Please help....

brummiebabe

You've got quite a healthy SOA & should be able to make good progress repaying your debts if you're careful.

As for the Kindle...if you don't use it/enjoy it then sell it. You could also sell it on Amazon. Personally, I would keep the DAB radio, at some point they will switch off the FM signal....so your old radio (unless also DAB) will be useless.

Good luck with it all...why not do a signature so that you can see your debt totals coming down?

dianadoesnt

Brummiebabe I will do a signature-can anyone tell me how i do this?

As for the digital/analogue radio-didnt know the analogue signal was going to be stopped. Maybe i will hold on to the DAB radio after all!

Diana

curlytop12

hi there and welcome.
sorry,just to be clear-are the monthly values you have put for CC's the minimum payments?are you only paying the minimum payment?what i had to do (as i posess no will power)was
1.cut up cards
2.change direct debit from"pay minimum" to "pay £100 set amount every month"
3.as money went out of account like a usual bill,i didn't have it spare to spend if you se what i mean.
its taken me years but i now feel in control.
good luck to you

moocowone

Your debts are large but manageable. Put the numbers into the snowball calculator here - http://www.whatsthecost.com/snowball.aspx - for some encouragement. It shouldn't take you too long to pay it all off (which is good!), but you need to stop wasting money on things you won't really use.

If you don't tackle the debt now, it will become a burden that slowly grows until you run out of 0% offers and it gets out of control.

kerri_gt

As suggested, a spending diary is an excellent place to start - seeing things in black and white really does work. I started one a few years ago and although it wasn't big items that were my downfall, it was all the £1/£2 things I kept buying every lunchtime that I 'needed' that swallowed up far more money than I realised.

What has really helped me is the NSD (No Spend Day) challenge. Basically, we set a number of days each month where we plan not to spend. Rule vary by person to person, I don't count DD or petrol/milk, but some count everything. It really helps make you think about what you want/need and plan spending rather than just purchase on a whim.

Another tip (seeing as you have some spare notebooks) I saw on a TV programme, was when you see something you think you really want, write it down and then give it a score out of 10 and a couple of notes about why you have given that score. Walk away and then re-read your notes a day or so later - chances are that 'must have' item that sent your heart a flutter won't score quite so highly after a day or two.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi,

I echo what has already been said on here. Keep accurate records of your finances, at the very least a detailed spreadsheet to record what has gone in and out every month and a notebook recording cash spending. This is what stops me spending. When I see it in black and white it seems much more real.

I actually think selling your unwanted stuff on ebay can be a real eye opener. I have just sold some brand new shoes that were an internet impulse buy for £2. OK better to have £2 than nothing but I paid £20 for them and they have been sitting in my wardrobe for a year.

This makes me feel slightly ashamed but has also made me think carefully about what I buy in future. My aim is to have far less clothes and shoes but buy quality stuff that I really need and I know I will wear and will last me for longer.

brummiebabe

dianadoesnt wrote: »

Brummiebabe I will do a signature-can anyone tell me how i do this?

Go to User CP (in the green line above the threads) and click on 'Edit Signature'.:D

I have heard them talk about the analogue radio signal going at some point! Don't know what'll happen to all those car radios etc:eek:

dianadoesnt

Thanks for that Brummiebabe-will have a go.
Diana

MFWannabe

Hi
You said in your last soa above that you hardly use the car as you walk to work; therefore would it be worth selling the car and using the money to pay off one of the debts? You list the car as being work 2k which means you could clear the Tesco credit card. Also you would be saving the £165 per month you currently spend on running the car and would be able to pay that extra off the remaining debts to clear them quicker
Well done on living so frugally; gas and electric are incredibly small amounts :T

dianadoesnt

FREEZ wrote: »

Hi
You said in your last soa above that you hardly use the car as you walk to work; therefore would it be worth selling the car and using the money to pay off one of the debts? You list the car as being work 2k which means you could clear the Tesco credit card. Also you would be saving the £165 per month you currently spend on running the car and would be able to pay that extra off the remaining debts to clear them quicker
Well done on living so frugally; gas and electric are incredibly small amounts :T

Hello and thankyou so much for posting. I knew that someone would highlight the issue of the car at some point. I dont really need it-although, i do visit my mum a couple times a week. She is in a home and has dementia and i like to spend as much time as i can with her. The home is about 35 miles away and i could get public transport but it would take me much longer and with working FT, i wouldnt be able to visit mum as much.
However, when i do go to visit mum i try to inorporate several things that need to be done-e.g shopping, visit to the tip, pop in to see out of town friends etc so to make the journey more 'worth while'
Diana