£1 loan payments, orangutans and learning it doesn't all happen overnight...

Kepp

I have decided to start a new diary.

My last one has been fantastic for me and has, since I started it in June this year, helped me to reduce my debt by £4,826 – that’s a lot to have reduced it by when you think that figure doesn’t include all the damn interest I paid too! :j

Just don’t think my last diary makes sense anymore. It was called Shifting a 24K debt in a year???? And is here if anyone is ever bored enough! https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2548821

If everything stays on track I should have reduced by debt by £9,132 by Apr 11 a year on from my LBM and by a total of £10,640 by Jun 11 – my diary’s anniversary as it were.

Not reduced by 24K!!!!!! :rotfl:

But that’s ok and I’m not going to give up because of that but I do need to approach debt slightly differently I think.

A few things have changed my mind:

People following my last diary will know that I have decided to go to Borneo for 2 months in Feb 2011. A daft decision is some ways as travelling is a large part of the reason I am where I am now, but also I decided in the end the best decision as I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this and work agreed I could have the time off and still be paid so debt-busting can continue even while I’m not in the country!

Yesterday I found my wall planner from when I was planning my six months away. It also showed my shifts and I realised I had been working 100 hours a week for about six months in the run-up to going away. I knew I wanted to shift my debts but had no plan of attack – although I worked as much as I could and threw all spare money at my debts I had no idea what my APRs were so attacked the wrong cards and I had no idea on DFDs, snowballs etc!

I kind of attacked my debt like this in the first couple of months after my LBM too, it really was coming on here and starting my diary in June that got my finances organised and had me tackling my debts in the right order. It’s also what’s got me slightly obsessed to the point of being addicted to spreadsheets and PADding!

I really for a long time thought that throwing everything I had at my debt would help me get to what was essentially an unrealistic target. After last week where I had spent the best part of a day staring at my spreadsheets, ended up first in a foul mood cause the figures aren’t coming down as quick as I would like and then going home and crying, a lovely long cuddle with what was a rather bemused OH (who has no debt) made me realise this approach was not going to work long-term. I decided to follow the of course excellent advice that I posted on Adam’s diary about needing to buy things occasionally and stop beating myself up as much as I do.

This is probably the hardest thing for me as anyone who knows me will know that patience is definitely not something I have a lot of!

It’s slow and steady that wins this race and I have to remember that. And that those £1s I keep popping into Lloyds with will all add up! I will not give up on trying to get this shifted as soon as possible, I will keep working hard and planning ways to make more money, but will accept the fact that as soon as possible probably means about 2 years.

So, once again I am off! Hope to see the lovely people I have ‘met’ on my last diary here too!

Woowoo

Hi Bec's

I stalked you over here, you can't lose me that easily lol!

What a great idea starting a new diary, I am loving the title. Your right the last title no longer made sense and I'm sure this must feel like a new start with fresh inspiration.

Have subscribed of course xxx

Ceniza

Damn, woo beat me to it

Kepp

Yay, nice to see you guys here, didn't want to be alone!

Sorry you weren't fast enough Adam!

Thanks Woo, def does feel like a new start, I need to shift this debt but I need to do it without killing myself with the stress in the process!

Moneytroubles_2

Hi Beccie,

oooo sparkly new diary! You remind me so much of me sometimes with what you say, when I had LBM I really wanted to see changes instantly, which of course didn't happen, but then I realised that slow and steady wins the race and a year on I am quite happy with my progress, I feel me and OH have a good balance as we take the debt busting seriously but we havent let it impact on us too much, we havent had any holidays but we do go for the odd meal / night out which keeps us sane! anyway look forward to following your new diary and getting to know you better xxxx

Keebs

beccie wrote: »

People following my last diary will know that I have decided to go to Borneo for 2 months in Feb 2011. A daft decision is some ways as travelling is a large part of the reason I am where I am now, but also I decided in the end the best decision as I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this and work agreed I could have the time off and still be paid so debt-busting can continue even while I’m not in the country!

Hey, nice diary

Nothing daft about your decision to my mind. You looked at the pros and cons, weighed them up and then went for it. You've planned for how to incorporate the expense into your repayments and would appear to be setting your DFD date back by only a month or so (if memory serves).

I could be wrong (alas I too often am, but not about this methinks) but sounds pretty rational and MSE to me!

If_My_Pennies_Were_Pounds

:j New Diary! :j

Subscribed

MinniMe_2

great to see your new diary. I think you have the right attitude. We have all got that little too obsessed at times with trying to clear things but at the end of the day you still need to have a life!

Hope this works out for you.

Kepp

Thanks guys and nice to have you here.

As requested the countdown to Borneo continues - 115 DAYS!

£10 added to the OD fund this morning.

Off to the bank at lunchtime to pay in £15 earnt last night cleaning.

Woowoo

Morning Bec's

Well done on adding to the o/d fund x

regan.lottie

Hi Beccie! Thanks for posting on my diary, I've been away for the weekend seeing my oh! :j which was great but we ended up spending some unnecessary money too :rotfl:£45 on a taxi :eek:

Well I just came on here to say that I look forward to following your journey and I'm also extremely jealous that you are going away again! I am going to subscribe so I don't lose your diary either