lionheartedgirl... moving on

lionheartedgirl

Well I've been here 3 years now!! In fact 3 years tomorrow.

Life has changed a huge amount in that time, but for various reasons my debts have increased.

It's getting scary now as I have taken a colossal financial risk and returned to full-time education. I started my course in September and I've moved 450 miles away from where i used to live... and the really scary bit is that my old house is still up for sale :eek:

A couple of crunch points are coming up, the first at the beginning of April and then the second at the beginning of July. I am focussed on good things happening, and doing as much as I can to facilitate everything falling into place, but I really need to plan for the worst.

I'll do a separate post with all my debts in so that I can track these coming down.

I need to get back in the habit of coming on here to keep my eyes on the prize... freedom from debt and increased flexibility.

I have lots to get on ebay, but struggle with it, so am planning to start by selling some books on Amazon in the hope that this will kick me into action. I have some rare stuff to shift so hopefully this will do well.

I spent my first term adjusting to things (talk about a culture shock from full time professional employment plus working weekends as a musician and evenings as a teacher!) but now I have more of a clue what the demands on my time are, I am going to look for a part time job. My course is heavy going and I have a lot to do away from college. I'm hoping to find some bar work at least one evening a week, and also need to get myself set up to get some gigs through the summer with my instrument.

I hadn't wanted to go back to my previous industry through the summer, but I'm going to get myself set up ready to do this just in case my house is still hanging around by then.

I've joined a couple of challenges on the DFW board (tin hat on!), one to reduce bought lunches and one to really get me into good habits for January in the hope these will last all year.

I've had brilliant support on here, and have met a few people in real life. I have to make this work as the alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

Happy New Year to everyone!

lionheartedgirl

Scores on the doors:

NatWest CC - £4541
Mint CC - £2053
BoS CC - £4305
JL CC - £961
Virgin CC - £10,563
Loan - £13,475

Eye popping total - £35,918

On the plus side.... no overdraft now

NB

I have musical instruments worth about £15k (which I bought as part of the above balance) and I also have a motorbike and a car. I'm trying to hang onto all of these as long as I can, but should things take a turn for the worse I will rethink. The car is essential to be able to work, but should it come to it I could downsize on my instrument (not size wise but value wise). Although I can use instruments at college, I do need to keep my own really so that I can work with it, and also there's a lot of pressure on available practice time in college.

I've also done some major work on my old house to get it into a good saleable condition. Again this has all been borrowed.

I've always justified the debt with the above reasons, but there is no getting away from the fact that it's a crazy amount of money.

lionheartedgirl

*skulks back in quietly*

evening all!

well deary me it's been a little while.

Life is good - skinty but really good. Debt is creeping up as I am basically surviving on a credit card for my day to day spends (which are minimal despite my student status!). I've had a few big spends due to car insurance, car tax, musical instrument insurance and a service, plus a vet bill too.

So the new total is £37,151 :eek:

I'm almost at the end of the first year of my course, and it has been amazing. I have to admit, when I added up the totals just now, I did consider pulling the plug but I really want to keep going if I can. If I need to, I can go back to my old line of work, but I am hoping that things will work out and I won't need to.

I am about to start cracking on with ebaying as I really need to get some extra cash in ASAP so that I can cover my bills due on 1st July. After that the money runs out without borrowing more, which I am not willing to do.

Looking back at the last term, there is no way I could have managed a regular part time job as well as all the performances and rehearsals that I've been doing. So really, the best thing to do is to push for more gigs of my own.

I have a couple booked in already - these are down south but will cover my travel and still give me a decent chunk left over.

I have a week of my easter holidays left and I will be doing some recordings, updating my website and then putting my brave hat on and making contact with a few places up here to get some more bookings. It's a bit late for bookings this summer but hopefully I can pick up some last minute ones covering for other people.

I will be popping in more regularly, I still lurk and read lots of diaries. Hopefully I can track all my ebaying here and see what goodies I can flog After 6 months in my new place, I have a much better idea of what I need and what I don't.

RosaBernicia

Hello LHG, dunno how I missed the start of your thread but am subscribed now

Good for you in doing what you want to do. However scary the total looks, it would be just as/ even more scary to look back later and wish you'd done it. (And I say this while still paying off my course and having not got the final exam to practice as I got detoured by the career that was only supposed to pay for that training! Still wouldn't change it )

Good luck with the gig-finding, crossing fingers

Rosa xx

Hiddenidenity

Good luck

*Subscribes*

lionheartedgirl

thanks both :beer:

I wouldn't change it for the world.

There are some rumblings regarding selling my old house but I am too scared that it won't go through to even contemplate talking about it too much at the mo. I've told my mum about it, under strict instructions not to keep asking me about it, but that's about all.

Still, my whole move up here has been about having confidence, not assuming the worst, looking for the best outcome in every situation etc. so really I am trying to have a word with myself and limit the scaredyness I'm feeling. Things have worked out really well so far, and there is no sense in wasting energy assuming this won't continue.

I spent years planning for/assuming the worst on the financial front and all it did was make me miserable.

So I will keep everything crossed, tell myself everything will go through just dandy (if not quite to my timescale!), and will hope for the best.

I've just been reading through some older diaries on here from people who don't post any more, and it's making me all mushy. I've learnt such a lot from this site and it's definitely been a huge part in getting me to where I am now.

Although the debt is big, it's for good reasons and I don't regret it. Doesn't stop me having the odd little panic every now and then, but as above, I will continue to assume everything will be brilliant. (while having a couple of plans up my sleeve just in case!)

I've been meaning to try matched betting in ages - I'm very mathsy so am quite looking forward to it. Lots of reading to do on this one!

choogirl

Hi Lionhearted Girl

I was just wondering how you were getting on the other day.

Sounds like college is full on, that is a scary number that you're dealing with but you're doing what you want to do and enjoying it.

What will you be doing over the summer break? Temping maybe?

Good luck with the ebay sales, I need to restart ebaying again.

Take care xxxx

lionheartedgirl

thanks choogirl, I lurk on your diary often and am so glad you achieved everything you had planned

summer holidays - well I had really wanted to have a long lazy summer like lots of students seem to have I didn't get to enjoy the holidays when I went the first time round as I had a big accident and spent them recovering from that.

but in reality, if I don't get enough harp work in for the summer, then yes I will be temping. My pet recruitment agent has a couple of clients up here and reckons he can get me some work, which will certainly help get the debt down further and get some in the pot for next academic year so that I don't need to go into further debt. I also had to pay full whack for my CIMA subs despite being a student so really I should make use of them! :mad:

I've just had an email through for 25% off Oasis - normally I would feel a bit sad and delete it, but I took a broken handbag back last week and got £40 put back on my card. It put me in slight profit as I'd bought the bag with 30% off it, so even though the bag had gone into sale it was still at a higher price than I'd paid. I didn't have a receipt or my statement so got the current price.

So this is sitting on my account, and hopefully I can find something lovely for summer or for concerts. Anything I need now tends to come from H&M so Oasis seems very expensive these days, but it will be nice to have a little treat

lionheartedgirl

A good week has been had on many fronts, moneywise I've only spent £7.50 on Orange Wednesday cinema tickets for 2 (had lunch paid for in return).

I'm in college for a rehearsal today and I doubt I will be able to resist a coffee but am in two minds as I need to go to the bank to get cash out just for that, and I don't need anything else.

Tomorrow another instalment of my student loan goes in - this was the first crunch point, originally I was going to struggle to make it through this but various things have come together miraculously and so I will survive it.

The next one is 1st August when the money will have run out if I don't sort out a summer job or my house sale doesn't go through.

I'd forgotten about the Oasis money - should have said, it's on my storecard not on my credit card otherwise it would have gone against the rest of the debt. So I'll pop in today and see if anything appeals.

In other news - there is a new man. I can talk about it on here as he doesn't see this. I started internet dating back in November, it was really tough going to start with as the site I picked wasn't really the right one and there were some really bizarre people on it :eek:

I changed to a different site in January and met this guy in February (after another couple of dire dates!). He's lovely but scarily keen and I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it all.

Other news - I hurt my knee while running a few weeks ago, so had a few weeks off while it recovered (with some very painful osteo treatment :eek: :eek: :eek:), it's much better now but it's bloody hard work running again now after such a long break!

But it's a really great way of keeping my head clear and it's free :j and I've met some fab people through it.

hope everyone has a good weekend

choogirl

Hi Lionhearted Girl

Alot going on as usual, shame you can't have a long, lazy summer like the rest of the students but needs must I suppose!

The new man sounds lovely, hopefully he won't scare you off with being too keen.

Have a good day at college, hope you've got the sun up there x

lionheartedgirl

Afternoon all,

what a week it has been :eek:

had a long and difficult chat with the man on Monday about being too keen and backing off, he was great and everything has been brilliant since then. I feel much happier about it and am looking forward to seeing how things pan out

On Friday I was due to go the vets to get the final sign off on my boy dog's foot - big bill as he had to have a benign lump removed from an awkward place. 3 weeks of going backwards and forwards and we were almost done.

However, on Wednesday evening as we were going out for our walk, I caught his tail in the front door. :eek: :shocked: :doh:

I didn't even realise what had happened, he shrieked but I couldn't see anything wrong so we carried on. He kept turning round to catch his tail, and I saw it was looking bent and had a feel, blood on my hands and a rather gruesome sight so we had to go to the emergency vets in the city centre. I thought about not going, and waiting until the morning, but in the end decided I had to get him checked out in case it was worse overnight.

So first thing on Thursday, we were on our way back to the vets again. They were brilliant, but he's had about a third of it amputated. Another bill.

So this has hit me really, really hard. Also on Wednesday, my estate agent decided enough was enough, my house buyers have been really dragging their heels and so the house has gone back on the market. They haven't necessarily withdrawn but it is completely out of order given that the condition of accepting their offer was that we exchanged by the end of this month.

All this was in the middle of a huge deadline for some college stuff that needed to be in on Friday, so it has been very stressful.

It has kicked me into touch though and I've got onto a few money-related things I'd been procrastinating on :mad: and am making a new battle plan. Some of this could mean some really tough choices but it has to be done and could make a huge difference.

Hopefully a better week to come....