Horses, dogs and debts - Down with the debt!!!

trudij

Ok - I have GOT to get a handle on things.

Im 40 next year - Ive got a broodmare (who is off to stud in March) three dogs, and I need to sort my debts out. Ive got five cards and a loan. If I ignore the loan for a while and make the minimum payments there, I can concentrate on the others - and i plan to shift the cards about so that I can get as much as possible on the lowest rates I can get.

MBNA - £7301
HSBC - £1750
Virgin - £2800
Nationwide - £0
Evans - £180
Vanquis - £1300

My plan is to transfer vanquis onto the nationwide one. Off the top of my head I cant remember the limit on my nationwide card, but Im planning to put the HSBC over to it as well as soon as I can, so will use that to pay Evans first and do those two in one go. The main reason for this is because I bank with Nationwide, so its easy for me to transfer things straight over to pay that off.
Virgin is 0% at the mo, and Nationwide and MBNA are the next best I think - but certainally I can make overpayments easily to all three of them (and thats a huge factor in doing it!)

Horse is boarding at the moment (for about half the cost of me doing it myself!!) - shes off to stud in March, so I want to make a dent in things as far as possible to help me with sorting that out.I will need to pay her keep while shes there, and the stud fee in October. If she doesnt keep in foal this year, then I will have to have a rethink about her - she should be a nice riding horse, but wether shes right for me or not is yet to be determined. (and a bridge to definately not worry about until I get to it!!!!)

Dogs are all sorted for the near future as well - Pets at Home did a special deal on the food I use a few weeks ago, so I well and truly stocked up, they have enough for at least another three or four months at the moment (!), everyone is insured (so dont really need to panic about vets fees for anyone)

I dont need anything for me I dont think - Christmas has sorted me for toiletries and stuff like that I think (certainally for a short while - Had boots vouchers as well, so their sale will do the rest!) plus if there is anything,my birthday is in Feb, so will ask for things then.

its all a bit of a jumble really at the moment, I just want to write it all down and have somewhere public to keep an eye on how Im doing. I plan to try and sealed pot if i can as well (and go into that at Christmas to help with any little bits) - and do a lot of crafty things as gifts for people through the year so I have minimum spend there.

Wish me luck??

shaz1963

Best of luck Trudij, it seems you have thought about this and have your plan in place!!!!!!!!!!!
I only have a couple of years till the big 50!! (oopps there I said it agh) and its amazing how approaching a big birthday makes you think about what you need to do (I have done the thinking but not much else yet!!)
I will keep an eye on your diary and see how you are doing :-) x

trudij

Thankyou Shaz - I have a plan, but like all good plans it fails regually and is very very open to change!!!

£40 paid to vanquis today. annoyingly I cant get into my account to know the exact total, but it wont be the end of the world if I have to just pay a lump thats somewhere near it and pay the rest next month. Im more concerned that I might not be allowed to pay the HSBC one off with it as its not in my name - but Im sure I can work out a way to wiggle round that !! Also paid the Next bill off with vanquis - but £300 of that was mums, so hopefully that will work out in my favour at some stage.
Horse is well, dogs are driving me nuts and its pouring with rain. what more can anyone ask for

maddiemay

Hi, pops in and waves to Trudij from the no more un-necessary toiletries board, I don't have a diary, but will look in and offer support from the side-lines from time to time. Fingers crossed that all is successful with the mare this time. You did well getting the dogs stocked up with food, we only have one now so not so difficult cost wise.

trudij

Hi Maddiemay Thanks - I was over the moon when I saw it - even more so when I looked at the date and its sell by date is Feb 2015... they were a bit suprised by me I think, and of course I hadnt anticipated the new dog coming (who wont eat it of course) but he likes cheaper food (he was on bakers when he came to me,but he seems to like small dog james wellbeloved so for the mo he can stop on that!) and having bought 6 of each bag for Olive and Maisie at half price, I think I can squeeze in a couple of bags for him without much trouble

LAM2011

Hi Trudij
another horsey person here - just wishing you luck for 2014. Two years ago I had £10k on various credit cards and chose the highest interest one first and chipped away at that. Bit by bit they disappeared

Will be interested to follow your story with your mare going to stud too

trudij

Hi LAM2011 - it's amazing how horses make bills go up....

I'm hoping for more luck this time round, she got in foal last year but reabsorbed it so is empty now. She's off in march to a different stud for another go, if she fails again this year then I'm going to have to see what she's like as a riding horse I think, but hopefully this will be academic!

I'm hoping to chip chip chip away as much as possible and get rid of it as soon as I can, as long as I make inroads I'm happy...

trudij

Hmmmm. Speculation of a pay increase still rife (first pay rise for everyone for five years but also the proper pay for the job they expect me to do).... That would be very very helpful if it happened....

trudij

Oh gosh, this is going to be more difficult than I first thought. Now realised that I have almost all of my wages going out on various direct debits and standing orders. Hmmm.

Methinks a change of everyones insurance is on the cards, that seems to be a lot of money - as well as a severe tightening of the belt rather than just a notch. and I still havent rung Nationwide to do the transfers. seem to have too many things to do when everything is open!!

Baldybear

Good morning

Dropping by to wish you well on your debt busting, hope you can start your insurance out too. Ooh and breeding, sounds very exciting

~Chameleon~

Any specific reason you're breeding from her if she's not yet proven herself? Just wondering what your motive is and whether it's worth it whilst you're still in debt.