Betti's debt free diary

GreenNinja

Hi betti,

Just wanted to say that I have just read your entire diary from start to finish! You are so motivated and you are doing so well despite some setbacks. You sound like such a lovely person as well.

Really hoping you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I will be following your diary to see how you are doing. Your words have been a great inspiration to me and look forward to reading more!

XXX

betti911

Thankyou so much! Its lovely when someone reads my diary and comments. I'm hoping I've made the right choice about my job. I suppose only time will tell!!

mummum2

Hi Betti, I've also just read your diary from start to finish and must say you're an inspiration! well done on getting this far with your debts. You certainly seem to be a warm and loving person, look forward to following your progress.

On the job front, if you'll be happier doing this new job, I say good luck to you, one needs to be happy in work, after all we spend a lot of time there!

MM2 xx

betti911

Thankyou My new job will be a big change. It'll be a lot of hard work and I'll be learning totally new things but plus wise, lack of travel, more opportunities in the line of work I'm going into and flexitime.

Ches

congratulations on the new job. I am sure you have done the right thing for the right reasons as you have obviously given it a great deal of thought before you made the decision to change. Well done and here's hoping for a bright future for you in 2008.

betti911

Have been doing very badly this past week. Have overspent socially. It sounds like I'm using this as an excuse and I prob am but my sister came up this weekend. She's been having a bad time with her boyfriend being ill and I was spending much time (and money) doing things with her.

She also wanted to buy my parents Christmas presents together which was good as we split the cost but bad cause we argued over what cost to split! What I mean was I wanted to get a jacket at £40 for my mum but she wanted us to buy a £120 jacket and told me I was being stingy. Now I can see where she's coming from. Her boyfriend is sick and potentially dying and so she's thinking at the moment... live life to the full.... however I just couldn't afford that much money We settled on spending £33 each which was a bit better than nearly £60.

I was socially over the weekend and spent a packet then next weekend its on of my best friend's b/day night out. I just don't have the cash to go but I know I'll have to as she'll fall out with me. If I take the car then she'll offer to loan me the money... she's got a big fancy house, a rich husband and a kid which I don't envy but I don't think she understands the situation I'm in. My boyfriend has offered to lend me the money but I don't want to borrow from anyone else. I'm in enough debt_pale_ !!

Also I'm going to have to tell my boss tomorrow that I'm leaving my job _pale_ Am dreading tomorrow. Will really miss my sister too when she goes. She's not getting home for Christmas as her boyfriend is too ill to travel and haven't seen her since May. I always get depressed after she leaves though. I hope this week goes okay. Sorry to moan.

betti911

My boss and everyone else in work were very nice about me leaving my job. My boss offered me more money to stay but the travelling means that I'm already an extra £200 per month which is more like £210 plus now given the extra increase in travel cost. Also its 60 hours plus a month travelling which I would find difficult to sustain longterm.

My boss has not yet asked for the money back for breaking my contract but I have no doubt he will before I go. My parents have offered to lend me the money interest free.

This month I seem to be hopeless with my finances but I'm getting back on track. Hopefully I'll claim my travel expenses tom... prob about £30 so will have £20 to go out for dinner tomorrow with my friends and then I'm going to have a quiet weekend with my boyfriend for the rest of the time. We should really finish painting the flat.

Have only 2 Xmas presents left to go... for my sister and her boyfriend. My sister has asked me for a Radley bag. I will hopefully have £20 worth of vouchers from pigsback to cover some of it. Not sure what to get her boyfriend but will think of something as I know that they've had a bad time of it this yr.

Weirdly although I have no money until payday next week and am on a really tight budget this year I'm not as worried about it as I usually am. My money situation is under control. Am not debt free yet and won't be for a while but have changed my attitude towards money this year thanks to this website. January is going to be a hard month due to the changeover in salary but I know that if I stick carefully to my plans I'll get through it thanks to everyones help on here :A Very soppy but true!

betti911

I was just updating my signiture when I had a thought about the way I'm going to repay my debts next year.

I have decided to put £525 per month basic away a month towards my credit debts. I will be on a slightly lower salary next year as my new job has a final salary pension which I have to contribute to through my wages. I will throw any extra money I save to my debts too.

For the next year all my debts are interest free (save my bed which is due up in August). I was wondering if it would be worth putting the money in my ISA or another savings account when my ISA is full to gain interest on my debt money to put more towards my debt. This time last year I would not have thought about doing this. I wasn't disciplined enough with money to manage my money in such a way. This year I have become accustomed to living in a much smaller income in order to deal with my debts. I wonder what everyone else thinks? Any advice is greatly appreciated :beer:

betti911

I have not started the yr well

My parents gave me money for Xmas. They said I had to spend it on something instead of my debts. I bought clothes and expensive bedsheets. V guilty about that!!

On new yrs eve I blew £30 on my night out after budgeting to stay in

Spent £18 today on a bin... yes a bin.... it was stainless steel and I did need one for the house. I also bought a £4 mop which broke and I took it back and £2 on 4 cans of baxters soup.

My boyfriend is coming to stay with me in my flat which I don't currently live in for a few days. His young 18 yr old neighbout died and his parents are putting up his neighbour's family so need his room. That means I have to buy us food etc for the next few days as he's got no money in his account after Xmas and doen't get paid until 18th. I do have money but its all budgeted... food will have to come out of my socialising budget for the rest of the month.

Also I'm getting my hair done tomorrow which'll cost £45- budgeted for already. Am worried i'm going to slip back into my old bad ways again. Have made my lunch tomorrow at my parents house and am going to go to farmfoods to buy some cheap food. I going to look like a very mean person to my boyfriend as he's usually so generous to me

On the bright side I have managed to put aside my Xmas £100 bonus this month to go towards my road tax due up in April.

skint_spice

betti911 wrote: »

I have not started the yr well

On new yrs eve I blew £30 on my night out after budgeting to stay in

Hi Betti, new yrs eve was a one off so don't look at it as a failure. if you spend a £100 extra this month at least you'll be able to account for every penny of it and get back on track next month. you are thinking about it now which didn't happen in the past when you were building the debt - or was that just me??