Galloping towards the finishing line

seasideDreamer

This is my first DFD, I've been on the pay as much as you can challenges for the last two years and they have really helped focus on the debt.

A bit about me. I've been in debt since I was 18 when I got that first credit card, just for gig tickets. I'd seen the trouble my parents had got into with theirs and vowed never to let mine get out of control.

I manged pretty well until I went to uni but my accomodation used most of my student loan and I turned to the card for daily expenses as well as the all important clothes and CD shopping. By the time I left uni, there was probably around £14k on credit cards, £20k student loan and a £3k overdraft. Like many others I temped for a long time before getting a proper job and then the pay didn't crack up to much.

I've only really started to get my house in order so to speak over the last 6 years and at the ripe old age of 33 the end is finally in sight! I've £1335 of debt left to pay off now and would like to think I can get it paid off by the end of June.:j

I have already paid all my January minimum payments but couldn't help myself with two payments today to round the cards down (I have 2 'debt' cards) so day one and £35/£1335.

I have a mortgage and once the debt is paid off I can start to help with overpayments and contribution towards fixing up the house. It seemed perfect for the first year and a half but now it feels like our home is falling down around us. Our bathroom has water running down the walls and dripping through the ceiling as we speak:eek: We knew it would probably happen but still not the best timing.

I do like my holidays and weekends away and would have probably been debt free at least a year ago if I didn't have so many. I like a bargain too and have already booked and paid for two holidays for 2014 so its just the spends that will need to be accounted for in the next 6 months along with paying off that all important £1300.

jwil

Good luck You've done so well and are very close now :T

seasideDreamer

Thanks jwil the challenge really helped focus the mind. I always said my treat would be a trip to Le Manoir once I'd paid off the cards so the summer will be perfect timing. I've noticed how much less I've been paying off as I get closer and I must not let myself slip too much. I need to give myself a nice stern talking to:)

seasideDreamer

Well I've survived half the weekend without spending too much, however tomorrow I'm off shopping for the day with an old uni friend so I'm setting myself a budget of £100:eek: and whatever I don't spend will be paid off my cards. Perhaps I should be matching it or setting my shopping budget low but I'll only buy things I really like/need as we don't have space for things that end up in a cupboard, beauty of hardly any cupboards I guess:money:

seasideDreamer

Well a very successful (or unsuccessful) shopping trip depending on how you look at it! A pair of shoes and a couple of things in Debenhams for a grand total of £32 so I've round up and paid off £70, so £135/£1335...£1230 to go:j Oooh dear I can see this is going to get obsessive now and I'll start being proper frugal and not wanting to go out and pay the money off debt as I have in the past. Said uni friend said everytime I see her, I'm nearly there with the debt, well by the time I see her in June, I will be there:D

LAM2011

Good luck seaside dreamer.

seasideDreamer

Thanks:) I'm clearly going back to my more Frugal ways and looking at Sun Caravan Hols instead of the usual Groupon deals right now. Slightly cheaper for in season breaks.

seasideDreamer

Well I booked 4 said caravan breaks for 2 trips and now said holiday parks are all after the extras charges. They will just have to wait until payday, we are a little skint after a lot of work needed doing to the house after all the rain and gales. We still have to get a tree taken down yet.

Back from a week away from work and feeling pretty skint but at least I'll get the money back albeit not until the end of February, short month at least!

Just squeezed out the February minimum payment on one of my credit cards so that's £135 paid off, pretty rubbish month in terms of payments but its also our expensive month with car insurance to name but a few other payments going out. Yey no Council tax for the next couple of months, that always really helps top up the coffers:T

jwil

I'm very glad for the council tax free months too.

Sorry you got hit in the storms, hope it wasn't too bad.

seasideDreamer

To be honest jwil it would have needed doing anyway just the rain hurried it and us into doing something about it. It actually gave the workmen a hurry along too:eek:

Result, just found out one of my cards interest free period for the balance transfer runs until July, the other is the begining of April so it gives me a bit of breathing space to tackle that one first...nothing like a deadline to focus the mind!

seasideDreamer

Pay day tomorrow:j Squeezed out another £5 which leaves me with £11 to my name just incase I need something today...shouldn't do but I am off and do need to go to town. Having a day catching up with all the jobs at home today. Its quite a relief to finally cross a few items off the momouth to do list:)

£140/£1335, will add to it tomorrow but on holiday in February and we seem to have replaced the Council tax with an array of other yearly bills that need paying this month so I probably won't pay too much more off until I'm back from holidays. I do worry about running out of money these days, its funny, I spent years literally having £30 of spare cash for the month and now I usually have a few hundred and I can't bare to spend much on it paying extra off the credit card until I know the months nearly done. I wonder what on earth I'll do with my extra cash when the debts gone! It will probably either go off the mortgage, towards the wedding or be saved, I don't need more 'stuff' that's for sure:A