The "Pay ALL your debt off by Xmas 2012" challenge

strawberryR

hazelc56 wrote: »

An interesting program on Channel4 tomorrow night 8PM Thursday 1/12/11. "The Ultimate Guide To Penny Pinching".

I saw the advert for that thought the women who uses coupons was brill.

strawberryR

idristhedragon wrote: »

Hello all
I have been really brooding on the whole spending/debt thing this week, and I've got myself quite down tbh. I am definitely a shopaholic I have so much stuff, clothes, DVDs, games, CDs.... I have been lucky that I've got a husband with a good job that pays all the bills etc and my money is MINE. I am spoilt and greedy it all stems from two things- one when I met my husband I was a single mum in a council flat on income support with NO disposable income at all so I have been like a kid in a sweet shop since I was able to buy things and two my mum used to use belongings as a punishment ( eg: taking toys away if we were naughty) so I am a compulsive hoarder too and get very emotionally attached to having my things around me and not clearing stuff out cos it's MINE
I have recently got really in a decluttering mindset though and am starting to really enjoy clearing things out- physically with the house and mentally with this challenge
I am trying to pay off as much as I can before Christmas but Jan is my definitive debt clearing mission beginning. I am so skintight at the mo it's ridiculous and my whole pay tomorrow will get eaten by the overdraft minus £10 but I am going to be realistically living in overdraft til Jan so I'm giving myself leeway on that one. I have £80 in paypal that will go straight onto Cap One when it's released to make up for a bit of the Christmas shopping I've put on it. I went food shopping yesterday and spent £130 which is £30 over my £100 a week budget but I will just only spend £70 next week to redress the balance. MIL is paying for Xmas food (yay) so there maybe a bit to put on debts yet! ( actually I put £130 shopping on cc yesterday as food money arrives tomorrow BUT I'm going to transfer £150 and have £50 for next week - go frugal me!)
Today's mission is decluttering the kitchen big time as I have new floor being fitted next week ( for free ) so it is a need. 8 have things in there like a load of 70's paperback cook books that were my mums. Why? They are dust traps that I never look at so they are out out out. I also have a few clear hours as no school run so I am looking forward to a clear kitchen. Also going to make Christmas cake and try to stop beating self up and feeling down and self loathy. I came on today so that usually accounts for my depression being hideous so it should lift in the next day or so.
Again thanks so much for this thread it is a real lifeline and sorry for being so me me me.

Don't worry we are all here for one main reason we are in debt and some days we have bad days, as long as you try and focus on the postive you are doing something! New Year New Us!!!!

kerri_dfw

Well done Idris, I'm a shopaholic too and really trying to address this. I wouldn't try to stop shopping completely though, but retrain yourself that if you want something you wait two weeks, reassess whether it's a want or a need, then decide to buy or not. Changing the way we think is a big part of debt busting and helps address the root causes. I really want to get into the habit of having to save for something, this way I will have earnt the reward instead of cutting back on other things to get it and feeling bad. *bigs hugs* baby steps remember.

Good work everyone else NSD is going well for me today, although burnt tongue on my Mr W shepherds pie bah

browng

Afternoon everyone,

To those who are feeling down dont forget you are not alone we are all here to support each other to achive the same goal which is to be debt free. dont be hard on yourself. we cannot do anything about our pasts but we can change and be postive for the future.

Chin up guys that debt figure will decrease all the time not up :j

Stay postive an remember you are not alone.
Glen

hazelc56

HelenPie wrote: »

I just found this article on the BBC website about budgeting/family incomes, which I found quite interesting:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15197860

If For those who find it difficult to live on £40,000 a year then they have no hope of living on the dole getting £4-5,000 per person a year.

rubywhatashmoo

Today started off being really productive - got up, went to the PO and sent off a couple of ebay bits (postage printed from paypal so technically free to me! ) then went to the Co-op for lunch - wanted a pizza, but instead of grabbing a chilled £2.99 one, got a frozen value pizza & a tin of beans & sausages for £1.57 Also grabbed a couple of the xmas M&Ms boxes for my OH for his xmas pressie, so by looking around I managed to get lunch & finish off a xmas pressie for only 58p more than I would have spent anyway muahahaha Since that though I've been pinned to the sofa - cat is sleeping on my shins - so have had to have a lazy afternoon

Made another payment to my CC:

£275/£1550 (17.74%!!)

I'm so hoping I can get that to 20% by next payday, but I have to keep reminding myself I've still got three weeks to go and being able to afford bus fares for the last week of that would be nice!! :rotfl:

hazelc56

idristhedragon wrote: »

Hello all
I have been really brooding on the whole spending/debt thing this week, and I've got myself quite down tbh. I am definitely a shopaholic I have so much stuff, clothes, DVDs, games, CDs.... I have been lucky that I've got a husband with a good job that pays all the bills etc and my money is MINE. I am spoilt and greedy it all stems from two things- one when I met my husband I was a single mum in a council flat on income support with NO disposable income at all so I have been like a kid in a sweet shop since I was able to buy things and two my mum used to use belongings as a punishment ( eg: taking toys away if we were naughty) so I am a compulsive hoarder too and get very emotionally attached to having my things around me and not clearing stuff out cos it's MINE
I have recently got really in a decluttering mindset though and am starting to really enjoy clearing things out- physically with the house and mentally with this challenge
I am trying to pay off as much as I can before Christmas but Jan is my definitive debt clearing mission beginning. I am so skintight at the mo it's ridiculous and my whole pay tomorrow will get eaten by the overdraft minus £10 but I am going to be realistically living in overdraft til Jan so I'm giving myself leeway on that one. I have £80 in paypal that will go straight onto Cap One when it's released to make up for a bit of the Christmas shopping I've put on it. I went food shopping yesterday and spent £130 which is £30 over my £100 a week budget but I will just only spend £70 next week to redress the balance. MIL is paying for Xmas food (yay) so there maybe a bit to put on debts yet! ( actually I put £130 shopping on cc yesterday as food money arrives tomorrow BUT I'm going to transfer £150 and have £50 for next week - go frugal me!)
Today's mission is decluttering the kitchen big time as I have new floor being fitted next week ( for free ) so it is a need. 8 have things in there like a load of 70's paperback cook books that were my mums. Why? They are dust traps that I never look at so they are out out out. I also have a few clear hours as no school run so I am looking forward to a clear kitchen. Also going to make Christmas cake and try to stop beating self up and feeling down and self loathy. I came on today so that usually accounts for my depression being hideous so it should lift in the next day or so.
Again thanks so much for this thread it is a real lifeline and sorry for being so me me me.

Idris - thank you for sharing this with us.At least you have your mind uncluttered and have a good goal set for yourself.Well done lady.I, like yourself went through a" hold on to stuff in case i might need it sometime" stage after my mother died..i think it was because of grieving and the loss and never getting her back.I gathered stuff around me for comfort's sake and ended up nearly driving myself mad.Most of it was stuff i would never use.Books i would never read etc.videos,down to screws,nails,tools bits and peices, for goodness sake it was madness lol.I hated parting with the stuff and the bin wasnt an optin so i thought i would give it to different charity shops where someone else could make use of them plus help the charity make a few quid.I felt much better doing it this way and didnt feel i was just throwing it all away.I hope you feel better in yourself soon.:)

natlie

Hi the lady on penny pinchers tomorrow is jwen on the os board.

Hi Idris I think we all feel guilty about our debt from time to time, Can you cut down your groceries at all?

idristhedragon

Thanks for your words. I am trying to cut down the groceries but there are 6 of us. 2 adults,1 teenager and 3 kids so 5 lunch boxes everyday etc. I have started decluttering the kitchen and it feels amazing! I have a trofast ikea storage tower ( because clearly 6 x 1 metre wide drawers, 5 wall cupboards, 3 low cupboards and a big corner cupboard, a larder, 3 shelves and 2 fridge freezers isn't enough space in the kitchen.....) ahem *hoarder* I now have space for the tea towels and tablecloths, the kids painting and sticking stuff, stationery- Sellotape etc AND 1 spare big tub my daughter has a wooden play kitchen in the kitchen so I will use the spare tub to out her play food etc in then at least it's away!
I have also gone round hammering nails into the Walls and hanging up pictures, moving pictures/pinboard/blackboard etc- I have been asking the husband to do this for literally years so I embraced my girl power and did it myself! The skirting board also needs glossing and I need to do that before the new floor comes so may also do that this week. There is a huge pile of shoes under the stairs so I am going to sort them and eBay a bit more. Blimey I sound manic but these plans are all for the next few weeks not right now lol
Vanquis very kindly just sent me a text detailing what I owe and it's less than I thought so yay!

kerri_dfw

hazelc56 wrote: »

If For those who find it difficult to live on £40,000 a year then they have no hope of living on the dole getting £4-5,000 per person a year.

*runs and hides* I'm embarassed to say I'm not far off that and still managed to get in a mess. See shiny thing, want shiny thing, need shiny thing, buy shiny thing, eep! Not anymore though. Those thoughts are banned and very, very naughty