301k in debt and morbidly obese - things aren't great!

Shower-of-roses

Eff in cars......I hate the money gobbling bl**dy things.

repeatoffender

Mr B that is terrible news about your car - how can this happen on a speed bump without there being a fault. Someone will know better than me but I would investigate that a bit further.

As for ebay someone may have mentioned it in this lengthy thread but in the rare moments you have some time over the next weeks list a few of your items at a time and delay the start date as long as possible. It will show a 6p charge but when the free listing weekend comes - which is usually once a fortnight - you just change to start immediately and the 6p charge is removed.

Saves the last minute rush of trying to list.

MrBloater

Many thanks for the supportive messages over the speedbump airbag fracas - it's currently taken more paperwork, phone calls and to-ing and fro-ing than the purchase of our house did. The current situation is that the insurance company's preferred garage didn't want to touch my car with a bargepole and so have bounced it back to the original dealership. I did manage to get a courtesy car for the last two days which dovetailed in perfectly with the end of term. Due to some stars aligning in the right direction I ended up with a 13-plated courtesy car that would cost you 56k to drive away. Hence the last two days of school everyone was very impressed with Sir's 'new' car and the neighbours must be even more convinced that I am up to no good.
Am expecting a call from the dealership in the next couple of days to either get my motor back or another courtesy one - as the holiday has begun it's not such a big deal. Excess is going to be £550 but interestingly enough because I had two car seats in at the time of the accident I will be getting reimbursed for them and that should lessen the hit substantially. And it could have happened on holiday, with the kids and wife in the car, minutes before an important meeting etc etc and the fact is it didn't - so I have to be grateful.
Will be taking pictures of speedbump over the weekend though and seeking advice about getting reimbursement from the borough as the road is in pretty shoddy condition.
In other news, managed a 4k trundle this morning which would have been 5 but for a double pensioner / bus stop obstacle which threw me completely off my stride. Worked out the total debt balances and amazingly it's slightly down to just under 260k. And have cheques totalling £650 to put in the bank today. Not so shabby.
Am determined to make this summer a positive one.

kelpie35

Hope you get the car trouble sorted soon.

Enjoy your holidays, you deserve them, and keep safe.

Granariesgirl

Hello Mr B,
I found this thread recently & have spent the past few evenings reading your fantastic diary.
I really admire the way you have attacked the twin monsters of debt & obesity.
Keep going, you will beat them in the end!

The comments & tips of the other posters have really helped to make this thread something special - thank you all for a brilliant read.
:T

MrBloater

Threw a whole lot of effort into worthy deeds yesterday - so much so that all I feel like doing today is sitting with a bottle of vodka on the patio. To be thinking of vodka at 5.46am is probably not a sign of having the healthiest state of mind.
So what's been going on?
- Have heard nothing from the insurers or the car dealership and have resigned myself to being without wheels this weekend - not a big deal as Mrs B has a car so I am far from stranded, but I'm just annoyed that it seems nothing will happen unless I am there prodding the various companies with a stick.
- Whilst paying in the cheques yesterday the cashier asked me if I wanted to talk to the manager about a remortgage. So I did. He nearly fell off his chair when I told him I knew the LTV of my house - apparently in 10 years of doing his job he has never come across any customer who even knew what the LTV was, let alone had the exact figure - but as I had spent a merry hour beforehand updating my massive spreadsheet I had all the facts to hand. He confirmed what I already knew, that the SVR deal I am currently on is unbeatable by anything else out there at the moment - so thanks MSE - I am now a mortgage expert.
- No bids on any of the stuff I have listed, not really a surprise as I whacked some high prices on them, but this pile of sellable items in the corner of the room is sapping my will to live. Think I might have to relocate them to the shed (the frogs appear to have moved out) - but then I know I'll probably never get round to selling the stuff.
- Should have gone for a run this morning but (lame excuse I know but it's a real one) my running gear got accidentially put upstairs rather than in the bag in the porch where it usually lives. As Mrs B and the little Bloaters all had a very late night last night I cannot go digging around up there for the stuff lest I wake them. By the time they get up it will be too late for me to run - I can't do it when it's too busy around.
- Started work on the revised Kindle books (pulled all the previous ones) and have a good idea how to proceed but man it's a longwinded slowburning process but I think with time I can finally squeeze some money out of them.
- Done loads of shopping around to get Mrs B's birthday present and then remembered that I have a quidco account, which will give me a few more quid back.
- And I had another AFD. Friday evenings certainly drag on tea.

So all in all maybe I should be a bit more upbeat, not a bad start to my efforts - I think I need to take the foot off the gas a bit (should be easy seeing as I have no flipping car) and go easy on myself. At least it's not free listing weekend so I won't have that pressure building up.

Igamogam

MrBloater wrote: »

- Whilst paying in the cheques yesterday the cashier asked me if I wanted to talk to the manager about a remortgage.

What? You actually spoke to a real live coherent person called a bank manager and not a jargon laden cant-go-off-script six former on work experience...........:D

Happy hols Mr B

beanielou

Relax & have happy holidays.

MrBloater

Not much to report here. It's very surreal being 'on holiday' with the boy whilst both my wife and daughter are still very much not on holiday.
- Sold one of the toys I had listed on ebay for a chunk of money. The rest will be relisted next time there's a free one in the offing - love the idea of getting the listings all pre-prepared and then hitting the button the minute a free one comes along but the way my mind works I need the adrenaline boost/panic mode in order to get things done.
- Exercise ain't going anywhere at the moment but then look at the weather - I have done some gardening and walking and to be honest that's more than most folk round here have.
- Haven't got car back or even heard an update about it - and am treading careful, have heard some horror stories of people in similar positions not getting the insurance to pay out so am being low-key for now - don't need the car for a couple of weeks - hopefully things will trundle along without me raising my head above the parapet (I am aware this strategy will not work, I was trying to keep a low profile in my previous job and that all went nuclear)
- Today's all about researching alternatives - whilst I am happy and secure in my new job and have some good chances of further advancement, I shall never be in the position I was before where I was up the creek without even a CV to paddle my way back to safety. Have been looking on indeed.co.uk for various other careers outside my usual line of business and have settled on three job titles I intend creating CVs for - just to have them on hand to fire off in case lightning strikes twice.

repeatoffender

Can you not apply to be an ofsted inspector? That is a good way to boost ones income.