Small Steps to clearing Credit Card Debt

mylastpound

Hi All

ive been lurking for a while and reading everyone diary for a few weeks, seeing what i can do to help clear some of my CC Debt

i havent spent on a CC for 3 years due to cutting them up

i fell into spending on them due to living above my means trying to suvive while running my house on a rubbish wage.
For the past 3 years ive only been paying the minium amout each month, not making a dint in it , but at least i havent been using more credit in that time - i finally broke out the vicious circle 3 yr ago

i finally had the light bulb moment january 2012. im sick of wasting £260 on minium payments each month and want to clear the debt, so i can use that money i spend everymonth on CC debt for it to pay off more every year of my mortgage. - plus it gives me more breathing space

i rang the bank to get some online banking details sent, so i can do online banking, and ive got a softwear in place so i can see where my money goes ( grafts ect) and im determind to get this debt busted

ive un opened all letters / statements coz i buried my head for a while but ive filed them in date order, so i have that organised

i know which CC i will tacle first! funny enough my lowest amount on a cc has the highest min payment - so that one being dealt with first
i have also made a start to ring each CC company to cancel PPI as each month £60 of that £260 is PPI cover :eek: - so that £60 each month would pay £720 at the end of the year toward something

i just need to curb my £10 cash point withdraw or the £4.20 spend at asda on a mag and some treats..... as i calculated for one month i spent £280 on non needed items - SHOCKING!!!

that money could of paid some off a CC

Thought i would start this off , and i plan to keep this diary going - thankyou got reading

i now know how people mean when they say they find this hard admitting and writing these thoughts and actions down for others to read - ive just felt that

mylastpound

:beer: whoop whoop finally my online banking details arrived today, so ive finally been able to log on and see the damage

nipped into town and bought a 2012 diary that was on sale for £1 so i can update it with items ive bought and the amount ect , so i can always carry it with me - also a space for recietes too

off to now calculate how much i can pay off one of my CC this month

let the debt busting begin :j

mylastpound

well had a NSD today :j:T:A

but i know this week that i have to shell out £15 for pet food and prescription from chemist :eek:

hopefully that all i will be shelling out this week, gonna try and take prisioner ever penny i have

3 weeks till payday, night before payday il move the leftover money into my saving, so i can pay that amount off one of my CCs

GreenSaints

Hey,

Congratulations! It's the small things that snowball into the big things

Hope this continues

mylastpound

cheers for stopping by and reading GreenSaint :beer:

mylastpound

ive decided this week im going to do some 'Fly Lady' chores

This is my list for the week (W.C. 6/2/12

Monday - Bathroom
Clean bath, sink and toiletClear and clean floor
Empty binsWipe down tiles
Sort out bathroom cabinet

Tuesday - Master Bedroom and Landing

Strip, wash and replace bedding
Clear floors
Hoover floors
Clear and wipe windowsill
Sort out at least 1 storage box or drawer from under the bed
Dust any dusty areas
Clean mirrors

Thursday - Kitchen and Dining Room

Clear and wife surfaces
Clear and wipe tableSweep and mop floors
Wipe cupboard fronts including kickboardsClear a hotspot
Run DW/WM through a cleaning cycle
Wipe down tilesClean out fridge
Descale kettle or iron
Sort out cutlery drawer

Saturday - Living Room, Hall & Stairs

Clear floors
Hoover floors
Empty all bins
Dust all dusty bits
Sort a hotspot
Clean mirrors
Clean doors and door frames


hopefully this will get me out of mischief and make sure my chores are done :beer:

MissShoes

sounds like you are raring to go! Have you filled out an soa? On https://www.makesenseofcards.com

deeleybopper

all sounding very positive - well done.
Look forward to following your progress
SOA good advice

mylastpound

Hi Guys :T

Thankyou for stopping by yesturday, i will fill out a SOA eaither tonight or tomorrow

ive checked my online banking this evening and all DDs have come out and i have a full tank of fuel and i have £401 left in my bank - there is 19 Days till payday

so im going to try and hold every penny a prisioner till then :j

hopefully that will be a nice chunk off one of my CC :beer: i cant wait for the day i ring them up to pay them, coz il feel proud to be paying off a chunk instead of min payment

hope everyone has had a MSE day :T

J4mes

Awesome work!!

Its a great feeling paying off massive amounts!

Keep up the good work!

James.

mylastpound

Afternoon all

Havent wrote for a few day, but i have been reading ppl diarys daily

im soo glad i bought a new diary that i carry round with me, as it helps me to write down all items i buy, so i can see where my money is going and funny enough since writing down any spent pennys im not spending as much :T if only i did this 3 years ago :mad:

anyway had a few items i had to pay for like my pet injections £23 and pet food since my last update - going to spend some time later setting up my budget and spend spreadsheet

im waiting for my new CC statements to come through so i can see what the minimum payments will be on them all, so i can enter these into my budget spreadsheet which will then tell me how much spare money i will have to make some over payments next month

only 13 days till payday :j which means the night before il make my first ever over payment :beer: very excited, sad i know but its a landmark

i think also clearing this debt will make me feel better incase intrest rates rise on mortgages il b able to make the extra increase in payment

im currently looking for a better paid job, but there just isnt anythink out there what i currently do, so fingers crossed some jobs come up available soon :A

also noticed its zero insert fee on Ebay, so might get some items on - see if i can make any extra wonga


Bye for now