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

kerri_dfw

Hi HelenPie & NannyGladys,

Welcome to the thread. We have a list of challenges and a few tips/hints post #10 here
We've got a weekly mini-challenge to keep people focused, I let you know what this is at lunchtime on Mondays and it runs from 1am Tuesday - 12:59 the following Tuesday.
This weeks mini-challenge: No buying chocolate or sweets ,put the money towards debt instead
Mf0u will be along shortly to give you your number.

affordmylife

hello everyone. can i join please?

i wont be able to give a definite amount until after ive finished my christmas shopping but its in the region of £3,000.

i intend to pay this off next year for definite.

many thanks xx

jakes-mum

Hellooooooooooooo all :wave:

well have been to the docs and I have managed to tear one of my muscles in my back and all the others have tensed up in protest :eek: he was using his hand to press each muscle up my back and going 'this ones tense, and this one, and this one, hmm yes were still going . . . omg and still going!' until he hit one just under my shouldre blade and I screamed and he said 'yep and that would be the problem one' :eek: :eek: so am now on 2 different prescription tablets and 4 hrs doses of paracetamol . . . this is not good for someone with an intense phobia of swallowing tablets! ugh horrible!!

strawberryR

Hi everyone, and hello to all the other newbies!! Still got to put my balance up, but on the plus side had a NSD and also a NCD!

Thinking of starting a debt free diary but not sure how to go about it any ideas???

fritterprincess

Hi Mf0u,
Thanks for all your hard work, really enjoying the thread! Had another tot up of all debts and have decided to try and clear everything. Please could you revise my original total to £8500. Get paid tomorrow so will try and chop a chunk off that nasty total! Have also sold my first item on fleabay. Have been going through every room to see what else I can sell. Its a bit addictive isn't it.
Thanks again.x

Kerfuffle

jimmytwoshoes wrote: »

Can anyone give me tips or ideas on how to start focusing on the challenge.

I seem at a loss with it being Christmas. I also have to try to control my spending habits and dont seem to be able to do that.

What a mess

Hi jimmytwoshoes,

I think the best thing to do is to have a really good rummage around the whole site and then you'll find something that just 'clicks' for you. I tend to linger on the Debt Free Wannabe Forum, and also the Mortgage Free Wannabe Forum, especially the The Debt Free Roll of Honour and the Mortgage Free Roll of Honour. Both these give a brief description of a posters debt/mortgage amount, how long it took to pay off and the most important thing, their one pearl of wisdom. There are some really inspirational stories. If you have chance take a look at 'My Debt Free Story' in the Debt Free Wannabe Forum, it's a little dated now but so relevant to what is happening these days.

Also take a look in the Old-Style Moneysaving Forum, there are lots of hints and tips to make your pennies work harder.

Be carefull, the whole site is addictive :rotfl:

Hope that helps.

ps sorry, technophobe alert, I can't do links

kerri_dfw

jakes-mum wrote: »

Hellooooooooooooo all :wave:

well have been to the docs and I have managed to tear one of my muscles in my back and all the others have tensed up in protest :eek: he was using his hand to press each muscle up my back and going 'this ones tense, and this one, and this one, hmm yes were still going . . . omg and still going!' until he hit one just under my shouldre blade and I screamed and he said 'yep and that would be the problem one' :eek: :eek: so am now on 2 different prescription tablets and 4 hrs doses of paracetamol . . . this is not good for someone with an intense phobia of swallowing tablets! ugh horrible!!

Glad he's going to get you sorted, hope you're better soon. I find best way for tabs is with fresh orange juice with bits in. Although I tend to whack the tabs between my lower lip & teeth then take a slug and they disappear.

strawberryR wrote: »

Hi everyone, and hello to all the other newbies!! Still got to put my balance up, but on the plus side had a NSD and also a NCD!

Thinking of starting a debt free diary but not sure how to go about it any ideas???

I have one, I just write whatever is happening really. I'm trying to work out what my spending triggers are so emotions and everything. Best way to start is to list incomings/outgoings then keep a tab on what you spend.

fritterprincess wrote: »

Hi Mf0u,
Thanks for all your hard work, really enjoying the thread! Had another tot up of all debts and have decided to try and clear everything. Please could you revise my original total to £8500. Get paid tomorrow so will try and chop a chunk off that nasty total! Have also sold my first item on fleabay. Have been going through every room to see what else I can sell. Its a bit addictive isn't it.
Thanks again.x

Congrats on the fleabaying. I miscalculated my postage on a few items that sold yesterday and am kicking myself now grrr.

Kerfuffle

Some of the Pearls of Wisdom taken from the first page of The Debt Free Roll of Honour.

Gillby1 Pearl of wisdom: First rule of DFW - Start keeping track of your budget - every penny! It sounds obvious to me now, but before i started paying off my debts i had no idea how much was in my account, how much was going out each month for bills, rent etc... and whether i could take money out without going overdrawn. Now i know exactly how much i can spend each month, and exactly how much i have left to pay off debts/save. So use a spreadsheet, notebook, envelope or chalk & slate - whatever you have - and start working out how much money is coming in and how much money is going out.

briona Pearl of wisdom: Look at just one extravagance and work out the annual cost. For me it was a real wake up call to see that my £2-a-day chocolate habit was costing me over £500 per year – around 1/8 of my total debt! Crazy! By cutting out just one [stupid] spend, I became more inspired to reduce other spending.

Freebird65 Pearl of wisdom: Whenever you set foot in any shop or are in a buying situation, no matter how small, just stop and think...."Do I really need this, or do I just want it?". If it's just want, put it back!! You'll be amazed how much money you stop wasting. Also, be prepared to make drastic changes - I wiped out a large chunk of debt by selling my house and downsizing. Hard, but sometimes necessary!

Snoozer Pearl of Wisdom: That the food etc you can purchase at places such as Lidl and Aldi (which I was very snobby about before)is just as good as Sainsburys and Waitrose in many cases and you can save a fortune by shopping there.

Creditcardkid Pearl of Wisdom: If there is something that you really want then it must be worth saving up for rather than taking a loan out for.

Catseyez Pearl of Wisdom: Keep visiting the MSE site! It can be very difficult and even depressing when you see your (non-lightbulb!) friends buying the latest clothes, cars, holidays etc. Regularly checking the board and hearing other peoples' stories, advice etc can be very inspiring and motivating. Whatever your debt, just keep persevering because you can do it!

Check out the thread itself for more motivational tit-bits

strawberryR

Thanks for that Kerry will have a look, Friday is my day off so will have a go, :j

kerri_dfw

mf0u can we have a grand total on the first page so what our current target is vs how much paid so far like we do with our own?