The Debt Free Roll Of Honour

Keedie

What an inspirational read @redlaces and congratulations on your achievement! This forum is definitely saving me in terms of knowing how to handle my life and finances better and that debt and mental health guide is definitely worth multiple re-reads. Your spreadsheet sounds amazing. I'll have to figure out graphs on mine, I do like a visual reminder of where things are heading 😁.

redlaces

@Keedie !! Thank you for the super kind words, I actually read your diary from the beginning a couple of months back and found it so inspiring. Your energy to keep spinning so many plates and creating all your side hustles really spurred me on for my own final push keep doing what you are doing and you will be making your own post here soon enough 

spendaholic

I am SO happy! 

They said it would take 25 years. It's taken 16. £35,000 - £0. (Hangover from *previous* marriages; NOT *this* one, but couldn't have done it without this one!) Debt-free!
 

a. The date of your lightbulb moment: May 2005 when I joined MSE - but it was before that, when I first read THE MONEY DIET by some dude called Martin Lewis (an impulse buy! 😳It was next to the till in WH Smiths) (I used to be a spendaholic, you know...)

b. Debts at their highest: Husband #2 left me with a debt of £35,000 in 2006.

c. Debt-Free Date: Today, 11 November 2022

d. Your one pearl of wisdom: Ask for help, there's tons out there. I initially joined a debt management company who charged me about £20 per month for managing my debt, then I discovered StepChange, who charged me nothing.

e. Links that helped you: Everything on here, but specifically this book, which led me here.

f. Which forum threads helped you: For many, many years I was an active member of Old Style Moneysaving and I took part in their weekly grocery challenges. 

beanielou

Be proud @spendaholic.

DeeDee_5by5

I've done it I'm debt free, £8,400 down to 0 Tesco credit card, it's taken me three years and the help of Stepchange and I am now debt free thank you MSE for telling me about Stepchange , you are both awesome.
P.S NEVER having a credit card again

Mort

spendaholic said:

I am SO happy! 

They said it would take 25 years. It's taken 16. £35,000 - £0. (Hangover from *previous* marriages; NOT *this* one, but couldn't have done it without this one!) Debt-free!

Congratulations @spendaholic , it's a great feeling. Welcome to the debt free club.

Keedie

Oh wow thank you @redlaces, I can't believe I helped you with the last stretch of your marathon, but glad that I could! I'm hoping to join the debt free roll of honour in 2025, if not sooner.

That's a whopper of a debt cleared @spendaholic! I feel so proud and happy for you, and very inspired! And you shaved 9 years of your debt free date as well 🎉. Congratualtions. I'll have to check out Martin's book.

You paid that off rather swiftly @DeeDee_5by5, congratulations! Stepchange and MSE are worth their weight in gold. And I don't blame you, I won't be touching credit cards again either once I finally get rid of mine... 😬.

spendaholic

Thanks, guys! It's been a long road, but good to get there in the end - and early!

Keedie said:

That's a whopper of a debt cleared @spendaholic! I feel so proud and happy for you, and very inspired! And you shaved 9 years of your debt free date as well 🎉. Congratulations. I'll have to check out Martin's book.

You're doing great yourself, @Keedie. And you had a bit of a whopper yourself! Keep going. 

What helped me get there early was trimming some of the debts as they grew smaller and calling up, asking for a full and final settlement figure. They'll usually trim 10% off there and then, especially if you already have a debt management agreement with them. But if you have a figure in mind, make them an offer and they'll come back to you. Then, once the debt was gone, I went into my StepChange and zeroed the debt so that the others all got a little bit more.

I read the older version of the book, back in the days when the forum was a different colour and there were far fewer members. The book was reissued later (I think there's a link at the bottom of the page). It sums up lots of things in once place that are also on here.

Continued good luck to you!

ms_london

spendaholic said:

I am SO happy! 

They said it would take 25 years. It's taken 16. £35,000 - £0. (Hangover from *previous* marriages; NOT *this* one, but couldn't have done it without this one!) Debt-free!
 

a. The date of your lightbulb moment: May 2005 when I joined MSE - but it was before that, when I first read THE MONEY DIET by some dude called Martin Lewis (an impulse buy! 😳It was next to the till in WH Smiths) (I used to be a spendaholic, you know...)

b. Debts at their highest: Husband #2 left me with a debt of £35,000 in 2006.

c. Debt-Free Date: Today, 11 November 2022

d. Your one pearl of wisdom: Ask for help, there's tons out there. I initially joined a debt management company who charged me about £20 per month for managing my debt, then I discovered StepChange, who charged me nothing.

e. Links that helped you: Everything on here, but specifically this book, which led me here.

f. Which forum threads helped you: For many, many years I was an active member of Old Style Moneysaving and I took part in their weekly grocery challenges. 

Wow, I remember you from my time on here all those years ago. Congratulations, you must feel so great x

ms_london

beanielou said:

Be proud @spendaholic.

I remember you too beanielou. 

I’ve only just logged in for the first time in years, it’s like taking a trip down memory lane!