ConsumerP's Diary - road to a debt free life!

consumerpower

Yes I will defo throw it at the OH debt. Also been told my Egg we over paid by £105 so will get that back as well after friday when I can finally close the account

consumerpower

I can’t believe how quick the weeks are going! My life is so much different than it was! I feel so much lighter (not physically unfortunately) and really not struggling to stick to my budget at all.

So I got paid on Friday, and got my bonus too, which was all good, so paid OH £500 back, so have managed to drop this debt some now. Have a few tiny interest payments to make on my credit cards then they will all be cleared, although some we over paid on so hoping this will all balance out, and maybe get some left over.

Also hoping MBNA will make me an offer this week for my bank charges, I phoned and apparently there full response was sent out today so should receive it shortly, it is roughly £130 but still better than nothing! Since I have got paid my proper weekly budget has started so I worked out this month I have £60 a week plus I can earn another £16 for cleaning house, car and mowing the lawn! Hopefully it will stop raining as never managed to do the car or lawn this weekend!

So feeling very positive and keep thinking if I save I could do this or this, realise how much money I have wasted on debts, and keep thinking how much richer I am going to be once I am debt free. Really want to try saving as well instead of spending all my weekly budget, and I am going to do the snowball to see where I am with my Natwest loan, think the first payment went out this month!

Also got £50 for my telly yesterday, so going to save this and hopefully can give back OH £100 towards debt this month!

Oh my one complaint is Halifax, phoned to cancel my credit card, and the lady was like ok, then I said I am credit so I need that back please (she had completely not mentioned this) so then she said have you a Halifax or BOS account and I said no, then it was all me saying well cant you send a cheque or something, then she agreed, and I said well my name has changed cos I got married and I cant bank a cheque in my maiden name, she basically was like tough, and then hung up! YES HUNG UP!

Really need to phone the last of my credit cards to cancel them, although there are massive balances on some of them I am not even in the slightest bit tempted at all. They could offer me a million pounds on credit card and I would turn it down.

OK so another week, so here is my debt Statement

Natwest 25,000 @ 7% 1/05/2007 - NOW 24,384.49 30/05/207
OH £8300 @ 0% 1/05/2007 – NOW 7800 30/05/2007
Next £127 – 01/05/2007 – PAID

angelavdavis

consumerpower wrote: »

Oh my one complaint is Halifax, phoned to cancel my credit card, and the lady was like ok, then I said I am credit so I need that back please (she had completely not mentioned this) so then she said have you a Halifax or BOS account and I said no, then it was all me saying well cant you send a cheque or something, then she agreed, and I said well my name has changed cos I got married and I cant bank a cheque in my maiden name, she basically was like tough, and then hung up! YES HUNG UP!

I really would complain in writing to them about her attitude - they will have recorded the conversation. Surely your bank will honour the cheque if you can show proof your name was as before?

Well done cp for your progress!

consumerpower

Well the thing is, that tey dont even have my maiden name right, I have told them a million times!

I will see if Natwest will take it though.

consumerpower

Oh my golly its July already.

Things are really good, finding it very easy to stick to my budget. Although I do keep thinking god I would love to have the £775 loan payment to spend this month. But it is a good reminder that debt really costs.

I got back £200 from MBNA, but OH reminded me that the dinning room table we brought was due to be paid. It was £600 left so he asked me to contribute the £200. Couldn’t really complain, although I was annoyed that I couldn’t clear my debt with him more, but I guess since I wiped out his savings he did need to contribution.


But then he completely surprised me and has booked to go to Cuba next year (he is paying fear not) as a reward for sorting my life out.

I just know the next few years will fly, and soon I'll be debt free. I know also I need to start saving what is left out of my weekly allowance, as I have a hen night coming in August. Luckily it is back in my home town so no hotels to splash out for and my dad can enjoy being a taxi!

Also have finally chased Lloyds and Halifax for my last credit card charges, so hopefully will get them next week and can start chasing them . I put in another one for Cahoot so waiting to here back! All will be going to clear OH debt.

I just wish that I had seen sense a long time ago, but I think I need to really learn a lesson. It hits home a lot, like when I went to make a withdrawal of some cash this week (at last I have a switch card again) and I was like god I use to stand here with every credit card I had a just try to see which I could actually get some cash out on. I use to have to serious scramble around to get £30 some times.

Also got a payrise from 1 July so am just waiting to find out how much! Probably wont be a lot but I am grateful of anything!

Ok so here is my up to date SOA

Natwest Loan £25,000 @ 6.9% - NOW £23,591.97 1408.03 PAID
OH Loan £8300 @ 0% - NOW 7800 500.00 PAID
£127 @ 0% Next - Paid 05/03/2007

consumerpower

I have just read through my diary, it has been so long, but life really does go on! All the awful feelings of being in debt, fear of my husband leaving me, fear of loosing my job, stress, suicidual, guilt, anger come back to me now when I spending. I guess this means I have learnt from my mistakes.

Don't get me wrong sometimes I feel so depressed, and low, and like my life is so unexciting (and I am hard done by of course) I cry, and get angry with my OH. But after this little indulgent I am so hard done by trip, I take a long look back and realise I would never ever swap to go back to where I was with all those credit card debts.

I am still amazing, AMAZED, how you can get by on hardly anthing. And although I found it frustrating over christmas, it really doesnt matter hwo much you spend on people but it is the though that counts! I made my nan a fruitbowl, and she LOVED it!

I guess life really does go on.......and you just have to get on with it. I am still so thankful that my OH is so supportive, he is a life saver!

And I can not believe that I have been doing the cleaning every saturday for £10 since April, I hate it, I am in a foul mood when doing it, but it makes me humble, and I still always greatfull for the £10!

I would like to think I am a much more grateful person, and I wouldnt change what has happened now for the world, because now I am in control of spending!