Reach for the stars...

Happytogetdebtfree

YAY payday ive just cleared another credit card waiting for it to clear then il close the account yipppeee

niccatw

:j Woo hoo! Well done Happy! Fab news. :T:T:T

MrsMoo2U

saunters in as I was passing. Its been a while since I visited these parts. A little birdy (or is that a big elephant :whistle:) broke your cover and sent me in this direction.

You have done brilliantly this last year. There is absolutely nothing wrong with living while you are still busting those debts.

I unfortunately have gone in the opposite direction.

niccatw

The problem with becoming so focused on debt-busting is that you get panicky when you realise (even if you, deep down, have always known) that it's all a big balancing act...

So, yes I am almost there. The student loan must be paid off by now becasue they have taken 2 D/Ds for £140... but they are also still taking it out of my pay (£117). Must call them and cancel D/D...

The Barclaycard is paid off. :T

HFC is £225.70. Must call them and pay it off...

And then I only have my friend to pay...

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: <- that's me manically rolling on the floor laughing. No, it can't be so... it seems only yesterday I sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by paperwork and met Happytogetdebtfree on the Long Haul thread!!! A looooooottttttttttt can happen in such a long day I guess .

Anyway... it's still precarious because now there's no hiding from the fact I'm cr*p at budgeting! In an effort to make things simpler, I am opening another bank account :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: (that'll make 4 in total!).

Actually I am opening the Santander 123 account because if it all goes through ok, I'll get £50 via cashback. I'm assuming it will all go through ok becasue I currently have my current account with them.

Then I need to make sure my pay from both jobs goes into this account and all my direct debits and standing orders come out of this account. From here I intend to syphon money into 4 accounts: spending, housey stuff, holidays, presnts & christmas. Oh, plus a fledgling ISA maybe -

This is basically because right now I have two pays going into two different bank accounts and all my bills coming out of a thrid. I am always juggling money around. Or forgetting to! And my list of "things" I need to do, am going to do or want to do is massive!

Housey stuff: eletrics need done (£200ish)! Doors need done (£800ish :eek:) ... curtains and blinds in the 2 rooms that don't have them would be good (£???), as would the second matress for the spare bed (to make it useable when my folks come up) (£80) and a new matress for my bed (£280)...

Holidays: so this year I want to go to Spring Fling (Dumfries and Galloway Art Festival - and for once I want to buy some real art!), Wickerman Festival (£100), London (£???), India (£1000)... First I might need a passport (£80) (it's a b*gger getting into Dumfries and Galloway from Glasgow dontcha know )

Presents: Christmas speaks for itself but I have a few weddings and big birthdays this year and Mid October up to Christmas is just a killer for me - birthdays (yes, plural) every weekend. Not even the birthdays of people I can forget I know

And spending! Does what it says on the tin! if only I didn't,eh! I have my £5 Kundalini yoga class every week; the other classes are council run and my memberships comes straight out my wages.

What do people give themselves to spend each month? I was thinking £50 a week - but that sounds very generous! My cunning plan was to take this money out in cash at the beginning on the month and then at the end of each week put whatever I haven't spent into my pretend teramundi pot (pretend in that it is a different company to terramundi, but the same kind of pot) for spending on some of those holidays...

My worry is that I won't actually put the money away and instead keep it in my socks drawer for the want, want, want list! (TV, TV gadget thing that makes it smart, new yoga mat, yoga magazine subscription - been wanting this one for nearly 2 years - new handbag... the list goes on. Oh boy, does it go on!!!)

So, yes. I am so very nearly able to add my name to DFW roll of honour. But if I don't keep a lid on all the things I want to juggle this year, I will very quickly have to scribble it back out again!

niccatw

I have been a busy bee this afternoon...

I have "called" HFC bank. "Called" because despite telephoning, I never yet spoke to an actual person, so I won't quite trust that I really have paid off the £225.55 I owe them until I have it from them in writing. Especially since I also didn't send a cheque but paid via BACs. Once I recieve confirmation then I will update my signature to show HFC as 0! Paid off apart from technicalities...

I also called Student Loans. My account is -£65 something or other, excluding the £280 I've paid in D/Ds... I need to send them a copy of all my payslips this year so far and check with payroll that they have received a (second!) stop order. So, also paid off apart from technicalities...

That leaves the £1000 I owe my friend. Which is currently in my savings account... I might ask him if I can leave it in my account, if my new Santander account is aproved just so I have some cushioning as I move the big D/Ds over (i.e. my mortgage!) So, I guess also paid off apart from technicalities...

Which kinda makes me debt free... apart from technicalities! :rotfl: Psychologically, I can't call it until the technicalities have been sorted!!!

Today I also called Orange as I was unaware I have been paying £6 Orange care for my phone until I received a letter saying they were increasing it. That and my £5 50 picture messaging I never use are now cancelled. Saving of £11 on my mobile bill. And they offered me a better package without extending my contract. I now get unlimited calls and texts although a lesser amount of data (not really an issue for me as mostly I'm in wifi areas - and when I'm not I should be working anyway!!!)

I also called o2 asking for my MAC code as my price is going up and my router is broken. I never even got to moan about them selling to Sky before she offered my a new router and a free, unlimited package for 12 months. Yes, I thought I misheard too! Clearly retaining customers before the deal with Sky is finalised is very much in o2s interests. And much as I am not a fan of Sky, I really can't argue with 12 months free broadband! And I've never had any problems with o2 up until now, so let's see what happens...

I also called LoveFilm. This was less successful. Every time I said I wanted to cancel my account, the guy on the other side of the phone just kept repeating "Hello, my name is (I should have paid attention here), welcome to LoveFilm. Call my cynical, but I suspect he heard very well what I was saying! The same phone worked with all the other calls! So I hung up. The question is, do I call in re-inforcements (Mum. Who previously offered to cancel it for me when I said how bad I was at these things without succumbing to new offers.), or just cancel my bankcard and get a new one!

So quite a successful day! Saying that, it has scuppered my plan on receiving £200 via cashback by moving to BT Infinity! :rotfl: Nevermind, I think I can live with that for now!

Once I find out about my new bank account, I intend to re-look at my contents and Life assurance.

I've got to fund that want list some somehow!!! (I received an email re. a loan at 7.1% and I wonder what went through my brain in my 20s when I signed up to these things (with much higher percentages) without fully appreciating how much I'd pay back! Or do they need to be much more transparent about these things nowadays? Probably not! Probably I thought once I had a "proper" job, it'd all be ok and I'd earn enough that it wouldn't matter. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: More fool poor, young me!)

psychopathbabble

My friend had the same problem with lovefilm, it took him ages to actually get someone to listen to him.

well done on being technically debt free!! mine seems to be everincreasing at the moment

might get mr s to call o2 and complain about something to see if they offer him free 12 months too!

niccatw

Your debt doesn't look too bad Psycho! I'm teetering because I just want all the stuff on the flat finished, so I possibly won't stay debt free for long. But at least that'll be short term.

Definitely get Mr S to call o2! Honestly, I'm rubbish at these calls, I never haggle. All I said is "I'd like my MAC code please as my price has gone up and my router is working but about to fall to bits". She offered me a new router and free, unlimited broadband. I suspect unlimited is actually limited, but it'll be enough for me. I was wondering if I'd called the wrong number! But they've sent me a confirmation text.

I've had the same problem with LoveFilm before - hence why I still have the bl**dy thing. I don't even have a DVD player. I sent the last DVD back at the weekend (after emptying my list); I'd had it for 5/6 months. (Incidentally, it was a very good movie when I eventually got around to watching it!). There must be a mass, public complaint lodged somewhere...

MatyMoo

Nicca, only you could procrastinate at admitting to being debt free :rotfl::rotfl:

You are you numpty :T !!!!!! the practicalities :rotfl:

niccatw

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:Yes Maty, you are right! But I just can't bring myself to add my name to DFW roll of honour until all the i's are dotted and t's crossed! Just in case...

I just popped back onto my Santander account and the 123 account and linked e-saver have appeared so I assume they've accepted me and I can start moving direct debits over.

And I emailed Consumer Watchdog about LoveFilm. Not that I expect a personal response. But I figure they will have had complaints before so it might warrant further investigation. Menawhile I've been surfing around and it turns out banks have to cancel continued payments authorised on your account (which is what LoveFilm do) if you ask them to. So I'll be on the phone to the bank tomorrow.

And at the weekend I'll be sorting out contents insurance and life assurance. Hopefully. Maybe. Depending on whether it's sunny or snowy. Or whether I can be bothered!

I will be debt-free and organised da**it! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

niccatw

Dontcha just love Saturday morning telephone contact to call centres! Isn't that what we all live for! :cool:

So my current bank 3 (Co-op) said, certainly they can help with cancelling the LoveFilm continued payment and they'd transfer me through to disputes... disputes were closed. They are only open 8-5, Monday-Friday. No, I don't know the number I was transferred through to!

I called my current and simultaneously new bank (Santander) to find out if the switching process applies from santander to santander accounts... No it doesn't. However, the helpful advisor said, "I could upgrade your premier account and you can close your new 123 account." Which, let's face would have been the easiest thing for me to do in the first place - and was what I was going to do until I realised I could get £50 cashback for going the long way round. I politely said no (actually, I think I literally snorted!). Chancer.

This is why I hate calling any type of call centre. I do not want to be sold to. I want to tell you what I want and I want you to do it for me. If you hear me say "what can you offer me?", that's your cue to sell me your cr*p.

Saturday morning rant over. I have made a list of the companies I need to call to transfer direct debits and now I am off to make a cuppa and find out how many ways I can procrastinate from more Saturday morning phone calls!

Have a lovely weekend y'all!