Shifting a 24K debt in a year?????

Kepp

Don't know what's wrong with me at the moment, I'm not doing too well at the working thing!

Was supposed to be working 7 till 4am on Saturday night which I wasn't looking forward to for obvious reasons! Then was even less looking forward to it when I found that afternoon that one of my friends that I hadn't seen in over two years was having a leaving party as he was moving to Japan and I wanted to go to the party!

So when the landlady said at 9 that it wasn't busy enough to be needing all of us I was out the door and on my way!

i thought never mind the money for once and I went to see my friend and had such a good time.

Then last night I turned down a close (admittedly I had been at a cleaning job for two hours at that point and it was only an hours notice) but I would normally have said yes!

I'm terrible at the moment

Woowoo

Don't feel bad Beccie, you were right to go to your friends leaving party and you had already done your extra cleaning job.

I think it's easier when the winter comes as you don't feel like going out so you don't spend any money or don't mind the extra shifts.

You'll get back into it x

jtr2803

Don't feel bad hun, I have times like that where I just really can't face it. Saturday just gone was fairly quiet and if I hadn't had to do the locking up I could probably have left the other girl there .

At least you had a good time at your friends party, wouldn't it have been so much worse if you had left work and the party had been a let down :rotfl:

Kepp

Thanks guys, you always manage to make me feel better!

Right fair bit going on, let’s start with the good news – I have met my snowball of £350 this month. :T Will have to be careful for the rest of the month to stay within budget now. Should be ok – moving this weekend so won’t be going out anywhere! Am going to see Hayseed Dixie on the 25th though, but ticket is already paid for so just drinks. Then the London tattoo convention on the 26th, have to be careful with the pennies for this one as the ticket is £20 and the train fare is £20 so that’s £40 before spending anything else!

Bad news – Goldfish have written to me saying that they are upping my interest rate from 17.9% to 21.9% although I do only have £266 left on this card. Egg have also written to me saying that they are upping my interest rate from 16.9% to 22.9% and I have £3721 still on this card. :eek: They do like to kick you when you're down! :rotfl: I have the option to reject the interest rates and they will freeze them but that will mean I can no longer add to the account and that it will be closed down when I have paid them. The obvious answer right?

Ok….I have also received an email from Travellers regarding the Borneo project I signed up to. I paid the deposit on this almost two years ago of £190, submitted my application form and CV and was successful, and went on the waiting list for a space. It is working on the orang-utan project out there After all this time a space has finally come up to go for 2 months in Feb 2011. If I turn this space down the next available space is not till 2013!

Now do I go???? I received the email last week and have been in debate since. If I just come off the list I have only lost £190 and can continue debt-busting but will also have lost an amazing opportunity. If I delay till 2013 I may not be in a situation work-wise where I can go. I have asked work for the Feb 2011 space and they have said yes I can go and I can cover the 2 months with leave so I will also be paid while I am there so can continue to pay debt at a reasonable rate while I’m there and then just up my game again when I get back. But….if I go I am looking at going a further 3 to 4K into debt. I checked this on the snowball and I would be adding another 6 months onto my DFD. Which in some ways not so bad – makes it Jul 2013 and seeing as it started at Nov 2013 that is still lower than it was. Although this was worked out on the old APRs I had, have not yet checked the damage on the changed interest rates, probably should do this.

It also makes me wonder if I’ve changed? Obviously travel so far as accounted for a large proportion of my debt and here I am considering more of it! :eek: Although last time I didn’t consider how much further it would put me in debt and also hadn’t a clue on DFD etc so I guess this time I would be more organised. Or am I just trying to convince myself this is a good idea as I so desperately want to go????

Thoughts please guys!!!!

Woowoo

Hi Beccie

Firstly, refuse those rate increases and close the accounts.

Secondly, if you can cover all your minimum payments whilst your away then go to Borneo, life is way to short and who the hell knows what position you will be in come 2013. You have paid your deposit and waited all this time, work have agreed to let you go as well so it's all coming together.

This is an amazing opportunity and not just two weeks lazing on the beach. GO FOR IT GIRL!

Ps. OMG how excited must you be!

o2bfree

Beccie, I agree with Woowoo.
Go for it. What an amazing opportunity. Obviously something you really want to do as you paid the deposit so long ago.
You will still be being paid as well so debt-busting can continue, just at a slower pace.

I also agree with freezing the interest rates on those cards.
Good luck with your decision

Kepp

o2bfree wrote: »

Beccie, I agree with Woowoo.
Go for it. What an amazing opportunity. Obviously something you really want to do as you paid the deposit so long ago.
You will still be being paid as well so debt-busting can continue, just at a slower pace.

I also agree with freezing the interest rates on those cards.
Good luck with your decision

Woowoo wrote: »

Hi Beccie

Firstly, refuse those rate increases and close the accounts.

Secondly, if you can cover all your minimum payments whilst your away then go to Borneo, life is way to short and who the hell knows what position you will be in come 2013. You have paid your deposit and waited all this time, work have agreed to let you go as well so it's all coming together.

This is an amazing opportunity and not just two weeks lazing on the beach. GO FOR IT GIRL!

Ps. OMG how excited must you be!

Thank you guys

I am very very close to saying yes, have just been and done some exact costing for flights and re-checked the invoice and it would cost me approx £3,500 for everything so not quite as much as thought it might be.

Unfortunately I really can't close those accounts as I will need to put the trip on credit and even with the rate hike they would still be my lowest cards :eek:

Am in the process of working how exactly how to spread the payments and to what cards and re-doing my snowball so I know exactly where I'll end up. The project doesn't need to be paid till Nov and the flights till Dec so that will give me a couple of months at least.

Will come back and let you know what the damage will be and what my decison will be I guess based on that.

Thanks again guys xxx

Kepp

And the figures are in! :eek:

My DFD will be Jul 2013 which is an extra 6 months.

My debts will be paid off with interest costing £4751 which is an extra £1694 (although this is also because of not being able to reject the hiked interest rates)

Sooo....my decision is.......I'm gonna go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :j:D:j

Woowoo

Woo hoo it is going to be so amazing!!!!!!!!!!

What will the trip involve?

Kepp

Well, it's two months and will involve working with both the orangutans and doing stuff towards saving their habitat.

So plenty of trekking through the jungle (need to keep on top of the gym and staying fit for this!) data collection etc.

And, the bit I'm most excited about is working with the orangutans themselves - working with the babies in the nursery and taking the junior ones out into the forest to help them practice their skills such as climbing.

I met a guy out in Zimbabwe when I was working with lions out there who had come literally straight from Borneo and he said it was absolutely amazing.

Soooooooo excited!