What have I been doing for the last 10 years???

Domayne

07-03-2014 and I am officially

DEBT FREE!!!

:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

I will keep this post in tact for reference and history but I plan to continue using this diary - only now it will be a savings diary!



Hello! So I've been lurking these forums for a few months now - looking for tips on how better to manage my finances and decided it was time to start a shiny new diary of my own so I can keep track of things A little bit about me - I'm a 29 year old female who still lives at home with her parents and ever since I started working way back in 2004 and received my first credit card, I've been in debt. It's never been unmanageable but at its highest, I had 2 credit cards - one with a 5.5k limit, a 4.5k limit and a 2.5k overdraft which were all maxed out :eek: I was earning enough to pay them off easily though, So paying them off then spending straight back onto them again My dim LBM's have come periodically throughout the years, I get really strict with myself and manage to pay the cards off, then fall back into bad habits and max them out again and I've had A LOT of bad habits over the years and suffer with an addictive personality and depression. My biggest expense is a game that I play. I don't even want to say what it is because its really pathetic for someone my age to still even be playing it, let alone spending £1000's on it!!!!
In fairness though, I have been really good for most of this year and managed to clear off one of the credit cards completely (still haven't cancelled it) and the last one is currently at £3640.20 :j
Paying this off isn't the problem - I want to sort my life out once and for all, get some savings behind me and learn to manage my money better!
The only savings I have ever managed to have is for my beautiful little niece who was born last September! I put £50 into a savings account for her on the 1st of every month and this will reach £700 on 1st November! I'm not really sure about how to go about things though My parents have never been good with budgeting or taught me how to and they seem happy enough for me to plod along, as long as I contribute to the rent I guess, I don't think they actually WANT me to ever move out...


My budget in theory...
I get paid fortnightly which makes things awkward at times, I pay rent to my mum every 4 weeks and give myself £100 a week to spend...it does seems like a lot but this is for lunches at work, going out, toiletries etc...

4 Week take home pay - 1,750

Outgoings

Rent to parents - 250
Travel - 136.40
Phone - 35
Pet Insurance - 17
Saving for niece - 50
'Pocket Money' - 400


Total - 888.40

So that leaves me with 861.60 per month to throw at debts, usually I pay around 4-600 and I'm not really too sure where the rest goes...so I'm hoping this diary will help me keep track of that. Sorry in advance if I ramble/make no sense or just make for really boring reading :rotfl:

Things I've learnt that I'm NOT willing to do to be MSE...

1 - Stop spending on my laser hair removal - It costs around 40ish a month and I feel like I get great use, peace of mind and value for money for that!
2 - Stop Saving for my niece - I love her to bits and I want to help ensure she has a good start to life!
3 - Stop drinking diet coke completely. I realize how bad it is for me health wise AND money wise, but I need a diet coke fix!! I have however negotiated with myself down from 3-4 bottles a day to the multi pack cans and having ONE of those a day (still saving!!)
4 - Switching from my Herbal Essences shampoo/conditioner and Imperial Leather Foamburst to a saver brand - I know I can save here and at £4 a bottle on each it is quite expensive but I love them and don't want to give them up!
5 - Taking the bus instead of the tube - I realize I could probably half my costs here if I were to take the bus, but I work really long hours, my train journey takes less than 20 minutes, whereas if i were to get the bus, It would take me at least an hour and I really don't want to be travelling an extra hour a day!

Will add more as I find things I'm not willing to compromise on :rotfl:

Paid in November - £521.02
Paid in December - £858.33
Paid in January - £959.84
Paid in February - £1,169.07
Last payments March 2014 - £378.24
Total repaid - £3902.56


Savings record 2015+ -

Started keeping track of savings properly - 06.01.2015 with £2492.12

Saved in January - £1,225.06

Domayne

So I need to add that I pay myself £100 on a Friday - today is payday! YAY...but I've already spent £13.58 of that! Friday is McDonald's breakfast day which my colleague and I take it in turns to buy - this week was my turn so I spent £5.18 on 2 breakfast wraps, £8.40 in Mr's (a jar of coffee, 6 braeburn apples and 2 x robinsons juice that was on offer 2 for £2.50) leaving me with £86.42. Hoping this weekend will be a cheap one!

Domayne

So this hasn't been a very successful week so far
I had two of my cousins staying with me for the whole week last week, I started smoking again because of the stress of having them there, Friday was also payday, Changed up £214 worth of change I had in a Jar and after spending £400 on a course of laser hair removal, 200ish on xmas presents (early I know but going to my sisters this weekend and probably won't see her til after the new year..) £50 into my nieces savings account, £140 for my travel card for the month, £34 for my phone...its pretty much all gone, I need to be keeping better track than this
Feeling like a failure this week!

NinjaSavingKat

I want to know what game you play that costs you £1000's.... Let's get these confessions out in the open. It's what we are here for....

And can you get a refund on the hair removal course - because that is not an essential....

Then I shall add my tuppence worth of what you might have to start doing!...;-)

Sedge123

That is some serious spending, agree on the hair removal - is it really essential? Also the Xmas presents sound a bit excessive for one family?

Re the saving for your niece, I understand that you love her and want to provide but if you were my sister I would be gutted that you were saving for my child whilst being in debt.

Domayne

Hi ninjasavingkat! Thank you for posting ^_^
Well you want a confession? Haha well this one is super embarrassing but I figure no one here knows me so what the hey but I need to explain about the laser...I've been having it done since 2005, I'm of asian descent and kinda hairy...when I was 16 this hair on my face ruled my life trying to hide it and one day I did something really stupid and shaved it needless to say it came back 10 times worse, I was the bearded lady! And incredibly paranoid so when I started working, that was one of the first things I did...now I have no hair at all, smooth as a babies butt...but im terrified of stopping the laser and the hair coming back and I figure for the price of my sanity £400 every 10 months isnt a bad trade off xD
As for the game well it started with a game called neopets that I was playing for around 10 years where....you dress a virtual pet! /dies at the shame
Then last year they gave me a permanent silence because your not really allowed to talk about anything and I don't seem to have any kind of filter...so then I moved to this game called subeta which is slightly better because instead of dressing a pet, im dressing a human! :rofl: but in the year ive been there ive already spent 6k! My avatar is better dressed than I am! But since july I've been pretty good and haven't spent more than £100 a month on it but...thats still too much on a virtual game!! Feel free to give me any advice you've got! Im seriously bad with money, accounts, interest rates...basically anything financial and at times, need a good butt kicking!

Domayne

Hi sedge123! Thanks for stopping by! I agree that was quite a lot for xmas presents, but it was for 5 people. I fear this xmas is going to bankrupt me though because I have 11!!! people coming to my house for xmas this year and so far, have only bought for two of them. I wouldn't really mind but I don't care all that much about xmas to be honest and it feels like a huge waste to me, but its a big holiday for the majority of my family and I feel like if I'm a scrooge on presents then...well people won't be too impressed or something? Especially since I'm the one that invited most of them
As for my sister, well she doesn't really know I'm in debt xD She works for a bank and is really sensible with money having lived by herself since she was 16 and having to be really, she knows about my games and thinks I'm an idiot :rofl: but doesn't know quite how much I've spent I can't have my own children though so I love saving for my niece and that's not really something I want to stop doing

Domayne

Yay it's friday finally! Not payday though I was down to my last 17.49 to last me til next payday but I received £200 from an ex who is still a very good friend of mine, I told him I wouldn't be able to pay that back anytime soon and he said there was no need to pay it back - result! ^_^ so out of that I gave £10 to my mum, will use £100 to see me through the next week and paid £107.49 to my credit card taking me down to £3532.71
Will be going to Milton Keynes this weekend to see my sister and niece, hoping not to have some crazy spends while im there but train ticket was booked weeks ago
Also still going strong with the no smoking...5 days now after going a bit wild last weekend but im sure that was more because I had no money to buy any rather than my lacklustre willpower! Still...I have 100 and I didn't buy any today, in fact I didn't even buy my regular friday McDonald's breakfast today - Go me! Hoping for a nsd today

Domayne

I'm really starting to think that saying - once a smoker, always a smoker is true
I haven't caved yet but I've had a cigarette on my mind since my last post...and that's WITH having a lozenge in my mouth if I can barely last a week at a time, how will I go for forever?! What do none smokers do to occupy themselves? I think I need a hobby. Doesn't help that my job is literally 12 hours of doing nothing, too much time to think!!

Domayne

Whelp - so much for a nsd! £4.60 on 10 cigs and a lighter. I could blame stress but I won't, I just wanted a cig! Worst part? I didn't even really enjoy it its just a really bad habit and its more the mental thoughts than anything physical. Apparently a craving only lasts 5 minutes but this one was going on 5 hours!!

Domayne

Bit of a crappy no spend weekend, still at my sisters and I've spent £45 on a pair of jeans, £11 something on McDonald's for me, sis and niece, £9.85 on cigs and 2 bottles of diet coke...Really need to get better at this recording what I spent and keeping receipts etc but now I'm left with £25.83 til friday...this is going to be fun!
Supposed to be meeting a friend for drinks when I get back to London but think I will have to cancel!