Betti's debt free diary

Tustastic

Glad to hear the debt is coming down slowly but surely. Sorry to hear it's overshadowing your life though. How about working some treats into your budget? Some social, some pampering. I've had some good treats from the Freebie board and even won a few little prizes on the Competition board. Nothing ventured, nothing gained......:)

Yargo1

hi, just read all your posts on this thread, wow! sounds like you are doing so well, you do, as other posters say, sound lovely and determined to be debt free! your diary , so far, has really boosted me.. ive been up since 4.30am !! the wonderful not sleeping due to worrying about money!!

i hope the new job is good? and how is your sisters bf now then?

jo x

betti911

Thanks Yargo and Tustastic. I'm always really pleased when someone reads my diary. It really helps me to write it and keep track of how I'm doing.

My sister's boyfriend is on remission at the moment but they are going to give him more treatment later in the yr as they have found out he is developing further problems with his heart and his sight. My sister is coping really well though and plans for their weddng next year are coming along very nicely.

My new job is so different but I'm enjoying it. I'm working in the city centre near where I live so have 3 hrs back of the day which I would have previously spent travelling plus the pension scheme is really good. When I'm debt free I'm going to pay extra into the pension scheme.

I really hope I can keep going with my moneysaving. I am pretty determined to manage to be debt free by next year but it seems like everyone close to me thinks I should stop being so obsessed. My mum, dad and my boyfriend say I should reduce my payments from £550 per month to £350 and live a little as I seem miserable but I can't. It would make the end see so much further away. I've got a social budget of £200 per month but of that I tend to save £50 away for b/day presents etc.
My boyfriend pays for a lot when we go out which is very kind of him but last month he upset me by saying 'does someone need to be subsidised a little...' in a really patronising tone which drove me batty!

Tustastic

I didn't realise you had illness in the family, so sorry to hear it. Glad they are getting on with life and wedding plans all the same. Life is for living, every bit of it, including the difficult bits.
£50 a month on 'b/day presents etc.'?? That's £600 a year!

betti911

£50 is a lot but there always seems to be lots to put away for! My boyfriends b/day is in May and need to save up to buy him a present he'll like, prob £200 at least. I would feel terrible not getting him what he wanted as he puts up with a lot from me

Tustastic

betti911 wrote: »

£50 is a lot but there always seems to be lots to put away for! My boyfriends b/day is in May and need to save up to buy him a present he'll like, prob £200 at least. I would feel terrible not getting him what he wanted as he puts up with a lot from me

Now you have a shorter commute, why not spend a while each day earning vouchers for M&S/John Lewis/HMV/Amazon/Boots etc by doing online surveys? It's a great way to save up for Xmas and would give your budget a bit of room to 'breathe'.
My favourites are
Valued Opinions
ItsYourView
GlobalTestMarket
Ipsos
Pinecone (pays £4 per survey via PayPal or LVs)
MyTNS
YouGov

betti911

Thats a good idea. I'm already on pigsback and quidco and use some of them for birthday presents etc. I'll check out the other sites too.

betti911

Got ISA interest added today, £13.04, which is better than nothing Have the dentist today which'll be expensive

I'm going to go to a charity shop afterwards to see if I can get a book to read instead of a magazine. Got three books for £1 last time there plus I donated money a cancer charity which'll help people like my sisters boyfriend.

Tustastic

Hope you got something good to read at the charity shop. They're too expensive in London now - Oxfam sells paperbacks at £2.50, others for £1.50. I use the library now. Even with my fines (blush) it's the cheapest way.
Do you check out hotukdeals when you are shopping for a special present? They post some amazing deals there.

betti911

I'll check out that website. My quidco money is coming this week (£53) so I've put that into my wee fund to cover my factoring and rd tax and to save up for my car insurance.

I got 4 books for £1 which is the cost of the silly magazines I buy plus I got rid of some old unwanted books which was good