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Help me... I guess it's time to just reach out and touch...
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Hi PH and welcome. just had a brief look at your SOA. Is there anyway you can reduce your mobile bill and your work lunches - could you take sarnies? I'm sure others will be along soon to help further.
On some occations, I could take sarnies... I think... I'm out and about a lot... Car + Cheese/Tuna Sarnie + Summer + 4 Hrs = No-No... I couldn't meet a client smelling like that would make me!!!... I do try and keep it as low as possible, and if I can get back home, I'll try and eat there from now on... Oh... My first resolution!! ;-) I will not eat in garages, service stations, the side of the A61, or anywhere else for that matter, unless I am going to fall over with hunger pain...
Ok... onto the phone... No-can-do... it's £35 contract with t-mob for 18 mths... taken out in June 06... Can alter tarriff a little... but only down to £25 and I'd lose all the freebies... I use them... pretty much always, every month... My bills in the last 12 months have often been as high as £100 p/m... one was £197 I think, even with an allowance of £180 FREE to spend on what I like... ie: 1800 text messages, £180 of calls, or any combination... Time for resolution 2... I will never allow that mobile bill to be higher than £35, EVER again. I'm liking this...
Next... !!!!!!... I don't dare say it... *whispers*... smoking...
...
...
...
Ok... moving on swiftly, (I can't do it... Not yet... I will... I WILL... and soon... But I am not going to lie to you good people but most importantly, MYSELF any more... I cannot quit at the moment... I WILL quit soon... VERY soon... I hate it anyway...)
Resolution 3... I will talk to my Dad and ask for help. And I will do it the second I hit 'POST' on this message... I will get up... walk from my desk... Go out the front of the building... Call him... Tell him everything... the lot... Tell him I need help... He thinks I have one cc at about £1,500, a £500 overdraft and the £3k I owe him... &*(%^... Just going to blurt it all out... See what happens... He is AMAZING and will do everything he can, I know it... I am just ashamed... No time for that now... *shakes head*... He is my Dad... He has to understand... there's a law about it, right? This is a man who at 57 has never had ONE PENNY of debt or credit... FOR ANYTHING... in his life... and his Dad was a miner... He was a bricky... No silver spoons in sight... Anyway... I digress... One of my many talents, though possibly the root cause of most of my financial problems... In fact... I digress NO LONGER... Resolution 4... and in doing so, I achieve resolution 3... *fingers crossed*... hitting post... brb...Total Debt at LBM 30/05/2007: £28,720... I... Am... Calm...
Trying to repay my biggest debt first... the one to you lot!! :A
543... It seems I AM just a number... despite my protestations to the contrary!!
Resolutions: 1, no food from 'Convenience' places during the day. 2, No Phone bill over £35 limit... EVER. 3, Fess up to Dad (Achieved). 4, No More Digressing! 5, Put expenses in regularly. (Achieved). 6, From now, I only pay cash. (Achieved). 7, Claim back my bank charges!
Unnecessary Challenge Week 2: £2.11/£10.00... kinda
"Proud to be dealing with my debt!"... And going insane while I'm at it, clearly!0 -
Hi P and well done for getting this far,
Here are my comments:PanickingHARD wrote: »Monthly Incomings:
My salary - £2,089 (Just started new job and am on BR1 tax code, so will be circa £2,200, I think… plus they owe me back payment for last 6 months of my previous employment at a similar rate, plus since 23/04/07)
Total - £2,089 working on MIN…
Monthly Outgoings:
Bank Account Fee £15.00 Can you not switch to a no-fee account? A&L have a good web-based account currently available which pays you for opening.
Mortgage / Rent £850.00
Buildings & Contents Insurance £6.00
Council Tax £108 Does this include single person discount?
Water/Gas/Elec £60
Phone/Net £35 Have a look around and see if you can get a better deal if you aren't tied into a contract
Mobile £35 Do you have a contract, can you get this down - claim for calls through work, etc?
Food (home) £130 If this is just for you - you can definitely cut this down. Have a look on Old Style board for ideas - there are plenty of blokes on there that aren't great cooks that are cutting down on their food bills. I reckon you could easily reduce to £80 per month with some clever shopping - got a Lidls or Aldi's near you?
Lunches at work £75 (£3.50 a day) Start making soup/sandwiches - should cut this down to about £1 a day. The current figure works out £900 a year - that would pay for a decent holiday!! This figure could go down to £25 per month easy. Understand the hot car thing but get yourself a coolbox style lunchbox.
Alcohol £150… I know… (£40 or so in Flat, one/two nights out a month) I think you are possibly drowning sorrows(?) - we have all done it - how about joining a (non-drinking) club such as photography or cycling or similar that isn't surrounding alcohol? It will give the liver a break (£55 on booze for one night - that's pretty heavy going)!
Smoking £170… good god… Ditto the alcohol. Switch to rollups when you are socialising if you really can't cut down.
DVD rental £15 Look for deals and use the three month initial period. Look on the vouchers/special offers boards for discounts.
TV License £11
Petrol: £60
Total: £1,720… Sigh…
You don't have any figures for car insurance, mot, tax, service, etc.
From the figures above, I reckon you could easily save £150 a month by clever shopping/cooking, making sandwiches, cutting down on booze and fags - not exactly a killer.
Debt:
Bugg@r… ok… here we go…
Cards: (p/m’s are approx min payments)
Citi – £1,500 – £40 p/m
Virgin/MBNA - £6,000 - £100 p/m Stupid, Stupid, Stupid… Was clear in Oct 2006...
Mastercard - £8,700 - £190 p/m
You must start paying more than the minimums.
Much of this is cash advances… the APR’s will be despicable… circa 18%, I think… *Must learn to read smallprint*
Hindsight is a great teacher, eh!
Loan:
Circa £6,500 - £187 p/m
Overdraft:
£1,200… interest is charged, but no fee… not sure of %age, but will find out.
You are paying £180 per annum for the overdraft (the fees for the account!)
Other:
Holiday… booked when in employment before redundancy… need to find £700 by tomorrow or the holiday is cancelled… will ruin 3 other peoples (plus two kids… my nieces) summer, and lose them all £250 each in deposits paid, and mine…
Are the credit cards up to the limit? When is the holiday scheduled for anyway - assuming you also need spending money, you may have to cancel and look at booking something cheaper when you get yourself financially settled.
Mates: Owe £120 to a mate and have done for FAR too long… He has been great about it, but is not being any more…
Parents: £3,000………. The most shameful of all…
Total debt: £27,720........:mad:
You need to look at seeing if you have anything to eBay to raise funds and a) pay your mate (friends aren't worth losing due to debt - parents are more forgiving).
b) pay a chunk off the highest apr debts - check out www.whatsthecost.co.uk snowball calculator for your debt-free date. You can enter your higher payments to see how this impacts the DFD.
I would also get a copy of your credit agreement (sign up to quidco and see if there is an offer there with experian/credit expert) or send off £2 payment to them for the report. I can't remember if you had written off for any more credit card applications but you need to transfer the credit cards to a lower rate if at all possible. Seeing your credit report will at least give you an idea of the current situation before you cause any more damage to your credit report.
Ref the house: I would ask a friend to phone the estate agent posing as a potential buyer and ask them for properties around the price range of your house - see if the agent proposes they see your property - they may not be marketing it. You will have to speak to your ex anyway, keep it civil and ask her whether she thinks the agent is marketing the property properly. Find out if any feedback has been provided by viewers, how many viewings there have been, etc. If she really wants to sell the property, she should be as keen as you to switch to an agent that is keen to sell. Offer to house-sit if she needs to go out so viewings can still happen, etc.
Start a spending diary - imperative! You must keep tabs on what you are spending. Its an eye opener and will highlight areas where you could save more.
Good luck!Thanks to MSE, I am mortgage free!
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How did the phone call to your Dad go?Successful women can still have their feet on the ground. They just wear better shoes. (Maud Van de Venne)Life begins at the end of your comfort zone (Neale Donald Walsch)0
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Well... I just spoke to Dad... He almost fainted, but didn't even have a go at me... I think he could tell I had already given myself enough grief... I did just blurt it out... Convo went something like:-
Me: Dad, I've got a problem... I need money...
Dad: Oh... erm how much?
Me £28 grand...
Dad: Are you joking?
Me: Yes... but I do owe that much...
Dad: .....
Me: ....
Dad: .... How... what...
Me: Cards, Loans... everything you've ever warned me not to do...
Dad: !!!!!! Son...
Me: Yeah.... !!!!!! indeed...
Dad: ....
Me: ....
Dad: .... Right... So... what do you need? What do we have to do? How do we start?
I love him...:D:D :A
True to form, he has now gone into 'Problem-solver-Dad' mode and is trying to help constantly... I've told him that beyond this one 'emergency payment', I will not take another penny from him... I did this myself, I have learned the lessons... I will pay the price... I just want his help and advice from now on... He's covering my immediate payments for me now... the £1,000 is sorted already and added to my debt to him/them, which he has demanded I don't even THINK about until I have a handle on the rest... let alone try to pay (which I was intending to do, in order to continue the ruse - Seems SOOO silly now)... So... Onwards and upwards... Day 1...
Angela... That is brilliant... Thank you so much for doing that for me... Like I said, you lot are angels!!!! It'll take me a while to process it all and formulate a plan, but I am working on it... (I've just joined Quidco as ordered... Erm... what is it?.... I assume there is a 'quidco help' thread somewhere?) For the first time in about a bazillion years, I am actually not looking forward to going out tonight, because I want to get to work on this... Normally, I'd do anything to avoid thinking about my debt... Now it's all I want to do!!! And before any of you think "What on earth is he doing going out?!?!?", it's a free meal and bar all night with work!!!
And, man, am I gonna use it... I'm wearing an overcoat with MASSIVE pockets!!!
My one little "exxxxqueese me" moment was on the cooking front... I am a really good cook... that's the reason I spend so much... I use expensive stuff... and I cook at home, for myself (or whoever else is about) at least 4 times a week... So ner, ner, ner, ner, ner!!!xxx
Ok... *Serious head on*... CC switching is an obv winner... if I can get another card, that is... Any recommendations or ideas gratefully received!!! I've heard/read a lot about the M&S LoB card transfers...
Oh... and there is no car/car running costs other than petrol as I have a company car... I don't pay anything for it, other than my non business petrol... That reminds me... Resolution 5... PUT IN EXPENSES REGULARLY. Date in outlook diary now... and I'm going to go through them now and put my claim in for 23/04 to date... I'm going to start a Sig now... As I feel I am actually 'dealing with my debt' now... For the first time, not just 'f@nnying about with my debt'... My first Sig will show ONLY total debt, LBM and my resolutions... oh... and 'the' phrase... 'Proud to be dealing with my debt'...
MAN I LOVE THIS!!!!
Please, any ideas, demands, requests, kicks up the ars@, ANYTHING please feel free... I need them all!!! I have NO IDEA how to save money, collect vouchers, be frugle, say no to myself, etc, etc...
But I am young, willing and able... Able to learn!!!
For the Simpsons fans: "Squeeze EVERY Penny..." My new motto!!!
Woo-Hoo!
xTotal Debt at LBM 30/05/2007: £28,720... I... Am... Calm...
Trying to repay my biggest debt first... the one to you lot!! :A
543... It seems I AM just a number... despite my protestations to the contrary!!
Resolutions: 1, no food from 'Convenience' places during the day. 2, No Phone bill over £35 limit... EVER. 3, Fess up to Dad (Achieved). 4, No More Digressing! 5, Put expenses in regularly. (Achieved). 6, From now, I only pay cash. (Achieved). 7, Claim back my bank charges!
Unnecessary Challenge Week 2: £2.11/£10.00... kinda
"Proud to be dealing with my debt!"... And going insane while I'm at it, clearly!0 -
Hiya
Just thought I'd let you know about https://www.pigsback.com. There's info about it on the 'Freebies no spend required board' Make sure it's the pigsback one you go on as there's loads of advice for newbies. Basically you get money for clicking on 'adverts etc' which are saved up towards vouchers. I haven't been doing it that long and already have £6.60 towards a boots £10 voucher and don't forget it's free!!! You'll see under some sigs. that people add their pigsback rewards. There's also competitions/daily trivia which if you win can add more points towards your vouchers. Sounds confusing but it really is simple.
Also join some online survey sites, every now and then you'll get an email inviting you to do the surveys paying usually around a £1 for each one.
Here are two that are pretty good and were recommended on here https://www.juicybrainspanel.com and https://www.valuedopinions.co.uk. Register today and start earning some free money!
Hope that helps and well done for joining us :beer:Official DFW Nerd Club Member no:219In the Court Of The Crimson KingI don't believe in the concept of hell, but if I did I would think of it as filled with people who were cruel to animals.Gary Larson0 -
Hiya :wave:
Wow you're doing so well already, I hope you feel really proud of yourself as you've made huge strides in tackling your debt already. There are loads of other better people at advice on here than me. I just wanted to point you in the direction of a blog I stumbled upon via a link in the old-style forum as it's given me some excellent ideas for lunches rather than warm cheese sandwiches, and there's a whole section on the food safety aspect which I've found fantastically useful. My OH used to have a job as a kitchen designer and lived off grabbing food at service stations. I know it's a pain to try eat properly in "on the road" type jobs but it'll certainly help your wallet and you'll feel healthier too! http://ss-biggie.livejournal.com0 -
PanickingHARD wrote: »I'm going to start a Sig now... As I feel I am actually 'dealing with my debt' now... For the first time, not just 'f@nnying about with my debt'... My first Sig will show ONLY total debt, LBM and my resolutions... oh... and 'the' phrase... 'Proud to be dealing with my debt'...
MAN I LOVE THIS!!!!
Please, any ideas, demands, requests, kicks up the ars@, ANYTHING please feel free... I need them all!!! I have NO IDEA how to save money, collect vouchers, be frugle, say no to myself, etc, etc...
But I am young, willing and able... Able to learn!!!
For the Simpsons fans: "Squeeze EVERY Penny..." My new motto!!!
Woo-Hoo!
x
um... WOW @ you
and i think you WERE warned...
these forums are deadly... it only takes one hit! :rotfl:
Best tip i can give you is to find the "old style" boards on the forum. They are HEAVING with tips from cookery to DIY everything
if u need to do it/buy it/repair it.. search the old style boards and without a doubt you'll find that someone has found a way to do it cheaper!
somewhere on here ALSO is a thread with all the in store bargains. these are updated regularly so you could plan your exquisite meals around this weeks offers and still eat to the quality you prefer (lets face it blue stripe is good but it ain't GREAT!)
good luck Hun you're doing great all ready with your debts and u haven't even discovered the rest of this fantastic site yet!:rotfl:If you have made someone laugh today... check your skirt isn't tucked into your knickers!!!:rotfl:SarahShattered wrote: »Mrs B you're a legend.0 -
PanickingHARD wrote: »I have no idea how I am ever going to get out of this and even reading the AMAZING debt diaries on here (onedayIwill... you are my hero!!!)
Well ... gee, shucks! And there was me thinking that only Tigz & I read my diary. Thank you for the compliment but I don't deserve it. My debts are small in comparison to others here, and I am lucky to have an extremely supportive husband (once I got the guts to tell him). That said, I really am pleased, if somewhat stunned, by my progress and if it inspires anyone here then that makes me feel good - which is something I struggle to do a lot of the time! So thank you.
Now that you have reached out for help, both here and with your dad, things will become a lot more manageable. You are already part of the family here, I read your post yesterday and came on today to check out how you were going today. So you have a lot of backing from the folk here who will provide you with good advice and lots of moral support.
You have already had great feedback on your SOA, not sure if there is anything I can add. Your dad sounds like a gem, let him know how special he is. Home made cards, hand delivered are a great way of saying "thank you, I love you" and they don't cost a thing!
Take care.Pennies make pounds.
Official DFW Nerd Club - Member no. 358 - Proud To Have Dealt With My Debts!0 -
WOW! How much has changed - I'm thrilled your dad is being supportive - it's wonderful having that kind of support
I love cooking too, but have found that a lot of the more expensive things I use, I can still use now, but I ensure I menu plan fully and then can afford the nicer things I want, while cutting back on the quantity and buying things that I don't really care about (eg asda's own non-bio washing tablets- makes no difference and is a fraction of price).
You sound so upbeat - it's infectious so keep it up!
Enjoy tonight
Sea xxxxCCCS DMP:Feb 07
Total:£37,016.47 now £0 DEBT FREE FEB 14
2022 Decluttering Campaign 49/10110 -
To help with the smoking situation, get Alan Carr's Easyway and start reading it. The author used to smoke 80 cigs-per-day and it was literally killing him.
(Okay, okay, he's been on the news having died of lung cancer; but he reckons stopping smoking when he did added 20 good-quality years onto his life.)
It's a pleasant enough book - no preaching - and the best thing is that you can smoke while you're reading it!0
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