debt:cant_budge_it - getting rid journal!

debt:cant_budge_it

Hello

I'm a MSE newbie!!

I have all the 'syndromes' - want it NOW, head in sand ostrich and more. :rolleyes:

To be serious I have a real problem spending.
I had an absolutely horrific experience 6 months ago - 'found' myself 21k in debt by supplementing my income every month with cc so that I could live the way i wanted to - ridiculous. My husband, who earns a lot LOT more than me gave me 15k straight away. It was not pleasant telling him (he had no idea and is really frugal) but I only said I had 15k...
I have now racked up most of the debt again, in a much shorter period of time. Currently I owe 13K I have really 'woken up' recently. How could do this to him - or myself.

I want to get out of my situation, the right way by doing it myself. I need to learn, rather than be bailed out.

For now my husband thinks I have one 4k credit card (and is horrified at the prospect!) but i'm insisting I have to pay it back myself. I may have to tell him about the rest of the money but for now I just cannot/will not do it. He must wonder where I put all my money *I do*!

OK! well wish me luck - here's my state of affairs.
MY hub pays most utilities/mortgage etc etc so it's not missing, but I;m not considering his income in all of this!

SOA

Income - 1400

Outgoings
FIXED DD
Residents fee

100

1330

FIXED DD
Broadband

19

1311

FIXED DD
DVD

8

1303

FIXED DD
wspa

10

1293

FIXED DD
ciwf

15

1278

FIXED DD
car insurance

38

1240

FIXED DD
council tax

211

1029

Variable
mobile

40

989

Variable
petrol

150

839

Variable
shopping

200

639

I [should but never] have £639 left over to pay off debts etc ... spending diary here I come!

Debts
Halifax Credit Card

4500

23.90%

Egg Credit Card

4176

0%

until nov 2010
Lloyds overdraft

2000

19.30%

Abbey overdraft

2000

12.90%

A&L overdraft

450

0%

until dec 2010

13126

Dec 2009 - owe 13,126


Excited about digging my way up to a 0 balance and beyond. Think I will cry with joy when I no longer owe!

debt:cant_budge_it

That looks a bit odd above (pasted from the excel charts I've been furiously creating).

OK - things I've done since my light bulb moment.

Transferred one of my cc to Egg for a free 0% balance.
I'm currently transferring current accounts to gain a 0% o.draft
Got a new job!!!

From the end of Jan my income should go up £100 a month - hurrah. (though my spending is the prob, not income).
However - this is going to make December the MONTH FROM HELL in money terms. I absolutley had to make sure everyone in family/friends get a christmas pressie - though I have done a LOT of wrapping up of unwanted gifts/unread books that were already in the house (eek painful but did it!). However, xmas gifts still cost a bit. Vet bills this month did not help (not covered by insurance).
Because I'm leaving current organisation and they've paid for me to do a prof qualification, they will deduct this money from my last pay check (18th Dec). This is £1400 :eek: ... which means I'm not going to get paid for a month. Horrible. I think i'm going to be forced to spend on ccs to get by. I already stopped my HBOS extra payment (as well as the min I pay 150) which I'll start again when the new job pays me.

Also - just had car serviced £280. hurrumph... tis the season to be skint!

There are two small payments coming my way which will help me through.
£292 expenses from current work (will be paid on 14th Dec)
£86.36 expenses from current work (will be paid on 5th jan).

Need to find a way to make extra money over the next month. Ebay/junk clearing me thinks.

Also - henceforth I will carry a spending notebook with me and write everything down and then transcribe it over to here. that might open my eyes to all the stupid spends.

J.x

debt:cant_budge_it

:xmastree:

Hello

All these xmas parties recently have taken their toll. Feeling completely horrible today after major blow out last night (lots of alc and spent LOADS that i dont have - very very angry with myself).

on a better note I have bout £10 in £2 coins since i started savng them up 4 days ago! would have been frittered on drinks or magazines if i hadn't stashed them away - yay!

XXX

sortingitout1980

Well done on starting - it will be a tough month but definitely get things up on Ebay if you have stuff to sell. I just made a £100 this week from unwanted gifts etc.

I'll be following to see how you get on.

debt:cant_budge_it

thanks! fingers crossed.
Spent the entire day signing up for comps and freebies (lllooovviing spotify!!) ... i'll be looking out for your posts too.. x

debt:cant_budge_it

saved a lot on buying pressies this year but didnt buy things for people i'd have liked to.

not been spending very much at all. there have been some spends that could have been avoidable but other wise very minimal (which they have to be!!). only 200 in the bank til end Jan. Eek!

£16 in the 2 pound coin jar!

XXX

debt:cant_budge_it

OK so i faced the music and totalled everything up. but i dont have a plan of getting rid - not really. The money is in so many different places it winds me up! i'm very very tempted to go down the whole consolidated loan pathway *unsecured of course* but i think they are unflexible and i'd like the option to pay off more when i can. Having said that - if i'd done the loan thing a few years i would have cleared it all by now and best intentions dont always equal action in my case. *sigh* not sure what to do.

I have a 'dilema' coming up I think. A distant great uncle died a few months ago and left me 5% of his estate which is amazing as I only ever met him once! his house has sold, i think for around 200k and depending on his debts I could get about 10k all of a sudden which would almost get me out of all my trouble! Unfortunately since my husband doesnt know about most of the amount he wants to put it all on the mortgage. WHat to do !! will have to wait and see how much and then decide. It will also take ages to come through i presume as it takes a while to tie these things up. It is very sad to get a big gift and then it would all dissappear on pointless debt - i am really disgusted with myself today. if that had come along and i didnt have debt = how lovely!! though either way of course its a pretty nice surprise! (and I have a tiny poor family so mega surprising!!!)

And despite my best thoughts i'm worried im not really able to stop spending. As soon as theres money in my account again i dont know HOW to not spend it.

maybe if I keep logging in here it will help me stay on the straight and narrow.

new job starts in a few weeks and i dont have the wardrobe for it. i have about 260 in my account til the end of Jan.... eeeeeeek

down in the dumps today - speaking of which that was a huge brain dump of a post!

XXX Debt

debt:cant_budge_it

p.S: realised today that thinking about paying it all off makes me feel physically ill. If I could think about it all the time there'd be no danger of over spending!

gardis

Hi Debt:santa2:

Sounds like you've got a lot on - new job, 'secret' debt and a brassic December.

I hope 2010 brings you more peace...but until then, keep on fighting!

debt:cant_budge_it

cheers gardis.ACtually seeing your sig made me check out the 'sealed pot' thing. I;m doing the whole cant spend a £2 coin thing, but as it happens i have a huge jar of coppers in the kitchen (never seem to spend them). Will have to count them out and lug them down to the bank!

I am ADDICTED to diet coke. £3-£5 a day habit and bad for me to boot. SOooo none tomorrow (eek) i've had enough with my own feeble excuses. I'll have a monster headache for 2 days but it will be worth it. Feel like I cant get stuck into moving debt at the mo as i dont get paid this month... however, i am being lazy as I have tons of stuff i could sell on ebay!

First though - off to see what debt/cc i should be concentrating on first...

XXX

debt:cant_budge_it

Just had a wonderful idea (though it is probably already on here/in the minds of everyone)

Being a newbie I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of challenges on the boards and I want to join them all so....

The heather small challenge = :A
"what have you done today to make you(rself) proud?"
So whether it's adding a penny to a jar, upping the income or making a payment to a debt/savings account just do something every day that you can be proud of, MSE style!!
:T

See very appropriate lyrics below!

I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

Still so many answers I don't know
Realise that to question is how we grow
So I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

We need a change
Do it today
I can feel my spirit rising
We need a change
So do it today
'Cause I can see a clear horizon

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
'Cause you could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today
You could be so many people?
Just make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?

LOL!! XXX