Day 1... where will it lead

LexieLou

chevalier wrote: »

I don't know what work you do, but could you fit mystery shopping around it to give your income a lift? As you are self employed you wouldn't have this hurdle to jump

Hi Chev,

Yes I can fit mystery shopping in around my work, I did it a few yrs ago and it proved to be a nightmare, but I'll definitely look into it again.

Thanks for popping in.

LL xx

LexieLou

I made it to page 10. This is so sad, but I am so excited.

I've not been on here in ages but I am busy squirrling away with my MSE ways. Albeit I could ramp it up a gear or two.

I've to make payments again on my CC this month. One of them is on a payment plan and they want me to complete a new financial statement with copies of bank statements etc to prove my earnings. Which I need to check as I'm not 100% sure that they need that. Push comes to shove I can make the min payments again, but I'm enjoying the 0% interest at the min and concentrating on other cards esp those with lower balances.

I went into town yesterday and managed to spend a small amount on a present for a friend, was very pleased with myself.

As for having extra money, I've realised that when I do I can pay it into my CC thru my Barclays as I have a Barclay card and they don't charge you a fee if you have an account with them.

I'm off to chase a few things up and do paperwork, check my bank balance and organise myself for next week as I've got free evenings and could do some more work and get more money in.

To everyone who is new to reading my diary thank you for joining me on my journey and to those who have been here from the start, thanks for sticking with me.:grouphug:

Take care,

LL xx

LexieLou

Hi,

I know I haven't been here, but I have a very good reason. I have been very poorly, one infection after another and just not able to muster up the energy to do anything, literally anything. Getting back on my feet slowly and slowly trying to get the energy to fight this battle of Debt that i decided to go to war with last Dec.

Nothing much to tell, all is ticking along as it should be.

Believe it or not I am tired after writing these few lines so I will go and come back tmmw.

Take care,

LL xx

ziggles50

I'm glad you're still around it HAS been a while. Hope you feel better soon
xxxxx

LexieLou

Hi,

Still here. Still NO lottery win!! Yawn.

Not much to tell at the min, like everyone else things are tough at the min and I've turned into a total moan about everything.

I should get back on top of the ebaying, well start again but i don't think that there is anything worth ebaying.

Nothing else to tell so I will go for tonight and pop back tmmw.

Be good.

LL xx

LexieLou

Hi,

It's been so long since I was last on here and I missed you all, I thought I was doing really well until I realised that I only just made minimum payments on debts this month, but I have caught back all arrears on my loan and HBOS have given me an O Draft increase, which I didn't ask for!! What's that all about? Does that mean that my credit rating is increasing?

I've not much to tell really, expect I was beginning to feel really down about the huge amount of debt and that it never seems to be reducing, which is silly as I know it is, but just not fast enough for me. But it's been nearly a year since I started this journey and it's been as learning curve. I mentioned to my dad the other day that if he applied for his bus pass he could use all his car parking fees for his trips into town for a box of smokes every week. Like how much of an MSE thing is that to say? Martin you would be proud.

So off now to do some ironing and then bed early as I'm tired. Did I mention I have most of my Christmas Shopping done? Well proud of myself and rightly or wrongly I have trimmed right back Christmas pressies this year. I buy for my friends kids and while I love them to bits, it seems pointless as i need to reduce my debt and just for this year I think I need to prioritise. As my mother keeps saying, 'there's a recession on and you're not earning very much'.

So boys and girls I'm away for a date with the Ironing board and the news.

Talk soon.

LL xx

LexieLou

Afternoon all,

So i had my really exciting date with the ironing and the TV. Tonights is the washing machine.

I've no real news to report, all is quiet at this end.

So i'll go and sort out that washing.

Talk soon.

LL xx

LexieLou

Hi ya,

So you know the Halifax OD increase I talked about, well Tesco came along and reduced my available credit limit with IMMEDIATE effect!! Wow I am so worried, well at the min I'm not but they wouldn't need to come along and do that again as I will be worried. Like do these people not see that I'm not using the card and therefore a reduction doesn't annoy me or affect me too much.

But in all seriousness, I do need to start making over payments again as I've been pretty lax recently about it.

Nowt else to tell, things are slow on the work front and as a result I'm getting a bit worried that I won't have any money for Jan - Mar when it's quiet.

Anyway that's another problem for another day.

Talk soon.

lots of Love,

LL xx

patman99

Nice to see you're getting there as far as clearing your debts are concerned.
I must admit, I had a plan that involved clearing at least one of my three CCs by Xmas 2010. However, in January I didn't predict my employers closing, and relocating to France. So, come April 29th, I found myself out of work and the plan?, well, that's gone out the window.

I have also been ebaying, but mostly other relatives stuff. I know what it is like to get a stroppy buyer as I have one myself.
I noticed that you sell on Amazon, but have yet to make many sales. I have loads listed on Amazon, but sell very few items. The trouble with Amazon is that, unless you pay for the premium service, you loose 87p in fixed-fees for every sale along with Amazon's variable fees, but, in order to make it pay, you would need to shift at least £30 p/m of books. This is nigh-on impossable unless you are giving them away. After all, how can you compete against sellers selling the same book for 1p ?. Some of the bigger books cost £4.75 to post, so proving that they must be selling at a loss just to increase the number of sales they make.

I tried GreenMet as their fees are fairer, but no sales yet.
I also tried Play.com, and eventually sold the CD I had listed. Have now put another few up as Play.com have an easy-to-work-out commission of 10% + 50p, and they actually tell you how much you will receive (before postage).

As you are selling on ebay, why not send your customers a referal link to 'BigCrumbs' pointing-out that they could be earning whilst they are buying.

I guess as you work outside, you must either be a gardener or window cleaner. If you are averaging over 16 hours a week, you may be entitled to WTC.

I'm looking at S/E as a way back into work, but as I had a job in October that lasted 3 weeks, I now have to wait another 6 weeks before I re-examine this route. If I do it properly, then the Govt. will pay me £160 p/w for the first 6 months.
I also learned that if you pay Class 1 NIC's, you can claim JSA for the periods you have no work.

LexieLou

Hi,

Hello Patman too, thanks for the tips I will look into them.

I made it thru Christmas borrowing £150, but this I will pay back. By the end of Jan.

Re the money saved to pay myself from Jan-Mar....not there. Only paid till end of Jan, bit disappointed but what can I do? Just keep plodding along.

I will be super organised and calculate how much I have paid off this year and update my totals intime for my first diary anniversary.

I also need to do my self assessment, boring but so necessary.

Right off to beg infront of the TV.

Talk soon,

Have a good one!

LL xx