Sort it out Scuff!

Scuff

Hello,

Basically I have decided enough is enough - my debts aren't THAT astronomical when I compare them with other people's but any debt is bad! And as well as clear my debts I want to change my attitude in general, no more silly spending!! We're supposed to be saving up for a house and it's going ridiculously slow as I haven't much spare money to throw at the savings, so really I'm holding OH back cos he's a good boy and has no debt!

I've already taken some steps before writing this, I've transferred 2 credit cards onto 1, 0% until next September, sold a bit of stuff on ebay, got another pile of stuff to put on, done some surveys and brought a pint of milk into work so I stopped using the vending machine! As well as bringing in a packed lunch etc etc. Had 3 consecutive NSDs too :j (4 if I get through today, tomorrow I'll need petrol ) I also cancelled all the stupid things that were coming out of my account - lovefilm, something else which was clearly important to me as I've forgotten already :rotfl:and the gym letter is written, waiting to be taken down!

I'll go through my actual figures etc in another post, I know what these are but this one's turning into a bit of a MAMMOTH!!

Scuff

Turns out the last post wasn't as mammoth as I thought, this one might be though

I've decided to start at the beginning, let's rewind! I've never been too good with money (which annoys my dad no end cos he's super scrimpy and really good, and somehow I ended up with money that burned a big fat hole in my pocket!) but had a job throughout 6th form which kept me afloat. When I went to uni in 2005 however, I suddenly had a lot of money available to me free of charge (wake up one morning to £1000 just 'appearing' - overdraft - 18 yo and shops calling... FAIL) basically be the time I actually got to uni I'd already maxed out the 0% overdraft they gave me. Mistake number 1! As well as this lovely overdraft the bank also offered me a credit card... 18yo me says YES PLEASE!!! Mistake number 2! Even though I vowed never to spend it, emergencies only, blah blah blah it didn't take long before I decided clothes were clearly an emergency and that one was maxed out to £500...

Student loan was soon running out and so in my infinite wisdom I thought hummhumm let's see if I can get another credit card (yes) and soon it's another £500 I've spent and am not really thinking about. Mistake numbe... you get the idea!

I was kind of okay then, scraping by until the summer before my third year when I seriously ran out of money, decided to live in my uni house and try to get a job there (no luck) and then had even less money as ofc i was paying to live. So click click click I applied for another card. Letterbox rattles wahoo more free money for meee!! (I was a fool, I know this now) I managed semi-sensibly until the night of my 21st birthday celebrations, cleverly went to the cashpoint to draw some money out on it (sensible) and found they'd increased my limit from £400 to £1200!!! $$ $$ <- this is how my drunken eyes looked. It didn't take long till I was back out of money again (and seriously I have no clue WHAT I spent all this money on, I like clothes but I really don't have that many :think: my monthly payments were £120+, I was getting phone calls from all over the place asking for my payments because I didnt have the money to make them, and inevitably, my dad found out, hit the roof, and then paid it off because he'd rather me owe him the money than them and be paying it back at 34.9% (!) apr. All was kind of sunny. Until I did it again to £800. He angrily paid it off again (bless him, now I work I have no idea how he did this, he's not rich at all, single parent etc ) and cut up my card and watched me cancel the account.

Fast forward to 2011, after 2 years of unemployment I got my current job, started some grand plan to pay off my debts (of course by now the student overdraft is no longer 0%), paid off the 2nd credit card and most of the first one by throwing a whole lot of cash at them each month. I got the first one down to about 150 (that was seriously like 1month payment and it would have been GONE) and thought 'hey, I'll save money if I get a 0% card and balance transfer... If you transfer the balance and don't spend on it maybe, but surprise surprise, I didn't. £1200 later, £1200 worse off. Oh I best do something about this overdraft I thought, so I applied for a 0% overdraft current account, set everything up, somehow I've maxed one out and still got a proportion of the other. (And this wasn't that long ago either...)

SO. I decided in September I actually am sick of it, I need to stop and maybe as a lot of people do if I record it on here I'll have more resolve, althoguh I am REALLY serious this time. I'm sick of paying rent when I could have a house, except ofc we have no deposit, I can't save cos I want to get rid of debts first etc. I transferred the 2 remaining CCs onto 0% (£1180 & £150) stopped spending and if I stick to it (I will) I should have the credit card and the old overdraft cleared by August, if not sooner as every extra bit of money I get I'm gonna throw into it, and then I've got my current overdraft and my dad to pay back.

I WILL SORT IT OUT!!!!!!!!!

Scuff

Oops forgot totals (although they are in my signature)

CC £1369.50 (0%)
OD 1 £1197.17 (Need to find out interest on this)
OD 2 £1500 (0%)
Bank of Dad £3000 (0%)

xx

Hiddenidenity

Look forward to reading along the way

*Subscribes* x

beanielou

Happy new diary

pantherchick

Hi Scuff, well done for making that first step ! we all have been there and know how it feels to face up to facts. You've taken them first steps to your future.
You have done the right things first, swapping credit card percentage. etc, cutting back on un neccessary items, i know what it feels like we want but do we really need? get yourself a money box and start putting that money your saving in it. watch it mount up then pay off a chunk of the debt. little by little you will see a dent in that debt, but remember why your doing it. your future. as mad as it sounds you could always write on the label of your pot " My Future".
I look forward to your posts. good luck babes xxxx

Scuff

Hiddenidenity wrote: »

Look forward to reading along the way

*Subscribes* x

Thanks Hiddenidenity, I was subscribed to you already too just hope I can actually have a backbone this time, I always start off with such good intentions!! This time I mean it though, time to grow up!! x

Scuff

beanielou wrote: »

Happy new diary

Thanks beanielou, it's surprising how much difference it makes just to feel like I have understanding support, and somewhere to witter without worrying I'm getting judged / told why haven't I paid it off yet!! x

Hiddenidenity

Scuff wrote: »

Thanks Hiddenidenity, I was subscribed to you already too just hope I can actually have a backbone this time, I always start off with such good intentions!! This time I mean it though, time to grow up!! x

Its my 3rd time :eek: You think I'd have learnt by now :o

Scuff

pantherchick wrote: »

cutting back on un neccessary items, i know what it feels like we want but do we really need? get yourself a money box and start putting that money your saving in it. watch it mount up then pay off a chunk of the debt. little by little you will see a dent in that debt, but remember why your doing it. your future. as mad as it sounds you could always write on the label of your pot " My Future".
I look forward to your posts. good luck babes xxxx

Thanks pantherchick, I already have a little box by my bed that I started putting random change I found in my pockets in, and it's such a pain to open I cba going into it to steal 50p like I used to. Saying that I'm sure there's only like £1.30 or something in it, but every little bit helps ay!

And it's crazy I worked out I was spending £5 a week purely on tiny plastic cups of coffee - and they're not even nice - when I already had coffee sugar and teabags in my desk drawer, 45p for a pint of milk?? Where's the sense in that?!

xx

PollyOnAMission

Hi Scuff and well done for getting things in check

It sounds like you made the kind of mistakes a lot of people make at uni etc, when money was easy-come-easy-go. Aren't dads great at looking out for us and helping us out of scrapes when we have harsh lessons to learn? I'd be lost without mine!

Good luck for your new diary