Determined to be Debt Free before 2018!!!!

macgirl

Hi Nelmer :hello:

You have hit the nail on the head there. Changing ones attitude to spending is the first (and in my case, hardest) step.

Often seeing things in black and white gives you the jolt needed to change, but it will soon become a habit.

If you can give up smoking you definitely have the resolve to become Debt Free! Keep posting

Nelmer

Thanks Macgirl, giving up smoking was one of the hardest things I've done....I'll keep plugging away slowly but surely!

Nelmer

Quite a productive day today. I have:
1) Packed 34 CD's off to Music Magpie - £11 is not a lot but it's better in my pocket than theirs
2) Packed gold and silver off to Hatton Garden Metals - £50 hopefully to come back
3) Listed 17 things on ebay - fingers crossed for a decent return
4) dug over part of the allotment to plant raspberry and gooseberry canes on the weekend

Feeling quite positive today, all this to come off the cc when it makes it's way to the bank.

Nelmer

I've been reading a few diaries on here today and realised that I haven't really 'faced up' to why we're in debt, and how we are going to get out of it.

Maybe I need to lay out a bit more of the story here so it is in black and white, may sink in a bit more!

DH had some debts when I met him, being a single Dad of 2 with no assistance from their mother. With the help of selling my house we cleared all my debts and most of his and paid for our wedding in 2006.

Since then we have:
Been to Florida, full on trip - £6k
Other holidays - £2k
Bought a new car - £6k
Bought new furniture - £1k
Paid DH-ex off mortgage - £4k
TOTAL - £19k
DH remaining debt - £15k

Remaining £31k of loan: living beyond our means :eek:
DH's children don't speak to their mother so DH feels he has to make up for this by giving them what they want.....and in the past I've always gone along with it.

Last Sept with the help of our family we took out the loan for £65k to clear all loans (4), credit cards (3) and the overdraft as things were so bad mid month we couldn't get any money out of the bank.

I sit here now with all this laid out in front of me and can see us slipping down and down again and feel helpless. DH still thinks we took the loan out over too short a period of time (8 years) and the repayment is too high and doesn't leave us enough to enjoy ourselves :mad:. I think £200 a month is sufficient but we still seem to go over, hence the 2 credit card bills and overdraft (since Sept 09:eek:).

The current non-loan debt is made up of:
2 vets bills totalling £1k but £750 due back from insurance company.
£355 study fees reclaimable from employer in Aug when I pass the exam (no choice )
£160 cooker for MIL (she has no CC) that she is paying back £40 per month incl interest
£150 youngest step childs 16th birthday present in Dec as no money left in celebration budget (laptop - matched older sibling's 16th birthday present)

Remaining £1500 spent on luxuries that DH has bought before consideration or where I have given in.

This has to stop now or we will loose everything. I am going to print this off and show DH tonight along with my budget spreadsheet in the hope that he finally realises the situation we are in.

I am hoping that my money making on music magpie, ebay and the car boots, to start soon, along with a couple of survey sites will pay off the credit cards and overdraft by Christmas - would like it to be sooner but £333 a month is a high enough target!!!

Money raised but still waiting to arrive so far:
£11 Music Magpie
£60 Ebay
£50 Selling gold/silver
£35 Casual job
£156

£177 to go for Feb. Once cash is in and paid off CC I will then amend sig.

DH's contribution for the next couple of months will be to plant up and nurture the allotment, I don't want any more money going down the drain.

If you've stayed long enough to read all of this, thank you very much

Nelmer

Listed another 5 things on ebay this evening and bids on 3 from yesterday so hopefully a few more pennies to go in the pot.

Bad_Weather

Nelmer wrote: »

End of the week and I'm feeling quite positive

People like YOU are my inspiration! Exactly what i was talking about today... different situations but different attitudes!

I like to think we're taking the 'scenic route' to DFW...!

I will subscribe and hopefully pick up on some of this PMA!

[Deleted User]

Morning Nelmer,

Sounds like you have been through the mill a bit, hopefully DH will come to his senses.

Well done on the allotment, that'll save you some money in the long run.

Good luck with the e-baying etc, even if you do only get a few pounds it does all help.

Have subscribed so I can keep up.

Tea
x

Nelmer

Morning Tea and Bad Weather,

Thank you for your lovely comments! DH 'slinked' out to skittles last night so didn't get to have my 'chat' with him :mad:. At least today is another day, I'm going to take each one as it comes and try not to get myself to tense about everything

The sun is shining here :j and it's nearly the weekend!

Enjoy everyone

Nelmer

£44.83 received from Hatton Garden Metals today :j, whipped that straight off the Natwest credit card :T I'll update my sig when I get home tonight.

Just £288 left to find this month to stay on target :eek: :rotfl:

Nelmer

Sig updated, going in the right direction :j

Bit of a pants weekend - got 1st of 4 days college all day tomorrow and then Sunday at the allotment helping DH put the shed up.......no rest for the wicked!

Hopefully there will be a few more bids on my ebay stuff over the weekend and the Music Magpie amount should be confirmed.

Enjoy your day