bobble_hat's Debt Diary

bobble_hat

1_step_closer wrote:

Hiya!

You are doing very well! And i think you have a lot of courage to do what you did - sell everything and move to house sharing. I shared houses for several years before moving back in with parents, meeting hubby, etc etc I don't think I could ever house share again!

How is kitty doing in her new home?

Thanks 1 Step and Dizzy, I was really pleased to wave goodbye to the student loan.

Cat is doing very well in his new home, apparently he is a total purr machine and they love him to bits. I've been invited to stay if I ever want a weekend in Cambridge, so I may take them up on the offer one day, but not yet, I still miss him like crazy.

1_step_closer

At least he has a good home! And one you can visit in the future if you wanted to.

Snaggles

Well done on the student loan bobble hat - that's brilliant news!

bobble_hat

I went off the rails a bit last week. I was a bit poorly and used it as an excuse to over-indulge and I'm ashamed of myself.

I didn't use any credit or spend money I couldn't afford but it means my bank account buffer has been seriously depleted.

I'm back on track now for this week, I always have £60 a week available to me, I spent £35 of that on groceries this week. Due to being ill last week I've had to be extremely careful about what I eat so I have not compromised on groceries this week. This leaves me with £25, I will need to buy some fruit and veg but am hoping to save most of this.

I used some vouchers today for 60 free photo prints and picked my favourite photos from 2006 to put in my album, so that is something nice to look forward to tomorrow which has not cost any money. I can update the photos I have up in my room too.

I went speed dating a couple of weeks ago and ended up with a match. We went out last Thursday night and had a lovely evening and I've heard nothing from him since, so feeling a bit sorry for myself. I think that is why I splurged on the weekend. Oh well, I'm sure I'll have better luck next time.

2 more months of debt payments then I can start saving for the holiday of a lifetime to Australia and New Zealand. :T I've just got to stay focussed.

bobble_hat

:jWell my budgets are ticking over nicely and I seem to be sticking to them at last.

:cool: My wages are finally going into the correct Bank account and my transfers are working well too. Soon I will not have to look at my accounts online at all.

It looks like I'll be getting rid of my car in May and cycling to work come April, these two actions will save me a further £110 a month!!

:T I will pay my 0% Credit card off completely in April, I was going to make half of the payment this month, but I'm on 6% interest at the Alliance and Leicester so I'm going to let the money sit in my account for as long as possible. The 0% APR on the card ends in April.

:beer: Once that is paid off I will be saving for my NZ/OZ holiday. I've got the leave agreed with work, and my friend is joining me, Bonza!

Once I've had a holiday (the first in many, many years). I'll begin saving for my 3 months income to sit in the bank. Once I've reached that goal I'm going to start saving for a house deposit.

_party_ I've got a long way to go but I've got enough in my budget for treats along the way and at the moment, a secure room in rented accomodation. It's all looking really good.

:grouphug: Although I will be debt free in April I will still be using this Forum because it will keep me focussed on my saving goals and I would miss everyone too much. I'll still be watching the pennies to keep me from slipping back.

LookingAhead

Hi there bobble I had been wondering how you were getting on.

Well I am so pleased for you that you'll be shot of your debts in April - just in time for the nicer weather (hopefully!) which will be a joy to cycle in.

Really impressed with your progress and positive outlook. You seem to have a very 'can do' attitude (sorry I know that sounds annoyingly corporate) with an adventurous & outgoing spirit.

You're sure to succeed!

Well done you :T and look forward to your further updates.

bobble_hat

Well, I've been away for a while and have slipped back into old habits . I've not used any credit or increased my debt but I've not paid any off either.

I've been spending far too much so I need to rein it back in. I've had to juggle a few things round too. I'm going on the holiday of a lifetime in September, for the whole month, to New Zealand and Australia. In order to get my flight booked I've put the debt repayment on hold for two months (I'm on a 0% interest, so it's not a massive issue). I have cash to pay for the flight and no credit will be used, but I'm feeling horribly guilty. The debt will be paid off by June instead of the end of this month.

I have not been keeping my spending diary and really have overspent. So plans for going forward are:

1. Dust off the spending diary and get stuck in again.
2. Get my E-bay items onto E-bay.
3. Try to sell my car before the MOT runs out in May (Saving = £73 per month).
4. Get my bicycle fixed before getting rid of the car.
5. Get organised with groceries and menu-planning.
6. Stick to my well-refined budget.
7. Start cycling to work again tomorrow (saving = £10 a week)

I hope everyone else is well and still moving forward. I will check in again to catch up with your diaries ASAP. :beer:

ZTD

bobble_hat wrote: »

Well, I've been away for a while and have slipped back into old habits . I've not used any credit or increased my debt but I've not paid any off either.

I've been spending far too much so I need to rein it back in. I've had to juggle a few things round too. I'm going on the holiday of a lifetime in September, for the whole month, to New Zealand and Australia. In order to get my flight booked I've put the debt repayment on hold for two months (I'm on a 0% interest, so it's not a massive issue). I have cash to pay for the flight and no credit will be used, but I'm feeling horribly guilty. The debt will be paid off by June instead of the end of this month.

I have not been keeping my spending diary and really have overspent. So plans for going forward are:

1. Dust off the spending diary and get stuck in again.
2. Get my E-bay items onto E-bay.
3. Try to sell my car before the MOT runs out in May (Saving = £73 per month).
4. Get my bicycle fixed before getting rid of the car.
5. Get organised with groceries and menu-planning.
6. Stick to my well-refined budget.
7. Start cycling to work again tomorrow (saving = £10 a week)

I hope everyone else is well and still moving forward. I will check in again to catch up with your diaries ASAP. :beer:

And 8. 'Fessing up your spending on Moozie and cohort's "What have you spent today?" thread.

bobble_hat

Well I'm back in the saddle again. My bicycle has been dusted off and repaired by my lovely landlord and I'm cycling to work and back daily. I'm really loving it, so much so that my 20 minute journey home on Thursday night took and hour and a half because I took a detour around the lovely nature reserves and cycle ways we have around here. I arrived home totally chilled out, lovely.

I've not really been sticking to my budget over the last month or so, and although I've not used any credit or added to my debt, I've only reduced it by about £60. I've got quite a lot coming up over the next few months and I want lots of spending money, so I need to really work hard to pay off the remaining debt and save a little as well.

My poor little Renault 5, Reggie, has almost reached the end of his natural life and is having his organs donated to help other cars in need. This means I will save even more money each month, and possibly get a little back for his sacrifice. I'm hoping he'll limp along until just before his MOT runs out without anything else breaking or falling off. Fingers crossed.

With no car to maintain and cycling instead I'm saving another £110 a month which can go straight off the debt, I should be debt free by the end of June, I then need to save for my spends for Australia.

I've dusted off my spending diary and am going to be very strict with myself. I have to buy a bread roll for my lunch tomorrow and pay for swimming on Wednesday but the rest of the week should be a no-spender.

dizzy_lizzie

Hiya bobble-hat. Great to see you're still motivated. I guess a holiday in Oz is doing that for you. Unfortunately I've gone off the rails a bit but reading how others keep going does help. Well done again.