What triggered your "lightbulb" moment?

Helonearth

My LBM was late last year when a drunk driver wrote my car off. I had just taken on a mortgage and was still adjusting to the outgoings and running into my savings and using my credit card a little bit each month. Knowing that I would have to buy a new car with the last of my savings meant that I started to take my situation seriously and stop spending more than I earnt each month.

Progress is slow, but I'm glad that everything happened then rather than in 6 months time. Hoping to have cleared my credit card by the end of the year!

System

I had a security review was coming up so I had to come clean. What bakes my noodle is if I didnt have that security review where would I be now? Not on this website and would probably be deeper in debt.

southernscouser

Garnet_Gem wrote: »

What triggered your "lightbulb" moment?

I went to give a homeless chap some money and he told me he didn't accept Mastercard! :think:

moonlightpjs

Good question - I think we always knew we were in debt over our heads but reality struck a cord when hubby was discharged from hospital and we were told the illness could return and maybe be worse/life threatening and we realised our life insurance would not cover the mortgage and our debts. Having 2 small children this was very frightening. This site has been a lifesaver for us and I only found it when we heard about reclaiming bank charges.

*zippy*

Husbands work had money worries and I realised if they couldn't pay him one month or laid him off we were in deep trouble, my cc was up to its limit and we had no savings to fall back on, benefits were not going to cover our out goings thats for sure.

sea-horse07

I had a major LBM when I realised that even though I had made a payment on my credit card, the outstanding balance for the next month was even more than the balance for the previous month even though I had payed some off because of the interest.

Dr_Hook

When I realised that my credit card and unsecured loan minimum payments were higher than the mortgage payments each month :eek:

I'm getting married in November 2008 and can't afford to contribute anything towards wedding costs - my fiancee is paying for it more-or-less single-handedly (and without using credit!). Guilt spurred me into action

skint_spice

Like Girlracer I realised how much extra I'd have if I didn't have the debt to pay off each month. Most of it is from so long ago I can't even remember what I bought... but I kept paying minimum and adding another £30/£50 extra on to total each month.

auntie_brenda

When I got sick to death of worrying about money all the time...... of course, the irony is I'm spending more time thinking about it now than I ever did, but it's constructive now :rolleyes:

TAG

I'm seriously hoping that DH's is starting to flicker.:rolleyes: Though I won't hold my breath. :rolleyes: As I've told him in no uncertain terms NO HOLIDAY this year. Really hoping that will work.

We can still pay everything at the moment but should anything major happen again this year as it did last year then quite frankly we're knackered.

Honest to god, the man spends the stuff like it's going out of fashion.