17K to clear ASAP! Panic Stations!

busybumblebee

Sounds like you're getting on track. I'm sure she does, but does your SO know the true total of your debt? £17K would definitely be enough to get me on board and take notice! You definitely need to work together on it. I'm in debt but OH isn't and I hadn't told him about it, which meant I was struggling to get myself on track because he'd plan to do things and it would screw up my budget. Now he knows and as much as he's not that happy, at least he knows that I've got limits to my spending and if I can't do something, then I can't do it. I really hope your SO gets on board with you, it sounds like you're really ready to tackle this debt.

I definitely recommend some of the challenges. I found the 'Payment a Day' challenge really good, I only pay off a couple of quid a day or sometimes pence (round off my balance for example), but it makes such a difference to my mindset knowing that the balance is going down every day, slowly but surely.

Good luck with your journey, keep us posted and use this forum to keep you on track, I wish I'd known about the benefits of this forum a long time ago!

Gibbeth

BBB, SO knows exactly the amount of debt, where it is and why its there, we both share everything completely, both income goes straight into joint account, which we both try to manage as best we can.

We had a good weekend really, nothing spent that was expected. We made the most of what we have free around us. Went and had a picnic (completely from stores) on the edge of the lake, enjoying the amazing weather!

After much discussion, we've decided SO will get a new phone. Its not against our budget, we'll end up in pocket once the old phone is "recycled", and will save a few £ on what was in budget. Mine runs out soon, so will have a look around, but probably go Sim-only, atleast for a few months, and see how things go. Will take a bit more effort that my current care-free use, but thats what it takes isn't it!

Still need to get round to selling a few bits and bobs.
So far list looks like:

- Pretty much unused Guitar, Amp & Stand.
- Wii, wii-fit and plenty of games.
- PS3, couple of controls.
- Desktop PC, used every couple of months, but not really req'd.
- Nintendo DS, hand ful of games.
- University Text books that are on the loft and haven't been opened since graduation.
- Large coffee table - too big for our living room.
- Large mirror - taken down when redecorated 12 months ago.

Will have a look and try and get rid of a lot of stuff of the loft, which is rammed at the minute! Would be nice if we could get close to my overdraft (£500) through selling stuff, and knock a few months off Debt Free Date.

Gibbeth

I thought'd I'd update this, as I feel, in the last month or so, we've made a lot of progress in improving our future financial position.

We've had a busy month. I turned £25, and we visited friends in London for a couple of days to celebrate. It had been a long planned visit, they come up to see us regularly and we needed to repay the favour. But I was dreading the cost.

We also go on Honeymoon on Sunday (1st, only 4 days to go, woop!) All paid for from wedding presents, but again, things like clothes, airport parking, spending money etc, something I didn't know how we were going to manage.

Well, its great news to be honest. With the bits and bobs I said I was selling in last reply, with a bit of extra income for SO's hobby/mini-business, we've come out in the black.

We took a ride on the Eye, had lunch at Carluccios in Waterloos station, and visited Harry Potter Studios in Leavesdon.

We've got clothes, spending money changed, car parking booked, and we've done all this without adding to the debt, and should still be paying more than minimum off debts (admittedly, not as much as planned) but with the month we've had (or will have had) I'm looking at our position in a much better light.

And, I've got my application in for an internal Vacancy notice, which could potentially be a £10k+ payrise within next 8-12 months. Fingers crossed.

Sorry for the essay, but wanted to share!
With a bit of planning, you can still enjoy your time working towards debtfreeness!

:D:D:D:D