Betti's debt free diary

betti911

Have paid the money for my roof so at least that's over with which is a relief to be honest. I hate fighting with my neighbours, I still think I've prob been duped but at least I'll get good guarantees to put with my title deeds at the end of the day which'll be good when I come to sell the flat.

My boyfriend and I are meant to be moving in together next week. I've told my parents that my boyfriend will be moving in together at some point but not said when/prescise details. I will still be paying the mortgage and he will be paying rent and his share of the bills.

My sister was up at the weekend. While I love her to bits sometimes I'm so jealous of the way she can spend. She's just back from New York (where she and her boyfriend enjoyed £200 meals including £50 bottles of wine!), she bought tons of new clothes and also she and her boyfriend are buying a sports car. The most galling thing is I earn more than each of them but their combined income to one house is obviously greater.

I have been thinking about this and my boyfriend and I are keeping separate finances. Even taking in consideration his rent that he'll pay me I still won't be any better off. He wants us to buy all this stuff for the flat like a computer, sky tv etc. He said we could do this with his share of the rent. Food bills will also go up as I will no longer be able to eat with my parents, nor I would imagine stay over with them whenever I want.

I'm sure things will work themselves out......

betti911

Have made another months payment towards my debt. Next month I will be under the 6k mark

My boyfriend and I have moved in together which has proved a lot more expensive than what I'd though. He wants to give me money towards my debt but I'm not keen on this at all as I do not want him to cast it all back on me later on!

The roofing company still haven't started yet on the roof which is v annoying as it feels like I paid my money (which was going to go towards my holiday which I forfeited or my debt payment) ages ago!

betti911

Am having good days and bad days at the moment. I have adjusted my debt free date to June next yr as this is my anticipated date of becoming debt free.. unless some further catastrophe occurs like my roof!

At the moment I'm just trying to stick to my budgets and be as careful as possible. I'm also trying to arrange my mortgage... great timing I know... have found a deal which matches my current one on the bases that my house values up okay. Fingers crossed! My mortgage is why I've had to take my money, well most of it out of my ISA as the adviser says that I should try to pay my cards off as otherwise it looks like I'm someone who lives outwith their means.

Anyways fingers crossed about that valuation!!

betti911

Have had a disasterous month money wise. This month have got to pay:

Car tax - about £60
Dentist bill- £90
Dad's birthday- £100 ( mum bought the present then told my sister and I what we owed so I had no choice. Its his 60th)
Mum and dad's anniversary- £30 (I had already put that aside. It was their 30th)
Pension- £60 (for my extra repayments.. found out that this yr is the last yr I can buy back yrs so this sum is for a medical beforehand)
Mortgage- £99 application fee for my remortgage:eek: :eek: :eek:

So I am really and truly skint and pay day is not until a week on Tuesday so I can't do anything until then. My boyfriend has been helping me out a bit but I can't expect him to pay for everything

I had the surveyor round this morning checking my house for my remortgage. Its not till 31st December that my fixed is due up but I've gone with the Llyods TSB all weather tracker and was worried incase my house won't value up for the 75% loan to value. Its a total nightmare Fingers crossed it values up!!

betti911

Good news is that house valued up at 115k. It would never sell at that prices at present but in truth what would I care.... its my home and I don't want to sell it.

Not so good news is that Virgin won't extend my 0% deal past 15 months however it was worth a try to phone up and chance it anyway. I'm thinking of applying for the Abbey Zero card but the interest free period for Virgin isn't up till December so I will wait until Mid November to apply and transfer the balance.

My next pay day isn't till next week so I'm keeping every penny spare and this weekend will have to be a frugal one!

betti911

Happy Halloween!

I'm in on my own tonight watching old sex and the city and doing the washing. My boyfriend is at a party but I couldn't afford it this weekend as I've got no money till payday on Tuesday. Boyfriend offered to pay but I can't let him pay for everything. I want to have some semblance of my own independance.

Have had the past few days off but have managed not to spend much (£2 over 3 days). I'm back to work next week though. I'm really glad I've got the mortgage sorted tho. Its a big relief!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

betti911

Have not had a very good start to the month moneywise. I've spent £59 which I have not budgeted for on a trip to Aberdeen for work and I have not yet got the money back which I'm a bit cross about! I'm hoping to get it back at some point but the admin in work is quite slow at the moment which is rather worrying!

In the meantime I have applied for an abbey zero credit card as the end of my zero percent deal is coming up in december and thought I might as well plan ahead. Unfortunatly Abbey lost my application and then they gave me a credit limit of £3600 which leaves me a shortfall of £1500 aprox so have applied for a HSBC card which gives you 15 months interest free which is good. It means that I can keep my money in my ISA to pay that wee bit off and diarise the end of the interest free period.

I'm also hoping to save some money next yr with my mortgage and put that towards my debts. Via advice I read here I went for a tracker and I'm (hoping) that my payments will be slightly lower next year. I'm also hoping to become a mortgage free wannabe once I finish paying off my debts so am def going to take Martin's advice and throw any extra money I make from the rate drop towards my ISA first and then my mortgage.

My main aim next yr though is to go on a holiday with my boyfriend somewhere nice. We didn't get to go on holiday this year in September as planned cause of the problems with my roof and he has been (mostly ) patient with me and my moneysaving. Its hard for him though as he has never borrowed and I can see sometimes that he is frustrated with me and the pickle I have got myself into. He has nevertheless been supportive as have my parents.

betti911

Good news... I seem to have miscalculated my debt so need to change my sig. Was out by about £50. Every little helps!!

I have also had news today that our cost of living wage rise will be backdated since April of this year and will be paid in our Xmas salary which I will throw towards my debt.

Have put my last £10 cheque for petrol from Barclaycard in my bank today and have been doing Quidco and pigsback every day, altho getting hardly anything from pigsback at the moment unless you win a competition!

Otherwise I have given myself £12 to live on (excluding food which is paid for via my boyfriend and I's joint account) until next Tuesday so hopefully I'll be able to make that. Will just have a quiet weekend!

I get paid this coming Tuesday so that'll take me under the 5k mark! I have opened up an Abbey Zero and a Halifax card in preparation of 'tarting' when my Virgin rate comes to an end on 18th December.

betti911

Paid off another £575 today which am chuffed about cause it means that I've now paid off my personal loan amount and overdraft and now only got my 'car loan' amount left to go. I won't have a lot of money around Xmas time but the debt free date seems to be getting a little bit closer! Am really hoping I can keep my payments up.

Today I spent money on wood filler for my door, I bought batteries for my attack alarm and some no nails to glue my toliet back on. These things were all from b and q so I went with my dad and got a 10% discount so it all only came to £9. My dad paid for it but I'm going to give him the money back as don't want to owe anyone anything. I also spent £3 on dips and nibbles as its my turn to have friends round to mine tonight but it'll be cheaper than going out.

Am counting down the months to my debt free date (6 months!! now). Feel a bit like I'm wishing my life away.

betti911

Hello everyone!

Have been working hard to transfer my credit cards to other interest free ones. Abbey liked me so much the messed up my application and gave me 3 cards!! I've cancelled the ones I don't need though. I now have two cards... one with Abbey Zero and another with Halifax. I'm still going to operate on the same premise as before i.e. transferring the money to my ISA until the end of the interest free period or till whenever I pay off my debt.

My sister is coming home for Xmas today... her last before she gets married so that'll be good and my boyfriend and I are spending out 1st Xmas together living together and my 1st away from my parents house which is a bit weird but trying to go with the flow.

Hope everyone has a lovely Christmas!

Betti xx