My Debt-Free-Wannabe Diary

Shineyhappy

I am so lucky, I have to go to the bank for work quite often which has been an absolute lifesaver!

Still you know it is under 12k now which is the main thing!

DontDoDebtKids

I don't believe it. I re-listed an item that didn't sell at lunchtime today, only to pop on there now and find that there is a half-price listing weekend this weekend!!!!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Cazzdevil

Sods law! I was hoping to get my internet connection back up and running to get some things listed this weekend too, but it looks like I'll miss half price listing day too!!

DontDoDebtKids

It's sooo annoying - saying that I did say that I'd put more things on gumtree so I will investigate that, possibly this weekend as I'm not planning to do anything...

Car: 50mpg back home last night - not bad - and, inexplicably because I was driving quicker this morning, I managed 49.4mpg on the way in!

DontDoDebtKids

Yippee, 5p interest from my HSBC account.

I like being in credit.

Mirtos

Hey DDDK - just popping in to say sorry for my absence from the 18k thread. I'm back now. :wave:

DontDoDebtKids

An expensive week as booked a short break with some friends at the end of the month. Also, couldn't be bothered to cook one night last week so we went out for dinner. Have been very lazy about making lunches so had lunch pretty much every day at work this week!

Have been going for walks in the evening and have been popping into random pubs that I haven't visited before, hence the random half pints in pubs.

Good news is that, due to my "mpg challenge" I'm only half way though my petrol today, having filled up last monday.....wow!

Spending Diary

46.05 Petrol
0.81 Chocolate
6.30 Drinks at pub
9.00 lunches at work
31.00 Went out for dinner
333.68 Holiday (City Break - Long Weekend)

Total: £426.84

DontDoDebtKids

Managed a complete mess with my credit card at the weekend and I'm getting increasingly tempted to jack it all in and just use my debit card from now on.

I match the balance of my credit card in my A&L account. We booked our weekend break online and they charge you a fee if you use a credit card. Being good moneysavers, we opted to use a debit card. I thought "ooh, there's some money in my A&L account" so I used that debit card. What I had forgotten was that my credit card payment was due to come out today, so I wouldn't have time to transfer the money over electronically in time...

Yesteday, I spent a frantic half an hour phoning the credit card company and A&L and hopefully I sorted it - paid the credit card by debit card from the account I was going to transfer the money from; cancelled the direct debit for the credit card at A&L. Was told that should sort it....we will see.

I will be changing my card to Egg Money once it arrives and I can set it up. I think I'll also close my A&L account as it takes too long to transfer money between other banks. I'll stick to one bank from now on.

DontDoDebtKids

Check, Double Check & Triple Check

Lucky I logged on just now to check all my account balances. A&L hadn't cancelled the direct debit as they had been asked to, so I complained and the girl said she had now cancelled it and would check it out.

Grrrrrr. I'm definately closing them down at the end of the month. I need good customer service, not "we'll check it out"...

Credit Cards Abandoned

OK, I've decided to go without credit cards and see how I cope.

I've put my Morgan Stanley credit card in the back of my wallet, so it can't be seen. I will set up the Egg card but will leave it at home. I plan to use my debit card or cash ONLY from now onwards.

I have transferred the £152.40 I had outstanding to the credit card from my spending account, which is now £496.53 overdrawn (!), and have transferred the £53.68 to my Alliance & Leicester account (the amount it was overdrawn by).

Statement of Affairs

That leaves me with £33.85 in my debt paying off account and I am £496.53 overdrawn on my spending account. I get paid on Friday, luckily. I am also owed about £250+ from ebay, which is going into my spending account on satuday morning if I have it by then.

What a mess...

Got a statement through from M&S saying £19.32 interest added so paid that off from debt paying account (hence £33 balance)

Debt Totals:

£4,750.00 Amex
£1,850.00 Lloyds TSB
£5,700.00 M&S

Total: £12,300.00

Seaxwyn

Gosh DDDK, had to reply as today's posts have made me smile - in a rueful and sympathetic way of course.

What a hassle it is juggling money about from account to account. Not so very long ago I had one current account and one credit card, how simple life was!

Good luck with it and let's hope the juggling pays off for all of us in the end.

The evening walks sound fun and I hope the short break is good - one good thing about the DFW life is we appreciate the treats so much.