36 Pay days and counting

newlifeahead

Hi All debt busters.

This must be my 3rd or 4th attempt at doing a diary. I just don't know how you all do it. I have been away from the mfw board and have not been in control of my spending.

Had quite a few things happen which have put me back a few years. I had to get my leaking roof fixed in March which cost over £1k and I have just purchased the freehold on my house. For this I have had to borrow £2500 from my mum and £1700 from my sister.
Last month managed to pay back mum £500 and I will try and do that every month until cleared.

I just want to get rid of this debt now. It all came to a head 6 years ago and I just want to be free.

So I am going to have to be really hard on myself now if I want to get this cleared.

Done a new soa

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 2
Number of cars owned.................... 1
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1073.89
Benefits................................ 639.29

Total monthly income.................... 1713.18
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 291.4
Council tax............................. 88
Electricity............................. 63
Gas..................................... 76
Water rates............................. 38.27
Telephone (land line)................... 9.49
Mobile phone............................ 10
TV Licence.............................. 12.37
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 15
Internet Services....................... 0
Groceries etc. ......................... 160
Clothing................................ 0
Petrol/diesel........................... 80
Road tax................................ 16
Car Insurance........................... 20
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 8.33
Childcare/nursery....................... 152
Buildings insurance..................... 0
Contents insurance...................... 0
Life assurance ......................... 5.05
Other insurance......................... 5
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 10
Profession fees........................... 10
Emergency fund.......................... 0
Total monthly expenses.................. 1069.91

Assets
Cash.................................... 80
House value (Gross)..................... 130000
Car(s).................................. 2000
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 132080

Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 41000....(291.4)....1.25
Total secured & HP debts...... 41000.....-.........-
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Barclaycard....................6120.91...50.1......0
Natwest o/d....................2053.98...14.47.....0
Moorcroft......................3333.34...14.52.....0
Egg............................6531.63...45.91.....0
Total unsecured debts..........18039.86..125.......-

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,713.18
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,079.91
Available for debt repayments........... 643.27
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 125
Amount left after debt repayments....... 508.27
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 132,080
Total HP & Secured debt................. -41,000
Total Unsecured debt.................... -18,039.86
Net Assets.............................. 73,040.14
Created using the SOA calculator at www.makesenseofcards.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using IE browser.

I pay my debts through Payplan and they are all at 0%.
I don't have an emergency fund anymore as I used it towards paying for the freehold. Christmas is cancelled for me. Luckly I have told my ex and he will buy the kids their Christmas presents this year. I am working over Christmas so I have no reason to go to any sales and spend money which I haven't got.

If I can pay the £500 per a month on top of the £125 to payplan my debt will be cleared in 36 payments.

Here's to lots of beans on toast.:beer:

newlifeahead

Both my gas and electricity bills are high. I have been trying hard to get this reduced. Have pruchased 4 oil filled radiators which are great. They have so far been cheap to run and I have not had to put the central heating. Kept checking with the kids if they are cold and they have been fine.

I hope to save the water payment for the next four months and also the council tax in Feb and March. This would then have to be my emergency fund.

I had stocked up on Beans, Salmon, tuna, toilet paper, show gel, toothpaste, washing powder and a few other things.

I have only spent £1.28 this week thanks to the snow. I have had a new debit card so I haven't updated my card details on Paypal, Qvc, Amazon, Ebay, so I won't be able to buy anything without updating it first.

I was going to cancel sky but they offered me half price for 6 months. May cancel this in May anyway. I get free broadband and I have paid my BT line rental for the year until next September.

I had an extra part time job this year but have to give it up as I was working 7 days a week and was a grumpy so and so. The extra money really helped but home life was awful. Kids are only young once and being the only parent in the home I really needed to give them my time.

jwil

Good luck with the debtbusting newlifeahead!

newlifeahead

Thanks jwil. I need all the luck I can get.

Spent £20.51 on food shopping yesterday. This was mainly for the kids lunch for school this week and next and a few other things. Everything is so expensive now :eek:
Also had to spend £8 for ds2 school trousers. He is growing so fast and I don't think he could last any longer without a bigger size.

Total spend for yesterday £28.51. Now have £11.49 to last for the rest of the week. I really hope the kids don't come home with another letter from school asking for more money.

I made a chart with 36 squares yesterday. I read someones diary on here sometime ago about colouring the squares when something was paid off. Can anyone remember who is still doing this?

If everything goes according to plan (fingers crossed) I should be debt free November 2013. When this happens the last of my default would have dropped off so I can start again with a clean slate amd no credit history except my mortgage and mobile phone.

I have had 3 defaults drop off within the last 2 months, so I will get my credit file after the New year just to see what it looks like.

I don't want to wish my life away and in 3 years I will be 37. I don't want to remember my 30s as being sad all the time and moaning about how much money I don't have. So my plan is to see how many different things I can do which will cost little or no money. Taking the kids out can be so expensive so I want to try and see if the best things in life are really free.

I want to complete my course by June 2011. I have 1 assignment and 2 exams left to do. The exams are re-sits so I already have the work to start revising from. I plan to start this early instead of leaving it until the last few weeks.

Trying to monitor my gas and electricity usage.
Yesterdays meter readings
Electric - 15847
Gas - 6797

Today
Electric - 15924
Gas - 6803.

I thought I would put it on here as I keep writing them done and then losing the paper:o

jwil

You've just reminded me I made a sheet with squares on to represent my mortgage payments, I'll have to dig that out and have a look and see how much I've paid off!

Have you had a look on the families board on here? I expect there's loads of ideas of free/cheap things to do with the children on there.

newlifeahead

Good idea, I will have a look at the family’s board for things to do.

I have been trying to think about what I could do to make this journey more fun. I am fed up of staying in all the time because of this debt.

So both me and ds1 have come up with an idea. For next year we will all create a diary/picture book of the fun things we get up to. I was trying to remember what I have been doing all year. I feel really bad as I can only remember the trauma I was going through when trying to change ds1 and Ds2 School. (Just remembered we went to Alton Towers.)

Anyway, we all have cameras so the deal is to take our cameras everywhere we go, even if it is to the park or visiting family and take random photo's. We will then print any photo's which we think is the best and stick them in our picture book. If they want to write something they can if they don't then that's ok too. It is all about having fun and creating some memories.

So far we have come up with a title. A year in the life of.....(Mum)...(ds1)...(ds2) Simple title, but I am a simple girl.

When it comes to the end of the year we will go out for a nice meal together and celebrate the year we had.

I am trying to put a list together of things we can do either cheap or free. We live in Birmingham and I am ashamed to say I haven't visited all the places there is on offer around here.
Anyway, I don't want to bore you all with my excitement so I will move onto money saving stuff.

Had a nsd on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Kids used their own money to buy Christmas presents at the school shop, they enjoyed spending their own money

I am trying to sort out a problem I have with Natwest. Back in August they added £900 onto my account and so far no one can tell me why. Have now written a subject access request letter which I will post today. I am not getting any answers over the phone so I will see if they have put any notes on the account.

Will also have to go and fill up with petrol which will cost £20.

Kids will be collected from school today by their Nan so I get a day to myself :j

Had more to share but I have fogotten:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

newlifeahead

Quick update from me.

Spends so far for this week.
Sunday - Weekly shop £13.27
Today - parking 80p, £1.24 Firkins (cakes), £2.24 postage (returning an item.)
Total spends so far this week £17.55

I usually fill the car up with petrol on Thursdays but haven't used the car much this week, so I will fill up tomorrow instead just in case we get more snow.

Have also paid my mum back £500 from the £2500 I borrowed. Now I owe her £1500. £125 has also been paid off my credit card debt.

Outstanding debt as of today is now £21114.86 and 35 payments to go. One square now ticked off:D

I also called Nationwide earlier in the week for a new pin number for my debit card. I thought I only had £80 in that account but the balance is £92. £12 more than I thought. :jI may need to use this money soon as I only have about £30 to last me until the 31st December.

I really hope I can keep this going.

newlifeahead

Oh no!
The nsd didn't last very long.
Yesterday spent £4.60 on a takeaway.

I know I said Christmas would be cancelled for me but went out this morning at 8:30am to Tesco and Asda thought I would miss the rush and snow. Brought presents for my younger cousins, sisters, mom, day and ex (gift from the kids).

Todays spends
Tesco £58.73 (Bill was £75.58 discounts £11.85. I then had a £5 voucher off £25 spend. Total saved £16.85)

Asda £49.47 (gifts)
Asda petrol £20.01
I didn't realise until I got home that I had a voucher from Tesco for 5p off every litre of fuel. I will use this next week.

I was also given £100 today so total Christmas spend (excl petrol) was £8.20 :j

Christmas shopping done and dusted. I didn't know what to buy for 2 other younger cousins. Their mom has said that money will be ok so that will be £10 each. I would prefer to buy a present but they want to save for something bigger.

Now looking forward to Christmas, all the family will be having Christmas dinner at mums. I had already bought the chocolates and have seen a leg of Lamb in Tesco half price so that will be my contribution, although not much.

Right off to read how everyone else is doing.

jwil

Well done on your debt reducing, that is great! Only 35 paydays to go!

Your christmas gifts sound nice and frugal, and if someone turned up to my place with a leg of lamb and some chocolates, I'd be well pleased

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Well done you have really got your prioritys right and seems so very well organised.x

newlifeahead

Thanks a lot guys your words give me a real boost.;)

I did manage to go back to Tesco yesterday. I bought 2 legs of Lamb. They were both half price and then reduce again because of the short dates.

First one was £11.05 reduced to £7.62 and the other was £10.26 reduced to £7.18. I got two as one will be used on Christmas day and the other one will be used on New Year's day. Mom put them both in the freezer so they will keep for when they are needed.

Let's just say I am in my parents good books:A

I can't find my receipt so I am not sure how much I spent (bought a few other things too.) When the money comes out of my account I will know for sure then.

I checked my bank on-line this morning and saw sky had debited my account with £30.67:eek: My bill should have been reduced from £25 to £15 from this month for the next 6 months.

I gave them a call this afternoon and the person I spoke to last month did not set it up correctly. They will now credit my account £15 and I will have 6 months half price from today. Next months dd will be for £1.22 and then £15.25 after that.

Sky - Please stop helping yourself to my money:mad:

Had my first mystery shopping assignment last week and I have another one tomorrow. I am not sure it will make me any money but I will give it some time first before I find something else.