The Ultimate Hard and Fast debt clearing mission

Pilchard

Hi everyone

Not been on here to post for ages but have been lurking intermittently. Dinah, you and NIM have been through so much this year and you still seem to have the debt busting determination, which is such inspiration! Congratulations on little Grace and I hope you get a diagnosis for her very soon.

I haven't been on here for a long time as we were looking after my dad, who died of cancer in March and we have been looking after my mum since who went into a melt down. I have decided that our financial situation is getting dire now and I want to get things sorted to try and get a lot of debt paid off next year. I 'm going to be looking through the forums for basic ideas but need some extra income. I don't have any skills or talents so no chance of extra income there, apart from increasing my hours or getting another job. My husband, however, is great with words and writes songs, poems and stories so we're going to look at something along those lines.

I have determined that I need to log on here at least 4 times a week realistically and will update my signature to show any progress. If other people can do it with everything else going on in their lives then I have no excuse.

ruby_eskimo

Really sorry to hear about your mum and dad Pilchard. Sending you lots of big hugs and hope you can come up with a plan to bust some debt in the new year.

Pilchard

Thanks Ruby. I have been through some bits of the site and have logged on with new survey sites and am sorting out old ones to get doing them again so that's a start. Will keep having a look for other ideas.

clearmydebts

xxx Pilchard. It sounds like an awful awful time.

Dinah93

Sorry to hear about your parents Pilchard, I can't imagine what you've been going through. We're all here to support you in whatever way, motivation with the debt or if you need a rant or virtual cuddles on a bad day.

Been crafting like a mad thing all weekend, was hoping to launch the facebook shop tonight, but it's too dark to take photos now... so I WILL do it tomorrow, and I'll post a link on here because I could really use some motivation (and some likers, pretty please?).

Debtfreesomeday - would still really love to see your shops if you could post or pm me the link please?

I've been badly neglecting the blog until this fair is over, but fingers crossed I can get some posting done this time next week, as I have lots of recipes built up from the last few weeks.

Cinny91

So sorry to hear about your Dad, and your Mum, Pilchard Like Dinah said, we're all here for you if you need encouragement or just a place to off load a little. But keep your chin up about your finances, something good will come up eventually. It kind of has to. Hope you're okay xx

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

I don't like it but then I'm an i-convert - I don't find it very user-friendly. BUT, if you're using it all the time and used to it then it might be fine! That's not very helpful is it, sorry?!

No, it's helpful! I'm an iNut too but want to downgrade my contract completely next year. I want a phone that is a nice transition from an iPhone, not something I'll hate using for a year or two! OH thinks I'll be pining for my Shaquanda the moment I send her away to be recycled. I got her a new case though (floral skulls, of course) so she can live the next months out in style. I need to get over to your thread as I feel majorly out of the loop. Loved your NYC pictures on facebook by the way, the one of the blurry people in Grand Central Station (I think??) should be on a canvas or something!

We went to a local(ish) garden centre that goes all out at Christmas. They were playing Le Buble, and seemingly pumping pure cinnamon through the air vents. So I'm feeling over festive yet again, Home Alone being on tele last night didn't help! I was listen to more Buble and Bieber this morning walking Ryder It's Christmas in my soul!

Looking forward to seeing the shop, Dinah! Sorry if I came across as negative about the name, I really do like it. I was just trying to be helpful as you came across as unsure about it How's NIM getting on with his new job?

Dinah93

If the phone still works fine Cinny couldn't you get a sim only contract and put it in your iphone?

He's loving the job but it keeps him busy, and he has no phone signal out there so I don't really hear from him all day and he can't check the thread. I'm glad he's finally doing something he really enjoys.

It's okay, I think you kind of made me decide it was definitely the name I wanted! Obviously you're right and it is a play on the Dickens character name, but I just like that it's also the nickname my dad has given me all my life.

Sent some flowers to my auntie on Saturday as she's just out of hospital having had her hysterectomy. Good news is the cancer wasn't as bad as they thought, only stage 1, so they hope they got it all by removing all the inside lady stuff. Unfortunately they damaged her bladder during surgery so she's on a catheter for at least a month. We'd been chatting to her anyway, she didn't mention the flowers so obviously not there yet, then she called back 10 mins later in tears. She'd seen the van come up the lane and go into the farm opposite, and she joked to her husband 'no, I'm here, come to meeee' - and he reversed out the farm and came to her door. To say she was happy was an understatement, so I'm really pleased we did it.

debtfreesomeday

Dinah93 wrote: »

Thank you so much for posting, wow, that's a fantastic turnover. Could you link your stores to me please I'd love to see them. Can I pick your brains a little too please? Have you found more customers through Etsy or Facebook? How do people find your stores? And finally how on EARTH do people actually buy things on Facebook stores? I really don't get it - I can see how to set up a business page, but not how to actually buy things directly through it.


Sorry Dinah, just seen this as haven't logged on for a while.

I'll send you a pm to my shop, although the item that is selling madly is now out of stock for a little while whilst I catch up!

Definitely had lots more sales via Etsy. In fact, most of my business has come from overseas buyers through Etsy. It can be a bit of a hassle posting lots overseas, but is fairly simple once you get into the swing of things and really helps if you have a lovely little local post office who is more than willing to help, as I do.

Facebook has been good for raising awareness and has generated a few orders, but nowhere near what Etsy has brought in. I have a facebook shop with the web package I use, but I can't figure out how people actually get to it from my facebook page. It's really frustrating, but as I'm making good money on Etsy presently, I'm not too worried about it.

Let me know when you do (or if you have) listed things on Etsy/have a facebook page and I'll spread the word!

DFSD
X

debtfreesomeday

Found you on Etsy Dinah, love the shop name and love your work! Have duly 'favourited' your shop!

DFSD

Birdie85

Hi everyone I'm back! :wave: And you're all cheeky so-and-so's for claiming that any thread quietness was down to my absence!

Had a super time, really didn't want to come home! Everything was amazing apart from the weather which was a little too cool for our liking! Even the locals were surprised by it as it's not normally that bad (it wasn't that bad really, we just needed long sleeves IYKWIM, which wasn't good for us as we only had t-shirts and were too tight to buy a $60 Disney hoodie or pay for a taxi to go to a Walmart to get a cheaper one which would have worked out costing even more! ) We wore 'Happy Anniversary' badges (which the hotel receptionist gave us) and pretended it was our 1st wedding anniversary and got a free room upgrade to a savannah view (giraffes and antelope lived outside our window!), free 'Premium beach space' loungers in a private area with umbrella and locker (worth $40) at a water park and loads of free puddings! :T Very MSE I think! If anyone goes to Disney this is my #1 tip as you get treated very well by everyone if you're (pretending to be) celebrating!

Feeling a bit festively confused ATM though! It was very Christmassy over there - if I hear 'O come all ye faithful' again I'll have a breakdown - but now we're back and trying not to think about Christmas for a good few weeks! Need to get my Christmas cards done though so that's a job for this week. At least have to have the special ones my Mum comissioned done and I had hoped that I'd be able to make some to sell at work but we'll see if that happens or not! Guess I have to start thinking about presents too. At least I've picked out MIL for secret Santa with the in-laws so I can make her something cute and she'll be delighted!

Nice to see you back Pilchard, so sorry to hear about your parents though. Hope things get better for your Mum soon.

So glad you got home OK Tete, glad it didn't cost you too much either. We met quite a few people from New Jersey while we were away who'd gone to escape the madness that was happening at home since they didn't have water/heating/electricity and were waiting for trees to be removed from their roof etc! :eek: One woman was really upset that a 100-odd year old tree had been uprooted... we forget that that's half the age of their country!

I have found your shop on Etsy Dinah and favourited it, will keep checking it! Super cute babygrow! Can you link to your shop debtfreesomeday? I love seeing other people's work!

Great news about the house Shrimpy, hope it all happens quickly for you! Great news that you're planning to buy your house too Cinny! Exciting! :j

I haven't got the Galaxy phone Cinny but I've got the 'super cute' tablet (I assume it's the Galaxy tab 2 7in that you're talking about?) and it's ace. I thought I'd feel like I'd regret not getting a bigger 10in tablet but it's so portable, the size of a paperback so can just be chucked ( *ahem* placed lovingly) in my handbag and I'm good to go. I used it as a back-up Kindle since I lent my actual Kindle to OH as he wanted to read a book that he couldn't get in paperback and it was pretty good (prefer my Kindle for reading for long periods, but it was pretty good with the brightness turned down and not reading for too long). Also easier/more comfortable to take pictures on than a bigger tablet! We actually saw loads of losers around the parks using their ipads to take photos and video, poser doesn't even being to explain the mentalitiy there...

I'm sure I had more to say but I've already rambled enough and I'm jet-lagged so can't remember everyone's news even though I've just read it!