6 grand in 6 months - my personal challenge!

HOK3Y

Amen, C-R! It is definitely about a complete shift in your view of money and your approach to handling your cash and your credit. Without a shift in attitude, you won't change your life - you are just set to repeat and, in fact, yo-yo. It's just like a diet. You will lose weight when you diet, but if you don't permanently change how you behave towards food once you lose the weight, you will simply pile the weight back on and be back where you started. Same here. If you manage to hold on long enough to become debt free (or even if you just clear a chunk of your debt), you will not maintain it by reverting back to old ways. This has to be a complete change, an absolute adjustment of thought, belief, expectation, and behaviour.

And it can be done! I think we will continue to be proof of that because I am NOT going to be walking this road again until I have a mortgage and I can womble enough receipts to pay it off in 3 years!!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!! No, seriously, I am with you all the way - I have shifted how I think and I will never return to my old ways. Never. It just won't happen. I can't imagine it, to be honest. Life is better financially that it has ever been which is a weird thing for me to say on the face of it but this awareness and understanding I have now is priceless to me -and it means I am making sound and secure financial choices. I may have had a shedload more money in my former life but I was utterly foolish with it. I would rather have less and be sensible because in the end I have more. Does that make sense? I know what I mean, just not sure if anyone else does!

We are coming out of a very black cloud, C-R. Life is on the up for us and in a few short months it will be very much lighter indeed. Keep pushing Honey - nearly there! xx

Camillia_Chubb

CR I've finally completed your diary and what a great diary it has been...so far! I loved your last post above, and to see how far you've come and how much you have learned is very encouraging for someone like me who also knows what its like to skuttle in and out of the house and have unopened letters stashed away. I have even learned how to outrun the bailiffs fgs!

Thank you for sharing with us. Good luck for 2014, its gonna be a great year for you. Big hug

cottage_retreatist

totes agree Hoks!!!! I think I still have some way to go in fully fixing my ways - I swing to extremes and I need to find a comfortable middle in terms of spending waaaaaaay too much and not spending enough (mostly on myself - see holes in tights and broken shoes!!!!) but I am happy to be going on this journey - it feels very cathartic and very 'grown up' as well!! Although I know - being grown up doesn't necessarily make us wise!!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

And................hello Camillia_Chubb :hello:

welcome to the virtual retreatist hovel!!!!!!!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

hehe! I like the 'so far' - it definitely will be going downhill at some point!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

and welcome to your debt-busting journey! And i see you're a virtual sealed potter as well! yay! :j Gosh - aren't 'debt collectors' the meanest thugs in the world? Thankfully I've never met one face to face but OH has spoken to them on the phone in the past and the 'god given right' some of them think they have to gain more powers than even the police!!!! cheeky beggars!!!!!

Are you thinking of starting your own debt-free diary or lurking? I spent years lurking but I have to say it's only since I've had witnesses to my journey that I've really made headway! :D

Lovely to have you onboard! The more the merrier!!!! :beer:

c-r x

wantabetterlife

Well said girls..couldn't agree more!!

cottage_retreatist

2 NSDs in the bag so far-the first steps in kicking the debt this month have been taken and so far only 1 payment this month-9.90 on snacks and tobacco-snacks cause im a Right sugar fiend at the moment!!!!!! Can I blame the cold or just my greed?!!!

Start as you mean to go on, I hope to continue for the rest of this week with NSDs! Wish me luck!

X

cottage_retreatist

I knew this positive streak wouldn't continue, I knew we couldn't keep knocking back debts and become debt free.

OH had a meeting today and his work will not be renewing his contract once it runs out in January. Which means - worst case scenario we go down to 1 income in mid-Jan.

I am at work at the moment but just feel like bursting into tears!! really need a cigarette!!!

I know it's not all over- not by a long-shot but wow - what a way to punch a lady in the gut.

I'm going to need to think about this. Carp! :(:(

x

Camillia_Chubb

Oh No what terrible news! I'm very sorry to hear that.

Your OH will hopefully find another job before his contract ends and who knows it could be even better paid! He may even enjoy it, now that would be brilliant eh?

Your strong and I know there's a solution out there for every problem, with your determined motivation you can overcome this hurdle! You have a lot of supporters for your diary and I for one will be rooting for you and OH, as will everyone else I'm sure. You can do it CR!

Big hug from me x

cottage_retreatist

Thank you camillia!!!

I think I'm still in shock and him too! I know it's not the end of the world but it's a massive blow and what a time to come-just before Xmas when the jobs market is dead

But-going to have to do some planning-looks like I won't be able to start my new challenge in January and it's going to push our debt free day back a few months depending on when he starts his new job. See-positivity!!!!

I've been thinking and my wages will JUST cover outgoings each month IF we can cut down on our direct debit repayments so will still pay off HSBC this month and will chuck everything I have at Halifax-if we can get it close to zero I can revert back to minimum payments on it. *sigh*

Just another day in paradise

Xx

debtfreewannabe321

Oh no I really hope he finds another job soon so you're not worrying over xmas

cottage_retreatist

thanks DFW321 - at least he's already looking at jobs boards - that's a positive, maybe a year ago he wouldn't have bothered so I have faith in him - I just hope the jobs gods are smiling on us

x