Pay Off by Christmas Challenge

Tete_en_l'Air

Well, it was tedious but I've listed 12 more items. Glad it's done now anyway. Thanks for the challenge Skint, I wouldn't have done it without it. Good luck with your auctions! Off to rest my still-addled head in from of some telly now!

Lucy1982_2

hi guys, no listing for me, although I'll try and get round to having a go tonight. Had a very busy weekend and I am shattered!

Was a good little moneysaver at the weekend, I had my sight test and needed new glasses. So I used my 50% so £49.50 rather than £99 with £19.95 for the sight test = £69.45! Which is not fabulous but it was nearly £122!!!!! I was nearly talked into getting thinner lens, but decided I really didn't need to spend the extra cash!

Anyway, I'll try to list something on ebay, even if it's just one trial item.

Tete_en_l'Air

Hi kids, hope everyone is well and having a good weekend. I've got a day of sorting out to do, all my paperwork and clothes are all over the place and need putting away, so that's my job for the day.

My eBay stuff isn't going quite so well this time around - think I'm really getting to the dregs of what can be sold haha, I'll put them in the charity shop next week if they don't go today.

Had to spend loads on my car on Thursday - £45 for a new fan (and heater, brr) £20 deposit for a parking permit at work and a £20 fill-up, although that'll do me for about another 3 weeks, God bless the Micra! Shocked me when I totted it all up at the end of the day and got to £85!

I was paid on Weds though, so bank balance looking a lot healthier, but I've decided rather than update my sig on payday with the new amount, I'll wait until next payday and see what's left in the account of last month's money and update it like that as it gives a truer figure for what I've paid off. So each month I will set myself a challenge not to go beyond a certain amount on my overdraft. This month it'll be £1,500. This still gives me lots of leeway and if I do it easily then next month I'll make it tighter. I really don't have a lot of outgoings at the moment so I need to curb my spending. Having £1000 to go til I get to my OD limit is really burning a hole in my pocket so going to join the daily "what have you spent?" threads from tomorrow so I've got people to answer to!

I've just joined Quidco and Pigsback too and am still only working out how they work, but already have £4 in piggy points! I don't think either of thse come through fast enough for it to make a difference to this challenge, but it's nice to think I've got bits squirrelled away here and there!

Feeling really positive about this at the moment, especially with Christmas getting closer and closer all the time, and I hope everyone else is doing ok.

Besitos, L xx

Lucy1982_2

Well Done!

Looks like yoru getting there. I am trying to set up my Paypal account, but will try to sort through my wardrobe and will try ebaying anything that I don't wear any more or is to big for me now. But I still need to varify my paypal account.

So my job for today is to start clearing my wardrobe and take photo's of everything so that when paypal finally is set up I can just start listing!

Wish me luck

skint_spice

Hi
My stuff didn't go too well either Tete - made a grand total of £1.99! and once you've taken off the fees for everything and the paypal cut I'll just be breaking even! I've been thinking about it and think that maybe if I save a fiver a week from the shopping budget this will be much less hassle and a guarateed amount. then I can spend the ebaying time on something more constructive like doing the flat up so it sells for more money?

I had to fork out for a new exhaust today so will be down a wee bit in my challenge this month but paid for it with debit card and will still pay off about £500 whereas last year I would have stuck it on the cc and added another £300 or so to the debt too. Not all bad!

Tete_en_l'Air

Morning all,

Well done for resisting the CC Skint, I'm noticing little changes like this in myself which may mean a bit of hardship in the short term, but at least we're not sticking our heads in the sand and putting everything on credit. I think we're on the road to recovery!

As for eBay, I know what you mean about making the money another way and using the time more constructively. I've made £18.51 on 3 items this time around, a couple of which I'd bought myself on eBay a couple of months back for a total of around £50! Ah well, at least they're not cluttering the place up. Think these postal strikes are going to make life very difficult though...

As for the challenge as a whole - I've just realised (!) there're only 3 more paydays til the end of Dec, so I'm really going to have to tighten my belt if I'm going to get it all paid off. I'm thinking there's no hurry with the A&L OD as it's 0% so if I need to I can leave that one til January (rather than pay it off and still be in my Barclays OD at about 20% because of Christmas pressies, etc). Going to carry on with the daily "What I spend" thread as this has been great the last couple of days.

How's everyone doing?

Tete_en_l'Air

Oh, and sorry to hear about your exhaust too Skint - I've only been driving since July and am already seeing what a drain on your resources a car is. My fan belt has been making a noise the last couple of days but I'm hoping it's something Dad can fix - I've just spent £245 on it at it's MOT in August!

skint_spice

Thanks Tete, I just paid another £440 to CC so will have to update my siggy later but now under £8000 at last!
If I had an option I'd not have a car but have 60 mile commute each day and no public transport options. Also running a chauffeur service for DS of an evening...
Hope everyone else is keeping on track!

Lucy1982_2

Good to hear you are doing so well.

Hopefully at the end of the month I'll be able to add some to my total. I've just set up and verified my Paypal account, so will try ebaying something tomorrow when its 50% cheaper!

Tete_en_l'Air

Also running a chauffeur service for DS of an evening...

Hmm, don't have any myself, but I imagine kids are even more of a drain on your money than cars!! Good job I'm a nun for the time being...