The Adventures of 2012

gottogo

Well it's still December 2011 but no time like the present. I am not new to the DFW boards but my old username/diary started at a crap time and is full of doom and gloom. I started to read it back and felt a load of old horrible feeling return so thought I'd start afresh.

'Met' loads of lovely people on this board and have even met a couple in real life :T, the advice and general chat on here has been great and I've found keeping a diary for myself to be very therapeutic. I think I'd like to keep this diary a bit more anonymous though, turns out I know quite a lot of people who read these boards so don't really want them to work out who I am as I can use it for ranting/heart pouring at times .

So I am seeing in 2012 with a wee bit of debt acculmulated from much needed house repairs and updates. They are currently on 0% interest and I am on track to getting them fully paid off before the deal ends. I want to make 2012 a year of fun with holidays, trips and generally doing things I love :j. I also want to save and do more stuff to my house :eek:. Possible? We shall see...

gottogo

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet
Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 1
Number of children in household......... 0
Number of cars owned.................... 0
Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 1700
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 0
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 1700
Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 540
Secured/HP loan repayments.............. 0
Rent.................................... 0
Management charge (leasehold property).. 0
Council tax............................. 140
Electricity............................. 34
Gas..................................... 45......Gas and elec both been check numerous times and cant get any cheaper
Oil..................................... 0
Water rates............................. 0
Telephone (land line)................... 0
Mobile phone............................ 35.....contracted until August then will drop
TV Licence.............................. 11
Satellite/Cable TV...................... 20
Internet Services....................... 20....included landline
Groceries etc. ......................... 100....average, some months more, some less
Clothing................................ 100....as above
Petrol/diesel........................... 0
Road tax................................ 0
Car Insurance........................... 0
Car maintenance (including MOT)......... 0
Car parking............................. 0
Other travel............................ 36
Childcare/nursery....................... 0
Other child related expenses............ 0
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 0
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 0
Buildings insurance..................... 27....includes contents
Contents insurance...................... 0
Life assurance ......................... 5
Other insurance......................... 0
Presents (birthday, christmas etc)...... 40
Haircuts................................ 35
Entertainment........................... 150
Holiday................................. 200
Emergency fund.......................... 100
Total monthly expenses.................. 1638

Assets
Cash.................................... 1000
House value (Gross)..................... 85000
Shares and bonds........................ 0
Car(s).................................. 0
Other assets............................ 0
Total Assets............................ 86000

Secured & HP Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
Mortgage...................... 84000....(540)......0
Total secured & HP debts...... 84000.....-.........-
Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
SCS............................1800......47........0
MBNA...........................2000......20........0
Total unsecured debts..........3800......67........-

Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 1,700
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 1,638
Available for debt repayments........... 62
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 67
Amount short for making debt repayments. -5
Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 86,000
Total HP & Secured debt................. -84,000
Total Unsecured debt.................... -3,800
Net Assets.............................. -1,800

gottogo

The above is more a budget plan then my SOA, I want to be able to pay all my bills, pay debts, save yet spend money on things. I like to buy new clothes, keep my hair nice, get beauty treatments and go out socialising. This is important to me, I have no kids to support and work pretty hard for my cash. Yet here I am defending myself! I still like to get value for money and hate wasting it/being ripped off.

I'm going to do a budget on paper, see if it makes things clearer

banwa

Hello GTG, looks like you have a balanced budget and you are dead right about there being no time like the present

Good luck

Banwa:)

Itsadogslife_2

Firstly, I would just like to say Banwa, I promise I am not following you

Welcome to the boards under your new name. I have to admit to being a member for 3 years previously to this user name but changed it as it was kind of a nick name and I was always telling people how great this site is. The truth of it is that none of my family and friends know quite how much debt we are in and I would prefer to keep it that way (the shame would be too much ) so I started again under a different name and funnily enough have probably been much more MSE since that date, a kind of a rebirth :T Have definitely made much more progress in the last 12 months than I have in the first 3 years of being a member - I think putting the amount down in my signature makes it more real

gottogo

Banwa thank you very much and itsadogslife thank you too. I loved my old diary but reading it back I found I wanted to start afresh. There was also a post where someone had used my real name!! Haha, to be honest though, theres nothing secretive in it, nothing I wouldnt tell my close friends/family but just feel the need for something totally seperate.

Have done an budget of sorts for next year. I am going to try my hardest to earn £2k a month (take home) so I can get my overdraft paid off ASAP, this should be doable with overtime and unsocial hours. I think January will be a quiet month anyway fo socialising as everyones skint and miserable .

I will add up my debts and put them on my sig as soon as I have all the post christmas up to date figures. Dread!! I really want to get some nice trips away next year and there are some gigs/shows I would like to go to too.

Also continuing on my fitness regime. Not too obsessed with my weight anymore but really want to work on my fitness levels and tone up (which should lead to some fat loss too), hope to do some charity runs if I can pluck up the courage. I got some vouchers for Christmas I plan to use on a new gym kit.

However today is a quiet one, going to eat some more nice food then moan about being bloated. Happy Days

gottogo

Aims of 2012:

• Become a proper runner, for the winter months I will be using the treadmill in the gym. Then I will start to run outside and work on my time/technique. Theres lots of charity runs nearby throughout the year so am going to sign up for a few, give me something to work towards as well as raising money for good causes.
• Work on strength training, get stronger and leaner. By this I mean I want to look nice and toned not boney and muscly!
• Learn to drive :eek:
• Visit at least 4 different countries:T
• Eat healthily rather than starting and stopping silly diets
• Pay off ALL my debt
• Save up every month (amount yet to be determined)
• Get out and have fun
• Make garden nice, get new fence, grow veg and maintain same
• Find a new job
• See my friends and familt regularly
• Try something new every month (again, not yet sure what)

There more, lots more but I cant think, surely thats enough to be getting on with for now :rotfl:

gottogo

I got my credit card statement in today

New Balance - £1781.91 :eek:. Now I am not at all trying to justify my getting into debt but this balance has gone on essential work/upgrades for my home and payment for a course to help develop my career. I tend to get into debt for a good reason if that makes sense. If I had nothing to show for it apart from a few pairs of now scuffed shoes and handbags I would be pretty upset. There will be a few more things going on the card next month then that should be it. I still have over about 9 months interest free to pay it off. I have been stashing money away to build up a wee fund to put towards the balance but for now I am just keeping it as a buffer.

My other debts - Sofa debt of £1800 , this in on a 4 year 0% interest payment plan. Again I hope to pay this off a lot sooner but I have the monthly payment budgeted so wont worry too much about it just now.

- Overdraft of £1600, I aim to pay this back ASAP as its the only debt with charges. I have arranged a shedload of overtime for January and going to try my best to be frugal and put most of my wage (after bills paid) to paying it back. We shall see:rotfl:

gottogo

Happy New Year
:beer::beer::beer:
:j
:j:j
:j:j:j

Shoe_Gal

Found you!

Happy New Year! :j

gottogo

Thank you Shoegal

Just having another lazy day today. Feel guilty...feel I should be at the gym or something but then remembered that I will be working loads this month so may as well laze about while I can!!

Started healthy eating plan today, just wanna be healthy, no more fad diets or panicking when a holiday or event is approaching and I'm too fat to wear anything. I want to look HOT this year. Shallow I know but theres a first time for everything . Have found a few races, just have to sign up for them.