Debt Free by 40 Debt Diary

debtdestroyer*

Hi oakdle_minx, just wanted to say thoroughly enjoying following your thread, and I think you are doing really well. Really hope you get your bank charges back, cause that will knock a massive amount of your debt and make this whole process slightly easier!

Keep up the good work!!!:j

oakdale_minx

Hi Ali - I'm doing an MA in Media and Cultural Studies. It's vaguely relevant to my job, and they've said they will contribute half this year at least towards the costs so at some point I'll get £250 back. It's only my first module, I'm planning to do History of British Cinema next year but it's £1100!! :eek: :eek: :eek: i have to complete the MA by 2011 as they are withdrawing it as a course, but at least that's motivation to do it in a set timetable.

They use LOTS of long words!!!!!

My gapbuster mystery shopping was soooo quick and easy, but I had to make a purchase of £5 minimum and I couldn't find much at that where I had to go, so ended up spending £7.99. I'll get £5 refunded and £6 fee, so I'll only make £3!!!! Not worth it really, so I'm not sure i'll do any more of those, but I'll see what happens.

Posted the letter with my ID recorded back to Citicards, posted my list of charges recorded to the Abbey (also recorded - they are a devious lot at stalling!)

No post at all today - very unusual. Always something, even if its junk mail from signing up to so many offers through this site!! :rotfl:

debtdestroyer - I know, it's quite a nice thought to think I'll get such a big sum back. The abbey will be £3,500 including interest, Capital one should be about £200 and Citicards, well, I really don't know - £200 plus I think.

As long as for some weird reason the Abbey don't decide to make a precedent and fight me in court (I can't imagine they will), the money from them will pay off my o/d and two highest APR cards. That will leave me with my Mint and RBS card. The money back from Citicards and CApital One will clear my Mint card and will leave me with my RBS card to clear - ao maybe I'll have my CC's paid off by next Spring?! That would be brilliant and then I'll start saving (saving, what's saving?! :rotfl: ) and maybe look to re-structure my secured loan down a couple more years if I chuck an extra £50 or so a month at it.

I know Ali, I know...........OU........you are such a hard task master.....but the washing up looks so much more interesting!!!

oakdale_minx

Very late postie today - huge THUD as it hit the floor!

Two letters from the Natwest about my new Step account , one was just rammed packed full of leaflets as well as a little plastic card holder wallet - haven't seen one of them since I got my first current account when I was an 18 year old student!!

Three letters (yep, three) from Capital One saying they confirm the conversation they had with me and they've lowered the interest rate on my CC. Three letters........what a waste of postage.

Also an acknowledgement letter from Capital One about my request for statements - fab. That's a tiny step forward with that one!

Ok, Ok, back to work.......but i'd rather be reading the MSE board than reading an article called 'Marshall McLuhan:1960's zeitgeist victim or pioneer postmodernist'...........would help if I understood the title.......

oakdale_minx

Far too hot for me today. Pushing 30 degrees is too much for me, here's a nice sea breeze, but I really hate the sticky weather

Feeling a bit virtuous today :A

Was desparate to go out Friday night. Probably because it was payday, it was Friday and because I haven't been out for weeks and weeks. Asked OH if he fancied going out - he went 'nah' (didn't stop him being in the pub as soon as he could yesterdayfor the football!), so I was going to go to my old local for the evening. I'd decided I'd buy a bottle of house white and have each glass topped up for free with soda water. Would have cost me £10. fought it all day and decided against it about 7.30.

So, I decided that as I would have spent the £10 and not really got anything for it, I paid an extra £10 off one of the credit card with the highest APR yesterday - I'm soooo good!!! :A :rotfl:

Also joined three more mystery shopping/marketing discussion group companies - did the TNS test 'exam' - it went on forever!!

Bit p'd off with the OH over the money thing. Last night I'd cooked a huge dinner which he ate when he arrived - he asked for more, I said there wasn't any more . He whinged he was hungry (he's 47 going on 15) and I said there were frozen pizzas (I have loads of the 'free' chicago town ones in thefreezer!) and he turned his nose up.

I jokingly said - well as you weren't going to eat here unless you gave me any money - and he replied - 'no, Isaid I'd put petrol in the car, you had £20's worth when I was only wanting to give you £10 last time'. I reminded him he had said 'I will put petrol in your car and give you some money when I can' and he denied he had said it.

So, as the red light has been on in my car for the last two days I told him I had no petrol this morning. I got a string of incredulous 'What????'s but unless he puts some in today I will probably be freewheeling to work tomorrow.

Decided to bite the bullet and ask - he keeps saying 'men can't read between the lines, you have to just say it' - so I did!!

It's starting to grate a bit though to be honest and I'm not sure how to handle it. I understand his money is sporadic, but he is doing work at the moment (adjudication and mediation for the building industry) and he does earn a lot of money doing it. I'm just rubbish at asking for money, but he's never contributed to a meal or to beer/coffee etc for the two years I've lived here and if it were the other way around, I wouldn't be able to keep taking like this. He keeps no food in his house and get a shower here at least three times a week. Maybe I'm too soft.

Sorry.........ranting a bit there!

Daddyo

Sounds a sponger to me. Figure if you were on your own you'd crack this so much quicker, but thats drastic !!!

Still reckon the warts and all discussion should be given some thought.

oakdale_minx

Daddyo wrote:

Sounds a sponger to me. Figure if you were on your own you'd crack this so much quicker, but thats drastic !!!

Still reckon the warts and all discussion should be given some thought.

Agree with you I'm afraid, but am going to see how things progress over the rest of this year now he knows (well, partly) about the situation.

He put £15 worth of petrol in the car last night - he was only going to put £10 in, but put £15 in. I'm just going to tell him every time I need petrol and take it from there. He has some paving slabs that can be used to replace the gravel that is on the patio area at the moment, which will save me the turf or decking cost this year or next, and , he has some paint for the bedroom which is stripped, flooring bought (15 months ago:eek: ) so that will save me some money I would have had to spend myself.

Hot and sticky today - yuck

Got a letter from the Abbey today basically stalling me from going to court over the first claim of £610 of bank charges, they'll look into it again, need 4 weeks, blah blah blah. Tough . They know it's only a stalling tactic and I'm pressing on ahead. Wednesday is 14 days since they would have received the Letter Before Action and I'll make a decision whether to do two separate claims, or add it all together and do one big claim after I've gone through the process of the letters needed to getthe £2k+ back.

Looking after my dog for 2 night. Have a strange 'joint custody' arrangement with the ex over the dog. He lives with 'dad', but I have access to my old house every day and I take him for his first walk at lunch. anyway, 'dad' is away for two days , so I've got my four legged best friend staying. He's panting away at the moment, it's too hot for him, bless him.

There were 9 assignments with IMS this morning Icould have had, but they were at 9 locations all out in the sticks. Each one was only 5 minutes, but only paid £2 - I'd use more than that in petrol getting between them all, so passed on it.

Still haven't heard from AQA Really hoping to be taken on by them.

New bossstarted today.......known her for years at her old job, and she wants a meeting with me tomorrow about where Iwant to go job wise, and she feels she has a 'solution' to take some of the work load away from me. As where I work has no money, it won't be an assistant. I just hope the 'solution' isn't to get rid of me altogether........

LJD1_2

Hiya Oakdale.

Have you tried vaseline round your nose for your hayfever? It stops the pollen going up and really helps both me and my sun. You can buy an expensive version of this but the vaseline works fab for us. Just don't use too much as it's not that attractive! Good luck with paying those credit cards and keeping to your food shopping budget.

Take care xx

oakdale_minx

hiya LJD1 - I've only heard about the vaseline thing this year, I keep thinking about trying it, knwing me i'll go around with abig blob of vaseline on the end of my nose and nobody will tell me!!

Wish there was a solution to the heat!!!! I hate the heat with a passion and on top of the hayfever, I am very very pale skinned and only have to step out the door and I'm the colour of a cooked lobster!!! :eek:

Meeting with new boss went ok. She is very 'management speak' and it was all 'top line, bottom line,generic totalising (huh?!!), streamlining, communicative stragegising ' baloney so I just played along with her and came out with as much rubbish, seemed to sound ok!:cool:

I can file my first claim against the Abbey from tomorrow - gulp! Need to put my figures onto the CAG spreadsheet so it works out the 8% interest.

Application form for me to sign from RBS for their current account. Doubt they will give me it as my credit rating is still rubbish - its the stupid paid CCJ on my report that keep messing it all up - it was only for £592 and it's one of the CC's i'm claiming the charges back from now! Ah well, a little revenge I guess. :rolleyes:

Also got a printed application form from RBS for their 0% card. Again, dont think I'll be accepted, but if a fluke occurs, I'll bang on as much as I can from my higher CC's until I can get the bank charges back.

There was a card saying I have a Special Delivery Letter as well. Can't think what that would be except for the return of my ID from Citicards. I only sent it on Friday though, so it's a bit speedy if it is, but it's good news if it is because that means they are sorting out my old statements.:T

Also got an email from Saros research to say I'd been added to their database for marketing discussions, but it sounds like they are mostly in London, which isn't much help unless they are paying a good sum of money, but it doesn't harm to be on their books in case they have anything a bit more local.

I'M HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and no, not in a Pan's People kind of way!):rotfl:

Nobody mention the OU assignment, please.............

oakdale_minx

Well, from today I can file a claim with the Abbey for the first claim:eek: ! I can claim £610 plus 8% interest. I've registered with moneyclaim so I can go for it - my OH knows how it all works and he is going to be late in tonight so i'll wait until tomorrow, I really don't want to mess it up!

Either Capital One or Citicards have cashed my £10 DPA cheque, so that means one set of statements if definitely on its way soon.:T

Remembered I had 20 euros in the kitchen cupboard yesterday, if I exchange it, I think I'll get about £15 so I think I'll do that at the weekend and take the proceeds to the supermarket. It'll buy a few days worth of food, which will mean I don't have to dip into the food budget yet.

Got an insect bite on my arm and it ITCHES! I'm really allergic to them and the redness is the size of an egg at the moment.:mad:

oakdale_minx

Filed my first claim against the Abbey last night :eek: :eek: :eek:

£610 plus the interest - decided to do two claims as apparently the Abbey are throwing every stalling tactic at claimants they can and I'd rather push ahead as quickly as possible, I can't wait to be able to claim for the other £2,700+ in 2-3 weeks time!

HHmm.......just done my daily ebanking check - no charges have come off my account.......they ALWAYS come out on the 6th and I'm expecting about £40 or £50 worth.....strange....maybe I'm being overoptimistic and they've realised that any charges i'll just claim straight back - I'll check again tomorrow in case they are on there tomorrow, a day late. It would be fantastic if they don't charge me this month, but I think i'm being a bit hopeful!


Got enough points with pigsback for either a £10 Pizza Hut voucher, or £8.75 off a CD with CD-Wow. Almost went for the pizza voucher, but was very sensible and went for the CD voucher. I'll get a chart CD and stick it straight on ebay , think I'll get the new Scissors Sister one when it is released next Monday, so should sell quickly.:T