the maccas Debt Free Diary - 20K to pay in 18 months

themaccas

Hi Verbatim, I'm glad to be back, reading everyone's posts is such an amazing boost and encouragement - just looked at your sig - you're doing a fab job there and reducing your debt by 15K in just over a year is an amazing achievement!!!

Well we have booked a cruise round the med. We got a really great deal and when you consider it includes all the food and entertainment and kids activities and we get free carparking and on board £300 credit... It was a lot, lot cheaper holiday than going for 2 weeks to Florida or the carribean. It sounds extravagent but it honestly isn't, price wise. The excursions are very pricey but we are going to do our own thing in each port and use the local transport to get about. Our older DS isn't coming and is going backpacking with his friends so we have saved money there by paying for one less adult. Bless him! But it all helps!

Our ebay item has just been collected and we ended up giving him a £10 discount so we raised £50 instead of £60. Oh well it all helps.

Verbatim

Thanks themaccas,

Cruise sound wonderful. Hope to go to India in December. Will have paid off all the cc's by then, (altho' I said that about the April just gone back in Oct 06!) Seriously tho' I feel as if I'm there really with such a small amount to clear compared to the frightening £24k of 18 months ago.

Great you didn't have to re-advertize your item. Hope £50 seemed like a fair price.

themaccas

Every now and then I have another look at our debts, current accounts and savings accounts. Our debts are as our sig although I update these at the end of the month so that is correct. Our current account overdrafts are:
Account 1: £876.07 overdrawn
Account 2: £591.16 overdrawn
Total: £1467.13 overdrawn
on top of this we need to put 2 more £150 weekly budgets on so hopefully at present we will finish with a total overdraft of £1767.13. There are still payments to reduce this:
£78 from ebay
£110 from extra shift
£175 from expenses refund due at end of month
£900 from minimum cc payments due on 25th
Thereforeif we can stick to the budget we will end up with an overdraft in June of £504.

I have also looked at our savings - has been very healthy in the last few months now completely drained total: £1!!
Then..............I looked again and realised I had started a savings plan last July when we opened our A&L account. I very rarely look at this account because all our bills go out and these never change but I looked again and found out that the savings plan has been been going for 11 months and has the final payment next month. I phoned A&L who confirmed this and we are due to get the savings transfered into our savings account at the beginning of July. The amount will be £3000 PLUS interest at 10%. I can't believe it!!!!! How could I have forgotten that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to tell DH I think I am going to have to pick him up off of the floor!!!!

southwester_2

Make a claim for the whiplash injury, I did a few years ago, it will help with you debt

themaccas

But it is a lot better now, although it was very painful over the weekend so I've nothing really to claim for now.

Shineyhappy

You should be very careful with whiplash!

I was a passenger in a car crash in April 2001, I hurt my neck and at first it was only a little sore, I went to hospital as it still hurt 24 hours later and they gave me a collar and some pills and told me to be careful. I was determined not to sue as it isnt something I thought was particularly moral.

Anyway 6 months on and I was in pain all the time. It turns out that I !!!!!!ed up some nerves and after numerous courses of physio, accupunture and anything from odd diets (giving up tomato and chilis as they increase pain apparently) to faith healing (I was desperate) and heat pads (very expensive) I am still in pain.

I took them to court and got 6k which probably has just about covered the money I spent on treatments not to mention I got very very down about the pain and not being able to party (I was in uni at the time).

I hope the accident has no lasting injuries but if it does make sure you keep all receipts (I didnt) and see the doctors and take legal action.

southwester_2

Go to the Doctor tell him you are still feeling some discomfort, once you have been to the doctor you can start teh ball rolling, trust me I have done it.

Whats to lose

themaccas

Shiney happy - I would def put in a claim if I was suffering like you have been but i want to be realistic. I was in a lot of pain on Saturday, Sunday it was improving a little, Mon and Tues also and today although it aches a bit it is not the pain I had on saturday. I have not had to take time off work, (I work shifts and am not due back until tomorrow) I've just taken paracetmol for pain and so I feel I have nothing to claim for and that it would be immoral to make a claim if I didn;t need to. Kharma and all that.

Shineyhappy

Just keep records just in case it does get worse! I thought mine would clear up to start with, thats why I never kept any receipts and after a few months of paying 2-4 pounds a day on heat pads it seemed daft to suddently start keeping receipts.

Hopefully you will never need to use them but as the scouts say - be prepared!

I totally agree with what you say, but if you do get worse having all the info will really help and if you dont then you have only wasted a little time.

By the way congrats on reducing your debt by so much, you must be very proud of yourself :T

themaccas

Thanks for the advice, I'll certainly keep any recipts and records if I have any problems in the future.

We are chuffed to bits at the way we have reduced our debt so quickly and that careful budgeting and cutting out all the rubbish compulsive spending really works. I worked out our debtfree date using snowball right at the beginning and thought it would be impossible but now we can see it really is achievable. March 2008 is the month we are aiming for and that hasn't changed since we started. I know it is a lot to pay off - 12K in 10 months but we'll give it our best try! There have been a few hiccups along the way and we did get DFW burnout last year now it is slower and steadier.