debt:cant_budge_it - getting rid journal!

chops22

I too am fending off very sociabl mates....the plans for next year already are a girly spa weekend, a hen night in London, short break ferry trip!! I shall only be going if I have the hard cash saved...and have overpaid my debts!!

Lemon_Tree

I've got the threat of a hen night in london hanging over my head at the moment. don't want to let my friend down but i can't afford a show, meal, transport down there. my friend should understand as she's a load of debts but she's in the ostrich stage still and doesn't want to tackle things.

debt:cant_budge_it

hello

just spent 1.5 hours doing some re-shuffling in good old excel.
I am currently paying £1719 a year in INTEREST:eek: horrifying! no wonder i cant get rid of it...

SO I looked at all various ways of re-shuffling. Sticking to my existing cards I can save a bit, getting down to 1333 a year interest. but this is still quite high.

Looked online for a BT card deal and there are some low rate ones that would suit me well (low rate for the duration of the balance). If barclaycard accept me (im woried they wont...) i'll only pay 400 a year interest. xxx fingers crossed

debt:cant_budge_it

just wanted to add one more thing: Diet coke habit still at bay! none xmas day, half can boxing day, none 28th, 29th or 30th. YAY!
None-money goals for 2010 to lose 30-40 pounds weight to enjoy June holidays and stay off the diet cokes. Both should positively impact finances too!

In the last two weeks i have literally spent nothing (£23 to be exact on pet supplies and groceries!) however, because my new job starts next week (eeeek started having nightmares about it!) I have to buy 2 pairs of trousers and prob 2 tops. Going out to new look later as i was given a voucher for xmas. Also got a voucher to get my nails done for a year/haircuts from my inlaws which is brill - I can still hae them done (wouldnt have been able to this year otherwise) and get my hair done without spending any of my money. :-) also got lots of itunes vouchers £55 between me and DH so we'll be sorted for entertainment. Not having a TV means we like to watch some stuff on the laptop, will probably buy another series of The Wire as it is amazing. also have £30 book tokens so i'll be able to fund my mad book habit for a bit (plus i have 30 new books waiting for me in my bookcase already i read about 3-4 a month). XX

off to finally start the whole ebay thing will take ages.
XXXX D

debt:cant_budge_it

Finally managed to log in from my phone-whoop whoop means mse on the move/when I'm tempted.xx. I'm looking forward to the first year of sorting out my finances and hopefully getting healthy too!
If anyone else out there is thinking of losing weight this year then ivillage have fab free friendly forums (like here!!!) on dieting etc... Similar to joining a ww club but free! Also for motivation I will be texting my mum every week to say how much I've lost that week. Xx may start a diet club thread on the main dfw forums though dnt think I know how to create all those member lists that everyone else does!!x

debt:cant_budge_it

New job has no parking and the cheapest car park expensive at £80 a month. Can park in a res street and walk for 15 but apparantly the people who live there get really annoyed... Will have to try it!
No alchohol for 6 days.
Sticking to 'diet' (eating a lot less)
menu planned whole week of food
having packed lunches :-)
2days at sales only spent £30 on work clothes I really needed!

chevalier

debt:cant_budge_it wrote: »

New job has no parking and the cheapest car park expensive at £80 a month. Can park in a res street and walk for 15 but apparantly the people who live there get really annoyed... Will have to try it! Would public transport be cheaper. Of course the 15 min walk each way each day would be win win on the diet front as well.
No alchohol for 6 days. Good for you, are you going to do a payment a day with the money you save? I know there are some on here, who for each No Alcohol Day (NAD) they pay a set amount of their debt. That way you can see a tangible benefit to giving something up. Maybe you could do this with the cola money you are saving.
Sticking to 'diet' (eating a lot less)
menu planned whole week of food
having packed lunches :-)
2days at sales only spent £30 on work clothes I really needed!

the only thing to watch here, is that you give up SO much that you start feeling deprived and then feel that you 'deserve' a treat....

As for motivation. How about you take x amount out in cash each week and leave the debit and credit cards at home. And when that amount has gone, that is it until the next week. I rarely spend any money at all because, for example, I don't take my purse on the school run...Saves me a fortune
chev

debt:cant_budge_it

Thanks chev. I know what you mean about going too mad on the cutting back but I didn't get any pay December so at the moment there is no other option. Going to look into public transport today but there is nothing direct and usually more expensive! I live in the middle of nowhere so i always have to drive somewhere first. X how's your mse things going? Must be hard with kids - they are expensive!?
D.xx

debt:cant_budge_it

:eek: OMG! OMG! *deep breath to calm down*

remember that post about great uncle leaving me 5% of his will and I thought it might be 10k but praying for 13k so I could use the 3k to paysone of my debt without husband knowin and give him rest to put towards mortgage???

WELL!!
Solicitor called last night and the amount (after 40% inheritance tax!) is 35k !!!!!!!!! I can't beilieve it! Never knew him but everyone else in my family is very poor... So I can pay off my debts and give my husband twice what he expected.

Nothing like this has ever happened to me before!

Danger Is I need to stay out of debt. I've owed money since I was 16 I have no idea how to save. Will be so much easier living within my means without a massive debt/interest payment. Going to get an account with no overdraft facility. The debt was going to put me off having kids until I'd paid it off but now I can stop making excuses for delay to husband! :T

happy happy news! First time today I woke up and didn't worry about allthe debt amazing feeling.

I won't be going away from mse though. I need to learn how to live frugally and not get into this mess again.
In fact I will ask hub about getting a joint account which will completely prevent me from getting into a state. X