Paid off £30K, about £6k more to go!

Want_to_be_free

Your Diary really gives me hope, thank you:T

muffin74

Thanks wtbf. We are all in the same boat and it makes me feel better knowing that there are lots of other people out there who are trying to sort out their debts and make their lives better. I wish I had discovered the MSE forums years ago, the people here are so great at supporting each other, sharing experiences and passing on advice. Good luck!

Mrs_Money_Penny

Hi Love your thread and have subcribed. I have a credit card that I want to clear by my birthday in May about the same amount as you owing. Due from having a lovely holiday this year. At least I know where the money went. Years ago I would of had money on a card and have no idea what it was spent on.

I will take a look at local markets. Don't always get a chance at the weekend and don't have time in the week. Will be making a trip to Aldi next weekend love having a look around there. Have a Lidl nearer must make an effort to go there more often. Good luck will be joining you on your journey.

muffin74

Another money saving day today. I have some holiday time from work. Spent the day at home. Still getting over my cold so had a quiet morning in watching daytime TV (love Homes Under the Hammer - though that is the closest I will get to buying a flat for a few years!), listening to music and reading. It was nice to have a day doing not very much, can't remember the last time I did that as like most people these days I am always busy!!

Went out to do an hour's private tuition in the late afternoon/ early evening and on the way back popped into the shop to get some essentials (bin bags, cleaning stuff etc). Used part of my tuition cash to pay for it.

I have a couple of days out planned during my holiday time from work but I am trying to keep spending limited to those days and to watch the pennies the rest of the time.

muffin74

Ok, spent a bit today. Went into town (for an appointment) and afterwards had time to browse in the shops. I came across a cookery book in a charity shop. As this was the west end of London, they were charging west end prices. The book was almost as expensive as a new book in an average bookshop!! They wanted £9.99 for a charity shop book!! Sorry, when I go to a charity shop I want to spend a pound or two on a book, not nearly a tenner!

Anyway, I didn't buy it but was inspired by one of the recipes. It was a thai butternut squash stew. I remembered the ingredients and popped to the Waitrose around the corner and bought the ingredients I needed and a bottle of Riesling to go with it. Ok, a bit naughty as I am meant to be counting the pennies but in these days of frugality, if I am going to spend money on anything, I am going to spend it on good home cooked food (and the odd bottle of wine!). I may be more of an Asda and Lidl girl these days, but the odd trip to Waitrose does lift the spirits. The meal was delicious and filled the house with the scent of coriander, coconut and lemongrass. I also have some in a Tupperware box in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.

Walking around the west end, I enjoyed window shopping but I was reminded how many expensive things there are out there in the shops and how clever and creative those retailers are at tempting the consumers to part with their hard earned dough. I am glad I work in an unglamourous part of town with few temptations. If I was going to Oxford Street every day it would be hard to resist those beautifully displayed goodies in the shops!

muffin74

I watched the Spending Review on TV today - very scary. I hope I will be able to pay the rest of my debts off, save a little and make ends meet. The next few years are going to be really tough, judging by what Osbourne had to say today.

muffin74

I stayed in today, doing housework and laundry. Meals came from the store cupboard and fridge. I very rarely have a day when I don't leave the house, it is quite a restful break from the madness of London which is going on just up the road!! It also saved me some money as I didn't have to buy a newspaper, gum or water, top up my oyster card or do any of those little things that end up costing money when I go out the front door! I am getting paid tomorrow and my mum is coming to visit. We are probably going to have lunch out and go to the cinema but I don't plan to spend too much.

My mum has been really supportive of my financial situation. For many years I didn't tell her that I was in debt. Eventually I came clean but I didn't tell her the full amount, I said I owed over £20K but if I had told her it was over £35K she would have probably had a heart attack. I had to admit I couldn't afford to keep coming up to visit my parents 3 or 4 times a year (train and plane fares mount up and I used to put them on my credit card). Also she would often ask me to go on holiday with her and I had to explain why I wasn't able to jet off with her to the sun.

I think she assumed that because I was earning more than her I had lots of cash to spare but I didn't. My parents never went to Uni and didn't leave home until they got married so they didn't know what it was like to be a student/ young graduate on their own in a big city. They have always had modest salaries but have always had low outgoings as they lived in a small town where property was cheap. They didn't know about the financial issues I would face and they never spoke to me about it or gave me advice when I was a teenager about it. It is funny, my mum gave me a book about the "facts of life" but not a word of advice about money. Money has impacted on my life every day of my life since I left home but it didn't get a mention!! I hope that all the parents and teachers out there today talk to their teenagers about money.

Since I told my mum I was in debt and working hard to pay it off, she has been very encouraging and has not expected me to spend money when I can't afford it. I see my mum a few times a year but now we take turns to visit each other.

I think it is better to be honest with family and friends. You may not want to tell them the full details but you can just say "I can't afford it" or "I'm on a tight budget at the moment." I remember when I was in my 20s I didn't want to admit to anyone that I had money worries or couldn't afford things. I also didn't want to admit to buying stuff from cheap shops. Now I have no self consciousness on that score as I am a bit older and less worried about "image". If someone is a genuine friend, they won't mind anyway and you will be able to find affordable ways to meet up and socialise together.

Anyway, another day closer to my DFD! I can't wait.

Want_to_be_free

Hello Muffin74. I really like reading your diary... You know what my mum still thinks that I can efford things even though she knows I am in a financial dificulty. Sometimes I don't really understand her. She actually encourages me to spend more... I have to be very strong when I am with her. Luckly ( well in reality , not lucky at all) I only see her once or twice a year...I miss her madly, but I wish she would stop encouraging me to spend more ......

muffin74

Hi wtbf

It is difficult with friends and family. Maybe your mum is a bit more secure financially than you and forgets or doesn't know what it is like to be in debt and doesn't realise how serious your situation is. On the other hand, she might be a bit of a shopaholic and might not want you to change because that would mean she would have to change too. I don't know your individual situation but I do know that it is quite difficult when you are really trying to change things and friends and family are not keen on it.

I have heard stories about people who have gone on diets and lost lots of weight or given up alcohol and their family or friends don't like it because they think the person has changed and they want them to stay the same. I have even heard of marriages which split up because the husband feels insecure that the wife has lost weight and is more confident. I think money is a bit like food or alcohol. People can sometimes have an unhealthy relationship with these things and misuse them or lose control around them when they are going through a hard time. I know I was like that with money when I was in my 20s.

My life has changed since I stopped being a spendthrift and started being frugal but it has changed for the better. I still have fun with my friends, partner and family but do so within my means. For example, I remember visiting my good friend with a bottle of Lidl cava and a box of Lidl florentines as a treat for her. She didn't mind at all - in fact she had by coincidence bought the same two things as a treat for me! We had a good chat, some bubby and chocolate but we didn't spend a fortune. When I go on dates with my fiance we often use Pizza Express or Cafe Rouge vouchers to get an affordable meal.

I know I am building a better future for myself by getting out of debt. I know you are too!!

muffin74

Hi everyone

Monday morning and I am ready for another week of money saving!! Read an interesting article today, it sent a chill down my spine as it reminded me of those dark days in my 20s when I used to buy clothes on credit and ended up paying a fortune for them as a result!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1323377/Holly-Willoughby-Fearne-Cotton-endorsed-Very-style-website-bad-finances.html

It makes me sad that there are a whole new generation of girls and young women who are being encouraged to make the same mistakes as I did back in the late 90s/ early noughties.

I think it is very unfair and dangerous that magazines and tv programmes spend most of their time encouraging young women to spend spend spend on expensive clothes and make up. I have seen hundreds of articles and tv items about buying or trying out expensive products but very few about living within your means, saving or dealing with the effects of consumer credit on young people. Where are the programmes aimed at young women which tell them about the stock market, pensions, investing in property or other assets??

In London where I live there are lots of nail bars where women can get manicures, pedicures and fake nails. There are also lots of hairdressers offering expensive treatments like hair extensions. These seem to be really popular with young women, especially women from ethnic minorities who have amazingly elaborate hairstyles and colourfully decorated acrylic nails. Nothing wrong with that - if you can afford it.

I walked past one of those nail bars recently and it was packed full of young women getting their nails done and I wondered to myself: "How many of these women have a pension? How many of them have savings?"

I am sure most of them are living from paycheque to paycheque and a few are probably in credit card debt. I may be sounding like a boring old woman but I think the best thing for a woman's confidence is to be debt free, have savings and a pension!!! Once you have that sorted out, you can go shopping and get your nails done!

Anyway, enough moaning. Off to start a money saving week and aiming to be one week closer to my DFD!!