Burlesque Babe bid to stay debt free in 2010

Burlesque_Babe

Well......after a few comments this morning from my mad but lovely DFW friends about my bizarre feeling of loss at not having a debt diary anymore, I've decided to keep one to try to keep me in a position where I end 2010 in no worse a position that I start it. I apologise now if I bore you :rotfl:

Bit of background - 39 and dreading turning 40 in May _pale_

I have numerous part time jobs (more of that later) which make up my salary which changes each month.

I have joint custody with my ex of a lovely Springer called Charlie who is the light of my life Weird arrangement but it works.

I have an OH :rolleyes: Much more of him later I expect if this is going to be my place to unburden.

I found MSE in 2005 when I was 25k in debt :eek: I started a diary and worked all hours to clear it. I did it and vowed never to be in debt again. :rolleyes: I was in a good job, on 28k as a middle manager with no thoughts of leaving. However, just as I became debt free, I had a change of manager and went through the worst period in my life ending in me taking redundancy and then being paid off about what she did to me. She is known as Cruella for future reference.

I had 28k in the bank, no job and my mental health was a mess. I guess I had some kind of breakdown and it's taken me over 2 years to be where I am now. It's changed me, but for the better in many ways.

I didn't have the confidence to apply for a job for 8 months after being made redundant. I felt so awful about myself I went for the lowest paid admin jobs, part time. Anyway I got a job a few months later, part time admin.

During my time without a job, I was lucky that I had self employed work through AQA, the text question company so although my money was going at an alarming pace, I did have a bit of money coming in.

I started to run up the cards again for food and to make ends meet and I had 5k of debt. I started a diary but in the end used up the lion's share of my remaining savings to pay it off. This is my last diary.

I am now working part time in the admin job and have a lower management grade job in the afternoon with the same organisation. I have also re-trained and I teach adults. I also do a bit of invigilating. My morning job is permanent, my afternoon job is contract (and could well end in March), my teaching is 1 night a week during term time if the course runs and invigilating is probably once a month if averaged out over the year.

I do have a bit of debt (woo hoo - I properly qualify for a diary ) - £177 on my CC from booking flights for a holiday this year.

I was involved in an accident at the beginning of December and my car has been written off I currently have a hire car and am waiting for the wheels of the insurance company to chug along with an offer. I can't see it being much more than £1000 to be honest so I feel that I have some debt coming my way to replace my car with something reliable.

I know myself when it comes to money and although £177 on a CC is nothing, I've been there before in my life more than once and it is NOT going to end up at 5k or more and then I face a battle to clear it.

Whatever life chucks at me this year, car replacement, possible job loss in the afternoon at least etc I want to end 2010 in no worse position financially than I am now.

And I get to whinge, rant etc on my diary

So - there we go. Me in a nutshell - ish!! :rotfl:

I'll post SOA next.

Burlesque_Babe

My SOA

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 0
Number of cars owned.................... 1
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1200
Partners monthly income after tax....... 75
Benefits................................ 108
Other income............................ 50
Total monthly income.................... 1433
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 770
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 94
Electricity............................. 34.5
Gas..................................... 34.5
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 25
Telephone (land line)................... 0
Mobile phone............................ 10
TV Licence.............................. 12
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 40
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 170
Clothing................................ 10
Petrol/diesel........................... 35
Road tax................................ 16
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 25
Buildings insurance..................... 8
Contents insurance...................... 8
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 10
Haircuts................................ 5
Entertainment........................... 0
Holiday................................. 25
Emergency fund.......................... 0
Total monthly expenses.................. 1332

Assets
Cash.................................... 1200
House value (Gross)..................... 190000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 150
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 191350

Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 123000...(770)......5.44
Total secured & HP debts...... 123000....-.........-
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Barclaycard....................177.......5.........6.8
Total unsecured debts..........177.......5.........-

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,433
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,332
Available for debt repayments........... 101
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 5
Amount left after debt repayments....... 96
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 191,350
Total HP & Secured debt................. -123,000
Total Unsecured debt.................... -177
Net Assets.............................. 68,173
Created using the SOA calculator at www.makesenseofcards.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using IE browser.

Few explanations

My salary varies from £1150 - £1300 depending on how much teaching I've done and how many hours in the month for my afternoon job as it's paid by the hour.

Partners monthly income after tax....... 75

Me and my OH don't live together, he lets me spend around £75 per month on groceries for the 2 of us. I know it's not enough (ie he doesn't contribute to the utilities etc) but I can't make this any better than it is at the moment without words being said :rolleyes:


Other income............................ 50

I still do AQA and this is an average. I need to do more but it means doing weekends on top of a full time job plus teaching and teaching planning.

I've bundled landline phone/cable/internet all on 1 line.

I've already paid car insurance in full for the year.

I've put £10 for clothing but don't always spend £10 every month, similarly I've put £15 for presents as an average across the year.

Pet insurance - currently looking at that. Last month it was £17 but Charlie turned 8 last year. His policy expired yesterday and Churchill wanted to up it to £28 per month. I cancelled and am literally searching today for a replacement as it seems £25 is the going rate for an 8 year old Springer.

It says I have £96 left but that can be less due to the variance in my salary so I don't really see that as spare as some months I won't have it.

My £108 benefits is WTC and will end in March, I already know I now earn too much for it to continue.

Burlesque_Babe

whoooooooooooops - sorry, I should know by now where to post - please can this be moved to diaryland!! :rotfl:

beanielou

Happy shiney new diary

Burlesque_Babe

awwwwwwww, ta beanie.

Also - thankyou for the card - it came a couple of days ago - very unexpected and very kind of you xx.

elliemoo

Happy new diary.

I turned 40 last February and it does take a bit of getting used to, but life goes on, and on.

penguin83

Happy New Diary BB and Happy New Year.

x x x x x

Pooky

Happy new diary BB :j

judi24

I turned 40 last June - hasn't been too bad so far!!! good luck with the new diary!

tenmah

Well done BB on starting a new diary. I have subscribed.

Burlesque_Babe

aaaw, ta

I did some New Year resolutions last night on the daily chat thread. I'll copy them to here......this diary is part of one of them

- Have a manicure each month. I never ever do any beauty stuff. I have nails which grow long but split and are all different lengths. I want to get my nails nice and just treat myself once a month. I also noticed my hands seem to be aging quickly so I am going to spend however much a manicure costs to get my hands lovely and my nails nice looking

- Not to be in debt at the end of 2010. Weird one perhaps because I'm (currently!) debt free but the car situation is almost 100% going to cause some debt level and I don't want it to linger - and grow, especially if my afternoon job contract ends.

- Not to let my driving fear get any worse, and if possible to grit my teeth and set myself a target of, say, being able to drive 10 miles in any 1 direction by the end of the year.

- to be in a permanent full time job. At the moment, mornings are permanent and afternoon is contract. Then teaching etc on top. I want to get a job which is permanent, even if if means leaving here, I'm weary of all the different jobs and the uncertainty of each month.

- to lose 52 pounds and to have kept it off. I need to lose double that (and some) but that's just a huge mountain so I'm going to try for 1 pound a week totalling a near 4 stone loss over the year.

- sort out relationship. Nuff said really.

- stop being so inflexible for routine. It's almost the last remaining stuff in my head from the Cruella episode and I need to stop being so OCD about routine etc and have a bit of impulsiveness in my life every now and again.

- say 'yes' to opportunities life throws and just seeing where it goes, I did that a couple of months ago and I remembered life was even better if you just take a chance every now and again to the odd curved ball which comes your way