no wiser than the fool i was before-lyns' debt diary!

CAFCGirl

Hey Lynsay.

Welcome to the world of "She who has DFW diary thread", I've got one too and honestly the support you receive from your "regulars" is phenomenal. They are the best support network I could ask for.

Plus these things are always good for newbies, joining the fold to have a first hand insight into what to expect and how to avoid certain pitfalls, that we get ourselves in! It's a learning curve for everyone!

Well done on everything you've achieved so far.

Few quick questions.
Can you post a breakdown of what your debts are and to who?
Then maybe another post for your ins/outs?

I'm sorry if you've posted it elsewhere but it might be helpful to kick off your diary with the lay of the land. Where you are right now and where you want to be!

If I can be of any help, I'd love to be able to. Drop me a PM anytime, and I'll be keeping my beady eye on your diary

calleyw

Cantdance wrote:

Hmmm.... this gives me a thought!

I 'time-shift' a lot of my TV viewing by downloading programmes from a website so I can watch them when I want to rather than when they're on.

If I cancelled my Sky I wonder if I could get away without getting a TV licence, as I don't have a working terrestrial aerial?!

Not sure but I know if friends tape stuff off the telly and give them to you to watch you still need a licence.

Are these legit site.

Your choice.

But I have been Telly free for about 7 years. Hardly had any hassle from Telly people and had one visit in that time.


Yours


Calley

lynsayjane

Mrs_Sparkle wrote:

Hey Lyns, what I really want to know is whether the cute guy in the gym ever proposed to you?!

You're doing well- don't give yourself a hard time. It's always hard when you can't pay anything off for a while but you will get there hun.

thanks.

unfortunatly he hasn't been in in three weeks ( i can now keep track of his visits...does that make me a stalker?), he was in yesterday for the first time since i started, his name is ivan (wasn't expecting that ) with an italian sounding surname. he's 27 and lives not too far away from me, oh and everyone in the gym now knows he's my future husband. oddly enough most of the female staff have their wee fav who everyone else knows to stay away from. :rotfl:

lynsayjane

cafcgirl, here's my breakdown. i did post an soa when i started, and a more recent one, not much else we can do the now, but hey if you all say i've done all i can outgoings wise then i'll just pat myself on the head for a job well done.

debts as at 15/09/06

skycard - 1526.86 0% till january. i plan on trying to get a new 0% card in nov/dec to bt this. unfortunatly it's been 0% on purchases too and i had to pick up a few bits for my new job (i shrunked out of my old interview/job clothes) so it's been used this month, but not again!

bos card - was at 959.38 but waiting for this months statement. it's 0% till march, again in feb i'm gonna get another 0% card to bt. i've not missed payments on anything so my credit rating is good enough to get new cards.

student acc od - 750. this account is pretty much dormant, i bung my spends money in each month just to keep it open as i can't afford to pay it off 0% forever tho...they don't seem to care i'm not a student anymore, told them at least twice!

bills acc od - 300. this is the one i've been concentrating on paying off as it's the only thing i'm paying interest on, don't know the rate but works out £2.00ish a month.

incomings

wages should be approx 750 a month, but i just started so nothad a wage yet
as of the start of oct i'll be claiming working tax credit to the tune of about £7 a week. i've got all my forms ready to fill in, but the dwp said not to send it in till after my bday or it'll get rejected.

outgoings

council tax - £78
gym - £36 (like i said will be gone by dec)
bt line rental - £11
internet - £14.99 (plus any calls i make, not usually much)
electric - £30.50 (if british gas get their heads out their ar$$e$
life assurance - £20
home insurance - £21.74
mortgage - £195ish (it's going up this month, lucky i phoned abbey cause they weren't gonna get in touch in time!)
sisters savings scheme - £10 (in 4 years i'll get enough to pay off a cc...but i'll have done it myself by then)
mobile - £19

cc bills ~£60/month (just over min)

foodwise i try to stick to £40 a month, there's only me to feed.
i try and avoid spending on nights out, clothes etc and dont really budget. i just look at whats left after bills are paid and give myself a wee bonus out of it.

i guess my big problem with getting out of debt is that the money burns a hole in my account. once the bills are paid i'll spend some of whats left then not have any left for overpayments. i suppose the good news is my bills always get paid

Verbatim

Well done Lynsayjane.

Very impressive. Congrats on your new job.

debbycatz

Hi Lynsayjayne

Just dropping by to wish you luck in your newly revived efforts to become debt free. It is a hard slog but just spend lots of time on this site for motivation and inspiration

I wish you well and will be checking up on your progress

flowerofscotland

lynsayjane wrote:

cafcgirl, here's my breakdown. i did post an soa when i started, and a more recent one, not much else we can do the now, but hey if you all say i've done all i can outgoings wise then i'll just pat myself on the head for a job well done.

Well done for everything you have achieved so far.
student acc od - 750. this account is pretty much dormant, i bung my spends money in each month just to keep it open as i can't afford to pay it off 0% forever tho...they don't seem to care i'm not a student anymore, told them at least twice!

Don't assume it will stay this way - a friend of mine had all her wages taken one month because her bank switched her from a graduate account (which she didn't even know she was on) to a normal current account and swallowed up the wages by clearing the previously agreed overdraft. Took ages to sort out as it was in the small print of the student account she had opened years before :eek: Hope it doesn't happen to you

life assurance - £20 wondering why you need this as you don't appear to have any dependents? Sorry if I am wrong about this

lynsayjane

flowerofscotland, it's ok, my wages don't go into that account anymore. last tiem i went in to speak to them about it the girl i spoke to told me not to bother, said i might as well keep the 0% interest od and so long as money was still paid into my acc monthly they would not question it. they knew i was due to graduate three years ago and still never asked anything.

well it's been a good week so far, in total i've spent £15.01, had two no spend days and had a mental night out last night and not spent a penny on it.:j

work is going really well, my manager told me i was very efficient, so i think short of blowing the gym up in the next two months i'm defo sorted for the 'probationary' period.

i'm still feeling crap about not having paid anything off this month, but i get paid on friday so i shall put aside all the money i need for bills, take out a certain amount of money which will be my living expenses for the month and see if i can't get something off my od. it all depends on how much i get. should hopefully get my £100 from rbs this week or next so that'll go towards it and i'll be chasing up about my bank charges letter with the post office bringing me a little closer to that £650.

lynsayjane

well folks, it's been a good day (especially compared to yesterday :mad: ) i finally got the £70 scottish gas thing sorted, turns out they were charging me for a gas bill...i don't have gas! so they got a bollocking and i'm getting the money back tomorrow!

i also payed my cc bills so thats £58 off my £2k challenge with lewis, i chased rbs and my £100 for switching my account will be put in tonight and clear tomorrow, which means i can pay it off my od, halfing it from when i started (was 400, will be 200) every little helps!

oh, i spoke to my boss yesterday and he told me to just cancel my dd for the gym, means my account will be in arrears, but since i don't actually use it anymore i'm not bothered, and if i ever left the gym within the next year i imagine it won't be happy circumstances and i won't want to work out there. so thats saved £72, and £36 less i need to worry about for the 1st! :j i love my boss!

on a more personal note, i'm feeling a little more positive about being me these days, i think i may have found my happy again, which is always a bonus, i just aim to keep it this time. i'm a big believer in that you have to make yourself happy and not rely on others to do it, if you rely on your partner/bf/friends to put the joy in your life, they can just as easily take it away again. but if you've built a happy life for yourself you can let people in and out of it without destroying what you built...if you see what i mean!?!

my point being that this past few days i've been feeling happy within myself again, which i haven't felt for a while. i enjoy my work and am seeing more of my friends. i feel like i'm aiming to achieve something out of life through my english course and i feel like i'm about to start making headway with my debts when i get paid on friday. i guess i feel like things are going my way for a change, i'm trying not to let the pessimistic side of me ask when it's going to come crashing down and just enjoy the smile while it lasts.

sorry for ranting on folks, i feel like this diary has replaced me physical one for the night! kisses x

Mrs_Sparkle

Well done hun, you're doing so well. Congrats on the gym and the fake gas bill- even more £s to throw at your debt.

You're absolutely right that we should make our own happiness- we can't rely on other people to make us happy. You should feel positive about yourself- you're heading in the right direction for you and that's something to be proud of.