Have grasped the nettle..........now to deal with the ensuing rash

Igamogam

Its an Eb*Y day for me..............but its lovely and sunny outside and I would rather be.........Eb*y...garden ...Eb*y...garden.........going to think about it:)

Igamogam

The garden won.....................:o

wannabee_in_credit

Too nice a day for being indoors...

Igamogam

Whilst busy with the 'one last final attempt' ( cos there have been many) to clear the clutter I have been thinking about things all financial,all things health and all things, well, personal...............havent reached an epiphany as such, no life changing decisions or dramatic gestures just that I am as determined as ever to get rid of this debt and although I was beginning to feel it was never going to go away having done the calculations I can see its now 3k less than it was last year:j

To be honest it would have been a lot more but 2 huge car bills put paid to that and the fact my commute extended the employers back tracked on their promise to reimburse me the difference:mad: So I am satisfied that things are going the right way...it does worry me though when I see people who have had similar amounts of debts being able to almost clear it in the same time I have been at it.......but I have decided I am doing nothing wrong - every body has their own ways and means and mine suits me,my family and my life style;) So still no SOA - that my business.

So how have I got here? In no particular order:

Surveys: sorry they are not a huge part of my life - yes I do some but really they require a dedication that I do not have - I would rather be in the garden, at the swimming pool, on the beach,seeing friends or half way up a mountain than wasting time in front of a screen trying to get a million points for £1.53 off an Am*zon order..............seriously those of you who make a lot on survey sites are truly dedicated:T I use 2 sites plus You G0v -50000 points for £50 - and when I get to that point I will leave - at 2050 now which is double where I was a few months ago as I am determined to get there:rotfl:

Cashback Sites: have been good when I remember to use them. Especially good for cashback on insurance - still it takes time to accumulate but useful at Christmas.

Not spending!the easiest of the lot and I would say my spending has been slashed - not that I was a shopoholic ( I hate shopping!) but I have been more aware of car journeys,social outings,needs v wants etc etc

Budgeting Spending Diary Meal Planning could do better.......a lot better. Guess what is in my Academic New Year resolution!

MSE - fun and challenges Think this might be the key to it for me. I read a diary where the poster said they had made debt busting their hobby............and that is what I have done - dedicated some time each week, taken on some challenges and inserted some fun elements into what is in all honesty really tedious . I find because its all our own doing, I can easily stick my head in the sand and pretend it never happened and deny it bothers me, so for me the only way has been to try and make all a little bit more interesting and by this I mean joining in some MSE challenges - my absolute favourite has been a Payment a Day. I has made a huge difference that I would not have thought possible.................that just sounds so silly buts its true!

I have also been more strict with 'saving pots' and use these when full to pay extra off CC bills at the bank . I love upsetting the cashier and handing over bags of rubble! My new found 'hobby' has some self imposed rules too - any money saved through vouchers, coupons, whatever, I add to any daily payments ( PADs) I make to The Debt and I am also very strict now in using any money 'gained' from Eb*y sales or rebates etc goes straight onto The Debt also - before it just got swallowed up in general spends

Other stuff well all CC payments are fixed above the minimum each month and on DD now. I shuffle from 0% deal to 0% deal making sure the fee is paid in the first month so it doesn't attract interest. We have made PPI claims and won - money from here has gone towards mortgage though - which I don't count in my debt because its now less than half of what my CC debt is! We have installed solar panels and seen our electric bill slashed and had a 10% return on the investment in installing them, in the first 12 months.I have discovered weighing in of old clothes;Nect*r points on Oxf*m donations;wombling till receipts; the joys of finding 'road kill' i.e found money in the road not squashed creatures and dabbled in extreme couponing and taken advantage of supermarket discount glitches. Oh yes and Eb*y which I fall out with every now and then! All this stuff I will probably continue with either to a greater or lesser extent.

So I think that is pretty much how I am tackling things. Next post will be where I think I can make improvements..............well I hope so;)

wannabee_in_credit

Good luck with it all... you sound like you've really had another lbm. I think that I need to have a good review of things - get rid of this debt once and for all. I think I've done ok to get this far but I would certainly like to get rid of it sooner than the next 3 years. I need a review now that nursery is over and done with but that will have to wait until September.

Igamogam

In my garden the Japanese Anemone,Crocosmia and Cyclamen are flowering there socks off. The hedgerows are beginning to display their blackberries and the rowan on the mountain have a distinct orange tinge to them. Can only mean one thing..............autumn just around the corner:(

Having some downtime now from all things electronic to recharge frazzled batteries ( solar I hope ) back before the end of the month with a bit more oomph and a bit of a plan I hope

Igamogam

Back into civilization for 24 hours and it already seems like an eternity! New cat feeders really went to town - 3 weeks worth of food given in 10 days or so to our now very roly poly cats - thats the cat food budget blown for Sept:eek:

Just sneaked over the 'do not go beyond here' line on the OD and its pay day on Wednesday so I am quite happy about that - Eb*y sales whilst I was away will take care of that little sojourn into neverland:) But the best is NO ridiculous charges for an OD this month - what I would have paid ( plus a little bit more) has gone straight onto the 0% card where OD is languishing.

The test will come next month with a return to work and the weekly fill ups of the car - last time I filled up was the last week in July!

Igamogam

Going into work tomorrow....dont start back until Monday but had text from New Person in Charge and felt compelled as they said they would 'sort my shelves out':eek: Stand away from the shelves New Person in Charge - no one touches my shelves:rotfl::rotfl: Think they just want to put their stamp on the place.....................hmmm they dont know me well enough to start rearranging my classroom! So I am dropping in to sort my own shelves out! Means a 100 mile round trip I wasnt banking on

Igamogam

Work was not so bad but there is soooooo much to do. New Person In Charge wants to make lots of changes from the start - some people will not cope I can see that on the horizon!

Car needs some work doing to get through MOT - not the lights chump of a mechanic .... there is a fault with the computer telling me the lights aren't working when in fact if you get of the car and walk round it you will see Mr Lazy Mechanic they are all in fact bright and twinkly and in perfect working order............like I told you when I dropped it off:mad: Cant get round the fact a tyre needs replacing and something needs doing with the brakes

Igamogam

Gone over the 20000 hits on this diary - I wonder who reads it??!