Nearly there!

January20

Ah thank you GreenSaints! You are right, the road is bumpy. I think it's because I am so close, and because I am impatient too, and I have plans, any setback is like a major thing lol! I've had a frustrating day on the whole though! The rant in my previous post helped a bit!

debtfreewannabe321

ranting always helps me too

January20

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

ranting always helps me too

I think it's because I'm single and I live alone with my dd so there is nobody else to rant at but my online friends. I rant on Facebook occasionally but I find this diary greater help! It helps me work out things that would otherwise swivel in my head and stop me from sleeping.

Anyway dd came back from work having had a dreadful shift. Her manager seems to have spent the evening drinking and then started making unwelcomed comments to her, whilst the deputy just barked orders at her. She was in tears and ready to not turn up this morning so we sat up chatting until at least 2 am and she is at work now - where they told her they didn't expect her back because of the manager's behaviour last night! It never stops astounding me how people feel they have a right to treat others badly. Not sure what happened really ie what the comments were exactly but I'm going to keep an eye on that one. I told her they were bullies and jealous because she has a plan for the future and they don't, they are stuck there. Seemed to help a bit. Then I told her when I was working in a pub a few decades ago, management changed and the new manager hated me from the word go. For no reason at all! I want her to know I've been there, and still bear some of the scars.

Anyway back to this paying off my cc lark. The electrician came this morning and repaired the switch which is what had blown. The shower is still working. Total cost : £30 so I invested in a new shower head because the existing one was broken (£14) so in all less than £50 when I feared having to spend 4 times that!

CC balance stands at £1957.21. I have a direct debit set up for the minimum amount of £50.09 but I am aiming to pay at least £200. Second job starts again next week so should be able to make regular payments from Tuesday.

Oh boy Christmas is round the corner! I have to make a list of people to buy for! At least I have some money saved up and 1 present bought so far

January20

Started 2nd job again yesterday and paid an extra £30.00 = balance to date is £1927.21

On 4/11 DD will come out for £50.09 (minimum payment) so balance on Friday morning will be £1877.12.

January20

DD paid back some money she owed me so that's another £70.00 of the balance: £1807.12

But now I am a bit worried. My cc is with Egg. In August, Egg wanted to increase my interest rate so I opted out, cut the card and carried on paying as much as possible every month to clear the balance. Egg is being taken over by Barclaycard, and so far I have received one email at the end of September saying that I would receive my new card soon (didn't think I would and don't really want one) and that Barclaycard is taking over Egg on 7th November. Well, that's Monday coming and I've heard nothing since the email!

I've got my dd set up to minimum payment but don't know whether I should increase it to £200 which is the minimum I aim to pay every month. At the same time, if there is a major c**k up with my account I don't want Barclaycard to have access to more than the minimum amount until I'm in control of the situation again.

Mmm! I think I made up my mind as I was typing this (very cathartic this diary!) and I'll set up the dd to £100 a month so that I pay more than the minimum and still a decent amount if I can't make lots of little payments throughout the month and save up everything I earn from my second job until I can pay it towards the cc balance. And I know I'll have to ring up Barclaycard next week grrrr!

I wish I could pay the whole balance today but I'm about £300 short and it would mean having no money at all anywhere until the end of November!

January20

Balance has been at a stand still since my last post. The transfer from Egg to Barclaycard seems to have gone smoothly. Making extra payments will be a bit different, but I haven't done it yet because I feel like I am living hand to mouth at the moment. I've been very good with my groceries, using mysupermarket as well as vouchers from Asda, but the end of the month will be tight! At least, I've started on the Christmas shopping and have a clear(ish) idea of what I need to buy. Still, pay day cannot come quickly enough!

January20

Hmmm haven't updated for nearly a fortnight!
Have made my first payment to Barclaycard using my debit card this morning. DD was supposed to come out on 16/12. The last DD from Egg was taken on 4/11, but of course I have topped up the payments in between. The problem with BC is that if your DD is set on minimum payment and you make an extra payment they then adjust your DD accordingly. I may have to alter my DD so that even if I make extra payments it will come out, or I may carry on making extra payments. Haven't decided yet.

Payday from my main part-time job this morning, so:
Interest this month was £29.07
Balance £1836.19 - minimum payment was £47.14 and I paid £50 so balance at £1786.19.
I am aiming at a minimum of £200 this month but am hoping that my smallest part-time job will allow me to pay about £180 over that. But then Christmas is round the corner isn't it? And I don't want to touch my savings at all.

GreenSaints

Hey,

I put a post for you in the forum, but should have really posted in here!

I'm really touched that you put something I wrote in your signature. That really made me smile - also means I do say some sense every now and then!

Keep up the good work - you are doing fantastic If you want some extra motivation (since you are impatient!) join the Pay All Debts in 2012 challenge

Look forward to the next update

January20

GreenSaints wrote: »

Hey,

I put a post for you in the forum, but should have really posted in here!

I'm really touched that you put something I wrote in your signature. That really made me smile - also means I do say some sense every now and then!

Keep up the good work - you are doing fantastic If you want some extra motivation (since you are impatient!) join the Pay All Debts in 2012 challenge

Look forward to the next update

Hey GreenSaints,

I loved that little phrase you wrote. It was really sensible indeed :rotfl:
I'm having a bit of a slow time paying off my cc, with all the extra Christmas expenses. It's not even presents (as that's done) it's all the little extras like people asking you out for drinks, meals with work colleagues (politics are important), etc. so I haven't paid as much as I wanted to.

That, coupled with the fact that I've taken so long to pay off what I have, when others have paid a lot more in the same time frame, can bother me a lot and every time it does I can read my signature and remember that what is important is that I am paying it off, and that I have had a life at the same time.

You know, I think I might well join the challenge. It is my aim after all! Thank you

GreenSaints

I know what you mean. I've had an expensive month too so I've been doing my best to debt bust, but it's not as much as I did last month. Remember, this is a marathon - not a sprint

Anyway, you've done fantastically well. Always be proud of what you have achieved. If you did nothing - just imagine where you'd be now!

I also agree about having a life - that, in my opinion, is the true way to being DF. I did a few months of being a obsessed with every penny and restricting everything and it made me miserable. It also made me feel like a failure because other people were saying "You can't afford that" But restricting my spending to a level I wasn't used to would have made me fall off the wagon in a tremendous fashion! I know what I'm like on diets! :rotfl:

So, chin up and don't be disheartened