Im Debt Free

*zippy*

Congratulations Jamie :T

You were my main inspiration when I first found MSE, i'm so pleased for you :j

1_step_closer

WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely wonderful!

I will go and celebrate with a sugary cup of tea for you!

:j

JAMIEDODGER

1_step_closer wrote: »

WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely wonderful!

I will go and celebrate with a sugary cup of tea for you!

:j

oooh my downfall! sugary tea for me too!

JAMIEDODGER

*zippy* wrote: »

Congratulations Jamie :T

You were my main inspiration when I first found MSE, i'm so pleased for you :j

thanks:)

to pay off 40% of your debt is quite inspirational too!!!!:T

*zippy*

Thanks Jamie :beer:

Could you tell us more of your story and how much you have paid off etc. its so encouraging to see peeps reach the finish line

hypno06

Well done - do stick around though to give support to the newbies. Proof that it can be done :T :T :T

Sea78

Fantastic! Well done!

Midnight_Sky_2

Hey, just wanted to add my congratulations!!! Its always so nice to see someone becoming debt free - gives us all hope! :T :beer: :T

racer256

Well Done!!!I have just become Debt Free on the 4th of July. I still have an emergency CC but I am scared to use it. It is just starting to sink in and I still don't know what to do with myself!Join us for the Olympic Challenge Take Two and sign your name on the Debt Free Roll of Honour!

JAMIEDODGER

*zippy* wrote: »

Thanks Jamie :beer:

Could you tell us more of your story and how much you have paid off etc. its so encouraging to see peeps reach the finish line

ok:).....

well i joined the site in may 2005. i had debts of just under 11k, i was on income support and a single parent of 4 kids.

the debt was incurred by being turned down for mobility DLA for my 3rd son with severe autistic spectrum disorder, (they said he had legs so he could walk! doesnt mean he would though) so i borrowed some money to purchase a car that would take me the kids and all equipment. the rest of the debt was due to doing basic work to the house we had just moved into, the carpets had fleas and the whole house stunk but we were lucky to get the house so i wasnt complaining too much, plus the whole house had to be made safe for my son, locks on doors and cupboards a second outside enclosure to prevent him escaping and various other devices (which dla doesnt quite stretch too lol)

anyway, that was then 11k debt and in may i found MSE after buying a copy of martins book, the money diet.

i embraced the MSE life wholeheartedly, especially OS. I bought a breadmaker, slow cooker, cooked everything from scratch, made all our baked goods, cakes, biscuits etc, i hung laundry, i became obsessive with spreadsheets.

PMS challenge was fantastic for me, i saved enough money to buy 3 chickens and a little house for them as we went through a huge amount of eggs!

i fed us all on about 33 per week for months and months. i began to bulk buy and start a present stock cupboard. i swapped around bank accounts and interest rates, tarted boots and credit cards and became an ebay and amazon manic. i used quidco, greasy palm, i points, r points, pigsback and anyone else who would have me lol

then last august i stopped paying back all but the minimum payments on everything to get enough money together to realise my dream. i started my own business:) i finally came off income support and it felt great.

after chucking any extra money into the business for months i re-started the debt repayment agressively again. the kids often joked that if it wasnt nailed down mum would sell it on ebay.:D

so here i am twenty six months after joining mse and its all paid back.:T i still budget obsessively and pay for practically everything in cash and that would be one of the most important things ive followed. the act of handing over REAL MONEY is a lot harder than a bit of plastic.

sorry if its a bit longwinded:D