Massive urge for a BLOW OUT...... HELP

notyet

I know what youre going through. My credit card seemed like my best friend when my full time salary ended and i was out of nappies, but im still paying them off even now my youngest is in school! My best advice? Get a real big sticker of a devils face and stick it on your card. Keep only one with no more than £1000 limit available. Wrap it in a piece of paper that lists all your debts. I did that and never wanted to use it again!

Good luck to you.

smithers1981

to be fair now my interest is on 0% apart from loan so interest im paying is nominal, my thinking is if i continue muddling through, still paying minimums approx 480 pm then in 18 months time my 15k debta will nearly be halved, after that my plan is to do another balance transfer and continue to pay 400 pm untill debt free in approx 3years and a bit...... its a daunting prospect 3 years of limited fun......

copperboom_2

Try and save up for a few months and splurge (a bit!) with your savings! Think how much better it feel to treat yourself and your family with money you've worked for and saved up

CH27

smithers1981 wrote: »

to be fair now my interest is on 0% apart from loan so interest im paying is nominal, my thinking is if i continue muddling through, still paying minimums approx 480 pm then in 18 months time my 15k debta will nearly be halved, after that my plan is to do another balance transfer and continue to pay 400 pm untill debt free in approx 3years and a bit...... its a daunting prospect 3 years of limited fun......

Just get it all paid off ASAP & then your money is yours to spend as you wish.

Do not slide further into debt or get into debt again.

ElmerFudd

smithers1981 wrote: »

to be fair now my interest is on 0% apart from loan so interest im paying is nominal, my thinking is if i continue muddling through, still paying minimums approx 480 pm then in 18 months time my 15k debta will nearly be halved, after that my plan is to do another balance transfer and continue to pay 400 pm untill debt free in approx 3years and a bit...... its a daunting prospect 3 years of limited fun......

Probably better to just pay it off. You may have trouble getting more 0% credit card offers in the future.

smithers1981

all this feedback is confirming what in reality i already know, so for now i aint gonna splurge, gonna pop down tip, then hoover my car out before taking daughter to the park, grand total for my afternoon about 1pound on petrol, after that first of 4 12hour night shifts, that will keep me outta trouble for this week!

Mrs_Potato_Head_2

Im really new at this, but what I have found to work is to focus on what you really want rather than a momentary desire such as a tv. For eg, I really want a house so when I feel the urge to spend I use that time to go online and look at houses I like and how I would decorate. Before too long I am mind deep in colour choices and fabrics and forgotten all about the latest shiny thing I want. It takes away that anxious, 'I need to spend' feeling.

As for entertainment and a two year old...two year olds are the easiest and cheapest to entertain, they're pretty happy playing with a cardboard box. You could always head down to the libary and read to them, or make puppets out of socks and do a puppet show. Kids love to create stuff like that. Or head out into the yard (if you have one, or a local park) and teach them about planting vegetables/or other stuff in nature.

GeorgieFTB

anh1904 wrote: »

Smithers1981 - I am not convinced you have had your lightbuld moment.

Spend now and repay later is a life choice, one which those who have trodden the path before would almost unanimously urge you to consider very very carefully before taking it.

Your debt pile is not significant at the moment, but could very quickly become so if you decide the urge to splurge is sufficiently strong to re-max your zero balance cards.

Debt is very expensive, not just in financial terms, it can cost you your social life, your partner(s) and your self respect.

Choose carefully, whichever way you decide.

Smithers... I kinda agree with anh, you're still not really thinking through your position.

First off, well done for tackling your debts, big step to start reducing them :T

But... you're paying £400 a month... thats £4800 not being spent on your family, on your two year old... what could you do with that money?

What if something changes... you or OH loses a job, a happy event leads to a family of 4? How is that 5k looking now?

How much including interest have you paid for your things... start adding that up how much the new computor/tv/car* (*delete as applicable) cost you...

None of us can make you think differently, no matter how much we try, you have to come to the realisation that paying for things with credit which is not planned (had to put that in as not all credit is bad) is not the answer to a comfortable life.

Good luck
Gx

timbstoke

smithers1981 wrote: »

its a daunting prospect 3 years of limited fun......

Not limited, just adjusted. Have a few drinks at home before going out, so you spend less while you're out. Go to the cinema on Orange Wednesdays instead of Friday night - small changes like that.

Just a few months ago, I could comfortably spend £50/week in the pub and the same again at the weekend - a quick one or two after work each night, a fiver in the machine, and 2-3 quid in the jukebox. Little things like that mount up FAST. Since changing the way I plan my life, I spent £20 for the entire weekend and nothing midweek, and it would have been half that if the footy had been on proper TV instead of Sky Sports

ElmerFudd

timbstoke wrote: »

Just a few months ago, I could comfortably spend £50/week in the pub and the same again at the weekend - a quick one or two after work each night, a fiver in the machine, and 2-3 quid in the jukebox. Little things like that mount up FAST. Since changing the way I plan my life, I spent £20 for the entire weekend and nothing midweek, and it would have been half that if the footy had been on proper TV instead of Sky Sports

Ahh to think of all the money I just wasted like that when I was younger.