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New Year, new baby, new challenges!
jwil
Posts: 22,426 Forumite
Hi everyone :wave:
I've been planning on starting a new diary for ages, but have been pretty slack with posting recently. I need to get back into it though.
I have a lot of debt, and whilst I've been battling away at it for the last few years, I don't seem to be getting anywhere with it really. This needs to change and fast!
I've decided that I'm going to focus on the CC debt, and leave the loans to tick over. They are going down each month, whereas the credit cards are still being spent on
so the balances are not reducing. I haven't added up recently, but think this equals about £25k :eek:
My main method of paying this off is to sell everything that's not nailed down. Both DH and I have a lot of stuff and our house is absolutely crammed. We also inherited the contents of a hoarded house, so are still working our way through that four years later (this is also crammed into our house).
Our house needs total refurbishment but we can't do that until we've cleared a lot of stuff. So I have two motivations to get on with selling stuff - clear the house and the debt.
To top it all off, last year we had the huge surprise in that we found out we were expecting. That was a big shock as all precautions were being taken, and we both thought for various reasons we would struggle to conceive whenever we did try.
It is very much the wrong time financially, and means a huge struggle ahead, but we will manage I'm sure. Baby is now very much wanted and loved, and is due next month.
I will be taking around 6 months maternity leave and then will have to juggle the expense of childcare along with everything else. I hope therefore to use my maternity leave to give a good bash at clearing the house and raising the extra funds to try and whittle the outgoings down somewhat. I'm obviously not sure how realistic that is, but do hope to achieve something.
If I didn't have my debt, we'd be able to manage fine so it does frustrate me.
Wish me luck, and I hope you'll join me on my journey!
I've been planning on starting a new diary for ages, but have been pretty slack with posting recently. I need to get back into it though.
I have a lot of debt, and whilst I've been battling away at it for the last few years, I don't seem to be getting anywhere with it really. This needs to change and fast!
I've decided that I'm going to focus on the CC debt, and leave the loans to tick over. They are going down each month, whereas the credit cards are still being spent on
so the balances are not reducing. I haven't added up recently, but think this equals about £25k :eek:My main method of paying this off is to sell everything that's not nailed down. Both DH and I have a lot of stuff and our house is absolutely crammed. We also inherited the contents of a hoarded house, so are still working our way through that four years later (this is also crammed into our house).
Our house needs total refurbishment but we can't do that until we've cleared a lot of stuff. So I have two motivations to get on with selling stuff - clear the house and the debt.
To top it all off, last year we had the huge surprise in that we found out we were expecting. That was a big shock as all precautions were being taken, and we both thought for various reasons we would struggle to conceive whenever we did try.
It is very much the wrong time financially, and means a huge struggle ahead, but we will manage I'm sure. Baby is now very much wanted and loved, and is due next month.
I will be taking around 6 months maternity leave and then will have to juggle the expense of childcare along with everything else. I hope therefore to use my maternity leave to give a good bash at clearing the house and raising the extra funds to try and whittle the outgoings down somewhat. I'm obviously not sure how realistic that is, but do hope to achieve something.
If I didn't have my debt, we'd be able to manage fine so it does frustrate me.
Wish me luck, and I hope you'll join me on my journey!
"Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee
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Shiny new diary xxxxsubscribing xxNEXT TARGET: Halifax credit card DEC 22 £0 / £4499.12POAMAYC 2011 £6378.35 POAMAYC 2012 £5000.78POAMAYC 2013 £3480.04 POAMAYC 2014 £4085.14POAMAYC 2015 £7565.24 POAMAYC 2016 £8000.90 POAMAYC 2017 £7278.80 POAMAYC 2018 £13208.18POAMAYC 2019 £13309.28 POAMAYC 2020 £15026.050
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Hey jwil lovely to have you posting again - i know the last few weeks have been hectic - and for me to! Although i don't know where the time has gone with your pregnancy - it has flown by!
I am sure you will manage brilliantly and if there is anything i can do to help let me know
I'm so busy i don't want to send you a garbled PM but it will be monday of next week when i sort that thing out any suggestions on colour ?
Great news on the project declutter plans! I'll have to join you - we could have mini challenges
See you soon - just on a quick and much needed study break and then back to it
CC1:T £[STRIKE]2531[/STRIKE] £1460MORTGAGE OVERPAYMENTS: £10575.20 Target £12,100MF Date: [STRIKE]August 2042[/STRIKE] May 2035Declutter 1000 things by Xmas 2015! 53/10000 -
Well last night I had my midwife appointment as scheduled, and was given a huge shock when I was told to head straight to hospital as my blood pressure was too high :eek:
I did go (via the sorting office to drop off a load of ebay stuff
) and luckily after a couple of hours and a load of monitoring later got sent home again all fine and dandy.
It was a big scare though, and I was freaking out somewhat, and poor DH was worried sick at home (I told him not to bother coming in unless it was urgent).
It has brought home to me though, that I better get organised.
My tasks for this week therefore are:
Pack hospital bags
Get as much completed at work as possible, in case I need to leave earlier
Ensure my phone is topped up
Scrabble together some change to keep to hand for hospital parking
Get some more stuff listed on ebay.
I'm in a quandary about ebay really, I need to get some funds in urgently so need to have stuff listed, but what to do about when I give birth.
My current thinking is to get as much on as I can this week, then it will end the beginning of feb, and then just list items on scheduled listings to be uploaded when baby's here. Obviously DH may be able to keep an eye on things, but it will be difficult especially if there are any complications etc.
It's hard work balancing things when you don't know what's happening!"Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee0 -
Hello :wave:
Subscribing...I lurked on your last diary
Good luck with baby, decluttering and debt busting. You can do it :T
Mm xProud to be dealing with my debts :T
Avid YNAB user0 -
Helloo - good to see you back. I will be here with you on your journey - I cant believe baby is due so soon - seems like just yesterday you were telling us. I cant wait lol.
good luck with the debt busting. I agree clearing the credit cards is a good start - thats what I did whilst the loan ticked over. x0 -
Shiny new diary xxxxsubscribing xxMoney_mayhem wrote: »Hello :wave:
Subscribing...I lurked on your last diary
Good luck with baby, decluttering and debt busting. You can do it :T
Mm x
Woo, I've got company already :T Nice to 'see' you both
Do delurk more often Mm, though I am very guilty of lurking too much on other people's diaries (yours included abba) "Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee0 -
DedicatedDFW wrote: »Hey jwil lovely to have you posting again - i know the last few weeks have been hectic - and for me to! Although i don't know where the time has gone with your pregnancy - it has flown by!
I am sure you will manage brilliantly and if there is anything i can do to help let me know
I'm so busy i don't want to send you a garbled PM but it will be monday of next week when i sort that thing out any suggestions on colour ?
Great news on the project declutter plans! I'll have to join you - we could have mini challenges
See you soon - just on a quick and much needed study break and then back to it
Thanks DDFW You don't have to - honestly. But otherwise, I'm not too fussed. Not baby pink obviously!
Mini challenges sound good though. Good luck with the studying!Helloo - good to see you back. I will be here with you on your journey - I cant believe baby is due so soon - seems like just yesterday you were telling us. I cant wait lol.
good luck with the debt busting. I agree clearing the credit cards is a good start - thats what I did whilst the loan ticked over. x
Thanks LAM - it does seem to have crept up rather quickly!
My POAMAYC challenge this year is one credit card - I'm going to aim to clear that one and see how I get on."Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee0 -
new diary and a nice long newsy post. We likey xMortgage: £280,752/ £262,515.84
hmrc:£16760/£5,480.20
evil credit cards: £41,208/ £37,841
Car: £18,800/£13,101.18
Weight 13.9/ 12.6 -1 stone 3
saving for refurb £2000/£700 1 July 20130 -
Followed you over from your previous diary look forward to reading
Can't believe your nearly due already! xPOAMAYC #67 in 2013 £6304.93/£6000
In the negative (to the not so nice) tune of £19771.50 ... 31.8% Paid0 -
new diary and a nice long newsy post. We likey xWant-To-Fit-In wrote: »Followed you over from your previous diary look forward to reading
Can't believe your nearly due already! x
Nice to 'see' you both I can't believe I'm nearly due either :eek: "Good financial planning is about not spending money on things that add no value to your life in order to have more money for the things that do". Eoin McGee0
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