Suz1988 hoping to be debt free

Suz1988

Hi everyone this is my first post after many weeks of reading through everyone elses. I have been reading through the debt free diaries for a while now and have finally decided to take the plunge and do my own.

So a little about myself, im 22, live at home with my mum and dad. I work full time for an ok salary so cant really complain on that front. I have an amazing OH who im hoping to move in with as soon as we have enough £s behind us and i am the proud owner of a lovely little cat

I used to be really good with money until my bank offered me a credit card with a £3500 limit and ever since then my debt has gone up and up and up :mad: I dont really have a lot to show for it but i had a good time and am now ready to cut back and be more sensible with money so if anyone can help or advise it will be gratfefully received.

I used to have a 2nd job but it got in the way of my relationship and was making me v tired so i left but i now i need the extra cash. I have read alot about free bingo, matched betting, daily clicks, surveys etc but dont really understand it all so if anyone could point me in the right direction that would be great.

Ok so i think i have waffled on for long enough, bye for now and hope to speak to you all soon :j

linz

Hi,

I do daily clicks, got about £100 so far this year. Here is the thread for daily clicks - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2132075

If you are interested in joining in i'd suggest you join these 4 to start with -

Cashbackchief
Cashbackcascade
Fatcheese
Getpoundsback

Plus if you buy anything online, clothes, car insurance, gifts etc, dont forget to go through a cashback site - i'd recommend Topcashback.

If you join these sites, when you log in look for 'daily clicks' or 'recurring earners.' Clicking is mostly doing a search for something then clicking through to a retailer for it to track. You need to clear your cookies in between each site. It takes about 3 months until you have enough to withdraw but if you can stick at it it is a nice bit of extra pocket money each month.

If you want to join in ask any questions on this link, there are loads of experts who are all really helpful, or PM me and I can try & help

Good luck

Suz1988

hi linz thanks for your reply and thanks for the info on daily clicks etc its really helpful, i will defo be signing myself up to do that.

I managed to spend no money yesterday which im pretty proad of myself for. Can anyone tell me how i post up my SOA? As i would really like to get one of these up so people can look and see if there is anywhere i can cut back.

linz

Here u go, link for SOA http://www.makesenseofcards.com/soacalc.html

I've not done it myself, but I think you have to make sure you click on the MSE format near the bottom.

Suz1988

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1139.41
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 0
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1139.41
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 156.8
Rent.................................... 200
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 0
Electricity............................. 0
Gas..................................... 0
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 0
Telephone (land line)................... 0
Mobile phone............................ 20
TV Licence.............................. 0
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 0
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 45
Clothing................................ 50
Petrol/diesel........................... 100
Road tax................................ 0
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 0
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 0
Life assurance ......................... 0
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 0
Haircuts................................ 0
Entertainment........................... 100
Holiday................................. 30
Emergency fund.......................... 0
Total monthly expenses.................. 701.8

Assets
Cash.................................... 0
House value (Gross)..................... 0
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 2000
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 2000

Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 0........(0)........0
Secured Debt.................. 5263.....(156.8)....18.33
Total secured & HP debts...... 5263......-.........-
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Lloyds TSB CC .................2768......55........0
Halifax CC.....................3200......55........24.9
Total unsecured debts..........5968......110.......-

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,139.41
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 701.8
Available for debt repayments........... 437.61
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 110
Amount left after debt repayments....... 327.61
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 2,000
Total HP & Secured debt................. -5,263
Total Unsecured debt.................... -5,968
Net Assets.............................. -9,231




Ok so here is my SOA. I pay £200 every month to my Halifax CC. I think i have filled it all in properly. Big payments like car tax, isurance etc i pay for in full so currently dont have a budget for it. If anyone has any advice please feel free to comment.

Ive registered with a couple of cashback sites so im just trying to get my head round it all. I managed 2 NSD wednesday and thursday so im pleased about that :j And i've listed some bits in ebay as its free listings yesterday and today so im hoping they sell and i have some extra pennies to chuck at my debts

linz

Think there's only me here! lol

Well you could half your clothes budget, or even better, cut it out completely for a few months. If you can't stop yourself you could always try mooching round the charity shops, they have some good stuff in there a lot of the time, ive had fat face / joe browns type stuff plus lots of work clothes.

mmm what else - make sure you join Topcashback if you haven't already, that's the best cashback site IMO.

When your car insurance is due make sure you do comparisons through topcashback (moneysupermarket and compare the market pay £2 per comparison, go compare £1.50 - there's £5.50 just for comparing car insurance as long as you remember to click through to an insurance companys website)

Then, when you've found the cheapest few, look on TCB and see who gives the most cashback and what works out cheapest overall & get your insurance & sit & wait for the cashback

Think of cheaper ways to entertain yourself and you could get that £100 a month down - what sort of stuff do you spend it on? If it's meals out, keep an eye out on this site for vouchers. Try getting your friends round yours and watch a dvd/cook instead of going out, each taking it in turn every week/month.

I'm sure others will pop in and add more stuff but hth for the moment, good luck

Suz1988

Lol well im glad you are here as i need alot of help and motivation.

My enterntainment is my gym membership as there was no where else to put that and usally me and oh go for a meal and cinema every month. Looking at my SOA i should have alot of money to myself every month but unfortunately im always left with no money after 3 weeks. I have a huge overspending problem.

My clothes i overspend on too but this month all i need is new work trousers and that should be it.

I have signed up to a couple of cashback sites so gonna get using them more often as i still find it all quite confusing.

I have managed 2 more NSD since i last posted which im happy about.

Will post again soon

Suz1988

Grrrr well i was sure i posted here on Thursday but apparently not :mad:

Well anyways i got paid on thursday so paid £200 off my Halifax Cc and £55 off my Lloyds Cc. Friday and Sunday where both NSD yay as i have set myself a target of 15 NSD between when i got paid a few days ago and when i get paid again at the end of March. I think its a pretty acheiveable figure but i wanted to aim abit lower and not be disappointed.

On Tuesaday night i had an emotioned shopping moment and spent £100 on my Cc so if anyone has any tips on how to not shop when your feeling down would be great.

Off to the gym tonight for a much needed workout as i need to lose the pounds aswell as pay them off.

Went shopping on Saturday and stocked up on toiletries from boots and it came to a whopping £48.50 but alot of stuff i got was on offer and it was all stuff i use anyway so saved myself some money in the long run (i think)

Hope everyone who has read this is doing well on there Money saving journey.

Take care everyone and speak soon

linz

Hi, you could join this challenge for this month

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2279635&page=2

also, don't Wilko's do the toiletries you use? If so they will probably be lots cheaper in there

Suz1988

Thanks for the link Linz i'll go and have a look now.

Yeah wilkos do alot of the stuff i use but my nearest one is about 15 mins away which i know is no excuse, just pure laziness.

Aiming for a NSD today. Went food shopping yesterday and managed to stick to the list i made which is a first so im proud of myself for that.

I have one of those terrimundi pots at home so everytime i have a £2 coin i put that in so i put one in on sunday, im hoping that if i use cash all the time instead of card i will be able to save a few more £s.

Ive been neglecting my daily clicks so i need to make a point of doing that more often too.

moo2moo

Bung your credit cards in a plastic box, fill it with water and bung them in the freezer. That way you have to plan your spending way in advance and it removes the temptation to splurge because you're bored or because you've seen a fab offer on the Grabbit thread which you wouldn't previously have known about. After that find something positive to do when you're feeling down. Doesn't matter what it is. Baking, bubble baths, a run, read a book. Just do something. It usually makes a difference even if its only a small one.