Getting out of debt and saving up to move out!

ZarZar1990

Okay so I've been away for just over a month.
Lost track of things because I went on holiday.
I've been a ridiculous person with money yet again.
But I'm back now and it's time to get serious!
I currently have £2550 of debt (rounded up).
I've sectioned it out, tackling (of course) the highest interest debt first.
So I've got....

£1500 on a student overdraft, which luckily is completely interest free.

£250 on another overdraft which is NOT interest free!

£143.03 on my next account, obviously not interest free!

£650 on a loan which I'm repaying monthly to Lloyds which I'll be free from in June 2010.

My aim is to be completely debt free by June 2010!
Or at the very least, debt free on everything but my student overdraft and have a large chunk of that paid off!

My plan is as follows:

Budget, budget, budget- I already have this and next months payday's budget's worked out, but I will continue to do this every month so I don't live beyond my means!

Work, work, work- Do any extra hours possible and work really hard so I can obtain as much bonus as possible, My basic wage sees me come out with £390 each month, however, with bonus I've not really come out with less than £420 recently, and last month I got £500!

Ask, ask, ask- My boyfriend owes me £500, he's agreed to pay me £250 next time we get paid (We work together) so that should get rid of my pesky A&L overdraft in one go!

Review, review, review- I currently have around £23 on dooyoo, just need to get some more reviews banged out, because once it hits £50 I can get a cheque sent to me!

Be clever- Drive economically sound, go to the cheaper petrol stations, use cashback websites if I MUST buy things, have as many NSD's as possible, sell anything I don't need/use, eat at home or boyfriends house, no nights out drinking in November!

My main goal is to just improve my quality of living so I'm not always panicking about money.

My SOA changes each month due to different pay, but I know I fritter far too much money away where I shouldn't.

May look into a save the change or saving £2 coins type thing to stop me spending random change on magazines etc.

xxxx

missymoo81

Hey hun sounds like you have your head screwed on with what you want to achieve and how you want to do it.

Good for you, I will be reading with interest.

x

ZarZar1990

Thankyouu
I think I'll try and start by making tomorrow a NSD!

ZarZar1990

Okay so today I did my checks, and an extra £10 was in my bank account!
No explanation, double checked my statements that all of my payments have gone out on time and everything that needs to be paid for is accounted for!
So I'm pretty happy but cautious, it quite possibly could be my Quidco money, I'm going to check that when I've done this entry.

Quarter of a tank of diesel left.
£40 in my online saver set aside for diesel.
I should only use £20-£30 of that tops, until I get paid in 9 days, any that I don't use is going straight into saver account!

On dooyoo I've written 4 reviews this morning, and I'm on 27,970 dooyoo miles which is almost £28.
Once I get to £50 I can withdraw that money as cash, which will be used purely on Christmas presents! :j

o2 bill is scary reading this month, as it's going to be about £60 :eek:
That is because I went abroad though, and it is a one off, I'll know what the proper damage is down to the penny tomorrow, and I'll pay that bill on pay day.

I'll also make another next payment come payday.

I'm off to try and write more reviews!

ZarZar1990

Okay guys, so quick update.
Done a monthly budget for when I get paid next Thursday, and seen that after my friends birthday, my random payments to creditors and necessities such as diesel etc, I should have around £80ish left.
Now this is if I'm very very very frugal, never eat out (aside from said friends birthday of course) and generally just don't do anything other than what I've budgeted for.
I'm very lucky in the sense that my Dad's offered to pay for my car tax (I'm keeping this a secret from real life friends), and my Christmas present this year from everyone in my family is going to be car insurance.
So.
My one task this year is to ensure that I get everyone who has helped me this year (IE: My family) a lovely Christmas hamper (inspired by the hamper section) and a Christmas card.
Because last year, I was so disorganised I hardly got anyone anything.
This time I have more people to buy for, and less money to stretch but I think I can do it, even if it means coming out of December skint.
So.
Before I can do this, I need to complete phases one and two.

Phase one:
Huge clear out of bedroom, get rid of ALL crap! Put things into 'sell' 'bin' and 'keep' piles and find a place for everything, I need to get rid of all old clothes I no longer wear and make room in my wardrobe, I need space space space.

Phase two:
I still live at home, but rarely sleep there, my mum is not an MSE, in fact shes the complete opposite of an MSE, I've tried very hard to talk her round, but to no avail, my plan is basically, to start eating at home more, taking lunches to work again and stop eating out.

I have banned myself from fast food this month, completely.
No fast food.

When phases one and two are complete, I will begin operation hamper task for family.
I need to make a large list of everyone I need to buy for, and work out a budget and get hampers together, I'm off to the hamper thread for inspiration!

xxx

ZarZar1990

Okay so we're one day closer to payday, and I have exactly no money left at all.
Good news:

My Mums going to pay for me to go on holiday with her, I'm also taking my best friend, and she only has to pay £100 for her flight.
We're going next year in July for one week in spain .

I've decided on two hampers I'm doing for Christmas, my boyfriends brothers are each receiving a sweetie hamper, so Brother1 will receive one with all his favourite classic sweets- jellybeans, love heart sweets, jelly cherries, fizzy cola bottles etc, I know where I can pick these up for quite cheap.
Brother2 is obsessed with Oreos, so he's going to get a hamper with all the different types of oreos, regular, double stuffed, and the limited edition christmas oreos.
Also saved two books on my amazon basket and a DVD which I'm putting in to my Mum and Stepdad's hamper.

Good times

Next thing to do is to make a physical list, which I'll do tonight with absolutely everyone I'm buying for, then tomorrow I need to have a nosy in town for baskets or things along those lines.

Last night I paid £6 off my next bill too, and I'll be paying £20 off on Thursday :T.

So just the beasty phone bill from going abroad to sort out :eek:


Anyways best be off
xx

LeeSouthEast

I love your writing style.. it's good fun to read!

You sound extremely focused. Good luck with it. With determination like yours you deserve to succeed.

ZarZar1990

:j :beer: ZarZar's Full Christmas List 2009. :beer: :j

Boyfriend- Gadget show tickets £41 for both of us (That is to go and watch the show in premier seats too)
Also a hamper full of bits and bobs limit of £20

Best Friend 1- Pure money, she is more skint that me but not in any debt (very sensible lady) so I'm going to give her about £25

Best Friend 2- Skint again but we always get each other a stocking full of fun or funny gifts, will do her a hamper with a limit of £10

Mum & Stepdad- Hamper with 2 books for Mum, Creature comforts DVD and chocolates, etc Limit of £15

Baby sister 1- Hamper with kids stuff in, main object is to make it bright and colourful Limit of £10

Baby sister 2- Same as above Limit of £10

Younger sister- Hamper with teenage girl type stuff. Limit of £10

Stepbrother- Hamper with teen boy stuff Limit of £10

Dad & Stepmum- Hamper with Chocolates, DVDs, Alcohol etc Limit of £15

Grandma & Grandad- Hamper, chocolates, nice things £10

Mama & Gdad- Same as above £10

Uncle & Aunt- Hamper £10

Boyfs parents- Hamper £10

Boyfs Sister- Hamper £10

Boyfs brother 1- Hamper £10

Boyfs brother 2- Hamper £10

Aunt- Hamper £10

This brings my total, to an EYE WATERING £246:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:


However, fear not my fellow MSE's as I have a plan!

I'm going to try and cut back those costs as much as possible, those costs are the maximum that they can possibly be, and when I'm out and about I will obtain bargains, I also have about £20 on a boots card which can help out with a lot of these purchases!

I'll keep an update every time I go Christmas shopping to state how much I've spent and keep within that budget!

xxx

ZarZar1990

So the room is tidied and next Tuesday I will begin Christmas Shopping, had an idea to make most of my hampers out of nicely decorated shoe boxes to keep costs down.
I'm hoping it'll look nicer than it sounds .
Anyway
Pay day tomorrow, and I have £5 to my name which is good actually!

Good, good, good, fantastic, brilliant news as well!

Well potential news anyway.

On Friday a lady from the finance office at my college has asked me to go and see her, (my friend went yesterday) basically, they ask how much you earn a month, and I may possibly be entitled to a grant from college!! :j
I don't want to get my hopes up, because due to my parents high income, I've never ever been entitled to any free money ever, which is a bummer, never got EMA or anything, but my friend went yesterday and they told her she was entitled to ALG (Adult learning grant) of £30 a week, plus £1500 in so many monthly installments, long story short, until July she'll be getting an extra £250!

Now I earn the same wages as her, (we work together too y'see.) and she reckons they only asked her about her job... So please dear God, baby jesus... this could be an injection of luck I need, even if I don't get the whole £250 a month, any extra money would really really help.

I could really get cracking with paying off my debt and moving out!!

Wish me luck and send me good vibes!

keza

sending you good vibes! i will subscribe and check how ur doing and stuff! xx

ZarZar1990

Thankyou!
I notice you're getting married a year tomorrow?! How exciting!
xxx