Debt free by 40 -- 19 Months and counting

StressedSteph

Chrysalis1976 wrote: »

Ooh sneaky, just seen your balance for Nxxt! Well done and hope you get plenty of people to practice the massage on.

C x

Haha morning Chrysalis,


I didn't get much chance to update my payments yesterday.


I have managed to pay


[EMAIL="N@xt"]N#xt[/EMAIL] £120
Co-op cc £30
Litt1ewoods £184
= £334


Still got a long way to go but feel better now some July payments have been made.


Think my Total monthly payments this month will only reach £764. So I am desperately trying to think of ways to make the £236. Not much month left though unfortunately.


I have got £60 to come in from my crafts and probably another £47.50 to come in once I have made the items.


Think I am going to slow down on the crafts once I have completed my current orders.


I will still take orders but I won't be actively chasing any as I need to focus my energy on the Reflexology and Indian Head massage which stand to bring in a better rate of return for my labour.


I can make £20 per hour with the Massage and unfortunately there is nothing craft wise that I can make in 1 hour that will bring in £20. Wish there was.


Ok had better go. I have a blue felt Tractor to finish for a lady in school by this afternoon, so had better get going.


Hope you are all having a fab Friday xxx

StressedSteph

Morning MSE


Children are on their last two days of school. Can't wait for them to finish, I'm very tired of school gate politics and the whole school run routine. Will be good to have a break from it all.


A friend kindly gave me 3 free tickets to Wookey Hole Caves this morning. Its a fab day out and haven't taken them there for many years. That's one free summer holiday trip in the bag.


We will also be attending a camp out at the W1lderness Gathering.
It is over 5 days in August, where Bear Grylls type people camp out (no electric :eek:) and there are lots of workshops in bow and arrow making and lots of survival skills classes.
Not majorly my cup of tea, but because I know the lady that runs it, she has offered that if I work on a stall for 3-4 hours per day then we can go for free.
A friend of mine is also going, so we will take it in turn to babysit the children whilst the other one works.


I have no summer holiday allowance saved , so felt that this was a cheap break/ change of scene for the children. My son will absolutely love it and my daughter will probably also enjoy it once she gets there. Just got to hope for good weather.


So thats a little away week and a day trip sorted. Other than that I think we will do some more Geocaching this year. We had lots of fun with last last summer holidays and its FREE :T. Mix in the odd trip to the beach which is just fuel and a ice cream and that should be enough hopefully.


I need to save some money during August for two sets of new school shoes. Probably best part of £60. . both children's school shoes are threadbare so they need them even if they still fit.


I have been practicing my Indian Head Massage and Reflexology all weekend, hubby and kids have be willing subjects . I might widen my range now and ask some friends if I can practice on them. I need to do it without looking at my routine list.


All go here, still got lots of craft orders to also finish. So will get on with those in between everything else. Think I might need to put in some nightshifts


Have a great day everyone xx

StressedSteph

Grrrrr Bloomin Barclays


Got another nasty letter from them this morning, saying they haven't heard from me so are passing my debt to their collections.:mad:.


The lady I spoke to last week, said I have two weeks to write to them, Obviously not!. So I just rang them.


All I want to do is carry on paying them £130 per month, like I have been doing for the last 6 months.


They want me to pay £450 per month :eek:, of which I explained that for the foreseeable future that amount is impossible.
But when they go through my Income / Expenditure they say that I cannot afford to pay £130 per month and will not accept it :mad:.


They have advised me to go through StepChange. I explained to them that I am managing my DMP myself, and as they can see from the last 6 months of payments to them, that it is going pretty well.


They have still insisted on my writing in to them, with a formal offer. So I have just used StepChanges Budget planner and printed it off. Surprise surprise it comes back with a recommended payment of £134 per month.


I have just written a covering letter and attached the budget planner and will post it this afternoon.


The bureaucracy is ridiculous.


Fingers crossed they accept it. Not sure what happens if they don't, but I am going to keep paying the £130 and see what happens.


If I ever deal with Barclays ever again it will be too soon.

StressedSteph

Another update (Chatty Cathy here today)


I decided to send a similar letter to hubbys Tesco Credit Card. My minimum payments haven't been enough for them the last few months and had countless letters from them, so have sent the StepChange income/expenditure form with a covering letter to them too. Can't hurt.


Also....


I have taken the plunge.


I am in a Village ladies group, and I have posted on their FB page, offering half price treatments until 11th August.
Have typed and posted it quickly before I chicken out :rotfl:. The longer I leave it without putting myself out there the less chance I have of being brave enough to put this into practice.
I know as soon as I do a few treatments on people who are not family , then I will get in the swing of it and be fine.


Its just having faith I can do it. . Just got to hope I have some takers now. Fingers Crossed

supersaver1000

Hi. Have just read a few of your posts and was really impressed. You are doing so well. Hope you don't mind if I subscribe and follow your journey

:wave:

debtfreewannabe321

Ahh Steph, wish I Were closer i'd certainly take you up on the half price offer! P.s if you send me your payment details and amount I owe i'm happy to pay up front for the family tree xx

dawnybabes

They can't have what you haven't got, let's hope when they see the budgets they will realise.

Buffythedebtslayer

Crikey Barclays are total knobs aren't they. Won't be opening an ISA with them then!


Good on your for the head massage offer and your August plans sound fab


XXXX

StressedSteph

supersaver1000 wrote: »

Hi. Have just read a few of your posts and was really impressed. You are doing so well. Hope you don't mind if I subscribe and follow your journey

:wave:

Thanks for taking the time to read my waffling supersaver. Love it that you have subscribed. Thank you xxx

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

Ahh Steph, wish I Were closer i'd certainly take you up on the half price offer! P.s if you send me your payment details and amount I owe i'm happy to pay up front for the family tree xx

Hehe its a shame. I have had about three requests so far, but no firmed up dates. Aiming on doing it in the evenings mostly if I can, I am pitching it to people that I could come over when the children are in bed, so the relaxed feeling lasts a little longer. Hopefully that will get around the children being off school and no sitters.


Its ok about the Family Tree hun. I know you are good for it xx I am just working on my next batch of 5, of which yours is part of that group. I still have two items waiting to be paid, fingers crossed they do. xx

dawnybabes wrote: »

They can't have what you haven't got, let's hope when they see the budgets they will realise.

Thanks Dawn,


I just found it really perplexing how they were shouting for £450, I offered £130, then they did my budget planner and wouldn't even accept £130, they said £5 was more in line with what cash I had spare. Its almost like they don't want me to pay it off hehe


Hopefully they will accept it and I can carry on as I was.

StressedSteph

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

Crikey Barclays are total knobs aren't they. Won't be opening an ISA with them then!


Good on your for the head massage offer and your August plans sound fab


XXXX

hi Buffy,


Must admit customer service is pretty dire at Barclays. It has cost me a fortune in phone calls to deal with them and very often they hang up as soon as you get connected :mad:.


I guess they have a right to be difficult as I do owe them £2600, but I just found it hard that in January they seemed to happily accept my £130 payments and come July its like I have never paid them a thing and I am starting all over again.


Just bureaucracy I suppose.


I sometimes wish we could go back to just hiding our wages under the mattress. It would be a lot less stressful.