Ahh...it feels good :)

saubryn

Well, I'm not debt free yet (not by a long way), but I'm also no longer an unemployed person It feels so good to not be on benefit any more!

Yesterday I signed off benefit, and so did my husband. We are now self employed. On tax credits, but still, we are very slightly better off than we were on benefit, and the business income is slowly but steadily tending upwards. Getting the tax credits weekly will be a massive help towards budgetting too.

The plan so far is to make overpayments on the rent arreers, keep paying council tax at the normal rate, and make payments on the electric even though they won't accept what I'm offering. Hopefully by the time they start threatening again the amount owed will be down to sensible figures.

Once the rent is clear, start on the non-priority depts

chralph

Hry

Well done to you!! Thats brilliant news, hopfully the debt will be gone quicker now, have you re-evaluated your DFD?? I bet you'll feel much better!

Chris

moozie_2

Well done again sweetie. Hope it's a very successful journey from now on! :beer:

saubryn

Thanks

Unfortunately I have no idea when my DFD will be because I haven't got arrangements with everyone yet. My goals at the moment are 'Up To Date on Rent Date' and 'Not gonna get the 'leccy cut off Date' - after that there'll be enough money to throw at the debts.

Sounds really bad to put that in writing, but I really, really was in a terrible mess this time last year, and its taken a long time to get arrangements with everyone and get out of a hole enough to pay them properly.

The rent was going to take until 2009 - I think I've got it down to July 2008 now though, so thats pretty good

The council tax will be up to date around the same time.

nPowers electricity is crippling us. The goal there is to pay them off, then switch - using Quidco of course

*zippy*

Congratulations saubryn and good luck with the business :beer:

pounds_and_pensive

Another 'Well done!' from here too. You both seem so focused. Don't forget to keep us all posted as you become debt-free - it sounds like your story is going to make gripping reading, right up until it's inevitable successful conclusion

jen30_2

:beer: Well Done. It's fantastic news. I hope the business goes well:j

Out of curiosity - What kind is it?

postingalwaysposting

woo hoo well done hun :j its a start, and you seem to have a very good plan there, just think the small steps add up to the larger ones

saubryn

Thanks again everyone We didn't celebrate today, but we're dragging all our friends out tomorrow for a little celebration - it will be the first time since New Year that everyone in our circle of friends will have all been out at the same time, which is kinda cool.

The business started as a hobby - a gaming and technology site. We were running it just for fun, and got a nice big collection of contacts in the industry. Now the site just stays ticking over to keep the contacts and material coming in (plus a small amount of advertising revenue), and we freelance as reviewers / writers for other sites and publications. The work is erratic, but it is gradually getting better - it seems once you have a couple of credits to your name its easier to get taken seriously.

We're also setting up a mobile portal and selling mobile phone games. We just got accepted by one of the bigger publishers, and we're going through their inventory writing about all of their games ready to open that portal.

Its going to be a lot of work in the next couple of months, but once everything is set up with the mobile portal, we can just focus on the journalism side of things, and it will only take a couple of articles accepted a month to be 'comfortable' compared to now

LJD1_2

Congratulations and good luck with your new business xx