Buddiebabe's SOA / Debt Diary

buddiebabe

Hi Scottishspendaholic

Thanks for taking the time to reply

Have you got single persons discount for your council tax? I'm assuming you live alone? - Yes i get a single persons discount.

Do you need a landline? I've been very lucky this week, threatening to leave my mobile provider (contract up) and got through to disconnections. I now have 300 cross network/landline minutes a month (5 hours) and 30 texts for £5 fixed price (T Mobile U Fix - special deal for me but I'm sure you could find something like this?). I then added a 200 text bundle on top for £10 and I now know that my bill will always be £15 each month (inc VAT) and allows me to make 5 hours of calls (evenings and weekends only which is fine 'cos when I'm at work, I abuse their phone) a month and send 230 texts - I think that's pretty good. Would getting rid of the landline phone on just having the mobile (for the moment), be an option for you? - at the moment i'd rather keep the landline phone i don't use it much for outgoing phone calls but is more for family to phone me as i know they can't afford to phone my mobile
What about car repairs/MOT costs? - My car has just been through its MOT in January and i must have spent around £300 / £400 on repairs (im hoping that it won't need anything else in the near future but if i do then i can use my xmas savings for this. I will start saving for this when i get some extra money.

Will try to keep this updated when i get the time :rotfl:
Buddiebabe x

buddiebabe

Hi Moozie

Thanks for taking the time to reply

I have read your SOA twice and I can only suggest you take a look at the OS board for ideas on how to reduce your food bill. Even cutting it down by £5 will be good as that's £60 a year to throw at the debt. - I will do this i don't know if the figure that i've put down is that realistic i just figured i would go for £20 per week because i work 2 jobs i try to have something quick to eat and usually buy microwave meals but am really going to try to start cooking properly. Have looked at OS board but not really had the time to read all the posts keep finding myself back at DFW :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

One other thing, are you still adding on your savings? Your Christmas fund looks very healthy in particular and it may be worth stopping the input into it for now and use up and spare cash for extra debt repayments. - I've not been adding to the xmas fund since the beginning of the month i feel like i have enough now to buy the presents that i need ... im also buying bargins when i see them to put away for xmas so any xtra money will now be going towards my debts

buddiebabe

tyllwyd wrote:

I'm a bit puzzled about how you manage to earn so much on e-bay? Are you selling second-hand goods that you own already, or are you trading - because if you are trading, you really ought to be thinking about tax etc.

And it's just a tiny point, but £87 points on an Advantage card sounds like 'money' that isn't working very hard for you at the moment. Why not gradually start spending it to take that money off your grocery bills, or else add it to your virtual Christmas/birthday present savings pot, so that you don't have to save more cash towards them.

Re the ebay question. I am selling things that i have in the house. I used to collect everything, toys, beanies, clothes, books, cds... you name it i kept it but am slowly going through all my possessions and listing them on ebay so all the things i sell are mine and most of them are new i used to buy things and never use them or wear them and im slowly freeing up some space in the house too!

Im keeping the Advantage points for xmas or if i need to buy things i'll be using my points for that. I've not added anything to my xmas fund since the beginning of the month and unless i have to use this for other bills i think this will be enought to buy the presents i need.

lynzpower

Hello there love!

Two things from me really

1) How much are you saving for Xmas :eek: who do you buy for the Queen??!? You dont seem to have kids, so saving currently over £500 for it seems insane to me. Id be using up those advantage points, or using the cash for something else in fairness. I'm earmarking 250, including travel to my parents for my Xmas. Anymore than that is just wasteful IMHO!

2) Sky. By your own admission you are never at home as your working so much, Surely this can go?! If you are desperate do some DVD tarting etc.

3) also if you are buying anything, try using stuff like Quidco, greasypalm or other cash back sites... better than nothing Ive £50 in mine from free dvd trials and other bits and pieces.

buddiebabe

Just made a payment of £ 51.00 to my Sky card (min payment and a bit extra)

and
£15.59 towards my MBNA card (this is an additional payment to my monthly payment) :T

Just off to update my signature now... then its listing time on ebay

Kevicho

Just read your SOA, good luck in finding the savings (people have already suggested them above)

Just a point regarding all your credit cards, normally id try and suggest moving the majority of the debt to lower interest cards but they all seem high, and the most are near the limits :S

Have you considered having a look round for a cheaper interest rate loan?

Most people on here think they are evil, mostly for the simple reason that the people who take them out, start spending on the cards again.

In some cases it is true, however i am proof (well so far) that with some self discipline this can work out a lot better.

I transferrred the majority (6k) of my debt onto a lower interest rate loan and set myself the challenge of paying off the rest (4.5k) while leaving them on the accounts with the lowest rates, and that has worked for me.

So 4/5 accounts each with 20% aprs went onto a 7% loan and it gave me the breathing room to work my money around the accounts.

6 Months on the loan is under 5k, the CC debt is 2300 (on 0%) so i have saved myself a bundle and learned the meaning of being a MSE

Also my credit rating will be a lot better because i have cancelled 70% of my accounts, have a lot less available credit and have managed to keep up the payments

(and also accumulate just under 1k in the bank)

buddiebabe

Received a phone call today from a mobile phone company offering me a new deal as my 12 month contract had expired. I didn't think it was due to expire till next month. Anyway, phoned orange and they confirmed that my contract had in fact expired in March. Advised them that i wasn't happy with my current deal and that i could get a cheaper deal elsewhere. Girl on the phone then said she would check to see what they could offer me. I've been with Orange for years and all my family are also with orange. So now im getting an upgraded phone, 300 mins cross network and 500 texts a month for £25 ( tied into an 18 month contract ) but get to keep the same number and got the handset i wanted so from June i'll be saving £ 50 - £ 60 per month :j :j :j

As i'd got my dates wrong with my mobile contract thought i'd phone sky to see if they could do anything to reduce my bill. When i phoned i was advised that I had only upgraded in October 2005 and not taken out a new contract so i was free to change it anytime. Told them that i'd rather just cancel it completely so i was put on hold for about 5 mins and transferred to cancel my subscription. They then offered me the full package for 3 months at half the price so i'll still have all the channels up to August but am only going to be paying £21.25 instead of £42.50 then in August i'll review it again and see if i really need all those channels but at the moment im happy to keep the same package but get them half price so thats another £63.75 that i'll be able to pay towards my credit cards over the next 3 months. :T

All i need now are my six numbers to come up on the lottery tonight :rolleyes:

tina68

clever cookie
Tina x

buddiebabe

Just when you think things are starting to get better and sorted then something always happens.

On Sat i was asked if i wanted to train to become a supervisor in my second job which if i do it will give me an extra £ 3 - £ 12 depending on my shift. :j

Then the bank holiday weekend started to go downhill.

Yesterday went to visit my grandpa in the hospice he's not been well for ages and things aren't looking too good for him.

On the way home my car started making really loud strange noises!! My dad reckons that its the clutch so the cars got to go into the garage on Wednesday.

Then tonight i was just about to start listing things on ebay when i heard a loud noise - when i went to check someone had thrown a stone at my kitchen window and the outside of the double glazing is smashed. :mad: :mad: My nerves are shattered still cant stop shaking. Phoned the insurance company but as its out of hours if i want to get it boarded up then i have to pay for it up front and then claim the money back from them.:mad: Spoke to the police they think it was just kids they said that the window was secure enough but i don't feel that secure.

Im going to have to take the day off work now to get it all sorted out which means i have to use a days holiday. Im just dreading how much its going to cost to get the car fixed and how long it will take to get the window repaired.

Sorry to go on but not having a good bank holiday weekend

hostie

Hello it sounds like you are having a terrible weekend. Don't worry, things will get better.
My only piece of advice is phone all of your credit card companies and ask them if they have a special lower rate of interest for balance transfers. I did this and was amazed that one of my credit card companies (The Co-operative Bank) said the balance transfer rate was 6.9%! So I transferred my Royal Bank of Scotland balance over to them and in that short phonecall managed to drop one of my APRs from 17.9 (at the Royal Bank) to 6.9 at the co-op.
Hope this helps. It is worth a quick phone call but remember not to use the 0845 or the 0870 number - use the normal number and search for it online if your statements don't include a 'number to phone from overseas'
Hope that makes sense!
Goodnight.