On you DF journey what are you proud of??

glittermonster

Another motivating thread I hope!!!

In your df journey what are you proud of?? Your change of ways? Different outlook? Whatever makes you recognise your efforts!

Mine would be:
- having enought cash in my tcb account for Christmas 2011!! For my 7 nieces and nephews and the 4 kids I nanny for! And it's only March!
- the amount of NSD I have!
- keeping to my budget
- looking forward to a df world rather than what got me here!

MessyMare

I think probably regaining control of my life. Not making excuses anymore!

Nottoobadyet

My journey is done but I am proudest that it taught me to cook! I could barely make a ready meal when I started, now Im a very compitent cook and can go a few weeks without repeating a dish if I wanted. Saved me loads of ££, and I eat much better now.

TuckingFypo

For me it's liberating to have taken control before it got out of hand, I was £3400 in debt with credit cards as a student due to impulsive buying, irresponsible, selfish spending, nicotine addiction, too many parties. The list goes on, I really had no excuse for being in debt.

I suddenly had a lightbulb moment realising that I was spending £150-£200 a month on absolutely nothing, minimum payments, overdraft charges etc that I didn't have to be paying! If I ever took a chunk out of a debt I would just run it back up again.

Now I am down to £400 debt, cleared a £1000 overdraft and a £2000 and half of that £400 is to my gf, who luckily doesn't charge interest!

For me the most satisfying thing is to see a completely empty balance on a credit card, seeing that they can't charge me interest anymore and that I am no longer a slave to their deadlines and making sure I didn't miss a payment and heaven forbid if I did, the pile of charges that they would slap me with.

Halifax took my interest free student overdraft away since I had completed my degree. I started a new one in Medicine last year, but despite them claiming that they would make it interest free again, they never honoured their claims. How cheeky is it that as soon as I pay it off, they suddenly make it interest free again. I'm not falling for that one again!

It's also given me this feeling that I can now be financially responsible. I used to dread looking at my bank balance or opening letters, now I enjoy logging into my online banking compulsively, shopping around and making sure I find the best deal, not lining someone else's pockets with rip off Starbucks coffee or cigarettes. It has given me the confidence to know that I can manage my money properly when I am working and I am glad that I have learned this lesson as a student rather than later with quite possibly a higher balance to pay off!

Finally I can stop feeling embarrassed that I messed up so badly. As far as students go I have a very easy and stable financial life and the fact that I had that blessing, took it for granted and spent more money that I should have and then put it to the back of my mind is something I can't believe I allowed myself to do for so long.