Catriona's Credit Card Countdown

catriona79

Inspired by ClearMyDebts (thanks!) I'm going to try the slimming world diet. There are groups by me, and I am going to join, at least for a month or so to learn the principles and try to be disciplined.

Autumn seems the perfect time for it, as I can make use of my slow cooker and make some stews. Healthy and warming.

catriona79

Hello lovely ladies.

It's my day off today, so I did a big shop in Sainsbury's and am currently making 4 portions of beef bourguignon. It's been ages since I last properly cooked. Hard to do with three girls and one fridge and a tiny kitchen!

Two weeks till we hear about redundancies, and whatever will be, will be. For the first time ever I am actually prepared for it. Of course, I could have no debt and a year's worth of living expenses saved up, but even in my current situation, I'm ok.

I sat down yesterday and worked out that in order to pay all my bills and have some money for clothes and fun, I'd need £1,600. This includes car expenses but does not include saving or crucially, debt payments - debt adds another £135 a month.

Whilst I hope I won't get made redundant, this does mean that the situation will not be dire even if I do.

And obviously, it's a world of abundance out there, and surely there are lots of jobs and perhaps amazing possibilities.

I have updated my spreadsheet, to keep my motivation up:) I find that posting on here and keeps my focus on the task. I have fallen off the wagon before, and this time I am setting realistic targets, which I wasn't when I started my diary. While I know I can spend very little for a month or so, I know that I can't sustain it for 6 months or a year. So this time, slowly but surely, I am coming to get you, debt!

It is time to do some studying now, methinks!

Orange_Ena

catriona79 wrote: »

Hello lovelies,

Quite a productive start to the day here. I can't seem to be able to work with YNAB very well, so instead of guessing and adjusting ad infinitum, I made a fresh start, which is what the app lets you do.
It kept all my accounts but zero-ed their balances and I feel organised again. I've assigned myself an amount for everything I've spent so far with mum (drinks and restaurants).
I only want to use YNAB for tracking my monthly spend, so it doesn't matter about not having the longitudinal view. I find Microsoft Money better for looking at the historic data, over the years, and so will have to update that at some point too.

So, a new day dawns here, as it is 1 November - and here's to a fairly disciplined month.

My goals for November are as follows:
1. Pay off £850 Virgin CC and close down the account.
2. Close down my Post Office card, one I use for spending while abroad, and its balance is zero, but I won't need it this year, and not having it will hopefully make it more likely for me to get a good 0% balance transfer offer I will need mid March 2016, when my Halifax card 0% period runs out.
3. Not get more than £150 into my overdraft - I'm with FD and so it's free up to £250, but I need to get myself out of that hole.
4. Keep within £200 for groceries. I have £40 left on my M&S gift card and want to use that for Xmas goodies / presents, and although I'd normally like to set myself a target of £150, I just know I won't be able to this month and don't want to set myself up to fail.

Have a great Sunday everyone.

Great goals there, definitely doable and realistic. :T

Oh YNAB! Just when I think I've cracked it, it goes wrong :eek: I almost don't want my CC debt on there, that's where I go wrong! It would be lovely to not have the debt for real so that YNAB just deals with the positive balances and budgets! We'll get there

Orange_Ena

catriona79 wrote: »

Have just looked at my spreadsheet, and if I pay off my Virgin card with the lodger income, I will be 53% debt neutral! Which is where I have wanted to be forever! Definitely since I started this diary, almost 3 years ago.

:T:j:T:j:T:j:dance:_party_

Orange_Ena

catriona79 wrote: »

Hello lovely ladies.

It's my day off today, so I did a big shop in Sainsbury's and am currently making 4 portions of beef bourguignon. It's been ages since I last properly cooked. Hard to do with three girls and one fridge and a tiny kitchen!

Two weeks till we hear about redundancies, and whatever will be, will be. For the first time ever I am actually prepared for it. Of course, I could have no debt and a year's worth of living expenses saved up, but even in my current situation, I'm ok.

I sat down yesterday and worked out that in order to pay all my bills and have some money for clothes and fun, I'd need £1,600. This includes car expenses but does not include saving or crucially, debt payments - debt adds another £135 a month.

Whilst I hope I won't get made redundant, this does mean that the situation will not be dire even if I do.

And obviously, it's a world of abundance out there, and surely there are lots of jobs and perhaps amazing possibilities.

I have updated my spreadsheet, to keep my motivation up:) I find that posting on here and keeps my focus on the task. I have fallen off the wagon before, and this time I am setting realistic targets, which I wasn't when I started my diary. While I know I can spend very little for a month or so, I know that I can't sustain it for 6 months or a year. So this time, slowly but surely, I am coming to get you, debt!

It is time to do some studying now, methinks!

I think that's a great way of looking at. What will happen will happen, but you've got a plan. Imagine if you hadn't found MSE? Imagine you didn't have lodger income? Imagine your debts were twice the size and growing? It's seems like you're in a better position than someone that hadn't found MSE, that didn't have lodgers, that had bigger growing debts. I'm really hoping for the best for you and I know I'm just a random internet stranger, but I'm sure you'll be just fine whatever the outcome.

Hope the studying is going well

catriona79

Ooh. I'm halfway through my mortgage application, I'm guessing 2 weeks away from completion and guess what, Nationwide have lowered their APR!
Grrr! When I was checking once a week for weeks, nothing would move and here we are! Just my luck! :rotfl:

I'm straightaway on it though! I'll bet the mortgage advisor thinks I'm a greedy so and so! :eek:
But I don't care, it saves me over £10 a month I'd rather it came off the principal sum than give it to the lovely banks. Gosh. How many points do I get for being tight?

But we work hard for our money, and so I say oh well! I don't need to see that mortgage advisor again

Given that the mortgage comes with no fees, and we haven't completed yet, I should think I'm in a pretty strong position, as if I withdraw, they will lose the money they spent on instructing the law firm. So it makes more sense to them to give me a tiny discount, rather than pay two lots of legal fees.

I put it nicely to the advisor, and asked his expert opinion, and made sure I said that I hoped it wouldn't require me to start the proces again (hinting that I'd be prepared to!). He's probably never seen determination like mine for £10 before. :rotfl:

catriona79

I love these, found them by chance.

“The greatest battle is not physical, but psychological. The demons telling us to give up when we push ourselves to the limit can never be silenced for good. They must always be answered by the quiet steady diginity that simply refuses to give in. Courage. We all suffer. Keep going” -Graeme Fife


“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; To be worthy not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly. Talk gently, act frankly…to listen to stars and buds, to babes and sages, with open heart; await occasions, hurry never…this is my symphony.” -William Henry Channing

catriona79

Orange_Ena wrote: »

Great goals there, definitely doable and realistic. :T

Oh YNAB! Just when I think I've cracked it, it goes wrong :eek: I almost don't want my CC debt on there, that's where I go wrong! It would be lovely to not have the debt for real so that YNAB just deals with the positive balances and budgets! We'll get there

Ha, yes, YNAB... Completely get what you're saying!

And yes, it would be amazing to be debt free! Can't remember what that feels like! And on top of that being able to save a decent amount every month, so that we are secure....


There's a light at the end of this debt tunnel. :money: :A

3 weeks tomorrow till big pay day. Mmmmmm lovely money! :money::rotfl:

catriona79

Orange_Ena wrote: »

I think that's a great way of looking at. What will happen will happen, but you've got a plan. Imagine if you hadn't found MSE? Imagine you didn't have lodger income? Imagine your debts were twice the size and growing? It's seems like you're in a better position than someone that hadn't found MSE, that didn't have lodgers, that had bigger growing debts. I'm really hoping for the best for you and I know I'm just a random internet stranger, but I'm sure you'll be just fine whatever the outcome.

Hope the studying is going well

Gotta keep positive!!

I do have to say that two lodgers for a short time was the easiest money I've ever had.

I love having my own space, but once you're sharing it with one person, you may as well share it with two, only for a shorter time!
It's a really good feeling when the debt goes down and there are nice times with the lodgers too.

Ena, if I hadn't got the MSE bug and another lodger, I would now be drowning in unmanageable debt, I know it! How many times have I used the switch tricks and got paid to open accounts and compared various utilities.

It's great to have this place to come to, ramble on about my situation - sometimes just writing it down really helps make sense of things.

Thanks for the encouragement :beer:

catriona79

Slimming World

I'm having my first SW day today, according to the principles I have worked out and been told by colleagues. I'll go to a meeting next Monday.

Hopefully it will all be a really good way of getting slimmer! It will focus me on cooking too.