Determined diva's get outta debt diary!

Determined_diva

Dear diary
01.01.14

New year, new start for us all right?

This year my new years resolutions shall be:
- pay ALL of my debt off
- get my garden sorted
- get my teeth sorted
- save.. yes SAVE £1,000
- get my cooker (yes the same one ive been banging on since joining this site) as I still dont have one :-(
- Get back to my ideal weight which I was summer 2013 (9st 8lb).. now 11st 1lb
- Pay a compliment a day to someone

but in order to do that I need to reflect on what my past 3 months have been and where I am as my starting point....

Best decisions?

1. Cutting back on going out since summer ( although still a long way to go which I shall focus on for 2014)
2. Deciding to run the marathon in 2014. This (I hope) will give me the focus on food control, weight control and lifew control

Worst decisions?
1. STILL going out even though I know that I should be ploughing ALL of my money into debt busting. And for what? Regluar bar goers that are NOT my friends deep down.
2. Wasting a year of pretending to debt bust - i was only lying to myself


Current financial situation?
£11,000 ** Need to update the actual true figure in due course

1 thing I am most proud of?
1. Starting the marathon training

1 thing I am disappointed with?
1. Not debt busting when I should be with all you lovely people

What things do I need to hold onto to get through 2014 and achieve my goals?
- hold onto the fact that I have been 9st 8lb recently so I can do this again
- hold onto the fact that I can debt bust just like the rest of you lovely people on here. There was some amazing stories on here in 2013 and I want to be one of them in 2014

Happy new year all, wishing you all the best for 2014 and wish all your debt busting dreams come true
DDx

Determined_diva

Hi all

Just checking in.. made a big step today! The largest debt of just over £8k I have been paying £50 per month for the past 2 years. I had the money, but was not making myself the true broke that I realy am and still carrying on with the lifestyle that got me into debt in the first place.

Today - I re looked at my spreadsheets I did pre xmas and I said that I was going to pay £700... so I changed my standing order to pay that amount every month now.

I feel a bit sick - like a little child who has had their pocket money cut off! BUT I realise that I am am wasting time paying minimum payments and then spending £650 on luxuries whilst posting on here!

Feeling embarrased as you lot all work so hard at debt busting and Im a fraud.. but I'm going to do it now once and for all.. I shall be here next year... but with saving targets NOT and I really mean NOT in debt still

DDx

Shoe_Gal

Well done you - and you are not a fraud, we all go about things in different ways. :A

Determined_diva

Dear Diary,

This week has been a up/down one.... I got paid on friday so made some payments - credit card of £179 now paid off, old debt from 2011 of £148: tried to call them to pay up and they said it has been writted off and I have been registered as a bad debtor, so can take the £148 off my debt list. The downside is that I was meant to work tonight in 2nd job but had to cancel my shift (which I never do!). I am basically at exhaustion point. I work full time, work at the weekend, work in the evenings once a week (yes thats 3 jobs) and occassionally work a saturday morning once a month (yes thats 4 jobs!!). I was trying with all my might to get to next week, where I am on a short long weekend city break so I could rest, but unfortunately I could not make it till then so I am gutted! The money I have lost out on tonight basically paid for my hotel next week.

The only plus side is my 3rd job is new, so the money i take from there should cover the money i am losing out on tonight and early on enough that I am not used to the new money going on bills (hope this makes sense)

Tonight is a bottle of wine, sort out my bills and debts, plan what I am going to do with all these jobs (may start looking for a new job that pays more so I can cut down the hours), do some housework thats been neglected of late and then early night for me - i am going ot bed at 10pm latest. I am going to go to bed 9.30-10pm every night next week too and lay in on my break so that I can be better for work the following week.

Gutted gutted gutted!!! Sometimes though (as I am feeling now) you just have to take a step back, and think about your health more than money.

I need to rest, sleep and get rid of this cold so that I can be productive again to earn the money :-(

DDx

Shoe_Gal

I understand about tiredness. I only have one job but I only started 2 weeks ago and have a longish commute. Have been shattered all week and am joining you on the early nights plan next week!

Determined_diva

Checking in today after a break...

So over the last 2 weeks I have been a busy bee with my marathon training plus I was away also.

I knew this was going to be a spend - although I have booked it before it was budgeted for. So I thought this is going to be the last month of paying for things without a budget in place...

I tried to keep costs down as much as possible - swapped my hotel I had origianlly booked for 1 that was half the price, took tubes everywhere rather than cabs whilst I was away and kept the bottle of win in the room rather than paying for it being out!

I also have started car sharing at work to save costs so that will definately help over the course of this year whilst debt busting.

My credit card is fully paid off now, so is one of my other debts.

You may remember me saying that I changed my standing order on my largest debt of £8k from £50pm to £700pm. Well I have changed this back to £50... here me out though! The reason for this is that the payment comes out the 1st of every month, but I get paid 4 weekly so the dates always change.

I dont completely trust myself with being able to leave the money in the account for weeks on end before something else "pops up" so I am going to pay £650 every pay day as the overpayment so its gone before its hanging around and then justn let the regular £50 come out as normal to make the £700.

I hope you agree with me - I just fear that I will go though another year like last where it was excuse after excuse! I really am determined to pay back this debt this year so although there is a £1 charge every time I make a card payment to this bad debt (Grr) The extra £13 (as I get paid 13 times a year rather than 12) will be worth it in the long run as at least I am paying this debt back!

July and August pay days are on the 4th and the 1st - so for those dates I will pay the whole £700 by standing order and save myself £2.

Still really focussed and excited on getting this debt to £0 - I keep thinking of the day I am debt free knowing I have nothing hanging over my head :-(

DDx

Determined_diva

AAAAAARRRGGGGGHHHH! My USB has died on me which had all... and I mean ALL money related things on it! Including my amazing budget sheet I spent all Christmas compiling :-(

Have just done another one with all my formulas in it again - but annoyed as now I have lost all of January's logs on my spends

Damn damn damn!

DDx

Determined_diva

WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!
Pay in my bank so I have made the first step in my new outlook and paid £650.97 (to make the total debt now whole numbers) rather than the £50pm I have been paying for the past 2 years!

I know I wont be "woo hoo-ing" for long when the lack of funds sets in, but at least I now do not have the opportunity to squander it like I have been doing these past years...

I am on the road to becoming debt free by the end of this year if I carry on this way :-)

Too excited to sleep now!!

Total paid off is £1,161.22/ £10,953.97 = 10.6%

DDx

Historybuff

Hi DD,
Just reading your diary and seeing how hour debt built up by helping others and bailing them out resonated with me. That's exactly how I managed to let my debts get way out of control...never could say no. Well now I have to as I'm at the end of my limits. Still feel guilty though.
Good luck with your get out of debt journey...I've just started mine.

Determined_diva

Hi diary
On this lovely saturday afternoon I am looking at my budgets and re adjusting them... so I pay off more debt!

Now I have to slightly reasonable (which this military payment plan has no room for error) but I have calculated it all from my main job and not my 2nd one so hopefully it works out as there technically is about another £250-£300 not accounted for which can be used for all unexpected things in life.

I have upped it so that I can get out of debt by October instead of December. This is mainly upping my payments by £300 per month and cutting out/back on other non essentials that I had budgeted in.

I have forfeighted my birthday, any one elses birthday, £5.99 a month netflix, alcohol down from 4 bottles a month to 1 (im in fitness training anyway so wanted to cut back) and other things of similar etc.

The one thing I have given myself as a mid way treat is a holiday. Sounds crazy right? But I have thought long and hard about what I will miss most on my debt free journey this year and it is a holiday. I can get clothes from work for free (not my favourite brand - but I can get by!), I can work extra shifts so I feel like I am having a night out, I can be a healthier version of me by reduction of alcohol, but what I didnt plan for is how much I would miss that 7 days chill out and relax and celebrate how far I have come!

My holiday is all inclusive for just slightly over £300. I went this route so that I know exactly what I am paying for and no need ot start saving up anymore.

I have also told my mum (who is coming with me) that if I havent paid half the total debt off by June, then I cannot go on the holiday!!!!! That scares me to think that if I am not paid up I cant go!! But on the other hand I think that I wanted that holdiay as my half way point, so I have to achieve this. To put it into context half my debt is around £5k.

I know its just a juggling of money cutting back and one and spending on another, but with the money I will save this year from not doing all the clothes buying, netflix, drinking etc, it will allow me to pay off 2 months earlier and have a cheap break as a mid point way. I purposely booked the holiday in June so it really is half way through the year.

I am annoyed with myself that I cant pay more - I officially have the debt busting bug and I look forward to paying bits off it.

Roll on October!!! Now off to see if there is a way I can pay it off any quicker..... I wish I could throw my 2nd job at it also, but I have a huge dental bill to deal with plus car insurance, MOT etc.. so best not set myself up to fail.

I want to succeed and I am going to succeed!

DDx