To remind myself how far I've come - my debt diary. - SOA added

chocaholic110

Well, after 9 years out of University I finally have to pay my Student Loan back, I can't defer it any longer So there's an extra £88 to find every month! Anyone know much about Student Loans? The letter seems to state that it will be taken by direct debit but my second student loan (from my PGCE 4 years ago) comes straight off my pay.

Also a bit fed up at the thought that half term is nearly over and I'm back at work next week. OFSTED are due any time and it is really stressful waiting for the call all of the time. Would be fine if not for the Head hyping everyone up all of the time.

Oh, well, nearly the end of the month and time to chip away a little of the debts - that's one good thing at least.

slowlyfading

I have only just noticed this thread, and you are doing so well! You're such an imspiration and have such determination, keep it up I remember my mum getting stressed at OFSTED and it'll be me in a couple of years time stressing about it! Hope it goes okay for you
Nicola x

chocaholic110

Well, they came!!! OFSTED, I mean. And though I am not allowed to say what the judgements are until the written report is received, I can say we are very pleased with the outcome.

I am so relieved that it is over but I am absolutely shattered! Even more so as I am taking Years 5 + 6 away on Sunday for a residential week. Feeling really guilty as have hardly seen my children all week and then I am leaving them again. They, on the other hand don't seem so bothered as they have both disappeared to friends' houses!

Checked my Egg loan account this morning; even though I have made my normal payment and an overpayment it is showing in arrears again! The man at Egg that I spoke to said he can't understand it as it clearly shows that the payments have been made. Hopefully he will sort it on Monday but I on't be able to check until Friday

Finances as things stand today

My Debts

Egg Loan: £1,028.23
Marbles Card: £4,212

OH's Debts

Egg Card: £2,019.50

Joint Debts

A+L loan: £ £2804

Total Debt: £10,063.73 - still not under £10 thousand, but edging closer. If only I could have found an extra £64!


Total reduced in February: £1,436.26
Total reduced since LB moment (August 2006) : £16,912.27
Total reduced since debt at highest (January 2006): £18,820.27
Target for end of March - £8500

Egg loan should be gone in another two payments. I can't wait as they keep mucking it up. The original date that it would have been paid off is July 2010 - Thank Goodness for snowball calculators! Then the next one to tackle is the Egg card.

Anyway, off to update my snowball at What's the cost.

chocaholic110

Well, just packing for the week. Is it normal that I am going to really miss MSE and am having panic attacks that I won't be able to check my bank accounts daily??? At least I won't be able to spend much as I will be in a residential centre in the middle of nowhere with no shops for miles around!

chocaholic110

Just a bit of rant! I can't believe Egg have mucked up my account again. The day I went away I checked my account and it said I had missed my monthly payment when in fact I had paid the DD and sent an extra £100, both of which had been applied to the account. Phoned Egg and spoke to a customer services advisor who said he couldn't see a missed payment anyway (erm...cos there wasn't one to see?) and would sort it on Monday when that accounts dept was open.
Got home yesterday to find three...THREE! letters from Egg about my "overdue" account, asking me to make a payment. I phoned again and the man I spoke to still couldn't help.
This is now the second time that this has happened. I will leave it a few weeks and get a credit report. I will be really annoyed if this has gone on my credit record.

chocaholic110

*Bit of a whinging, self-pitying post, sorry!*

Having a bit of a major panic today. We have booked a few days away at Disneyland Paris in August and while I will enjoy it I am having the horrors over adding to our debt. Just added the details to the snowball calculator and it won't alter our debt free date but it will make the final amount payable a lot higher!

We debated it a lot before booking. Probably I wouldn't have booked but OH and kids are really keen. OH is using justification that "you have to have some pleasures for all the work we are doing". Also we are going with friends who are really excited. I feel a bit mean being a scrooge about it all!

Having a bit of a rough time this month; it feels as if the month has lasted forever! Have been broke for at least the last week and still another week until payday. Luckily payday is also the Easter holidays - with OFSTED and the residential trip this term has passed really slowly. Even our Ofsted report (Good with Outstanding features - I can "officially" tell people now!) hasn't lifted my spirits - I just feel really flat and miserable.

I think the thrill of seeing the balances going down has faded a little; also all my clothes seem to be falling to bits en masse and every time we seem to get a bit of extra money there is something else to pay for! Nothing left to sell on ebay, mystery shopping seems to have dried up and no Quidco payouts as have exhausted all the "free" money and haven't got anything to buy anything with for cashback. Also, can't seem to get an Equifax credit report as apparently I answered their questions wrongly and they couldn't confirm my identity on-line - strange! Aargh! the trials of being a DFW! *breathe, breathe*

chocaholic110

Updated Debt (going up not down, sniff!)

Finances as things stand today

My Debts

Egg Loan: £1,028.23
Marbles Card: £4,124

OH's Debts

Egg Card: £1963.59
Barclaycard £571:eek:

Joint Debts

A+L loan: £ £2804

Total £10,490.82

Snowball calculator says to pay off new debt on Barclaycard first as is horrendous interest rate. I feel a bit sick as I know all the theory and we have still done this regardless. Bit scared in case it is a slippery slope! _pale_

Opened our £1 tin today - it contained £120 which will come straight off Barclaycard when bill comes next month.

chocaholic110

Nothing new financially to report - still waiting for Friday, both for payday and a couple of weeks holiday. Don't know why but I feel absolutely shattered at the moment. Fell asleep at 7pm last night waiting for The Street and only just woke in time to see TracyLuv in court.

Feel as if I could be in bed now but DS is still out at a friend's house so have to wait until he arrives home.

Sent off the contract to put our house up for sale today, sort of scary and exciting at the same time.
Sort of repeating myself here, but roll on Friday, roll on Friday, roll on friday!!!

chocaholic110

Finally this day has come - was beginning to think it never would! Yesterday was Payday and the end of term - two joyous occasions together!

Looking forward to two weeks off, spending time with DS (if he'll let me!!) and DD, doing some Flying which has been sadly lacking over the last cuple of weeks, getting caught up on paperwork for work and just generally not thinking too much for the next two weeks!!

We have officially put our house up for sale; the sale price is a bit high in my opinion but I suppose we can bring it down if there is no interest. In any case we are not really in a massive hurry to move just yet, though I suppose it would be nice to know how much we would have for a deposit on a new house.

Some bad news in that OH's car failed it's MOT and is likely to cost more to put right than what it's actually worth - not sure what we're going to do there!

Updated financial affairs for beginning of April

My Debts

Egg Loan: £395 (Final payment next month :j )
Marbles Card: £4,124

OH's Debts

Egg Card: £1863.59
Barclaycard £571

Joint Debts

A+L loan: £ £2338

Total £9291.59



Total reduced in March: £772.14 (£1343.14 paid off and £571 added!)
Total reduced since LB moment (August 2006) : £17,684.41
Total reduced since debt at highest (January 2006): £19,592.41
Target for end of April - £8000


The Barclaycard should go down later this month - we have £200 put aside to pay this month, but I don't want to take it off the paymnet here until it is actually paid in case we need the money elsewhere and it doesn't all get paid. The Egg loan will be gone next month and the final payment is only slightly higher than half what I have been paying so hopefully will be able to pay the rest off the Barclaycard and get rid of that next month too. Then we should only have three things left to pay and can start attacking OH's Egg card.

chocaholic110

Copied from the reasons to be cheerful thread to make me think when I am grumbling about work / not being debt free / not falling pregnant etc (delete as applicable)

I have

* 2 lovely pleasant (mostly) well behaved children
* my lovely OH who works hard, is great company, is my best friend, a great Dad and has many other skills that can't be mentioned here on DFW!
* Three more days of bank holiday to go
* A further week off work after that
* The sun is shining
* We are substantially less in debt than this time last year
* There is an ever growing chink of light at the end of the debt free tunnel
* This site which has been a godsend, and eye opener, a bulb lighter and so much more...
* Chocolate