My Minimalising Diary - Debt and Life!!!!

mini10

Hi there,
After over a year of lurking I am finally taking the plunge and starting my diary!!!

I have ALOT of debt- all of my own making- no excuses.

Just to give some history, my debt problems started around the time I got married- 17 years ago. It started with a small loan here, some hire purchase there, an odd credit card.... However with each attempt to tackle the debt over the years things have got worse.

We would consolidate and that would allow me to feel 'better off' and I would begin spending again, so I have never really confronted my issues of spending.

I have suffered with depression over this time also and I do think that, and low self esteem contributes to my spending, however, as I said, no excuses, I have basically spend too much and put too high value on material possessions.

So, my plan is to slowly simplify my life, I know if I make drastic changes as I have in the past I will never cope. I plan to do a huge amount of de-cluttering, aiming to sell alot of the possessions I thought would bring me happiness and a 'perfect life'.

In the search for this perfect life I have moved several times, again, always wanting a better house, location etc. This again has added to my debt. As has all the home magazines I usually buy, again, trying to replicate a perfect home- its been an expensive hobby.

I am aware this makes me sound like a spoiled, selfish person who deserves all the debt- I really want to change and be grateful for, and enjoy the life I have. I have been sucked into a consumer lifestyle and I am an advertisers dream.

I really hope to change my bad habits when it comes to spending. I hope that if I can somehow remove the pressure to have this 'perfect life' - I want to simplify things and enjoy a simpler life- have time to read a book rather than search for a lifestyle in those expensive magazines.

I am lucky to have a lovely DH and a wonderful DS.

I plan to write this diary to keep me on the straight and narrow and look back at my progress (hopefully).

I would welcome any advice or support from everyone and would love to hear if anyone has done similar.

I havent yet worked out an exact figure of the debt- I will do and post it here for all to see...........

Many thanks for reading- hope i havent sent you all to sleep

mini10

Hope to have a NSD tomorrow- cant remember the last time I went a day without spending money, hopefully this will be the first of many.

Instead of spending my evening reading home magazines or using internet to shop I plan to declutter. Tonight I have started with my wardrobe, I DO NOT need all those bags, shoes or costume jewellery, IT WILL NOT fit in with the lifestyle I am trying to achieve. None of it has ever brought me true happiness, just a brief moment when I actually buy something but then that nagging feeling of worry about the debt takes over and theres no more enjoyment.

Anyway, back to it!!!!

Herewego

Welcome and good luck Im also on my declutter mission to make some money clear the cupboards and clear the debt so will join you on your journey

mini10

Thank you herewego, just looked at your signature- wow you've done well- good for you. Hope I can learn some good debt busting ways from you.

I spent a couple of hours last night sorting through my two sets of drawers that i keep clothes in- theres not much left!! Although I regularly sort through (I also have a bit of a cleaning obsession!!)- I usually keep lots in case I slim into them, or dont get rid of because they are hardly worn, however, I have realized they are hardly worn for a reason, either I don't like how they look or they are not comfortable- so I now have very empty drawers of clothes I love and feel comfortable in.

I have a small bag of nearly new clothes to put on e-bay and a large bag of stuff for the charity shop- I have never bought expensive stuff, most of it is primark, george etc. I am pleased of what I've done so far, tonight I move onto the shoes and bags- why did I feel I needed to buy so many??

My new, simpler life will be so much easier without all the 'stuff'.I already feel so much better that I am making a positive move to minimising my debt and my life. cant wait to carry on later......:)

Herewego

I totally agree im looking forward to the minimal life I hoping it will be so much easier to maintain
Just remember the debt didnt arrive overnight and it wont be gone overnight, have you done your SOA and had a play with the snowball calculator yet ?

mini10

Its been four months since I've been able to post due to major computer problems. I am up and running again!

So dear diary, my minimalising and debt reduction plans have moved forward over recent months- I have sold quite a bit via e-bay and have also done several car-boot sales. This has not reduced the debt unfortunately, we have used this money to live day to day- but at least it means no further debt has accumulated.

My DH and I have decided to sell our house and move to a cheaper property- we have finally realised we cannot live with this high mortgage any longer- we plan to move to a small terraced house and hopefully reduce our mortgage payments.

We signed up with a local estate agent and are waiting for our house to appear on rightmove- its a nerve wracking time but we have finally realised we have no other option- telling our little boy was the worse thing- of course he doesnt know the whole reason and we have put a positive slant on it - ie- he'll be closer to his friends etc.

Now await the viewings (hopefully) and the stress of looking for something else.

Now I can update my diary and my progress regularly. Hope everyone else is doing ok x