Any help welcome

x_raphael_xx

Stayed up til 9am to see chemist (finished work at 6), when I told the lady that I had been suggested Magnesium Sulphate Paste she grabbed it and started ringing it up, the other lady stopped her and had a look at my finger. She said the MSP was a bit drastic and to stick my finger in hot salt-water, as hot as I can stand. So got away without buying anything, or having to see the Doc!:j Not even sure how much the MSP came to!

Had the postie come today, she was very apologetic about waking me up as she pressed the bell before reading my sign (Shift worker in Flat *, No sales men, leaflets or religious fanatics, do not ring bell unless necessary) but I told her parcels were fine. It just annoys me when I get woken up to a guy wanting to sell gas. :mad: If I wanted to switch I would search myself, and if I wanted to find Jesus I would go to church!

Anyway, my parcel was one of the Nescafe bean gifts, I've been very pleased with these, I don't even drink coffee, so I nick them off the jars in work!
I got myself an apron, oven glove and pan holder, and just had to pay 50p for p&p, and I've ordered 2 bath care kits. They come with 3 jars of body scrub etc and a puff, in a nice little zip bag (p&p £1.10). Ideal for xmas presents.
I've got most of my presents sorted already this year! Just need to buy for my brother, my Dad and my best friend.:D

I also had a leaflet through from debtreducers.co.uk, aparently they can write off up to 70% of my debt and I would only need to pay 30% of what I owe! Wow, so I can run up debts, enjoy spending the money, then not pay it back! Sorry, no, I ran up these debts, so I should pay it all back, wiping most of it won't teach me any lessons!
**I'm not having a go at people on IVA's, everyones circumstances are different and I know alot of people aren't in a position to pay it all back, this is my view about me in my situation!**

LookingAhead

I like your attitude on the debt! :T But I know what you mean about everyone's circumstances being different.

That's good if you didn't have to buy anything from the chemist - I hope the salt water works out. The paste isn't much though if I remember correctly, only a couple of quid for a small pot.

Made me laugh about the sign on your door etc.

Personally if I wanted to find Jesus...I would look in the last place I left him...:D

x_raphael_xx

LookingAhead wrote: »

I like your attitude on the debt! :T But I know what you mean about everyone's circumstances being different.

Thanks I guess I'm quite lucky really, I take a lot for granted. I have my health, a good job, supportive family and friends. If I ever lost one of these I know I would struggle to cope.

I've also come to realise the tricks banks use to sucker people in. When I first got into debt I took out a mere £1000 store credit to buy a laptop (incidently the old boy I'm on now). Then I got a call from HFC, who the credit account was with, doing a 'review' my account. They said they could give me a better deal, and extra cash too! It all spiralled from there.
I'm older and wiser now (supposedly!) and can spot them coming. But with banks throwing credit at people left, right and centre it's so easy to get caught in the debt cycle. And so hard to get out!

LookingAhead wrote: »

Personally if I wanted to find Jesus...I would look in the last place I left him...:D

:rotfl::rotfl:Made me chuckle!

LookingAhead

Tell me about it on the old spiralling front.

I have been in credit debt of one form or another since I was 18 (I am 36 now) and it's shocking to think, that as an official adult, I have never known a debt free life.

When I finally pay off my overdraft and get rid of my flippin' loan....I don't know if I will know what to do with myself....I've not known any other way....

I'm willing to give it a go though!

x_raphael_xx

My first debt was when I was 18 too, I was still living at home and in full time work, it would have taken me maybe and month and half to save up the £1000 (only out going was £25 week keep and PAYG mobile) but I wanted it there and then! :rolleyes:

I'm 23 now and I'm terrified of finding myself in a position with no money. I want to get rid of my debt before I'm 25 (my birthday is in January so it will be start of 2009) as I want to start a pension. I'm already worried that when I retire I won't have enough money to live, I know that state pensions will probably be obsolete by the time I retire so I feel I can only rely on myself.

I've also got no savings, so if I lost my job now (unlikely but you never know) I wouldn't be able to support myself. Moving back in with my parents is not an option, and my brother lives in student acc. Plus of course I want to own a house somewhere along the line.

I kinda have a 'life plan' mapped out:
~Pay off debts by 25
~Start a pension
~Start saving emergency fund (want around £3000)
~Start saving a mortage deposit
~Buy a house
~Pay off mortage as soon as possible
~Buy second house to let out

I'd like to rent out as I think it would be a good investment. If it doesn't work out I can always sell the house!

LookingAhead

I read a book a while ago could "How to be a total and utter failure in life" which was a reverse psychology thing - it was a really good read. Anyway the bloke said people who write down their plans have a much better chance of succeeding - for the obvious reasons of actually knowing where it is they want to be/having real targets to aim at etc.

So it's excellent you have all this logged down - and with your attitude & work ethic (from what I have read) you should well be able to achieve this.

Print it out and pin it on your fridge - then any time you want to spend cos you feel low or whatever - this will keep you on the straight & narrow!

x_raphael_xx

I like to plan things out, so that they are right in my head, not quite a perfectionist, more a control freak! :rotfl:

Sometimes my brother drives me mad, cos he's quite easy going. He's coming down at the end of August, and I need to know what day he's down, what day he's going back, what day he wants to come for dinner so I can book leave off that day (down to work the whole time he's here), if he wants to go out and would it be Friday or Saturday. He just goes "Whenever, play it by ear." But I want to write it in my diary!!

I'm on a rolling shift pattern, one week I'm on mornings, the next on days, the next nights. Then it starts over again. I've written ALL my shifts in my diary until the end of the year, I already know what time I'm working on xmas day!

I've already organised a work collegue to look after Shadow when I'm visiting my brother in October (I'm paying him £35 rather than the £70 it would cost me to leave her with the dog sitter:D) cos I need to ensure NOW that she will be looked after.

I'm a pain in the a$$ really! I keep bugging people till they give me dates & times I need!

Seaxwyn

Wow raphael, I do admire you. I've never had any sort of plan, and that's probably why I'm 43 with next to no pension (£599 a year in today's money I learned today) and a massive mortgage which Im paying interest only.

When I read about young people in debt I actually feel quite jealous as you have a real chance of paying it off and then accumulating a bit of money for your old age!

Having said that, I wasn't in debt til I was 38, and so I did have a carefree youth living within my means.

Sorry for maundering away on your thread! I just read it and felt very impressed. Good luck with paying the rest off.

x_raphael_xx

Seaxwyn wrote: »

Wow raphael, I do admire you. I've never had any sort of plan, and that's probably why I'm 43 with next to no pension (£599 a year in today's money I learned today) and a massive mortgage which Im paying interest only.

£599 a YEAR :eek: That's exactly what scares me, how are people expected to survive on that!?!

Seaxwyn wrote: »

When I read about young people in debt I actually feel quite jealous as you have a real chance of paying it off and then accumulating a bit of money for your old age!

Having said that, I wasn't in debt til I was 38, and so I did have a carefree youth living within my means.

That's what my Granma keeps telling me! She's worked all her life and has now paid off her house etc, she only works part time now, mostly to fund holidays. She's off to New York soon and I said I was jealous as it's one of the places I would kill to go.
She keeps telling me I'm still young and I have the whole of my life ahead off me, I have plenty of time to see the world!

Seaxwyn wrote: »

Sorry for maundering away on your thread! I just read it and felt very impressed. Good luck with paying the rest off.

No problem at all I appreciate everyones comments, and I'm glad that my thread isn't boring everyone to death!

Seaxwyn

Thanks raphael. Far from boring, your thread is inspiring.

Your Gran is right - in two years you will have paid off your debt and will be saving money for your house, for travel, for your old age...

I am determined I won't be living on just £599 a year in my old age, I just have to work faster to turn my situation around in the 20-odd working years that are left to me.