Ok, it starts here

savingwannabe

It will fall into place William. Do not panic. You are one of the most thoughtful and intelligent people i know. It will work out. Do you know GeorgeUk? - my hero. He knows all about shifting credit card's if stuck write to him. But he wont be available till the new year. The important thing is that you are not alone with this. Many people on here are in similar positions and everyone helps each other. Well done on being 'clean' - you have so much to celebrate. Enjoy time with your family. It will be ok love SWXXX

williamD1964

Have boing the card tart thing and working ok for the moment. Plan on getting rid of the santander card 1st. Hate them with a loathing...have had nothing but trouble with them from the start. Have snowballed different scenarios and will fight all I can. I refuse to go under with a fight

savingwannabe

Good on you. Stay strong my friend. I hope you had a good christmas.

williamD1964

Christmas was good. Quiet and relaxing (well as relaxing as it can be with 6 year old twins)!

Just doing some competitions on the site and watching the cricket with a cup of tea. Will be starting a spend diary from the 30th as tahts my next payday. Have until the 2nd Jan off so just going to chill for a few days. Looking for other viable sources of income but not a lot out there. As I said, would sell my soul to get the debt monkey off my back. Hope you are well.

Firewalker

Good morning, William. Have to say that my gut reaction to the 5% interest rates was panick as well - but then remembered that we have this wonderful government that is messing things up and that this advisor did not set a date for the rise. Yes, eventually the interest rates will go up but this will probably happen over a long time. And as the saying goes 'It ain't no use opening your umbrella till it is raining'.

As to other income, I would venture to suggest something here and it does not involve selling your soul. What we have started doing is that we have rationalised spending (by keeping spending diary and basically writing down all we buy for about a year; although the first month is most important) and have started to do this thing where 20% of our monthly income goes on the debt, 10% goes in account where it is touched only for business purposes, a proportion goes in a 'fun account' and we live on the reast (in our case about 65% of monthly income). If you try and implement something similar you might find the following: the 20% towards debt goes there regularly, every month; you can start bits of trading (which if I remember right you are very good at) with the 10% - you don't have work with all money there but the important thing is to leave the profit in the same account; you and your family will have a bit of money every month for fun - if this is not done life very quickly becomes a drugery and this is not what any of us wants.

For me, the main thing is that this kind of system creates sense of security and possibilities for income geowing and inventments (from the 10%).

Check it out. Now rest - tired people don't make good decisions.

Firewalker

williamD1964

The idea is a good one. However at the present time (and the forseeable future) the breakdown of my wages (income) is such that out of my total basic income, I leave ,myself a maximum of 100 a month to survive on. I ensure that the mortgage, utilities, petrol, food, insurance and all the essentials are paid, the rest goes on the cards. The aim is to pay a minimum of 500 off the cards. I always try to leave myself 100 pounds to live off for the month. I vary rarely go to the pub, I get to go to football about once a month and my biggest vice is spending on my kids. I know I am over stretched but there is little use of complaining about it (I have tried and !!!!!! all happens and no one listens anyway!) I am going to try to live off 10 pound a week maximum for 3 months and use the rest to add to my slush fund to dabble is various trading activities. This fund stands at 300 pound at the moment, and I am always looking for items of small value to buy and sell. The Jack Cohen (founder of Tesco's) adage of "Pile it high and sell it cheap" springs to mind.

I am looking for 15 no spend days a month, and maybe 30 pound a month in profit to start with. All contributions greatly received!

williamD1964

Well, am still here, still clean, and still in debt. The snowballing is starting to make sense. I am investigating a few leads on money making activities. Not a lot to say today. Very tired, but struggling on.

Stay well friends

weeclick

I have just spent the last 2 hours reading every post on this thread and what an absolute inspiration!

Im only 21, my personal debt is nothing in comparison (£3,500 - £3,000 of which is for my dream holiday this year) but I also used my partners house sale money to set up a business which unfortunately I had to shut down 4 weeks ago and go back to full time employment. I would dearly love to pay back some of my partners money so that it hasn't all been flushed away and Im looking to save around £20,000 to present to her as well as go for my first ever mortgage in a few years.

Its a daunting task, and only started writing figures down tonight and working how best to improve my credit score - but this thread has given me the boost I need! Will follow this with great interest!

williamD1964

Weeclick - Oh to be 21 again and know what I know now.

I have struggled all my life for all that I have. I have come close to throwing it all away, and destroying all that I have wanted through the curse of gambling and being weak willed. I could have has so much, to have lived like king. Yo have travelled to all the places that I have dreamed of visiting. To have broadened my horizons.Instead I threw my money and almost my life away. Don't be like me. Don't screw your life trying to find the easy way.

Enjoy your holiday and I do hope that you get all you want in 2011.

My quote this year will be "Take pride of how far you have come, and have faith in how far you will go".

savingwannabe

But William dont you see what you have learned? Most people dont realise things till it is too late and they have lost it. You have achieved so much and inspired so many of us along the way.

Find me one perfect person who is alive and walking the streets of England today? All the 'successful people' are fraught with concerns it is part of being human - find me one brain surgeon that is happy with everything and has a family that loves them like yours loves you. This vision of perfection why do we buy into it? I mean do you really want to be up on the Himalayas meditating and at complete peace and self actualised? Look at what you have discovered while you have been alive and living and loving your family. Stop beating yourself up. I won't let you. Be proud of yourself. So many of us are inspired by you and consider you to be a friend. Be kind to yourself, focus on the next year. There will be tribulations but i can't imagine you not overcoming them. Life is a challenge my friend and you are a winner I know it.

Ok now i just read your quotation. Good you figured it out for yourself. As i said a very bright man. You cling to it because it is what you deserve.