% It cost me a 2.5% fee to transfer my balance but it brings my Debt free date forward by 5 months and also saves me around £400 in interest so im really pleased. Can't wait for the money to show up in my Sky card account.

I've also managed to bring my alliance and leicester overdraft down to just under £100 by using the olympic challenge to help clear it. Just want it cleared off by end of this month... it will be hard but am determined.

Overtime is back on at work so was there this morning from 8am till 11am then straight from there to my 2nd job from 12 till 6pm. Im working 8am till 1pm or 2pm 2moro... am absolutely shattered but as i've not got enough money coming in to cover my direct debits and minimum cc payments i need to do it. Only problem is the petrol money but it still works out that i should get £20 for 3hrs o/t and i'll only just get about £22.00 for 6 hours work this afternoon in 2nd job

I won't get the overtime until May's wage whereas my 2nd jobs wages will be paid weekly so need that to keep me going!!!

Off to bed now as im up early 2moro
Buddiebabe x

slowlyfading

you're doing great, keep going!
Nicola x

gallygirl

Am awestruck you're managing to keep your head above water TBH!

Re your SOA, the only 2 areas for savings are Sky and mobile phone. Assume you will be cancelling sky and using freeview when it comes to an end? (On the basis that you are never there to watch it!!!!!)

Also, your mobile phone usage is really high. When do you find time to use that much!!!!! (Or are you phoning naughty numbers ).

Have had a quick look back but can't see any mention of your accomm. Do you have a spare room you could let out? Not sure where you live - but if it's in a city you may even find someone just looking for Mon - Thurs night. Yes, I would hate it as well, but it would cut you a bit of slack.

Tustastic

Hi BB, I'm really impressed with the progress you've made so far. Very well done for the smart work with the Debenhams card.
Why not plan a celebration for when you get the debt down to under £25K? It would be dead cheap and very MSE to throw a party on the DFW board! :rotfl:

Seaxwyn

Hi Buddiebabe

Glad to hear you're keeping afloat and what a stroke of good fortune with the Debenhams card. Great that you've got the OT this weekend too - though it must be exhausting.

Why not install the gambling blocker software. I know what you mean about wanting to trust your willpower but everyone's willpower wavers now and then and it's a shame to undo all your debtbusting work.

I'm very envious about your debtfree date coming forward. I think I'll be going backwards this month as the MOT is due (old car - bit worried...). I did a carboot sale this morning and made £44 - had hoped for more but it's better than nothing. I'm glad to have had a sort out too, I took three backs of unsold shoes and clothes to the recycling bank and have a nice big space at the bottom of my wardrobe!

Keep posting

Seaxwyn xxx

buddiebabe

Thanks everyone

ali007

Have had a quick look back but can't see any mention of your accomm. Do you have a spare room you could let out? Not sure where you live - but if it's in a city you may even find someone just looking for Mon - Thurs night. Yes, I would hate it as well, but it would cut you a bit of slack - i live in a one bedroom flat so taking in a lodger would not be an option unfortunately

Tustastic

Why not plan a celebration for when you get the debt down to under £25K? - i would love to but at the moment it seems like its going to be ages away but will keep it in mind for when it happens :rolleyes:

Seaxwyn

I'm very envious about your debtfree date coming forward. I think I'll be going backwards this month as the MOT is due (old car - bit worried...). I did a carboot sale this morning and made £44 - had hoped for more but it's better than nothing. I'm glad to have had a sort out too, I took three backs of unsold shoes and clothes to the recycling bank and have a nice big space at the bottom of my wardrobe! - glad your feeling good about the money and the space in the wardrobe. Know the feeling about the car but you will get there in the end ... we all will!!!

Managed to do six hours overtime today at double time so far towards April's wage i have 4 hours at time and a half and 6 hours at double time and hopefully i'll be able to get some more hours in before the cut off for overtime.

I made some soup today which will do me for lunch for a few days.

I've a few items finishing on ebay today but can't really get motivated to put anymore on..... im just so tired. I will need to get on with it soon as i've loads of stuff to put on and if i don't put it on then it wont sell so really just need to get on with it :rolleyes:

It's so cold just now all i want to do is go to my bed and curl up but instead i will go put another jumper on and take some photos of stuff to put on ebay i'll maybe try and list 5 things then its a long hot bath.

Buddiebabe x

buddiebabe

Some good news for a change

The balance transfer from my Debenhams card to my skycard has gone through so that's now paid off :j :j :j

I submitted a claim for the difference in my mortgage sealing fee after i got the weekly MSE email and i received a letter today saying they would pay the £150 difference into my bank account. I checked my account and this was already there :j :j :j

I was going to use this to pay off my alliance and leicester overdraft and have written the cheque for that.

I've been wondering if that was the right thing to do now. My alliance and leicester overdraft is 0% interest free for a year and i opened the account in August so i still have 5 months before they will charge me interest. So as my RBS overdraft is £1150 i thought that i could use £150 of my alliance and leicester account and contact the RBS to reduce my overdraft to £1000 and then i wouldn't have the £150 available to me.... what do you all think????

I think i'll find it easier to pay back the £150 to my A + L account than i would to just leave the money in my RBS account as im using this account on a daily basis. Do you think im going the right thing??

I will phone the bank 2moro and see if its possible for them to reduce my overdraft to £1000 (i just hope they don't ask me to review my account with them cause i really can't be bothered with that) :rolleyes:

Buddiebabe x