Yet another DFW!! 21 months and counting!!

psychopathbabble

Well done, I'm not jealous in the slightest..... hmmph.

How many people do you need to buy presents for? Are you going to be sensible or extravagant? Sometimes it's best to put the money towards something like presents to save struggling later on.... but it depends on what you want to do.

If you are happy with your spending then I wouldn't worry about doing an SOA, just make sure when you move you are getting good deals on your bills if you start paying them.

Hope you are doing well otherwise.

KPR11

Hey, how you doing?

I have just had a couple of lucky breaks! I am certain you will have a few coming your way!

I have 3 people to buy for and am definitely going to be sensible. Trouble is that 1 is for the gf and am thinking of combining xmas and anniversary present together so I can do 50:50 or a 1/3 on pressies and the rest debt busting.

I will bear the bills bit in mind.

I hope you feeling better, my offer of being a PM away is still open.

Keep smiling

psychopathbabble

Thanks... I'm not really, but reading some posts on here makes me annoyed with myself as it's not that bad!

That's a good idea, if you go fifty/fifty you won't feel so guilty spending some of it.... thats the theory anyway. And you definitely have to get the GF something nice. Christmas makes me glad I'm single, no need to treat someone! Bah humbug.

I'm hoping to cash in some shares in a couple of months, and should have some cashback finally, plus we got our christmas bonus which i'll definitely need as this is a quiet month for me with leave and sickness. So, hopefully that'll add up to a chunk off the old debt!

KPR11

Ah you need to remember that you must pace yourself and secondly, we may share the path with some people but ultimately all our destinations are different - learn what you can from people around you but don't be too disheartened if you aren't matching them step for step!

Can I not "forget"!? I am running out of ideas, I mean I have to buy at least 3 presents a year - Valentines, Birthday and xmas/anniversary! Annoying!

I hope the shares rise loads before you cash in!

psychopathbabble

I'm sure you will come up with something that is utter genius and she will love it.

Yeah, they dropped again recently, not impressed! But, I will wait until they creep up a bit again... can't sell them til the end of the year anyway.

And that thing you mentioned in relation to crew food hasn't happened.... boooo.

KPR11

It still hasn't happened? Wow! Someone needs to take their fingers out! Have you guys had an opportunity to vote?

psychopathbabble

I'm not in the union but last offer was £1000, I'm assuming this got rejected as nothing has been heard since and they are currently concentrating on pay negotiations as apparently the union are being unprofessional so the big boss stopped talks. It's all silly games.... but I'm looking forward to the backdated pay when they resolve it!

KPR11

I am sure it will feel really good when you do get the backdated rise! I am off to dreamland, long week ahead!

KPR11

Have had some more good news, been told that I will be getting a small bonus of £1k, which means that I will get c£700 after tax, with my Dec salary which should be paid out within 3 weeks.

I love Dec as the salary is paid before xmas. However, it does mean that there is a really long wait to the next pay cheque - 6 weeks or so.

I am thinking about chucking the bonus to debt busting so that I am a step closer to being debt free.

On my other MS quests, I realised buying monthly travel cards costs me c15% more on travel than buying an annual travel card, which works out to c£300 extra over the course of the year. That coupled with the fact that fares are expected to rise by 8%, means that if I continue buying monthly travel cards it will cost me an extra £500 to travel to work in the new year!! :eek: So I decided I was going to buy an annual travel card in advance of the fare increase and save myself £500!!!

The only issue was finding £2,200 to pay for the annual travel card. Luckily I can get an interest free season ticket loan from my employer which is spread over 12 months. I hope the loan is approved before xmas otherwise I will not be able to save on the increase of 8%.

I will stop rambling now

KPR11

Was informed earlier today that my season ticket loan has been approved and will be paid in the next 10 working days - so should come through before Christmas. It will be an interest free loan with 12 monthly deductions either starting Dec or Jan depending on when it is paid.

The idea then is to transfer an amount equivalent to the difference between a monthly travelcard (based on the 2011 price) and the amount deducted from my salary, i.e. the saving I make, across to either debt repayment or savings (should pay for the holiday or something).

A couple of days ago I wrote on a young lad's, a 19 year old, thread about the dangers and pit falls of gambling. It brought back a lot of bitter memories and regret from my gambling days. I was very fortunate that I have a wonderful family who supported me and helped me through it but how I wish I had never discovered gambling.

The post also made me realise how easy it is for young people to get caught in the gambling trap nowadays, particularly as you can not go anywhere without being surrounded by gambling ads. everyone is advertising some form of gambling - TV, newspapers, online - be it poker, football, roulette, or you name it. To a point where you don't want to go out gambling, no problem you can do it through the comfort of your living room. I must try and do more to ensure that young people do not fall into the traps and if they have then they realise that gambling only leads to one thing, destruction!