Debt Free by 40 Debt Diary

ZTD

oakdale_minx wrote:

That's another claim filed! £3,744.08 including the 8% interest!!

and they thought a £90 goodwill gesture would satisfy me........silly silly banks.......

When the shoe was on the other foot, they were quite merciless - "kicking when you are down" comes to mind. No reason for you to pull your punches now.

oakdale_minx

ZTD wrote:

When the shoe was on the other foot, they were quite merciless - "kicking when you are down" comes to mind. No reason for you to pull your punches now.

they certainly did kick me. Again and again. I had charges for a two year period that started when I was extremely ill and spent the majority of the year on morphine. My finances fell apart and my ex did nothing to help (except drink) . They showed no help at all and it only stopped because I agreed in 2003 to hand back my cheque book and card. Every month I left £100 in my a/c to clear the o/d and I took the rest in cash to pay the bills. They took all facilities away from me - including DDs etc. Ipaid back the o/d after a year, but thedamage was done.

So, my turn. I would say to anyone reading this, if your bank, credit card, catalogue or store card has charged you any charges in the last six years - get them back!!! you are entitled. Even if the a/c is closed, it doesn't matter.

It was very very scary the first claim I put in, but now I realise it is all just a process. All the letters at any stage are standardised and I could almost predict the wording of the next ones I will get - the CAG board is fab.

Anyway - guess what- another mystery shopping mission - three in a day!!!:T

And - it's more free food - yummy yummy !!! :spam:

Well, ok, it's not spam I'll be eating, but it was the most relevant smiley I could find!
:rotfl:

And Nix - go for it - you'll be surprised how much can change your finances if you've had your 'lighbulb moment ' - we'll all support you all the way to being DF!

oakdale_minx

Messed up.

Bum.

Seems the letter from the bank wasn't about the big Abbey claim - when I re-read it , it was about the FIRST claim - they were replying to a situation which is now with their solicitors!

Anway, i've spoken to moneyclaim and they will be able to cancel the claim as it hasn't been issued. Phew.

OH said I should carry on with it as he felt the that although I'd said I would give them 14 days, they obviously wouldn't and by the time it was acknowledged by the solicitors, the 14 days would be up. However, I know he was saying that because he is being impatient (and it's my money I'm claiming!) and so I decided it was too much money to gamble for the sake of re-submitting it in another 9 days.

Filled in a questionnaire last night for one of the many survey companies I'm registered with and ended up being asked if i'd take part in a hair mousse trial - good news - free hair product is always good as I'm a real 80's girl when it comes to my hair - lots of it glued in place with lots of mousse and hairspray! (that has probably given you all a really awful image of how I look - I kind of look like Sarah Brightman after she has eaten far too many pies!!)

I really hope the capital one statements arrive soon. I feel this claim is really dragging behind the others at the moment.

oakdale_minx

Had my re-scheduled AQA training cancelled AGAIN yesterday. Not impressed. I am so keen to get on, I could have been looking to earn some money by now, but I'm stuck waiting until my trainer gets her internet access back again - at least Monday apparently. GGrrr.....

Started thinking yesterday. The bank charges, if all goes well, will basically clear my unsecured debt bar about 300-400. If I deduct what i'll be paying over the next couple of months anyway, then snowball the payments, I reckon I could be looking at all my CC's and o/d being clear by November ish.

I was looking at reducing the term of the secured loan again. It started last year at 20 years, then I reduced it to 10 years in January. With the small annual payrise I get of about £40 a month and the spare cash after i've paid off my CC's, it looks like I may be able to get the term down to 60 months if I am VERY careful and have NO emergencies for the next 5 years.....hmm...

It might be worth though cutting myself a little slack though as that would leave me only £120 ish a month for everything, and no emergency funds.

So, I might, next January, reduce the term down to 84 months and then take it from there.

That won't project to make me debt free by 40, but it will give me something to build on over 2007 to look to reduce the term again during next year.

New boss doing my head in

OH did my head in last night. There was a quote on the TV - 'tell me you love me- or are you a big fat coward really' - I jokingly said that to him straight afterwards and he said 'I told you once my answer to that' and I said 'so you can tell your son that three times , but not me?'......his reply??

"yes, but I know him.........."

My reply.......

" we've been together over three years - that's just a load of bo**ocks"............

oakdale_minx

Not much to report today.

Filled in a survey and might be asked to test out some shampoo.

Persuaded the OH to go to the pub last night. Spent £13 so that's the whole of my budget used for the month - £120. There's £53 of my o/d left and 8 days until payday. A quick look in the freezer and I think i'll need dinner for 2 nights. So, I don't think I've done badly!! From £350 down to £120 on food!

I can do my letter before action for citicards on Monday.

OH told me some of the money struggles he'd had before me met me - all CSA related. I felt quite sorry for him, but he spoilt it by becoming holier than thou by asking how anyone could incur so many bank charges and at least he didn't have people knocking on the door for money. I said, neither do I? And he said that I couldn't pay my credit cards. I replied, I could, and had available credit.

Sold the Razorlight CD yesterday on ebay that I got from my piggypoints. Winning bidder hasn't paid yet, and I've got another DVD which finishes tomorrow that i'm hoping will sell. Might have a look around for some bits tomorrow to list.

Got bitten by insects because we sat in the beer garden last night and I ITCH!

oakdale_minx

Just phoned NTL. I'd already downgraded to the Base pack after various 'deals' to keep me as a customer, but I decided to downgrade again to the Select pack to save £5. The channels I would have lost I don't watcy anyway, but I ended up with a 6 month upgrade to the Family pack (everything except Sky Sports and Movies!) and a £5 a month discount!! :T

Have to confess to having a 5 minutes of madness and ordering a top from QVC. I'll send it back - honest, don't know what came over me

And the mother of all storms has broken - street lights came on it was so dark! Loads of fork lightning - very exciting but got soaked when I ran to get the washing in - the rain went from spitting to torrential in less than 30 seconds!

oakdale_minx

Done my letter before action for my citicard charge claim. Send that in the morning.

Just spent an hour undoing a curtain pole to take the curtains off the rings and then thread the curtains back on the pole because some of the curtain hooks had snapped. Was almost hanging out of the window at one point trying to get the screwdriver behind the pole to unscrew the bit holding the pole to the wall. Now hot ,dusty and sweaty - yuck.

Other DVD I had on ebay sold as a Buy It Now, which was a nice surprise as it finished today anyway. Still not had payment for the razorlight one yet though.

Bought a very reduced fresh pie from somerfield. The label was blank.

I'm hoping it is apple or black currant.........because it's going to have custard poured over it tonight and if it is chicken and mushroom........

ZTD

oakdale_minx wrote:

Bought a very reduced fresh pie from somerfield. The label was blank.

I'm hoping it is apple or black currant.........because it's going to have custard poured over it tonight and if it is chicken and mushroom........

...it'll taste unusual.:eek: Bet you it's nice - you'll just have to close your eyes.

oakdale_minx

It was apple!!!!

It wasn't the best pie I've ever tasted. It was ok, but I'm glad I didn't pay more than the 20p it was reduced to!

sent off my letter before action to Citicards.

Called Capital One to ask where my statements are . They are on day 30 with a 40 day deadline to get them to me. The first CSA didn't know and gave me a phone number to call . That was the collections department, obviously not what I needed! I was told to call back customer services and ask for a manager which I did. The 'account specialist ' I spoke to had no record or the acknowledgement letter from them, no phone number for the department, no faz number and no email contact details.

I guess this lady is sitting in an enclosed cupboard, with no phone, email, fax or access to the outside world as she is surrounded by the deluge of statement requests from customers wanting charges refunding.

Or maybe they just don't want joe public contacting her!

I've done a letter to them with a 'gentle' nudge that they have 10 days left to send the statements to me.

Picked up a little mystery shopping job. I'll do it on Friday as I'm taking the day off.

Got an email from my AQA trainer to say she wouldn't be online in the evenings at all this week and could only do a morning. I don't have access to their software at work (I'd get shot if I downloaded it on my work PC!) and so I'm taking Friday off so she can train me that morning -I don't want to be let down again!!!!

oakdale_minx

Realised I had nothing to say for the first time. Then realised I did and almost didn't write about it, but realised I'd be denying what I did.

Went to Asda and spent £12.09 on absolute tosh. Icecreams, reduced crumpets, cheese slices, bagels etc. Tosh.

£12.09 a week or so ago would have been carefully gathered coins and a penny perfect shop for x number of days.

I know it's only £12.09 and I haven't exactly gone out and bought a Gucci handbag or anything, but it's a trait I recognise in myself. Whenever I diet (and I have loads of weight I need to lose) I'm really really good for ages then I have a little 'slip'. I ignore it thinking it isn't the end of the world, throw away the wrappers of the food i've secretly eaten but then I slowly, ever so slowly get complacent and before I know it, I'm off the wagon and back on the food. And the weight has gone back on.

And it felt the same after going to Asda. I screwed up the receipt and chucked it in the breadbin in case my OH saw it, and saw it as a 'slip'.

But I have to be honest and realise that an 'ignored' slip today could be another one in a few more days and that my spending habits have to change otherwise I will slowly slip back into spending willy nilly and I'll end up with maxed out CCs.


There. Told myself off!

(the icecreams were a bargain though!)