Ultimate Challenge. 457 days / £16600!!!

NinjaSavingKat

Excellent news for you!!!!

Happytogetdebtfree

yes so lets do lots of praying lol:)

Siouxsie32

Hey ladies GREAT WORK :T:T:T

I have nothing quite so exciting to report - although I did have a little splurge on the way back from the gym last night. Pumpkins are 2 for £3 at Tesco and I had a 57p voucher (from a receipt I found in the car park - see, no shame!) so for £2.43 I got two 9 month, about to give birth sized pumpkins and spent the rest of the night googling how to freeze them :rotfl: All pumpkin recipies will be greatfully received I think I'll spend my Friday night attempting to chop them up and make a batch of pumpkin, coconut and chilli soup (who said MSEing isn't fun )

Still watching my watchers on ebay too - the things I listed this week are all things that I didn't really expect to sell. I only started the auctions at more than 99p cos it was free listings weekend and I figured I had nothing to lose. They'll get relisted at 99p next week if they don't sell.

I now reckon I have just enough money in my account to cover my salary shortfall - I just wish I could see my payslip so that I can start working out what can go where/if i have any left etc. I laughed kat when you said about being sad for rounding things down to even numbers. That's what I do :rotfl: I used to PAD (the Payment A Day thread on these boards where you literally pay something extra every day. I used to round my bank account down to the nearest pound every morning) but now I find if I keep my credit card balances at a round number I strive to pay off even more by paying and extra £5 or £10. Another thing I've started doing (and it seems to work for me) is paying off the interest added each month plus my regular DD payment. For example, the Virgin credit card that is in my signature currently has a balance of £550. When the statement comes out, interest of £14ish will be added to the balance before I make my next monthly payment. By paying off the £14ish, my balance stays at £550 and the whole of my minimum payment comes off the balance. Plus, obviously, with ebay sales etc through the month, I'll do my best to add £5 or £10 payments whenever I can.

I'm determined to get rid of the Virgin card and my Santander Loan by the end of the year!!! I will do it :T OK, sounds like I'm ready for the "Batten Down The Hatches" challenge. Hit me with the rules......

Happytogetdebtfree

ooh pumpkins i dont know any recepies lol :P but please share your successes im looking forward to november xx

NinjaSavingKat

Siouxsie - tell me how much the Santander loan is??... I am going to do this as well with the paying of interest.. One of the loans is hitting about £160 in interest every 2 months.. the other is only £30. But its the £30 interest loan that I want to hit with a big stick by the end of the year which although is only two months is 3 paydays.. ( 31st of every month for the following month )..

If I include my repayments already accounted for I need to somehow get hold of another £887 per month. I am basically going to have to work every weekend! It's going to be painful!

Siouxie I need to think about the rules - these will be posted by Monday night...

NinjaSavingKat

Pumpkin pie by the way - you must do pumpkin pie!!

Happytogetdebtfree

I follow the rule of paying down the fastest debt then you get the momentum when it comes to hitting the big ones it can make me quuezy lol :P i cant wait till im saving yippeee i feel il be a great saver hahah x

Siouxsie32

Yeah, I think that's what I'm doing. My 6 debts that I'm tackling in this 450 day challenge (oh yes, there will be more debt left come day 451 but it better be quaking in it's boots cos it'll not be there for much longer!!!). Oh yeah, the debts:

Debt 1: Virgin Mastercard = Was £634.77at the start of this challenge... Now £550 (sounds like a DFS advert!)
Debt 2: Santander Loan = Was £610.40...Now £568.28 (have diverted £50 per month from another debt to this so my DD payments are now£100)
Debt 3: Capital One Visa = Was £1739.82...Now £1690. The interest on this card is close to £50 a month so by ebaying and whatever-else I aim to pay the extra interest plus my DD.
Debt 4 - 6 can wait until these ones are dead. The balances are higher and, in line what you said happy, the momentum of killing the first two debts will keep me focused for the Capital One card. Plus, the others will be quietly reducing in the background until I'm ready for them!

When I look at how much I spend on interest a month it really really focuses me. I'm not mad at my stupidity, I made my bed and I'm lying in it. However, without the debt, I could be lying in my bed in a new pair of Louboutins every month (and then some!) :eek:

Happytogetdebtfree

I cant say i had sleepless nights due to my finances but i did shed alot of tears it made me feel somewhat sick at how stupid we had been and how at the moment we are wasting time but alas i have a man who i love and im happy the finances will catch up... i think i cried the first two years of the lbm because it was such a sock to my soul but then these last few years ive realised the end is in sight it is achievable i can be a money magnet and make a difference... its very rare i discuss my motives outside of mse world as i arent overly comfortable at people knowing what we owed at our highest.... im very proud at what i have paid off somes just phoned and ive lost my train of thought lol lol lol :O

Siouxsie32

Lol happy, I do that too :rotfl:

I have told two close friends about my debt but I'd be mortified if my family found out (I'm the one that doesn't need anything at Christmas, remember?). I lived for a long time not seeing a way out of it and just relieved to make it to the next payday without having to sell my soul to get there. Now, like you, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and the two years (and a bit, two years is extremely ambitious but it keeps me focused) it'll take me to get there is nothing when I consider how much money I'll have when I get there. I honestly think I'll be a money magnet too and be able to save because I'm so used to spending very very little. This thread is fabulous because the support is amazing and we're like minded people. I'm sure we'll share each others successes and push each other through the hard times....like November if kat has her way with her rules