Regular Ramblings from LookingAhead

bobble_hat

Hi LA,

Well done on clearing that final CC. :T

And getting your dance ticket, I bet it felt all the sweeter knowing you'd paid of such a chunk of debt. I've got a shed load of stuff for e-bay sat in my room and really need to get my bottom in gear and get in on there. Just ferretted out a couple more items tonight.

You're doing brilliantly :T

LookingAhead

Time for a bit of a ramble, it's been a while!

So, the last credit card payment goes out in 3 days time. Looking forward to *that*. I've been doing some work on my spreadsheet this evening (oooh the fun I have Saturday nights...) and it looks like my overdraft will still be pretty high all the way through March, but, this month should be the peak.

April will see it (hopefully) below £500 and then from May onwards I should be in the black most months. Well that's the plan anyhow.

Any money I might make through EBAY or Amazon between now and the Summer will be so helpful *or* will be used to buy me anything I might need or go towards an occasional evening out!

Some good news....someone I know is starting work with me and they should be able to give me a lift in most days which will really help as I won't need to find £30 a month bus fare. Hardly a fortune anyway but it's a big help.

I've got this feeling in the lower part of my stomach whenever I think about my financial situation at the moment and I am not used to it. It's a quite nice feeling....it feels like 'comfort' in a way. I think it's to do with there being some light at the end of the tunnel now. I'm still in a pretty miserable situation right now, but finally I can see some light. I haven't ever felt like this before.

Previously I would just consolidate my way out of trouble and think nothing of it...just telling myself that everyone has loans or overdrafts so what does it matter. So I had never even thought about being debt free.

Budgeting, snowballing, compromising, staying in - horror upon horrors - these were never considerations so there was never an 'end result' to look forward to. So this is all new territory to me.

I still have the loan to keep on paying, which I will of course, but this time I am in the frame of mind that I never want another consolidation loan. I don't really want any kind of loan to be honest but if, in the future, I need a home improvement loan or something like that, then at least I will have something decent to show for it and I will borrow only what I need to.

Before I was a DFW nightmare (but a lender's dream) where I would just bung it all under one consolidation - and borrow a bit more to treat myself. ARGH!!!! I just want to scream when I think about it now!! WHAT an idiot! I'd been doing it since I was 18 and I didn't get my LBM till I was 34. I don't think I went longer than 18 months without consolidating, so I have completely lost count of the amount of times I have signed paperwork with "consolidation" stamped all over it. ARGH again!!!! :rotfl:

OK that's all looking back, I *am* my user name, I do try to look ahead but every once in a while I just cringe at my past financial behaviour.

So for the next few months I will still be scrimping around and planning ahead as to what I will be spending every penny on. To be honest the whole planning & budgeting thing needs to be a lifestyle change if I am to remain out of the red so, I'd better get used to it.

It's financially cr ap at the moment but things will get better, I want to feel a boost not go downhill right now as cash wise, things are the worse they have been for me at this point in time. But I can't just give up, in fact I feel even more determined.

I'll be scouring the interweb for cheap ways to feed us, doing whatever I can on QuidCo, EBAY & Amazon, saving pennies for rainy days (and emergency bus fares ) and just trying to hold on so I don't fall back down the slippery slope.

MinnieSpender

Hi LA

Enjoyed your ramble for the positive bits and I can completely understand the down bits and worries. But never mind the downward swings from time to time, eh? As Peter Snow would say, "the trend is UP!" - and you're not going to argue with the big man with the swingometer, are you now?

I feel bad that I haven't bothered much with my diary of late (apart from Jeff chat and volcano pictures). I've felt on the downward slope for weeks now and feel completely adrift. So it really does help to read about other people being positive and as you're one of the most positive people on here I hope you will carry on and believe in yourself. You WILL do this, LA. People like me need people like you.

Keep it going!

LookingAhead

Wow, thanks Minnie.....OK, I will keep it going, just for you

tesuhoha

Very well done LA for paying off your ccs. You are well on the way to debtfreedom. Dont worry that time till the summer will soon go and you will be in a much better position. Keep up the good work and once again well done.

MinnieSpender

Oh dear.

Well, I tried to warn you...

LookingAhead

MinnieSpender wrote:

Oh dear.

Well, I tried to warn you...

Damn that looks like my neighbour's cat too..........

moozie_2

Hey LA

Just been catching up and I am pleased to see I missed lots of good things like paying off the credit card and buying the golden ticket and all the panning to get the OD down

I am really pleased for you sweetie, you deserve nothing but the best

This part made me smile

LookingAhead wrote:

It's financially cr ap at the moment but things will get better, I want to feel a boost not go downhill right now as cash wise, things are the worse they have been for me at this point in time. But I can't just give up, in fact I feel even more determined.

I'll be scouring the interweb for cheap ways to feed us, doing whatever I can on QuidCo, EBAY & Amazon, saving pennies for rainy days (and emergency bus fares ) and just trying to hold on so I don't fall back down the slippery slope.

I am full of admiration for your positiveness and determination. You have turned a page LA, no doubt about it and that's to be applauded :T

Just shout if you ever feel the need. In the meantime, I'll carry on reading

LookingAhead

Quick post.....

I'm happy .
Very happy

Yep, the day has finally come.....the credit card is NO MORE!
The final payment has gone out and I await that £0 balance statement with eagerness!

The letter is being posted tomorrow asking them to close the account and then that's it......I will be an officially credit card free zone.

OK, time to crack on with the overdraft.....

MinnieSpender

First freebird being happy. :dance:

Now YOU being happy... :dance: :dance:

:think:

Is there something in the water?

If so, can I have a large sparkly glass of it?

:rotfl:

Fantastic news, LA. I'll call off the catarazzi as you really don't need watching!