My name is Loubie and I think I have an obsession with my spreadsheet!

loubie_lou

I check it everyday even though I am only updating it once a month! On the other hand I think I have an obsession with Money Saving Expert too! I am forever reading the DFW board and more recently the diaries. Hence me starting my own....

A little on me: Just turned 30. Left uni 8 years ago with only about 4.5k of debt. Consolidated that to a loan, wanted to buy a few things (computer, holiday etc) got a 'top up' of my loan. A few more years passed, car broke down, ran up a bit of debt on a credit card, couldn't afford to sustain my lifestyle on the poor wage I was on etc etc etc........you get the picture!

1st LBM in 2007 about £16k in debt contacted payplan. I thought hurrah £250 and I should be debt free in 2012, no I would not be! Maybe it was the high monthly payment, it was far from realistic!

Still having not learnt my lesson and still fritting from one low paid job to another I discovered payday loans, having got into a problem with 2 payday loan companies I disappeared of the face of the earth with both of them. What the hell am I doing I hear you say?!

Looking back I really regret taking out the payday loans and still with payplan at the time obviously I was in their eyes committing fraud. Now whilst I am being honest and my credit rating being shot from 4 defaults I took out 2 high apr credit cards and maxed them out. Another bit of fraud on my concious........wait it does get better I promise!

2nd LBM was in 2010, I started to feel that at 28 at the time what was life going to be like by 35 with no career, no savings and potentially double the debt? I was still with payplan and still only make payments every now and again.

Roll on 3rd and final LBM in August this year. By this point I had moved back home with my mom and dad. I had a job which I really enjoy. I am a live in carer and don't pay any rent or food bills so the perfect time to trample that debt!

Roll on today. I have made payments to my DMP with payplan every month since August. I have paid off once of the CCs with Lowell and the other is also with Lowell and is reducing nicely and I try to pay more on that when I can. I am with another DCA paying off one of the payday loans but I am sorry to say I cannot remember who the other one is with. I have checked my credit file and it is not on there :mad:

I hope you are still with me by this point! The aim of this diary is for me to post entries to spur me on and to keep me motivated.

As of the first entry of my diary I am in debt by £13908.00. I have worked this out from my free credit report from equifax. I know it won't be accurate as none of my creditors have responded to balance enquiries and payplan said I have to do the work!! :eek:

Anyhoo plan of action for the rest of the year is to get down my debt to 13k. As you can see from my sig I am aiming to blast the rest of the 13k next year.

I also want to lose nearly 2 stone but that can wait till the new year!

My aim for the next couple of years is to start uni in 2013 and finally get the career I want all by the ripe old age of 35!

I don't expect anyone to really post but it'll keep me on the straight and narrow! Thanks for reading!

rising_from_the_ashes

Hey Loubie_Lou - well done on having your 3rd LBM and being positive about sorting things out.

It took me a couple of times too - cosolidation loans, re-running up the debts, PDLs too - so I know where you're coming from all too well!

Good luck & I'll pop back now & then to see how it's going.

I've very recently become DF after many, many years and am now trying very hard not to fall back into bad habits / learn to budget etc (and in some ways this is just as difficult as actually paying them off - for me anyway as I've never budgeted in my life!)

Choc-addict

Hey LL,

Don't worry, we all have various lightbulb moments - i've lost count! Not to mention numous diaries too following failed attemps....part and parcel of it all I say! Some are good though, don't want to offend anyone

Your diary struck a chord as I too would like to think about a career and being 33 and still have 30k of debt it won't be realistically until the debt is cleared and i've some savings so looking at 35-40....that said my aunt did a politics degree and became a teacher post 40 so it's never too late in my book

Have subscribed and hope to join you along your merry journey

Choc x

loubie_lou

Thanks Choc and ashes for the encouraging words so far!

Well done Ashes for clearing your debt. I want to smash mine next year but I think 13k might be a bit too much so I'm giving myself till Sept 2013 when I will hopefully be going back to uni. I will still go to uni with a bit of debt but I hope for it to be minimal.

Choc, don't give up on a any dream you may have. I have messed up my life work wise so far and I want to change it before it's to late!

BEAT_THE_DEBT

Hi and welcome. These forums keep me motivated. I dont have a spreadsheet but check internet banking daily does that count?x

loubie_lou

BEAT_THE_DEBT wrote: »

Hi and welcome. These forums keep me motivated. I dont have a spreadsheet but check internet banking daily does that count?x

Yes I do it so i think it does haha!

loubie_lou

Hello one and all!

Not much to report today. Have driven down to my place of work which will be my home for the next three weeks, so hopefully that should be 21 no spend days............Lets see if I can do it, my little challenge for the rest of the month!

Although today doesn't count as I had to put some unexpected petrol in petrol in! Doh!:p

Have a nice rest of day people x

loubie_lou

Hello fellow DFWannabees...........Hope you are all having a happy Friday so far.

First no no of the day is that I forgot about the once in a lifetime 11/11/11 11:11.11. Oh well I was in the shower at the time thinking about everybody that had participated and lost their lives in various conflicts. RIP:A

Still nothing much going on in my world. Lost my debit card the other day so waiting for a new one. Can't put any credit on my phone but on the upside can't spend on it either!::j

As a very strong subject for most females (and some males may I add!) my thread will also be focussing on me losing a few unwanted pounds (of the weight variety!) so this week I have exercised Mon, Tues and Thurs. I couldn't do any today as my glutes and hamstrings are killing me! I am going to do something different for 20 mins every day if I can.

I am not doing this for anyone else as there is no one else in my life atm but I am doing it so my confidence improves and also my health. Not very overweight but its always good to have a nice physique......innit?!

1.5 days in my no spend challenge for the month! Jees, i sound really boring at the minute. I suppose I will have to be to get 13k down next year!

loubie_lou

Dear Diary,

I think I should stop reading so many diaries! They are depressing me for some reason tonight! Don't get me wrong I love reading that people are slowly but surely paying of their debts. I think the words slowly but surely are the ones making me depressed! I WANT OUT OF THIS NOW! But I have to be patient........good things come to those who wait!

I'm a bit bored tonight, reading on face book that all my mates from home are going out on the lash tonight and I want to go but I can't as I am 150 miles away working! But on the positive side I am sitting here making money and they are going to be peeing theirs away :beer:

I really must do something so I don't go into the freezer and get that Ben and Jerry's out :rotfl:

Have a good night all x

loubie_lou

I am trying to convince myself that my DFD is in sight! Hopefully December next year it will be almost non existent. But I will talk about that in the new year.....

Now onto today, the "diet", well I am not going to call in that. Healthy eating is better, yes, is going rather well. Porridge followed by some tasty homemade carrot and red lentil soup followed by homemade stew tonight! No exercise tho as I am still hurting. May do some stretching later.

I went out shopping earlier with my client but left my purse at home so that is 3 no spend days now! Woooooo! :j

Have a good day folks x

debtfreewannabe321

Hi loubie loo love your name!

And as for various LBM i have been the same over the past 10 years I will be 33 in Feb and I also want to be debt free by 35. I have around 13k of debt and pay money each month to CCCS. Have just upped my payments so feeling very positive at the mo, but i've had my ups and downs over the last year since joining the dmp! Keep up with the diary, I find the people on here are so friendly and really help to keep me motivated and on the straight and narrow in my focus to live frugally and not get into any more debt :T

I'll subscribe to see how you are getting on