2014 - year to sort debt and get saving for a deposit!

killerpeaty

Aww, it's great news that you are doing so well! The overdraft is annoying but think about it in the sense that you're saving on the interest on your CC!

Something that I discovered recently is that you can apply quidco to your CC and DC! That's on top of any other cash back you might have (lloyds, natwest and halifax all have some cash back options if you're interested). I also didn't know about their referral system, you can choose how much you and your friend receive. Have you applied cashback to your cards?

Also if you're planning to be saving shortly, you don't necessarily want to open anything until you have the money to dump into an interest baring account as you shouldn't really open up more than one financial account every quarter. (But I did get away with this the last quarter of 2013- opened two).

Apparently Lloyds are going to close their vantage accounts to new customers soon (march) and replace it with a "game changing" account... Or so the rumours go...

ETA: I just realised I wanted to weigh in on your housing conversation too!

The mortgages situation at the moment is insane. I hate the shared equity scheme, I don't want to essentially lose 20% of my house if I choose to sell. I don't want to pay off that section of the house last. But there's almost no way for me to buy a flat/house at the moment. House go for 250k around here and I can only get a 90k mortgage, if I had someone to get a mortgage with (boyfriend of 6 months- no way am I going to take that risk) then I might have a chance. I hope you guys have great success in getting your mortgages in the future.

marliepanda

I didn't know that about opening accounts! I am actually saving £250 a month at the moment, I know it seems backwards but it needs to be done! Its some Yorkshire account and if I save so much a month I get a 'bonus' at the end.

I have cashback on my natwest debit card... currently pending credits of 0.07p. Oh yeah! I havent joined Quidco, don't you have to pay a fee to join? TBH I don't spend a lot at the moment, my money either goes to parents for lodge, savings, debt repayments, and direct debits. I occasionally get things through paypal but thats about it, (hence why I'm on 0.07p!)

I am lucky that I am in the NE so houses are cheap. The type of house I like in the villages I like are about £113k, so with deposit, hopefully I'll be able to lend similar to you, 90k at roughly 4x, may push it to 4.5x on my own. But... boyfriend of just over a year and a half, not sure where we may want to live! I used to live in York, he did too, then he went to Hull for Uni and I moved home to Middlebrough! Would LOVE to buy in York but then my 113k would get me a shed in a garden and not a lovely 2 bed cottage with a garden. Ideally I'd love to 'go it alone' then he could move in at a later date if he chose to... I want MY cottage haha

killerpeaty

You know Yorkshire bank has 4% on up to 3k at the moment? http://www.ybonline.co.uk/personal/current-accounts/direct/

Quidco is free (unless you upgrade), primarily used for online and takes about 3 months for the cash to come through. I haven't got a lot back but still it's money that I wouldn't have otherwise. Typically, I just look at things I need/want then go onto quidco just to see if there's any coupons or cashback and click through.

113k? Wow. I wish. Most of the high street banks have an online calculator to show how much they'd lend you at what kind of interest roughly. I was playing with it then yeah, got a smidge disillusioned.:rotfl:

I imagine you with a pretty little cottage with flowers.. a bit like Matilda.

marliepanda

Think that's the one I have? £250 a month?
I'll have a look.
I'd love that cottage, with a rocking chair and cats I hope you are right

marliepanda

Oh not quite! Mine is Yorkshire Building Society sorry, I always forget it's not the same as yorkshire bank! Will look into that one too!