Diary of a Debt Free Wannabe aged 24 and 3 quarters

rokat

Decided to have a go at writing a diary here to keep me on track.

Im almost 25 and feel foolish having got in debt so young :mad: (please dont judge )

OH and I both ended up jobless in August/September 2012. I found a temp job in Jan 2013, although not very well paid but a job is a job. OH only managed to get a job in Jan 2014 (not through lack of trying!!) so we had 4 months with no income and then a year with one income. Needless to say we struggled but we never fell behind with priority payments such as rent, council tax etc.

My debts spiralled out of control with interest and late/default fees but I started a DMP with Stepchange in December so they are now being (slowly) paid. This year I have also started to tackle my overweight-ness which I am doing ok with but has seemed to slow recently due to lack of motivation

I have just got a promotion at work which means more money as of next month :T and theyve made me permanent :T and OH had just passed his probation period at his job so things are looking up at the minute :j

Hopefully this will get me on track to pay off my debts and loose this extra weight as well! :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Good luck.

Dxxx

GunWharf

Well done and good luck!

Stackli

Good luck with everything - nobody should judge anyone about these things, we are all different and people don't know people's circumstances! I'm also trying to lose weight to get into all the lovely clothes I can no longer wear!

rokat

Thank you Dolly Rocker, GunWharf and Stackli

Stackli wrote: »

I'm also trying to lose weight to get into all the lovely clothes I can no longer wear!

That's exactly why I started too! Realising that my favourite pair of jeans no longer fit past my thighs was an eye opener for me!! Weighed myself again this morn, I do it first thing every Friday, and I've lost 1lb this week. Not as much as I would have liked but I did naughtily share an Easter egg with OH last night

Yesterday I opened more savings account. One for Christmas savings, one for emergencies and one for days out. We can't afford a holiday this year but, as I work in a school, I get 6 weeks off in summer and if I did nothing I'd prob go crazy! So putting a bit of money aside so I can do things like go and visit family for the weekend etc.

Lovely day today so off to put a wash on so I can hang it out to line dry :j

rokat

Cant sleep

Sorted out my budget today for the rest of the year using a spreadsheet I found on here. Even worked out how much I could save and what I'll have to put extra on my DMP. Hoping to up my payments on DMP when I see how much of a payrise Im getting next month.

Had a sort of BBQ tonight for tea using food from the freezer and OH friend brought some extra burgers, buns and sausages round. In return we let him drink the beers that have been in the cupboard since Christmas that the OH doesn't like
I say 'sort of BBQ' because our BBQ has run out of gas so we just cooked all the BBQ food in the oven and then ate it outside. Not quite the same though.

Need to ring BT this week to get our bill down. We currently pay £45 a month for internet and landline :eek: I know its alot but we've had it for 2 years and got it when we were both in good jobs. However, whenever I have rung to try and cut the bill they've said I can't because I'm still in contract. Im pretty sure I didn't sign up to a 2 year contract but will try my luck again this week. I've cut all my other bills down except for mine and OH mobile phones but they are both up for renewal next month finally.

killerpeaty

Massive well done on the job front! To both you and your OH.

I hope your debt free journey is going well. (Are you going to stock up on easter egg chocolate after tomorrow?)

DawnW

rokat wrote: »

Decided to have a go at writing a diary here to keep me on track.

Im almost 25 and feel foolish having got in debt so young :mad: (please dont judge )

Why would you be more foolish than an older person who got into debt? Surely the opposite would be the case?

Seriously though, well done on your progress so far in dealing with it

rokat

DawnW wrote: »

Why would you be more foolish than an older person who got into debt? Surely the opposite would be the case?

Seriously though, well done on your progress so far in dealing with it

Thanks DawnW

I suppose that would be true as well. I know I've got a lot of my life left but OH and I would like to buy a house of our own but thats just not a possibility for several years now. But I've only got myself to blame...

rokat

killerpeaty wrote: »

Massive well done on the job front! To both you and your OH.

I hope your debt free journey is going well. (Are you going to stock up on easter egg chocolate after tomorrow?)

Thanks killerpeaty Think i might have to stock up, not good for my diet though

giblet1979

Hi,
Well done on all you're doing. I think a lot of people (myself included) would be pleased if we'd decided to tackle debt at an earlier age, so I think what you're doing is great, and you sound very focused.
I wouldn't worry too much about the house as yet - DH and I have just bought in our early 30's and it's probably a better time in my opinion as it gives you time to get debt free (ish), save up a decent deposit, and go into the house purchase knowing exactly what to expect (as there are a lot of 'hidden costs' that could trip you up).
Lots of luck with everything! x