6 grand in 6 months - my personal challenge!

cottage_retreatist

cottage_retreatist wrote: »

OK - I'm gearing up to kick those debts down:

8 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Don't spend any money
2. check how much my new balance is (interest and a few small payments have changed the total recently)
3. write some more f&f letters
4. run some 'models' in my debt management app to see how much can be knocked off each month in different ways!!!!!!!!!!!

Well - I have been trying to stick to the above - so close now *eeeeeek!!!!*

And in terms of not spending money:
not doing too well - got a pizza delivered last night :eek: but only 1 more spend scheduled now til payday - getting a small delivery to cover us for the rest of the week

check new balance:
uh-oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know that second won8a default I mentioned ages back? I've worked it out and we DO OWE IT :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: - too confusing to explain but all the statements came and I went through them all and uh-oh so the debt has gone back up to 15,000 :doh::doh::doh: - oh well - we've really got to work hard on the full and finals and the aim is still to finish in August.

write more f&fs:
going to give won8a a go! wish me luck - so far nothing form the last two i sent off

run some 'models':
done! I have done a spreadsheet as an example which I want to try and match each month with the real payments - if successful it will be 10k in 6 months - very tight but I'm determined now!

Elec bill and gas bill to pay as well though - wow, if it isn't one thing it's another but I will not be swayed now - we're so close I can almost taste the debt freedom and with it the freedom that moving out the city will give us!!!!!!!!!!!!

xx

debtfreewannabe321

Good luck with the new goals C-R will be cheering you on! X

cottage_retreatist

OK!

I am rolling ahead with renewed positivity! Just 4 days before some big numbers start coming off our debts again - it won't be as interesting because the OH's wages now come in at the same time as mine so no debt busting every 2 weeks - it'll have to be every 4 weeks which i think may give me itchy fingers towards the end of each month!!!!

And I'm thinking towards the end goal of moving to the countryside once debt-free and starting early on de-cluttering the flat to make it as easy a move as possible.

Over the past day I have mulched about 7 years worth of old paperwork we've had hanging around! Bucket of water and milk (value UHT) and shredded paper then popped it in a bag once squeezed to go for recycling! Yay!!! One less box to move with!

Just going through the old magazines now and tearing out the pages I want to keep and can chuck the rest away. I've also come up with an idea of what to do with the sheets we've kept - I'm going to scan them and put them onto Pinterest secret boards!!! Whoop!!!! I am also considering turning the recipe pages into a blurb book so we can keep it accessible too!

Over the next few weeks I will also be planning to go through paperwork I still have form school and uni - really don't think I need it anymore! Might keep the essays but the rest can go It's nice to get the motivation back after the last few months of feeling and bit low and direction-less.

But thats got to stay in my head - the end-goal.

Me and the OH even agreed last night that if we meet our deposit savings targets of 10,000 pounds very 6 months which is the aim once debt free we can treat ourselves to a holiday!!!!

It's all about the motivation! To all those also on this debt-free journey - we CAN do it! :j:j:j

hope everyone else is having a lovely sunny Saturday?

xx

cottage_retreatist

OK - more planning to get back on the debt-busting:

I cancelled experian last night- naughty I know -I should have cancelled after the 30 days free trial but forgot! I only used it to check a default had been removed from other files but now it's just noddle all the way!!! OH has been having problems with noddle so once he's on there we'll cancel his equifax.

Upped my standing orders to my credit cards again after dropping them last month when money was tight - also going to do some large payments to them in 3 days time!!!!!!!!!! yay!!!!!!!!!! :j:j:j

paid gas and electric using credit card - naughty but better than forgetting to pay! (which I had done til now!!!!)

otherwise - just getting the flat into gear - clean up Sunday

OH and I have agreed no more take-aways til June - we have so much food in the flat but we just get lazy so trying to make a conscious effort to cook from cupboards for next month!!!!

My big outlay this coming month? Probably need to get my hair done! Last went to the hairdresser in June last year and my roots are definitely showing :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: haha! but will make sure i go through wahanda so I get a good deal and hopefully will be able to get a full head of highlights and a cut for no more than 60-70 quid! also buying my own sugaring pot from amazon (sorry for TMI) so I don't have to pay for beautician!!!!! Wish me luck :D:D

still nothing from two f&f letters sent off but it's only been a bit over a week!!! hoping they come back with something that isn't an outright no!!!!!

also going to look into maybe getting one of those tesco things where you pay in bulk for deliveries - we have been buying from them for the weekly shop recently to keep a check on the money and it is handy!!!!! and stops us buying during the week - so going to see if its worth the investment. We usually do a saturday shop so it's usually top whack for the delivery cost.

also looking at bulk buying kitty's food form amazon so we get the best deal - we might put this on a credit card to pay off immediately so we have a regular movement on the card to up the credit rating!

Got a chicken ready to put in the oven later for the ol Sunday roast - mmmmmm, tasty!!!!!! :cool::cool:

hope everyone is having a nice sunday? Urgh - can't believe it's Monday tomorrow already!

xx

HOK3Y

I LOVE reading your updates when you are on a mission - woman, you have some serious energy and focus! I love it!! Bring the shredder and come over to mine, will ya?!


Sounds like you are on the right path and headed firmly in a straight line to the end destination. Focus is definitely the key and you have it in spades. Just keep pushing on. I will keep my fingers crossed that you get a response from the F&Fs and it is in your favour. It's so frustrating when you just want rid of it NOW. Hopefully, you will get something in the mail this week.


You have reminded me that I need to go and pick up a hair colour today........I too have a bit of a stripe at root level! So it's shower and town time for me! Hugs to you, my DFW sister!

wantabetterlife

Only 1 day to go now CR!!! ....am so glad its my pay day tomorrow too

cottage_retreatist

wantabetterlife wrote: »

Only 1 day to go now CR!!! ....am so glad its my pay day tomorrow too

hey WABL!!!!

It's TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

Well - today is the OH's payday and it is a WHOPPER as it is 5 weeks!!!!!!!

I've got so many ideas now about what is going to get paid off!!!!!!!

Guna wait til this evening though and have a chat with the OH and probs wait til Friday to make any payments cause thats when I get paid as well!

Back of the Net! (as alan partridge would say!) :cool:

x

HOK3Y

Whoop!!!! Finally things start working in the right direction again, C-R! That has GOT to feel good! And an extra week of pay also means you can really get off to a flying start! Let us know what you decide.......*HOK3Y gets ready to cheerlead*

cottage_retreatist

well - i got a response from my f&f letter - they said they wouldn't accept my 20% offer (was a little cheeky) but would accept an offer that was 300 pounds more than the outstanding balance as a full and final offer.

Um - not quite sure they've got the grasp of how this works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So - drafting the response now! Wow! Thats made my day! It's pretty funny (though it shouldn't be!)

xx

HOK3Y

Holy crapola!!!! That's so bad it's funny!!! Go get em on that one C-R - that's flat out crazy!